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The source appears to be this 2006 article in The Nation: https://www.thenation.com/article/mr-obama-goes-washington/ https://www.thenation.com/article/mr-obam

The source appears to be this 2006 article in The Nation: https://www.thenation.com/article/mr-obama-goes-washington/ https://www.thenation.com/article/mr-obama-goes-washington/ It's interesting that Obama's argument for protecting health insurance administration jobs precedes both his presidential campaign and the Great Recession. The whole article is a telling foreshadowing that future-President Obama was not going to be as progressive as progressives hoped (or as conservatives feared). It's also a painful reminder that propping up low-value or even negative-value activities to "preserve jobs" is a bipartisan sport.

wahern 8y ago
Obama and Hillary competed on their healthcare plans. Obama's plan was more favorable to existing interests. His argument was that Hillary's plan was too aggressive and would never make it through Congress, whereas a vote for him and his plan ensured successful passage of a reform package. From the article, "If I think we can achieve those same goals within the existing institutions, then I am going to try to do that, because I think it's going to be easier to do and less disruptive and less costly and less painful...." ... Obama is telling the truth--he's not opposed to structural changes at all. However, he appears to be interested in fighting only for those changes that fit within the existing boundaries of what's considered mainstream in Washington.... It was funny because Hillary spent years working behind the scenes with insurers and providers and had their [tepid] buy-in. It's not like her plan was particularly radical, and really Obama just tweaked her framework. But Obama moved right to out-flank Hillary, capturing more centrist votes in both the primary and the general. Despite GOP rants to the contrary, Obama spent most of administration to the right of mainstream Democrats. His policies were typically crafted to at least be tolerable to conservatives, but his sensibilities were wasted in the spiteful partisan political culture. It wasn't until his last 1 or 2 years in office that the Democratic leadership convinced him to start pushing policies demanded by the Democratic base (e.g. Dreamers, etc).
jonhendry18 8y ago
"It's also a painful reminder that propping up low-value or even negative-value activities to "preserve jobs" is a bipartisan sport." They have positive value to the people in those jobs, and losing those jobs is high negative value to them and their communities.

wahern 8y ago

Obama and Hillary competed on their healthcare plans. Obama's plan was more favorable to existing interests. His argument was that Hillary's plan was too aggressive and would never make it through Congress, whereas a vote for him and his plan ensured successful passage of a reform package. From the article, "If I think we can achieve those same goals within the existing institutions, then I am going to try to do that, because I think it's going to be easier to do and less disruptive and less costly and less painful...." ... Obama is telling the truth--he's not opposed to structural changes at all. However, he appears to be interested in fighting only for those changes that fit within the existing boundaries of what's considered mainstream in Washington.... It was funny because Hillary spent years working behind the scenes with insurers and providers and had their [tepid] buy-in. It's not like her plan was particularly radical, and really Obama just tweaked her framework. But Obama moved right to out-flank Hillary, capturing more centrist votes in both the primary and the general. Despite GOP rants to the contrary, Obama spent most of administration to the right of mainstream Democrats. His policies were typically crafted to at least be tolerable to conservatives, but his sensibilities were wasted in the spiteful partisan political culture. It wasn't until his last 1 or 2 years in office that the Democratic leadership convinced him to start pushing policies demanded by the Democratic base (e.g. Dreamers, etc).

jonhendry18 8y ago

"It's also a painful reminder that propping up low-value or even negative-value activities to "preserve jobs" is a bipartisan sport." They have positive value to the people in those jobs, and losing those jobs is high negative value to them and their communities.