I thought I would give my own observations/wrap-up on today's summit. I managed to watch most of it, and I happen to think that I can do a fairly good job of calling things as I see them.
Ya did good today, President Obama. Well done!
After watching the summit, 2 things became clear to me: Obama is the man for this moment, and health reform will be passed this year.
I have to admit that I was skeptical about whether the summit would be more political than productive, and I have to say I'm about astounded (and yes heartened) at Obama's stance. I was pleased that he had no problem not only swatting away the GOP talking points ("government takeover" "let's start over"), but also routinely calling them on their double-talk/hypocrisy/truth-stretching. And he did it in such a gentlemanly fashion.
I don't have the video to highlight, but his closing remarks are a must see. In essence, Obama made it clear to the GOP that they need to do some soul-searching and see where they stand on these issues, but nevertheless he intends to move forward with reform. Anyone can see the writing on the wall, gotta say that even the GOP are now sensing the inevitable.
Folks, we all know that the reform bill is far from perfect, but can we at least acknowledge and celebrate that it's a much-needed step in the right direction? My hope is that we continue to remain steadfast and remember why we all turned out in record numbers in November 08.
Patience folks, can we be a bit more patient and recognize that all politics not withstanding, President Obama and the Democrats (and some Republicans) are trying to make things better for many Americans? I know that it's easier said than done, and that many of us are on the ropes, but now is when we really have to buckle down and stay the course!
**Update**
Thanks for the comments and rec!
Let's not forget what this is about: