One of the biggest mistakes that Obama and Democrats are making right now is the promising of health care reform. Yes, it would be a wonderful thing to have. However, we have been defeated on this issue every time we tried to pass universal healthcare in the past. The problem is that the insurance companies have too much power in Congress and many Democrats who would be vital to reform need these contributions from the insurance lobby to get reelected. In short, any health care plan that could hurt insurance company profits is likely a non-starter.
Just take a look at this recent Hill article that announces that Democrats in Congress are delaying the release of any healthcare bill, again. http://thehill.com/...
Getting health care reform done requires quick action before the clock runs out and the same thing that happened in 1993 is happening today. I remember in 1993 when we at first a bill was promised by May, then it was delayed to August, then to September, then to Spring 1994, then summer 1994, then to fall 1994, and then it was announced that any reform legislation was dead. The same result is extremely likely again as concerns over the deficit and the economy are far more prevelent than they were back then.
The Obama administration would be very wise to say that there is a good chance we wont see any reform and if we do, it will be a huge upset victory. I hate seeing everybody's hopes being raised over something that at best has a 20% chance of passage. We need to start trying to tackle more realistic issues such as a payroll tax cut and other measures that will stimulate the sick economy.