Monday, October 18, 2010

Where Was Alexi Giannoulias In Opposing the ObamaCare "Mistake" When it Mattered?

Now that there's just 16 days until Election Day 2010, Democratic Senate candidate Alexi Giannoulias has suddenly discovered what most of the rest of the country already knew - the issue is jobs, jobs, jobs, folks, and his basketball buddy, President Obama, has done a miserable job in focusing on jobs, instead spending his time, effort and political capital to transform our country to a European-model, high tax, big government society, starting with Obama's massive revamping of our health care system. From today's AP story:

Democratic Senate candidate Alexi Giannoulias says President Barack Obama made a mistake by focusing heavily on health care reform.

During an Associated Press interview Monday, Giannoulias said there should have been a "laser like" focus in Washington on creating jobs.

Giannoulias, who's running for Obama's old U.S. Senate seat, said putting people back to work should have been the focus of the administration to the exclusion of almost everything else domestically.

Is this a sign of desperation for Team Alexi? After all, that seriously has to be the first time that Alexi has publicly uttered the words "Obama" and "mistake" in the same sentence. For some months, Alexi has been one of the few Democrats running to, rather than away, from Obama and his failed policies. Now, today, Alexi suddenly discovered that jobs, not a progressive agenda to reform healthcare and redistribute the nation's wealth, is what is keeping real people (as opposed to Alexi's favored company of fellow limousine liberals like House Speaker Nancy Pelosi) up at night.

This revelation is a bit late in coming to young Alexi, methinks. For months now, Alexi has been touting his full support of Obama and his healthcare plan, and excoriating anyone who opposed it, focusing, of course, on his Republican opponent, Congressman Mark Kirk. And Alexi has made accusing Kirk of being a 'shift-in-the-wind' politician a cornerstone of his campaign.... Sheesh.

You may recall several campaign videos that Alexi produced trying to smear Kirk as the obstructionist who wanted to thwart Obama's grand vision for healthcare reform. At the time, Alexi was all-in:



Not a word about how this was all a mistake, and Obama should have been focusing on jobs and the economy. Not even a mention on how there are, at the very least, problems with ObamaCare that a few days ago, Alexi was suggesting needed to be fixed.

Or maybe you remember this campaign video, "Really, Mark Kirk?"



I now ask Alexi, "Really Alexi?" You expect us to believe that you've seen the light and you take back all the criticisms you've made of Mark Kirk over his opposition to Obamacare? Where were all the videos, where were the press statements, in the months leading up to this point, pleading with President Obama to drop his obsession with taking over health care, and rather urging him to re-focus the awesome power and prestige of the White House into getting the nation back to work?

As recently as October 7th, when Obama was in town to stump for Alexi, did Alexi make any mention of this tiny, weeny "mistake" to the President? Nope, nothing, nada, zilch. Of course, it's probably not something that Alexi had the guts to say to Obama's face, and moreover, would have spolied the chance to get good video footage for campaign commericals.

Perhaps Alexi was a bit stung by his recent failure to point out any federal spending bill in which he would not have supported the plans of Nancy Pelosi and the President, and is now grasping for something, anything, to convince the voters of Illinois that he will not simply be a rubber stamp for the Obama/Pelosi agenda.

If that's what this was all about, that makes two "mistakes," Alexi - your support of Obamacare, and now trying to so transparently distance yourself from it for political gain.

4 comments:

Blue Wind said...

TA,
For starters, the health care reform bill is a great advance. Not perfect, but far better than what we had before. The fact that Kirk has sided with tea-partiers and ignorant right-wing extremists promising to lead the fight to "repeal" it shows his real colors.

Obama made mistakes, but passing health care was not one. The major mistake he made at the beginning of his presidency was to try to be "bi-partisan" with the republican party of today. That was a huge error. The republican party of today is an extreme far-right group, controlled to a large part by bizarre religious fundamentalists (i.e. Palin and rest) or corrupt leaders representing special interests. Obama should have ignored them from day 1 when he had the strong support of the country, immediately after the election.

Team America said...

Blue Wind, you say "for starters". How about for finishers? Unemployment's at 10%, after ObamaStar contended that we had to pass the stimulus to AVOID this situation. So, do I take from your post that you disagree with Alexi's latest pander to try to pick up some votes from those who disagree with Obama and see Alexi as simply a rubber stamp? It's clearly far too late to impress the editorial boards of the newspapers with his new-found willingness to buck the President. The newspapers (with two sad exceptions) were on to Alexi quite some time ago.

Blue Wind said...

TA,
I dont disagree with Alexi. Anything that gets him few votes at such a tight election is fine with me. Kirk has totally embarrassed himself by siding with extremists who want to "repeal" health care reform. Beyond being impossible, such idea is ridiculous.

Regarding newspapers, as I am sure you know, their endorsements dont matter. They have minimal if any impact in the election. I think Alexi will win because IL is a blue state. It will not be as close as you think. Kirk had the opportunity to win the election early on, but he lost all credibility by the discovery of so many lies about his military record and other things. Kirk could not even win if he were running for re-election in IL10 today. He lost his credibility and, beyond partisan votes, he will not get independent votes and centrist/right-wing dem votes that he desperately needs to be elected. This election was decided the day the massive lies of Kirk about his military record came out. Giannoulias credibility issues matter much less for a simple reason: This is a blue state and there are more people who will vote democratic no matter what. Remember me in 2 weeks.

Anonymous said...

Your true colors have been waving all over the place for weeks now, Blue. November 2 the voters will decide. Not you. Not me alone.
The 'healthcare bill' is not about healthcare, Blue, but insurance reform. Ask those who truly know. REAL healthcare reform has not even been talked about as yet. I do NOT agree that repealing the entire bill is feasible or even warranted. Your genius in the WH should have been upfront about the dramatic rise in premiums that companies would pay. It was obvious to anyone with half a brain. Without medical liability reform there is NO real healthcare reform. Without the Doctor 'fix' finally addressed, expect more physicians to opt OUT of Medicare. Wake up, Blue, and stop being a rubber stamp for the talking heads here and in DC. The 112th Congress will be vastly different. Hopefully, so will Mr. Obama.