Harris's VP?

[Kishkumen]

His healthcare compromise was particularly bad, in my opinion. It's the worst of both worlds and for me has driven up the price of health insurance and lowered the benefits. I really, really wish we could have had universal healthcare.

I am sorry to hear that, drumdude. I agree with you on universal healthcare. That was what I thought we should have. I think Obama made commitments to the billionaires who supported his candidacy before he ever got elected. The result was a half-hearted recovery and the death to universal healthcare. He should have been FDR. Instead, he was very nearly W pt. II.

[Kishkumen]

If I had my way, he'd be the next President.

How nice would it be to have a brilliant guy leading our country? How nice would it be if the majority of people were proud of that (as opposed to how many seem to revel in their leader's stupidity, because somehow, it owns the libs)?

Amen to all of the above. He is like Hillary with a personality.

[Some Schmo]

It's disheartening that there's such a disconnect between politics and governing. There's such a huge difference between being skilled on the campaign trail and being skilled running a government. Of course, there is some overlap in the two jobs, namely looking like a leader, but they are still two totally different jobs.

I think Hillary would have been okay as President. Boring, even. She just lacks the charisma needed to win over enough people, so we never got to see if she'd be good. Her record in government might lead someone to believe she might have been good. I think many competent people could do the job who would be terrible campaigners, or have a trait that isn't viewed positively by the majority.

It makes me wonder: have we still not gotten to the point where the majority of American voters would be ok with a completely competent person who happens to be gay? If so, that blows my mind a little, and yet it's not surprising at all.

[Kishkumen]

My cynical guess is that more would be against it than you would think. Sad, but probably true. I want to hope otherwise. Maybe I am too pessimistic.

[Jersey Girl]

with regard to Mayor Pete. It's disturbing that some of this country is so backward and lacking critical thinking skills. Pete Buttigieg is sharp as a tack, extremely well educated, is recollection of facts and figures is astounding, he can deliver an opposing viewpoint without offending, and if you didn't know he was gay...you wouldn't know he was gay. And what's that got to do with anything anyway? There are plenty of gay persons they probably interact with regularly and they don't know they're gay because...they don't know.

So they'd be opposed to a gay VP candidate when on the other side the front runner is a philandering book cooking rapist. I mean, felon.

[Doctor CamNC4Me]

I’d look at Jon Ossof in order to try and pick up a southern state, and break the GOP stranglehold over them. He’s smart, understands how to talk through the media, he beat an incumbent for his seat, and could potentially bring some middle of the road people over to Harris.

- Doc

[honorentheos]

As much as I liked Obama I think it would be absolute insanity to add him to the ticket.

Yes.

Full stop.

[Gunnar]

His healthcare compromise was particularly bad, in my opinion. It's the worst of both worlds and for me has driven up the price of health insurance and lowered the benefits. I really, really wish we could have had universal healthcare.

Nevertheless, I am convinced that Obama's ACA is significantly better than what it replaced. But I agree that universal healthcare would be better. I just hope we can manage to ward off the threat of Fascistic like authoritarianism long enough for it to have chance of becoming reality. We already have ample evidence of how much better it works in most, if not all, of the countries that have it, and how much more cost effective it is. Even in an otherwise deplorable and economically backward country like Cuba, their universal healthcare system works better for a larger proportion of their population than what we now have here, even though what we have now is arguably better and more popular for more people than what it replaced, in my opinion.

As for me, however, I, and my wife, in effect, already have a good healthcare situation. I am Retired Air Force and have the benefits of both Medicare and Tricare for life, with Parts A and B (the Tricare part). This combination covers our medical expenses, with little or no co-pay in most cases. For example, my dear wife had hip replacement surgery for her right hip 5 weeks ago, with no co-pay necessary, apparently (at least so far as I know--we have not yet been billed for it). I had cataract surgery in both eyes 2 years ago, and that would also have been completely covered, had I not opted to pay the $3,000 cost for the premium lenses, which was well worth it! I have 20/20 vision, now, in both eyes, with no need for external, corrective lenses!

[honorentheos]

Obama is odd because he wanted to skip the process of compromise and go straight to the compromise solution. It made his bargaining position much weaker, and cost this country quite a bit. If only he had been better at working WITH Republicans instead of shortcutting to his enlightened solution. I may be wrong, but this is the strong impression I have from a fair amount of exposure to others' estimations of his effectiveness as president.

This aligns with my view. Obama was a moderate - centrist with an academic belief in consensus rather than an experienced belief in compromise. The Obama White House was less progressive than the Biden White House by significant measures. Minus the retreat from Afghanistan the Biden administration performed remarkably well. Their challenge being their two biggest issues - inflation and the border - are systemic problems they had a difficult time on messaging while doing effective jobs managing them through difficulty.

Obama's strength was his poise. People either liked him for being cool, or hated him for being smug. But they feel rather than think when it comes to Obama.

I dreaded reading whatever brief was posted on the White House website during his terms because they seemed to embody the spirit of dreaming big and standing to the side with hands on hips waiting for inspired folks to figure out what and how to do things in that general direction.

That said he accomplished a relatively successful recovery, had a wildly chaotic global environment to negotiate and did ok (Arab Spring, Libya, Iraq wind down, Syria, ISIS, and emergent China, an embittered Moscow, global ennui and loss of faith in the ability of democratic government to protect people after the global financial crisis, etc.) It was a solid B, in my opinion.

[Gunnar]

with regard to Mayor Pete. It's disturbing that some of this country is so backward and lacking critical thinking skills. Pete Buttigieg is sharp as a tack, extremely well educated, is recollection of facts and figures is astounding, he can deliver an opposing viewpoint without offending, and if you didn't know he was gay...you wouldn't know he was gay. And what's that got to do with anything anyway? There are plenty of gay persons they probably interact with regularly and they don't know they're gay because...they don't know.

So they'd be opposed to a gay VP candidate when on the other side the front runner is a philandering book cooking rapist. I mean, felon.

If that doesn't underscore the stupidity and basic moral bankruptcy of today's Republican party, what would?