And, yes, if I had to point to a single defining platform plank that made me pick Obama over Hillary it would be (and has been) mandated health insurance, and yes, he lied to our faces. The only difference is that Hillary was offering a public option into which people could buy, while Obama forces people to get it from the same private health insurers who were and are bankrupting America at both the individual and federal level.

Yet much like the healthcare debate Obama managed to do the impossible and find a deficit "solution" WORSE than nothing. Instead of healthcare so overpriced tens of millions can't afford it we now have healthcare so overpriced tens of millions can't afford it but that EVERYONE must buy anyway. Instead of spending so high and taxes so low it bankrupts us we'll soon have Social Security and Medicare retirees paid for their entire adult lives painfully reduced so we can lower taxes as well and continue going bankrupt. Skyrocketing healthcare costs are breaking Medicare and the budget, so the solution is to require everyone buy it on their own and reduce Medicare for those old enough to get back what they paid into it (remember the proposal back in '09 that we just make Medicare universal? ). All so that he can declare "debt reduction in our time" at his latest little Munich before next years bill comes due and he marches off to the dustbin of history himself. That's what happens when you give the other side every spoiled demand it makes and get nothing in return except blame for the resulting implosion; that's how we got Republicans saying they won't accept "co-ownership" of an economy that was in the toilet before Obama was even a senator, much less president. HE accepted co-ownership while essentially continuing Bush policy (except on healthcare which, again, he actually made worse) and now he gets to be held accountable for it. Serves him right, but does nothing to help the country.

I'm not sure how Christie strongarming Congressional Dems would be any better, but on the other hand I can't think of much worse than Obama at this point and, like I say, at least Christie ADMITS he's a Republican.