Paul, laws can be passed, but they are also subject to funding. Any existing program can be zeroed out via funding. I support the ACA, but I don't agree that it MUST be funded. This is a political issue, as it should be. President Obama will need to come to the table, and negotiate. Our Constitution designed it that way.

I see, Paul, that you really have nothing to say. And BTW, you are naive about legislation since Congress is the House AND the Senate.
Maybe certain individuals should give up on their extortion attempts when they are unable to get legislation they want passed, despite earlier votes and court decisions that went against them.
You are right about the bunch of clowns, too busy with their tea parties to care about the country

Sam--republicans have tried 4o+ times to defund the health care act. They have failed each time. The law was passed and upheld by the courts and came into effect today. Their is nothing for Obama to negotiate over. End of story

The US government is run by a lot of childish, immature, greedy people with the attention span of a mosquito.

What do you expect when we do not expect enough of our leaders?

"attention span of a mosquito"

We could wish. Mosquitoes accomplish their mission. They have thrived for millions of years.

The problem is that the country is being run by career politicians who have never had to do any real work in their lives. They have never had to work within a real budget. They have never had to wonder where the money is going to come to pay for their lunch or their rent.

Get rid of career politicians and let those who have run a successful company take the helm.

"let those who have run a successful company take the helm."

That would be Herbert Hoover. And wasn't the country infinitely more prosperous when he left office that when he was inaugurated?

That would include George H.W. Bush, a one-term president.

"The problem is that the country is being run by career politicians who have never had to do any real work in their lives. .... Get rid of career politicians and let those who have run a successful company take the helm."

Newt Gingrich promised term limits in his 1994 Contract on America.

Republicans gave it lipservice and dropped it. Republicans had the House Senate and Dubya thru 2006 and never once offered it as a bill. By that time, disgraced Newt was run out of town, never to be heard from again (a hypocrite, liar, cheater, adulterer, ethics violator.) What did Newt think of his fellow Republicans? He wanted nothing to do with them and was "not willing to preside over people who are cannibals."

Republicans, ie... "liars".

Whoa... what do you mean? Newt surfaced after that? Omigosh! What party would possibly tolerate a lying hypocrite like Newt, the guy who said he was "not willing to preside over people who are cannibals"?

Certainly not the republicans!!

The lockout of WWII vets at the WWII Memorial in DC is an example of how this thing could really backfire on President Obama. He is playing poker, but he should be negotiating. Maybe ACA gets funded, but the Keystone pipeline and a few other goodies that the GOP likes get approved. Both sides could claim something, and then we move forward.

"could really backfire on President Obama."

Stop the koolaid. Look at the polls. Obama will sign a clean CR. It's the republicans. Petulant 5 year olds who tried 40 times to repeal and replace (with what?!?!) Now they want to hold their breath till they turn blue (heh, heh, I kinda like that imagery!)

It was the republicans who ran in 2012 with the KEY plank of overturning obamacare.

America spoke, republicans lost in a landslide. 5 million votes. 332-206. Mr 47% got, hey, take a guess... yup, 47%.

Petulant 5 year olds. With all due apologies to real 5 year olds, of course.

Spoiled brat LOSERS who give 5 year olds a bad name.

The hard line, no-negotiation stance of President Obama is much different than the pro-negotiation stance of President Clinton with Newt Gingrich. There is just some kind of hard core attitude by President Obama. I think he is drinking the koolaid, and he needs to start drinking some common sense. The GOP holds the House, where spending bills originate, and he needs to deal. We could probably get the ACA, nearly intact, without government shutdowns, if he was willing to be a reasonable politician, by historical standards.

The GOP is holding the nation hostage, just to try and repeal a law (for the 40th time) that helps 30 million Americans get healthcare. That keeps insurers from dropping coverage for pre-existing conditions. To remove lifetime caps, and help women and seniors get better preventative care.

And yet the extreme fringe of the minority claims it's the President who is at fault, not the fringe tea baggers that are holding the nation hostage.

The fringe tea baggers don't even know how to get out of their mess now. Witness one of the back-bencher tea baggers and what he mumbled yesterday:

"We're not going to be disrespected, We have to get something out of this. And I don't know what that even is." -- Rep. Marlin Stutzman (R-IN), quoted by the Washington Examiner.

Elections have consequences. The republicans lost in 2008 and 2012. If they keep up their moronic ways, they'll lose seats in 2014, an election that historically should swing their way.

"We had an accountability moment, and that's called the (2208 & 2012) elections." ? George W. Bush, 2005

>The republicans lost in 2008 and 2012

You forget that the GOP won big in 2010, and they won the House in 2012. Politics is about elections. That is why President Obama needs to make a deal. Let's get all of this behind us, and preserve the ACA.

No need to "preserve" the ACA.

It's the Law. It IS constitutional. It IS funded. Americans are excited.

It had a huge roll-out this week - I'm sure you heard about it, it was in all the papers (as an example, see papers below).

In all the papers. Just wasn't on Fox.

- - - - - - - - - - - -
CONNECTICUT: Health Care Plans Begin: 28,000-Plus Go Online To State Marketplace [Hartford Courant]

GEORGIA: Enrollment Sites Are Swamped On First Day [The Augusta Chronicle]

IDAHO: Idaho Health Exchange Launches With Few Hiccups [Idaho Statesman]

INDIANA: Insurance Marketplace Draws Strong Early Interest [Journal and Courier]

KENTUCKY: Kynect Opens To High Demand [The Courier-Journal] [...]

COLORADO: Heavy Traffic Slows Health Website On Debut Day [The Durango Herald]

FLORIDA: Website Are Overwhelmed As Many Log On, But Optimism Is Voiced [Tampa Bay Times]

ARIZONA: Health Markets Swamped On Day 1 [The Arizona Republic] [...]

ALABAMA: State Insurance Marketplace Swamped With Consumer Interest[The Anniston Star]

SOUTH CAROLINA Health Insurance Website Overwhelmed On First Day [The State] [...]

WISCONSIN: Wis. Residents Flood Exchanges [Stevens Point Journal] [...]

PENNSYLVANIA: A First-Day Rush On Health Care [The Philadelphia Inquirer] [...]

- - - - - - - - - - -

Oct. 2 (Bloomberg) -- Obamacare?s opening day drew millions of consumers to the law?s core insurance exchanges, offering supporters and investors confidence that if the websites can stay up and running, customers will follow.

In New York, officials said their exchange had 2.5 million visitors in its first half hour. California reported as many as 16,000 hits a second. And U.S. officials recorded 2.8 million visitors to the federal website, healthcare. gov .....

>It's the Law. It IS constitutional. It IS funded.

The problem is that it is only funded if a clean CR is passed by the GOP in the House. So far, the GOP is not willing. It is better to get most of something, instead of none of something. President Obama needs to act like President Clinton, and get this thing done. I don't think it would take all that much, as I said before (Keystone Pipeline, some other goodies that the GOP wants). Both sides need to claim something. The problem, I think, is that President Obama is too hard core. Too bad Tip O'Neil is no longer around to give him some advice.

Romney ran on overturning Obama/Romneycare and LOST. In a LANDSLIDE 332-206.

By FIVE MILLION votes. It's been 30 years since a republican won by 5 million votes.

Mr 47% got only 47%.

Get over it. Y'all lost. Obama will not negotiate with terrorists holding our economy hostage.

After all, only Reagan negotiated with terrorists (Iran contra.)

The longer this goes on, the more the GOP loses, this year and in 2014.

So there is a silver lining, isn't there?

As a lifelong Democrat, voter for President Obama, and supporter of the ACA, I hate to see all this rhetoric from my own party. If we controlled the House, it would not be an issue, but we don't. Ain't democracy a mess!?

Time for President Obama to negotiate with the GOP. Elections have consequences, and the GOP won the House. Time to recognize it, then get beyond it. There is no need for this current drama.

Sam-- you do not expct us to believe your claims about being a lifelong democrat. A real democrat would back Obama. It is clear thatbthe republicans are fixated on obamacare. They cannot stand the fact that they lost the vote in congress, lost the election and then lost the supreme court decision. The senate passed a budget months ago-- time for the republicans in the house to get on board the fact that they are letting a small coalition right wing crazies control the debate speaks loudly and clearly that they do not care about this country.
There is nothing to negotiate about-- especially if obamacare is part of the negotiation. And, BTW, Sam, do the republicans actually have a plan to address health care since they hate obamacare?
So, save your tales of you beng a democrat for others.

>A real democrat would back Obama

I back President Obama being a real politician, and negotiating for what we can get. We don't control the House...remember, that was won by the GOP in 2012. I don't back President Obama being a cork in the bottle. Unfortunately, some on this thread think that the cork is the most important consideration. I don't.

Sam-- you have it all wrong. The republicans are the cork in the bottle. All the republicans in the house have to do is schedule a straight vote on the senate passed budget. Nothing to negotiate over. Especially over Obamacare-- that is a done deal-- congress spoke, the voters spoke and the supreme court spoke. Why should Obama negotiate that away? [Portion removed.]
The republicans are getting nervous. Cruz had made a fool out of boehner.
Nothing for Obama to negotiate over, certainly not obamacare.

Obama will never negotiate about our BLACK LETTER LAW with terrorists or petulant children.

The whiny, crybaby tea bagging terrorists know as the GOP lost when they voted on the LAW. They lost in the Supreme Court. They lost the presidency in a LANDSLIDE when their very best candidate (after Newtie the Adulterer) chose to run a campaign based on repealing Obamacare.

Having some "concern troll" flying a false flag as a supposed Obama supporter ain't cutting it. I have other ideas for the cork.

"Obama will never negotiate about our BLACK LETTER LAW"

The problem is that President Obama already provided exemptions to big business and federal employees. If he had not done that, then this current debate would have less fuel.

We need the ACA, and that is why I think negotiation is necessary. The GOP is willing to settle for crumbs, like the Keystone pipeline and a few tax breaks (e.g. medical device makers). We should not be snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.

Sam-- the ACA is not open to negotiation-- the republicans lost on that issue 3 times. Do they need a picture drawn?
The keystone pipeline is also not on the table-- all those issue can be passed in congress. Just because the republicans cannot get their agenda through does not mean that Obama should give into blackmail.
Boehner needs to bring up a straight vote on the budget-- end of story. He refuses to because of the tea party crazies.
BTW, my republican husband Samuel agrees with me completely on this matter