The first column posted at HuffPo includes these pointed observations:
If the health-care deal that emerges benefits the health care industry more than it does ordinary Americans, Obama is likely to argue that the agreement was by necessity a compromise. But keep in mind that Obama went into the entire debate having taken a fairly dramatic compromise position to start with. The most effective way to achieve universal coverage and bring down health care costs – Obama’s two ostensible holy grails — is, of course, a single-payer system. But Obama unilaterally ruled out creating an actual government-run health-care system – rather than a mythological one — on pragmatic political grounds, before the public debate even began.
Does Obama have the ability to stand up to corporate interests? There’s scant evidence of that so far. Indeed, most notably in the course of the financial industry bailout, he deferred to them quite spectacularly. And it’s not just corporate interests, either. There’s something about the military/national security complex that seems to set Obama back on his heels on such issues as dealing with Guantanamo detainees, coming clean about the Bush administration’s torture legacy or "Don’t Ask Don’t Tell."
It’s a great start right out of the gate. He has a higher profile as well. And he’ll be managing editor for a team of Washington journalists with integrity and self-respect so rare in that town.





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Recommended. Thanks so much, Alank. I’ve only read your excerpts so far, sure sounds like the Dan we know and love. I don’t even go to the WAPO site anymore. I think he’s got Obama pegged exactly right. I should have voted for Cynthia McKenney. It appears to me at this point that the only thing Obama is good at is flim-flam.
Maybe he will read Dan’s column and look at himself with clear eyes. I just don’t think he’s man enough for the job.
Dan seems to be off to an excellent start at HuffPo. I like his stated agenda of developing an accountability-based journalism.
There’s a more exuberant forthrightness in this column than I’ve seen before, as well. It reveals the restraint he must’ve faced at the daily, daily.
I agree he’s got Obama nailed, as reluctant as he is to come to this conclusion. I too look forward to the results of his new project.
Very good start. If the reporters can muckrake aggressively I will have a reason to go to HuffPo, which I never had before.
The point of the column was that the real Obama has to stand up. BenGoshi during the campaign was challenging people to answer when Obama has ever taken on a big corporation. No one could answer him.
Great column. He even took my feedback on his misframing of healthcare and updated the article. I really appreciate journalists who engage with their readership. It de-atomizes the discussion.
Wow! If Froomkin continues to post like this here, I will make Huffington Post a daily read. I trust few sites anymore. Firedoglake, Rebel Reports, and Counter punch tell the truth along with Greg Palast. But the mainstream sites have been sneaky. They pretend to be liberal and then turn corporate. I will read with caution.
You don’t necessarily have to go to HuffPo to find Dan’s latest blog. Just subscribe to news feed from your browser at this location:
Dan’s News Feed
Add a bookmark to your browser toolbar and name it Froomkin.