streaker,
All good points. Regarding Obama and the message, my take is this: I think Obama was reluctant to get involved too early, as to avoid stepping on Congress' toes (the 1994 experience) and since they're 80%-90% there already on an agreement. The trick always has been when exactly to get fully involved, publicly, in the effort. In hindsight, he could have gotten into the fray a week or two earlier, but not much more than that as he had to wait and see where negotiations stood, particularly in Waxman's committee.
What I believe you're seeing now particulary in his well done town hall in NH is Obama now diving into this fully. Now he knows what some of the anti-reform rhetoric and tactics are, and can respond accordingly. Furthermore, nobody on the right has even close to his popularity or ability to communicate with the public, not to mention press coverage and dominance of the news cycle that comes with the office of the President. In particular, the euthansia argument was a terrible misstep by the right. Its easily refuted and lumps all opponents legitimate or not in with these crackpots. I know he's doing a couple more of these, and I would suspect he'll add extras if he's politically astute (as he seems to be).
