Barack Obama: Redistributing Your Health Care

He's spreadin' the wealth, folks - sorry, your wealth - and if you are lucky enough to work for a company that offers excellent health benefits (a reason you might have taken the job in the first place, over opportunities that might have paid more money), Barack Obama is about to take it away from you and give it to somebody else:

Obama put his support behind the idea of taxing employers that offer high-cost insurance plans.

"I do think that giving a disincentive to insurance companies to offer Cadillac plans that don't make people healthier is part of the way that we're going to bring down health care costs for everybody over the long term," Obama said on NBC's "Meet the Press."

He's going to tax them out of existence, to make sure we all get equally poor heath care as part of a socialized medical system. Just as Obama feels that around $250,000 is as much money as any American should make (the rest belongs to him to redistribute as he sees fit), he has in mind a limited heath care plan that he feels is enough for any American, no matter how much or how little they contribute to society. Bottom line: what is the minimum that can be received by all that will cover all? Whatever it is, it will be awful and we will all be stuck with it.

Ain't socialism grand?

Is the DNC Racist?

Well, according to the definition given by embattled, unpopular, New York governor David Paterson barely a month ago:

"This state is not in the trouble that Michigan is in, Pennsylvania is in and Massachusetts is in, but you don’t see in those other states this crescendo about getting rid of the governor just because we’re in a recession"

"And I submit that the same kind of treatment that Deval Patrick is receiving right now in Massachusetts, and I’m receiving; the way in which the New York State Senate was written about, calling them a bunch of people with thick necks...that we’re not in the post-racial period."

So what do we make of this report from MSNBC?

National Democratic Party leaders have asked Gov. David Paterson to consider withdrawing from the 2010 governor's race, according to two senior New York Democratic advisers.

The New York Times, which originally reported the request on its Web site, said that it was President Barack Obama who asked Paterson to withdraw.

Patrick Gaspard, Obama's political director, was scheduled to meet with the governor on Monday, one of the sources said...

The Times reports:

“The message the White House wanted to send — that it wants Paterson to step aside — was delivered,” said the Democratic operative,, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the discussions were intended to be confidential. “He is resistant.”

This is an "extraordinary intervention", to quote the Times. Seems to me Obama is afraid that key administration critic Rudy Giuliani will go for, and win, the governor's slot, allowing him years to knock the Obama policy platform from a high-visibility position, and perhaps setting up a White House challenge in 2012.

Obama is asking Paterson to fall on his sword for the good of the party and more importantly, the good of The One. The question is - is Obama asking the same of any other white politician who is in danger in the off-year elections this November? Surely, if Jon Corzine loses New Jersey in six weeks, there will be quite a buzz about a blue state tossing a governor who has aligned himself directly with the president . Has he asked Corzine to step down and allow another Democrat to run in his stead? What about the ever-fading Craig Deeds in Virginia? Or, to use Paterson's references, the extremely unpopular Jennifer Granholm of Michigan?

Can't find any reports about Obama and the DNC stepping into any of these races (although there are always rumors about another Jersey Jerk-Around, as perfected by The Torch).

By Paterson's own definition of racism, don't these actions make the DNC a racist organization? Would Paterson call Obama "not a post-racial" president?

So sad, sad, to see Obama and the DNC trying to keep the black man down in New York. Paterson wants to prove he can be elected (he was moved in after Spitzer, remember) by the people of New York, and yet his party and its leadership are willing to sacrifice this hard-working black man's dreams, while they refuse to ask the same of equally damaging white Democrats.

Obama and the DNC: Racist?

I guess you would have to ask Governor Paterson...you know how I feel...

Michelle Obama: Eco-Terrorist and Class Warrior!

The Washington Post reports on how Michelle Obama, in need of a few ingredients for supper, proceeded to set up a soundstage, bring in an interpreter for the deaf, send for three TV satellite trucks, closed of part of downtown Washington (creating a massive traffic jam), all while spewing tons of carbon into the atmosphere.

Hey, cap and trade is for the little people...what does it take for the First Lady to go down the block for some leafy greens? Let's find out:

The Secret Service and the D.C. police brought in three dozen vehicles and shut down H Street, Vermont Avenue, two lanes of I Street and an entrance to the McPherson Square Metro station. They swept the area, in front of the Department of Veterans Affairs, with bomb-sniffing dogs and installed magnetometers in the middle of the street, put up barricades to keep pedestrians out, and took positions with binoculars atop trucks. Though the produce stand was only a block or so from the White House, the first lady hopped into her armored limousine and pulled into the market amid the wail of sirens.

Then, and only then, could Obama purchase her leafy greens. "Now it's time to buy some food," she told several hundred people who came to watch. "Let's shop!"

No surprise most of the people there were simply "watching", they can't quite afford the kind of food Michelle Obama is shoving down her gaping piehole:

Obama, in her brief speech to the vendors and patrons, handled the affordability issue by pointing out that people who pay with food stamps would get double the coupon value at the market. Even then, though, it's hard to imagine somebody using food stamps to buy what the market offered: $19 bison steak from Gunpowder Bison, organic dandelion greens for $12 per pound from Blueberry Hill Vegetables, the Piedmont Reserve cheese from Everson Dairy at $29 a pound. Rounding out the potential shopping cart: $4 for a piece of "walnut dacquoise" from the Praline Bakery, $9 for a jumbo crab cake at Chris's Marketplace, $8 for a loaf of cranberry-walnut bread and $32 for a bolt of yarn.

Cap and trade and food stamps for thee, but an armored limo and $12- dandelions for me, Michelle Obama, your queen. Kneel before me, and deposit your organically-grown tribute in the wicker basket...

Not since Marie Antoinette have we seen such hubris in high office. Maybe Michelle should read her history?

"Qu'ils mangent de la brioche", indeed....

Rush Holt: In Cahoots with ACORN ?

No surprise to me that my congressman, Rush Holt (D-NJ), was one of only 75 to support the continued taxpayer funding of ACORN. After all, it's not his money. And he is further to the left of Barack Obama than Vermont Socialist Bernie Sanders.

His likely opponent in 2010, Fair Haven Mayor Michael Halfacre, ripped Holt a new one:

“One again, Rush Holt has shown how out of touch he is with the people of the 12th Congressional District and that his attempts to portray himself as a moderate are just that- a portrayal”, said Halfacre. “He was to the left of even his own party on cap and trade; he is to the left of his own party on health care reform and now, when 70% of his own party voted against giving any more funding to this controversial group, once again, Rush Holt stood with the far left of his party to continue funding them with taxpayer money.

Spot-on, Mr. Mayor! But what's really interesting is Mr. Holt's past associations with ACORN. a group most known for -before Mr. O'Keefe exposed their interest in underage illegal immigrant prostitution - voter fraud.

And what is one of Mr. Holt's pet passions? Why, "ballot reform". Which, in its latest incarnation on Holt's website, means adding another layer into the voting system, one which can be easily manipulated. Holt demands that future elections must:

-Requires a voter-marked or ballot-marking-device-marked paper ballot be produced for every vote cast

-Ensures that the paper ballot is the vote of record in all recounts and audits.

Gee, nothing easier to forge (or simply create, if you're more than a few votes short) than paper ballots, right, Rush? No wonder ACORN is so interested.

From ACORN's "Legislative Update 2008":

• Voter Confidence and Increased Accessibility Act – We have been monitoring the progress of a bill from Rep. Rush Holt (D-New Jersey) that is focused on voting machine technology.

Hmm...so ACORN is "monitoring" Rush Holt's work on ballot reform? Maybe because he has worked so well with one of ACORN's most famous graduates - June 2007:

Today, U.S. Representative Rahm Emanuel (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) praised the passage of the Deceptive Practices and Voter Intimidation Prevention Act (H.R. 1281), a bill that will prohibit and punish deceptive practices that seek to intimidate or mislead voters in an effort to keep voters away from the polls on Election Day. [see how well that worked? Just ask the voters who were threatened by Black Panthers on Election Day - ed.]

The Deceptive Practices and Voter Intimidation Prevention Act was introduced by U.S. Representatives Emanuel, John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI), Xavier Becerra (D-CA), Rush Holt (D-NJ), Mike Honda (D-CA), and Keith Ellison (D-MN).

A real motley crue of left wingnuts; and certainly not at all representative of Holt's district. That's besides the point, though - here's the money shot; some commentary on what the bill really accomplishes - protecting ACORN and it's vote-scamming racket:

Note that despite the headline claims (Obama Bill Would Make Election Fraud, Voter Intimidation Illegal), there is no mention in this legislation about upping any of the penalties related to registering fraudulent voters or any of the other criminal practices ACORN, La Raza and others regularly employ.

In fact, this legislation seems to be aimed at making such activity easier, even protected.

So now we have the answer to the question, "Why the hell would a congressman from a moderate district with an interest in ballot "reform" vote to continue funding a criminal group known primarily for committing ballot fraud on a massive scale in multiple locations?"

Because fraud is the goal of Rush Holt's reform. And ACORN will be his vehicle, both to give liberal legitimacy to his crooked bill, and to make sure the votes that count have his name on it. And in return, Rush Holt will pay them off with billions of your hard-earned dollars.

Rush Holt & ACORN: Criminals in cahoots...

Attorney General Eric Holder: Black First, Protector Of Rights Second

Wondering why Eric Holder refused to prosecute a group of Black Panthers who threatened white voters in Philadelphia on election day 2008? Don't worry, Eric will tell you. From the Washington Examiner, we get a story about a quote he carries in his wallet:

... that says a black man's "race defines him more particularly than anything else. Black people have a common cause that requires attending to."

In case that is not disconcerting enough in its own right, Mr. Holder elaborated: "It really says that ... I am not the tall U.S. Attorney, I am not the thin U.S. Attorney. I am the black U.S. Attorney.... There's a common cause that bonds the black U.S. Attorney with the black criminal or the black doctor with the black homeless person."

And they call the folks on the Right "racist". Barack Obama has appointed an Attorney General that has made it clear that justice will work with the blindfolds off, judging each case not on its merits, but on the color of one's skin.

Remember - this is what is called "progressive".

The brilliant Jennifer Rubin has more on Holder, and Justice under Obama. From her sources on the inside:

.... Department staff “openly and proudly advocate for a different standard” depending on the race of the alleged civil rights violator. He contends that this view extends now up to the attorney general and to staff attorneys who “say it openly at the Justice Department when the topic of ‘reverse’ discrimination comes up.”

Bottom line?

...civil rights laws will be interpreted and enforced not as protecting anyone who is discriminated against or intimidated on the basis of race, as the civil rights laws provide, but as protecting only those of certain races.

Perhaps the progressives who approve of justice meted out by skin color should be a little less surprised when they see a million Americans protesting the Obama administration in DC. After all...

No Justice, No Peace....right?

Obama Sinks In New Jersey, Taking Corzine With Him

This is why Jon Corzine's upcoming defeat at the hands of Republican Chris Christie - in Deep Blue Jersey - is so significant:

Corzine decided to tie his election fate to Barack Obama, hoping the glow could overcome his vast negatives. Smooth move, Einstein...from Public Policy Polling:

Barack Obama's approval rating with likely voters for this fall's election in New Jersey has sunk to just 45%, with 48% of voters disapproving of him.

...Where he was at a positive 48/42 with unaffiliated voters then [July], that's now dropped to 36/56.

New Jersey is the first state where PPP has found more people who voted for Obama saying they disapprove of him than people who voted for John McCain that think he's doing a good job. 11% of Obama voters are now unhappy with him while just 6% of people who didn't support him last fall express approval for the job he's doing.

The health care issue doesn't seem to be doing him any favors in the state. Only 39% of voters say they support his plan while 50% are opposed.

And Corzine just looks dumber by the day. While proudly repeating Obama's laughable assertion that he put "the state on a path to long-term prosperity", and running ads touting his skill at job creation, this news rolls in:

The unemployment rate in New Jersey jumped from 9.3 percent to 9.7 percent in August, matching the national figure, the state said today.

"That is significant because we're now at the same level as the nation, and we're just shy of double-digit unemployment," said James Hughes, dean of the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers University. "There's nothing positive. Most of the individual components are moving in the wrong direction."

Maybe Corzine ought to pull this ad? He's already eight points down with only six weeks to play; the last thing he needs to be accused of his false advertising...

A rhetorical question: When Corzine goes down, will the media highlight his attempt to align himself with Barack Obama, or will they attribute his defeat to "local politcs"?

Yeah, we all know the answer to that one...

ACORN Video Sting 'Pimp' is a Jersey Boy!

Finally, something for New Jersey to be proud of....

Our conservative hero is one James O'Keefe - born in Bergen, did some school at Rutgers as well. Before he gained fame as The Man Who Took Down ACORN, he was raising Cain at Jersey's finest university:

...when he was the editor of a conservative magazine at Rutgers University, James O'Keefe III mounted a satirical campaign to ban Lucky Charms cereal from campus dining halls on the premise the breakfast fare was offensive to Irish-Americans.

The operation, which included a hidden-camera video with a Rutgers dining services official, was intended to demonstrate what O'Keefe saw as the absurdity of political correctness....

A good peice by NJ.Com. And here's the second part of the "Lucky Charms" video. Indeed, the fact that he was taken seriously at all points to a terrible, terrible flaw in the system:

"He's portrayed as a green-cladded (sic) gnome, and as you can see ... we're not all short," O'Keefe says. "We have differences of height, and we think this is stereotypical of Irish-Americans."

Any wonder that:

....By the time he graduated in 2006, O'Keefe had developed a reputation as "the godfather of the conservative movement" at Rutgers, said Kyle Barry, The Centurion's current editor-in-chief.

Maybe there is more hope for New Jersey's next generation...

The Baucus Heath Care Plan: Death By Taxes!

If this is a "bipartisan" plan, they we need two new parties:

... the Baucus plan: a slimmed down price-tag of $856 billion over 10 years. Earlier versions of the health care legislation had come in costing $1 trillion or more. But stay tuned for a close look at the fine print; Congressional budget-scoring is often as much art as science.

Another number to watch: 13 percent. That’s the share of family income that the Baucus plan envisions middle-class American families having to pay in health insurance premiums before co-payments, deductibles and other cost-sharing.

Wow. So a family of four making $100,000 (which is barely a living wage in New Jersey, by the way), which already loses about 35% of their income to federal taxes, social security, and state taxes, will now lose another 13% - BEFORE medical deductibles - based on on the Baucus plan. Not counting, of course, other taxes and fees that must be paid out of the net, like the extra $1K a month I need to come up with for the privilege of owning a three-bedroom home in New Jersey.

That brings our middle class family up to a taxation rate of 50% of their paychecks. Again, not counting additional taxes and fees (motor vehicles, etc.) that are paid out of the net. That puts us on par with Europe's taxation rate, incidentally. A continent that consistently has 10% unemployment and jumps for joy when they see an annual economic growth rate of over 1.5%. That's what the Baucus plan is aiming for. And boy, will it hit the mark.

And this is before a cap-and-trade bill - the next order of business in Obama's America - raises energy prices by another $100- or so a month for that same family.

The next time a Joe Wilson wants to stand up and challenge Barack Obama, let's try a different tact. Instead of accusing him of lying, just ask him, in a simple, clear, voice:

"How are we expected to survive under this plan"?

Not to grow - if the government is confiscating half of your money, the economy will never grow - but simply survive.

Would be enlightening to hear his answer...

Will the WWE Smack Down Chris Dodd?

This blog has long been a proponent of WWE "characters" getting involved in politics (see here for my pitch for "Mr. Kennedy" for Senate, and here for Chris Jericho's smackdown of Barack Obama) So I am thrilled that one of the minds behind this incredible cash machine, Linda McMahon, is hoping to take on Crooked Chris Dodd (D-Conn) in the state's upcoming Senate race:

GREENWICH, Conn. – World Wrestling Entertainment Inc. says Linda McMahon is stepping down as its chief executive to seek the Republican nomination for the U.S. Senate seat from Connecticut now held by Democrat Christopher Dodd.

WWE said in a statement Wednesday morning that McMahon's husband, WWE Chairman Vince McMahon, is assuming her duties as CEO.

Linda McMahon formally announced her candidacy Wednesday morning. She says Washington is "out of control" and Dodd has "lost his way and our trust."

The 60-year-old McMahon is up against three other Republicans — former U.S. Rep. Rob Simmons, state Sen. Sam Caligiuri and former U.S. Ambassador to Ireland Tom Foley.

From her press release:

Linda is committed to doing things differently. She will run a campaign that is largely self-financed. She will not accept PAC contributions or special interest cash. She will limit personal contributions to $100 or less.

Linda is a fiscal conservative who believes in America and its free market, free enterprise system. She believes government ought to incentivize job creators, and that small businesses need access to capital and credit in order to create jobs.

Will being married to the 20th Century's equivalent of P.T. Barnum (Vince McMahon), and the fact she has often played on-screen roles in multiple WWE storylines ("Linda's on-screen character turned heel for the first time on the October 10, 2005 episode of "Raw" when she "fired" commentator Jim Ross and delivered a 'low blow' to him.") be a hindrance to Linda? Well, she also has done a heck of a lot of charitable work:

McMahon became a member of the Board of Trustees of Sacred Heart University (Fairfield, Connecticut) in November 2004. She supports many organizations, including the USO, the Make-A-Wish Foundation, the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation, the Starlight Foundation, and Community Mayors. In 2005, she won appointment to The Make-A-Wish Foundation of America National Advisory Council and was presented the Arthur M. Sackler Award from the Connecticut Grand Opera and Orchestra for WWE's support of its arts education program. McMahon is also responsible for the creation of WWE's Get R.E.A.L. educational and literacy programs and WWE's SmackDown! Your Vote! campaign.

Not to mention the great work the WWE does with the military overseas - flying wrestlers into combat zones to entertain soldiers, engaging in charity work, and generally engaging in good, old fashioned jingoism...

Forget the storylines for a moment. This is a women - with her brilliant but mercurial husband - who took a "sport" that used to air one hour a week at midnight and turned it into a multi-billion dollar worldwide business, with six hours of television broadcasts weekly, sold-out arena shows virtually every night, monthly pay-per-view with grosses in the tens of millions, and an ungodly amount of merchandising, from action figures to DVD collections.

Think she knows a little bit more about how the economy works that Chris Dodd, who has spent the last 30 years in the Senate? Or how about a certain president, who keeps getting confused on what the difference between "profit" and "overhead" is?

Go for it, Linda. Time to put Dodd in a chokehold, and if he doesn't tap out, hit him with a finisher....

The "Courage" of Frank Lautenberg

Ah yes, Senator Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ). A man who just won re-election at age 85, which speaks to his craving to hold on to power well after he is able to wield it effectively for the people he represents. And about those people he represents - the fact that New Jersey re-elected a Senator who is 85 years old and is out-of-touch with his state entirely (but very in-touch with the DC liberal establishment) simply because he is a Democrats speaks volumes about where they stand as well.

Anyway, let's speak of his "courage". Yesterday, Senator Mike Johanns (R-NE) put forth an amendment to the HUD and Transportation appropriation bill to strip ACORN of all federal funding. Senator Lautenberg did what any goose-steppin liberal would do: he voted against it.

Why? Does he believe that it is OK for federally funded interest groups to commit voter fraud and advise young men and women how to enjoy a tax-free career in underage prostitution? Or does he just reflexively vote against any bill that is sponsored by a Republican, regardless of the merits?

But anyway, here's where we see the courage of Lautenberg's convictions:

At the beginning of the vote, it appeared that Democrats might resist. Initially, a half-dozen Democrats cast votes in opposition to the amendment. A few more cast votes against it as the rest of the Senate voted, but the tide appeared to shift. More and more Democrats signed onto the amendment, and votes started changing. One male voice could be heard in the chamber saying, “I want to change my vote!” Among those who changed their votes: Tom Udall (D-NM), Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ), and Herb Kohl (D-WI).

So why did Lautenberg change his vote? Did he at first think he could get away with supporting Obama's thug army, then backtrack when he realized his vote would stand out like a sore thumb? Did he even read or understand the amendment (not if he gets his news strictly from the mainstream media, I guess). Or did some young staffer have to wake Lautenberg up to tell him that in this case a reflexive anti-Republican vote was the wrong thing to do, and might actually raise some ire even with his deep-blue constituents?

I think it's safe to assume Lautenberg's sympathy lies with ACORN - always trust a man's first response, and not the clarification/apology that follows afterwards. Seems to me that old Frank just didn't want to get embarrassed as one of a handful of radical ACORN stalwarts, especially in a state that looks like it's going to elect a Republican governor for the first time in years. So he abandoned liberal principals (minority organizations are never wrong) and hopped on the bandwagon for a brief ride.

Frank Lautenberg: A picture-perfect profile in Democratic courage - and New Jersey national representation -indeed.

Newsweek: Yes to Death and Rations

The liberal media stands foursquare behind Barack Obama in his plan to ration healthcare to the elderly to save the money needed to socialize medical treatment. Hey, when you entitle an article "The Case for Killing Granny" as Newsweek does, you've shown your underpants to the crowd. Some of the money quotes:

But the need to spend less money on the elderly at the end of life is the elephant in the room in the health-reform debate. Everyone sees it but no one wants to talk about it. At a more basic level, Americans are afraid not just of dying, but of talking and thinking about death.

Why do all liberals assume stupidity or cowardice as the primary motivator of those that oppose them? How has author Evan Thomas gauged the "fear" of Americans who face death? Me, I've met a few at death's door, and a few (combat soldiers) who were willingly walking towards death. Never saw fear. Sadness, regret, anticipation, but...fear? Never. Takes a coward to assume cowardice in others.

More:

Compared with other Western countries, the United States has more health care—but, generally speaking, not better health care. There is no way we can get control of costs, which have grown by nearly 50 percent in the past decade, without finding a way to stop overtreating patients.

"Overtreating"? We assume Thomas is speaking about seniors, but what about younger patients who may only have, say, a 10% survival rate even with an expensive operation? Is giving them a shot - a longshot - at life going to be worth the money to the federal government? Or will it be considered "overtreatment," given the odds involved? Hence the need to keep "death counseling" in the heathcare bill; apparently, we're gonna need a lot of it.

Some ugly philosophy:

Until Americans learn to contemplate death as more than a scientific challenge to be overcome, our health-care system will remain unfixable.

By studying the causes of death "scientifically", we have added years - productive years - onto the lives not just of all Americans, but of peoples across the globe. I guess when the liberals need to change their rhetoric to fit their ideology - "letting old folks die is progressive!" - even science, their almighty touchstone, can be tossed by the wayside.

Finally:

The hospice ideal recognized that for many people, quiet and dignity—and loving care and good painkillers—are really what's called for.

Hospice services are wonderful. Yet I'd like to see as few people consigned to it as possible. But it seems as if Evan Thomas is offering "morphine and silence" as an alternative to lifesaving medical care, in order to achieve the utopia of socialized medicine in America.

That's not the future I've been hoping for...

A New "Per-Mile" Tax Coming From The Left?

Well, if an Oregon Democrat has his way:

US Representative Earl Blumenauer (D-Oregon) introduced H.R. 3311 earlier this year to appropriate $154,500,000 for research and study into the transition to a per-mile vehicle tax system.

The “Road User Fee Pilot Project” would be administered by the US Treasury Department. This agency in turn would issue millions in taxpayer-backed grants to well-connected commercial manufacturers of tolling equipment to help develop the required technology. Within eighteen months of the measure’s passage, the department would file an initial report outlining the best methods for adopting the new federal transportation tax.

“Oregon has successfully tested a Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) fee, and it is time to expand and test the VMT program across the country” ....

What would this require? Well, it would mandate that every car in America have a GPS device installed; something that can range from a few hundred dollars to a thousand-plus. So add that onto the price of a new vehicle, plus the cost of Obama's new CAFE standards as well, and you have a industry that will be regulated into bankruptcy. Just saying, since "we" own GM, anyway....

What else would be required? Well, huge influxes of cash to companies like Honeywell and Accenture, who do this type of work and - coincidentally, I'm sure - are two of the largest contributors to Blumenauer's personal PAC, "Committee for a Livable Future".

How much does it cost to be on that "committee"? Ask the congressman, I'm sure there is a threshold...

And what else would be required? Oh, yes: $154 million in taxpayer dollars to finance a new taxpayer-soaking scheme, one that barely will impact city dwellers (read: Obama voters) at all, while draining the wallets of voters in more rural and wide-open parts of the country. Not that they exist to Obama anyway.

It's funny: Using taxpayer funds to figure out new ways to squeeze taxpayers for more funds. Where do liberals get these ideas? Maybe from China, where the family of the dissident has to pay for the bullet used to execute him?

This one's going to committee (Ways and Means). Sounds like the kind of revenue-raiser that Charlie Rangel can fall in love with...

Desperate Times Call For Desperate Headlines

I refer to today's Washington Post story on Obama's march to socialized medicine:

Reform Opposition Is High but Easing

Reminds me of all the headlines about the economy, where a drop of over a quarter-million jobs is "good news on the economy" because the month before over 300,ooo folks were added to the unemployment rolls.

But the article is funny, albeit unintentionally. We get this in the beginning of paragraph 2 -

But after a summer of angry debate and protests, opposition to the effort has eased somewhat...

- leading us to believe, of course, that opposition to Obamacare has in fact eased. Somewhat. But when you need to get to paragraph 7 before the Post starts tossing out numbers, you know it ain't gonna be good. Six paragraphs of bluster brings us to this:

Americans remain almost deadlocked in their opinion of the Democrats' health-care initiative, with 46 percent in favor of the proposed changes and 48 percent opposed.

So a big primetime speech before a joint session of Congress - the big play most presidents keep in their pockets until the last minute - netted him approximately two "rating points" (from 50% unfavorable in the last), which is well within the margin of error. In other words, Obama's big, smart gamble netted him...nothing.

But wait! The WaPo finds more "good news":

But since mid-August, the percentage "strongly" behind the president on health care has risen to 32 percent, evening out the intensity gap that has plagued him on the subject.

Well, what do you expect after the president give such an angry hyper-partisan speech? He got the faithful riled up, but did not convert one soul.

For a would-be messiah, that's a colossal failure. No matter how many shiny happy colors the media uses to paint the story...

Two Words Worth One Million Dollars...

...."You Lie!"

The media was hoping for a big backlash against Congressman Joe Wilson, and hoping it would turn the tide in favor of ObamaCare (a "game-changer", to quote the AP).

Well, all it did was turn the tide in favor of...Joe Wilson:

A source on Rep. Joe Wilson's campaign says his fundraising has broken $1 million -- and surpassed that of his Democratic rival, Rob Miller -- since his outburst of "You lie!" during President Obama's address to Congress Wednesday.

The source said Wilson's current tally is $1,005,021 from 18,859 donations amid a high-profile campaign on the Drudge Report and elsewhere telling conservatives that Wilson is "under attack" for his willingness to take on Obama.

...Wilson's success -- despite having been criticized by Republican leaders -- represents the power of the conservative grassroots to reward politicians who confront the White House in the sharpest terms.

And to punish those who vote against their interests as well. Damn voters:

Indeed, the "cap and trade" bill that narrowly passed the House last spring is creating headaches for several Democrats....One Democrat most affected is New Mexico Democrat Harry Teague. His district, which McCain carried last year, is one of the largest oil and gas producing areas in the country, and Teague has faced angry crowds back home ever since voting yes.

Teague forgot who he represented, and will likely lose his job. Wilson never forgot, and the people handed him a cool $1 million-plus so that he can keep calling it the way he sees it. Personally, I bet he's already wishing he ran down the hall to the patent office to put a trademark on his phrase:

Pointing toward the Capitol, its dome a majestic backdrop, former Republican House Leader Dick Armey alluded to the oath that Obama took Jan. 20. "He pledged a commitment of fidelity to the United States Constitution," Armey said.

"He lied!" the crowd chanted back. "He lied! He lied!"

The crowd of "conservative grassroots", as they echoed through Washington yesterday at the September 12th Tea Party rally. They'll support Joe Wilson, as they'll support all the truth-tellers against Barack Obama.

But talk about motivation...now that other politicians see an obscure guy get a million-dollar payout for two words of defiance, how many new "rebels" will we see come out of the woodwork?

Serendipity, thy name is Sarah?

I think I am finally starting to understand the Left's fear and loathing of Sarah Palin. Because truly, her powers are limitless.

Seriously:

Rasmussen's latest polling seems to suggest that Obama's high water mark was at or near July 3rd. Is it a coincidence that the date also corresponds to Sarah Palin's announcement that she was resigning her governor's post to pursue another calling?

Oh, man. Has Sarah put the ultimate Jedi mind-f*ck upon Barack Obama? Is just the fact of her being out there, in the mix, while he thought she was pinned down in Fairbanks, driving Barack Obama to distraction? Is she our Alaskan Luke SkyWalker, to the Democrat's Darth Vader (no racism intended, oh sensitive ones)? Resigning her post as governor, in order to save us from the Evil Empire?

What Governor Palin's move did was free her to engage in the national debate in a way which would have been impossible if she remained as governor of Alaska. And she did just that.

And while the claim that Palin was instrumental in derailing, even if temporarily, cap and trade, is somewhat debatable, the fact that she changed the nature of the health care debate with a post on Facebook is not:

That Facebook note was a game changer. The entire complexion of the healthcare debate changed overnight. Obama has been on the defensive ever since...

...As the past two months have clearly shown, the opposition to Obama has a leader, and that leader is, without a doubt, Governor Sarah Palin.

The Force is strong with that one. Darth Barack himself, the great psychic warrior, feels a tremor of fear roll throughout the Dark Side when Sarah wields her mighty sword.

And the mighty Jedi army re-forms, behind her.....

Socialized Medicine, Simpsons-Style!

Who are the doctors, you ask, that will be willing to work under the self-imposed slavery of Obamacare - with its meager payouts, bureaucratic red tape, and endless line of patients who have more rights than you do?

Why, meet Dr. Riviera:




In a tongue-in-cheek analysis, the Canadian Medical Association Journal compared the services of Riviera and Dr. Hibbert. It concludes that Riviera is a better role model for physicians, whereas Hibbert is a paternalistic and wasteful physician, unlike Riviera, who strives to cut costs and does his best to avoid the coroner, disproving Marge Simpson's claim that he is not a doctor at all.

Tongue-in-cheek, huh? Welcome to the future...

Falling; Forever Falling...

{note: the following is reprinted from a post originally written here on September 11th, 2005. It still captures my feelings best.}

This photo, for me, is the most haunting visual from September 11th. This man went to work that beautiful Tuesday morning, perhaps kissed his wife and children goodbye, and soon was faced with a choice presented to him by Islamic terrorists: To die by fire, or to die by falling.

What went through his mind as he pondered his options? Was there ever the hope he could survive the 100-odd story fall? Or was this the American version of the ancient Israelites' Masada, where they fell on their swords rather than be taken by the Roman enemy? Did he chose to take his own life in a defiant plunge rather than burn in his enemy's fire?

We'll never know, and it doesn't really matter anyway. What matters is that in his death, Falling Man did something meaningful, something great. He shows us, in the starkest terms, the choices being offered to us by the Islamic enemy. Peace and friendship are not present in this photograph, nor is the possibility of future existence. The only choice being offered by the Muslim Terrorist is the method by which our lives are to be ended to serve their dream of an Islamist globe.

I look at this photo and wonder how many Americans will be faced with this man's choice in the future. After 9/11, we said Never Again and Never Forget, but with the help of the liberals and their lackeys in the media the horror of that day is being sanitized, equivalized, and minimized. Will it soon be taught that Falling Man's death was, in actuality, his own fault?

We must fight. Now. In the Middle East and wherever the terrorist calls his turf, lest he return to our soil to perpetrate his hatred again. We must ignore the sweet siren call of the Left, calling for acquiescence and appeasement with those whom want our blood. Let us turn away from the weakness of "understanding" our enemies; for I do not want the poisonous ideology of those whom caused my friend to jump to ever enter my soul.

There is right and wrong. There is good and evil. Those whom refuse to define it do not know the difference, and their morality (or lack of it) will eventually kill them.

I will define it; I will call a thing what it is, political correctness be damned. I was there; an eyewitness; I watched the buildings fall and heard the people scream; I saw more funerals at a young age then I ever imagined possible. The cry of the bagpipes echos in my head, and forever chills my heart.

Falling Man, again. He made a moral choice that turned into a symbol for September 11th. In the face of our enemy, we are all faced with a similar choice. Fight with whatever we have, or be consumed in his flames. Not happy choices, but neither were his. We cannot chose the times we are given to live in, we can only chose what we do with that time.

Let us chose wisely, then. On a day that we mourn the slaughter of thousands of innocent Americans, it is incumbent upon us to Never Forget, and to do all in our power to make sure this never happens again. Lest our generation be cursed by those that follow.

May God bless and keep the souls of those whom perished in the maelstrom of September 11th, 2001...

[Added 9-11-09: Video footage, difficult to watch..]

Obama's Ratings In A Free-Fall

...well, his television ratings, that is. Looks like folks are tuning him out, and were he a mere network show (what? he isn't??), the suits would be gathering to talk about cancelling the poor guy:

As the debate on health care in the U.S. continues, President Obama detailed his vision for health insurance reform in his second address to a joint session of Congress on Wednesday September 9, 2009.

The address was carried live from 8:00PM to approximately 9:06PM on 10 television networks. The sum of average audience for those networks was 31,848,596 viewers. The networks carrying the press conference were ABC, CBS, NBC, Univision, Telemundo, BET, CNBC, CNN, FOX News Channel, and MSNBC.

Viewership to last night’s address was down 39% from President Obama’s first address to a joint session of Congress on February 24, which aired from approximately 9:00PM to 10:30PM

And in related news, the media fights back against Neilsen's horrible truth - I mean slander - with this: CNN Poll: Double-digit post-speech jump for Obama plan!

Only one problem with this bit of hyperbole:

The sample of speech-watchers in this poll was 45 percent Democratic and 18 percent Republican. Our best estimate of the number of Democrats in the voting age population as a whole indicates that the sample is about 8-10 points more Democratic than the population as a whole.

Even if Democrats comprised 35% of the voting population, as CNN claims, they neglect to mention that Republicans would be close to 33%, with independents making up the rest and deciding the outcome. So your poll is a crock; kinda like saying 90% of Americans approve of Barack Obama, at a survey taken at the Democratic National Convention...

But the Republicans are done with Obama, and the independents are running - not walking - away as well. Democrats are nothing more than fanboys here, and their support can't save Obama any more than any other group of fanatics can save a TV show on the chopping block...

Joe Wilson's War

So the president gave quite a speech last night, a dandy speech - if truth doesn't matter:

"Now is the season for action," Obama intoned.

In other words, please don't bother me with your inconvenient Congressional Budget Office reports, with your tiresome concerns about ballooning government in an era of exploding debt, with your facts -- yes, the House bill would end up covering abortion -- that I prefer to deny.

Now is the time for all good men to vote with me or get out of the way.

And one man decided to get up and shout that the emperor has no clothes. Actually, what Joe Wilson said was:

Rep. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.) shouted "You lie!" as Obama claimed his plan wouldn't offer free care to illegal immigrants.

Interesting that the AP called this "The night's defining moment" and claims this will be a "game-changer" for Democrats? Why? Will the 52% of all Americans who oppose Obamacare suddenly agree to allow the government to socialize medicine because one man said what so many have been thinking?

If that's the Democrats best hope, then both the party and the media trying to exploit it are in much worse shape than we were led to believe.

Perhaps Joe's cry of desperation is being used to shield the president from the fact that this was perhaps one of his most mean-spirited, nasty speeched since becoming president. The AP again:

...a speech that included some of Obama's harshest attacks on his GOP critics to date, including a denunciation of "death panel" alarmists as liars — a veiled swipe at Sarah Palin — and a warning to Republicans who want to "kill" reform.

"Well, the time for bickering is over. The time for games has passed," he added, to Democratic cheers.

The president's combativeness, coupled with Wilson's behavior, clearly energized Democrats — to the point where few were in a mood to criticize Obama's lack of specifics...

So what we really have here - under the guise of bipartisanship - was nothing more than a rally to unify the Democrats (the biggest stumbling block to heath care reform) and to discredit critics, both public and private citizens, as "bickering game-players".

So much for dissent in the age of Obama...and what happens to those, like Wilson, who speak up?









"Where do his kids go to school?"

Well, Obama's speech achieved what he needed it to - rile up his base into frothing, murderous rage.

Will he be successful in silencing dissent on this nationalization of 1/6th of the nation's economy? Or will the Joe Wilson's of our nation continue to stand up and speak out against the lies and anger that the most divisive president in American history is attempting to sow to support his won radical agenda?

Who knew that Change = Fascism?

Obama: Healthcare Naysayers are "Silly"

Barack Obama, speaking on Good Morning America, on what he hopes to accomplish with yet another speech about health care:

“So, the intent of the speech .. is to … make sure that the American people are clear exactly what it is that we are proposing … to make sure that Democrats and Republicans understand that I'm open to new ideas, that we're not being rigid and ideological about this thing, but we do intend to get something done this year. And … to dispel some of the myths and, frankly, silliness that's been floating out there for quite some time.”

And what does he believe is "silly"? He doesn't say; perhaps he saving that for tonight or perhaps he doesn't know yet himself; hopefully his Teleprompter will provide the answers for him.

And what's all this about "Republicans" ? According to minority leader John Boehner, Barack Obama hasn't attempted to speak to Republicans about health care in over five months, and their most recent attempt was met with a "terse" rebuff.

So what's left for Obama? Let's ask Ayn Rand...from the pages of Atlas Shrugged:

"Men are not open to truth or reason. They cannot be reached by a rational arguement. The mind is powerless against them. Yet we have to deal with them. If we want to accomplish anything, we have to decieve them into letting us accomplish it. Or force them. They understand nothing else." - Dr. Stadler

Why do I think Barack smiles and nods when he reads that?

And what to do tonight with Michelle Obama, who will be flanked by "ordinary Americans who have suffered from the high cost of health care", all of whom will surely be referenced by the president in his speech? Ayn can again tell us what we are seeing here:

"Why yes I can," said Midas Mulligan, when he was asked whether he could name a person more evil than the man with a heart closed to pity. "The man who uses another's pity for him as a weapon."

Seems like that's the last weapon the Obamas have to turn on their fellow Americans. "You doubters are just silly; since you're not open to our truth or reasoning, take a look at these poor people who have suffered under the system you support. You moral standing in our eyes is now reflected by your capacity to show pity and sympathy to these unfortunates we parade before you."

It's an old liberal trap, folks. Ayn is warning us (from the grave!) not to fall into it...