The Democrats did a masterful job of deception doing last year’s health care books. They used bizzaro math and rigged scenarios to get the CBO to punch of the numbers they wanted. At the time those who weren’t willfully ignorant realized every talking point the left used to justify passing ObamaCare was based on fantasy.
Yesterday Rep. John Campbell asked CBO director Douglas Elmendorf about this claim:
“It’s about jobs. In it’s life, it [the health bill] will create 4 million jobs — 400,000 jobs almost immediately.” – Nancy Pelosi February 25, 2010
How does this claim hold up?
Campbell: You just mentioned that you believe—or that in your estimate, that the health-care law would reduce the labor used in the economy by about one half of one percent. Given that, I believe you say, there’s 160 million full-time people working in 2021, that means that, in your estimation, the health-care law would reduce employment by 800,000 in 2021. Is that correct?Elmendorf: Yes. The way I would put it is that we do estimate, as you said, that household employment will be about 160 million by the end of the decade. Half a percent of that is 800,000.
Oops! ObamaCare is probably going to be repealed one way or the other. For President Obama he’s probably better off if the courts do the job before his reelection. There’s just no possible way to defend his chief legislative monstrosity. It was passed in the most deceitful way imaginable. The White House lied about the bill before and after and Americans are still upset by the process.
Thanks Speaker Boehner for confirming my cynicism. Embrace the change, same as the old change. The House GOP has followed the path of their predecessors and told C-Span to go to hell.
Speaker John Boehner (R., Ohio) this week rejected the cable network’s latest appeal to put cameras in the House chamber. C-SPAN wants the freedom to pan away from speakers to capture conversations between members and lawmakers’ reactions to things said during debate.
Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.), Mr. Boehner’s predecessor as speaker, rejected similar appeals.
“Consistent with the precedent set by former speakers, I believe the American people – and the dignity and decorum of the United States House of Representatives – are best served by the current system of televised proceedings provided by the House Recording Studio,” Mr. Boehner wrote C-SPAN Chief Executive Brian Lamb in a letter sent Thursday.
I thought the whole point of this Congress was the break with the “precedent set by former speakers.” I’m sure the GOP drones won’t care, but this is just one choice we’ll witness over the next few years that will show that Boehner is no different than the morons he replaced. Meet the new morons; same as the old morons. Embrace the change, now with more crying.
In 2006, Brian Lamb sent a letter to Nancy Pelosi asking for increased video access inside the House of Representatives. She promptly declined. Lamb had asked in 1994 and received a similar answer. It appears the only bipartisan thing Democrats and Republicans in Congress can agree on is a non-transparent process. Last November Brian Lamb sent a letter to the new Speaker of the House asking again for more access.
My guess is the majority party doesn’t want the embarrassing nuts and bolts of legislation broadcast effectively on TV, but if Boehner is serious about restoring the House of Representatives back to the people accepting Brian Lamb’s proposal would be a step in the right direction. It would also be break from business as usual. It’s my sincere hope that Speaker Boehner honors Brian Lamb’s request.
Failure 2010
I’m headed back to sunny Florida. I haven’t had much time to write about last night’s election results. There’s not much to add. Pollsters like Rasmussen were pretty much right on the money again. The Republicans enjoyed a massive electoral wave all over the United States and took back at least 60 seats. The Senate was an uphill climb and I’m sure the DNC is happy it’s not 2012. Most of the Senate seats up for grabs were Republican and the Democratic seats were in solid blue states.
The most depressing part of the election to me is California. That state appears to be heading toward becoming a banana republic. First they elected Arnold Swartzenager, and now they’ve elect Jerry Brown. Brown hasn’t had a single good idea in three decades and now he’s the governor again. Thanks in part to out of control ballot initiatives California’s budget situation is unfixable.
In Florida the new Senator is Marco Rubio. The Democrats fought tooth and nail to keep him from being elected because he’s potentially a superstar politician. Let’s not parse facts. The Democrats stonewalled Miguel Estrada’s nomination to the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit because he was Hispanic. They opposed Rubio for the exact same reason. When it comes to racism the Democrats have it down to a science.
Where do we go from here? I’m not so sure. The GOP has a lot to prove before I get too excited. I believe the Republican leadership should outline three or four main initiatives that have overwhelming support. A Balanced Budget Amendment, an alternative to ObamaCare, and a spending cut bill. These should have overwhelming public support and the Democrats will oppose each of them on philosophical grounds. The danger is spending cuts. Americans are overwhelmingly in favor of spending cuts, but I don’t believe it. The Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Education should be gone, but there would be an outcry. Try to reduce farm subsides and there will be riots. Slow down the growth of Medicare and the AARP will stonewall it. I’m not sure what the answer is to this problem. Americans have to wake up to the reality that we can’t afford all this stuff.
What about President Obama? It’s far too early to start speculating about his chances in 2012. In 1982, Ronald Reagan got trounced in the mid-terms. In 1994, Bill Clinton’s reelection hopes looked bleak. A lot can happen in two years. If I had to put money on it I would bet on Obama. The economy doesn’t normally stay down for long. An economic rebound would eliminate all of Obama’s problems. The new leadership in the House shouldn’t underestimate the power of the White House. Obama has tried to paint the Republicans as obstructionists despite the fact they had no power. Now that the GOP controls the House expect the President to turn up the rhetoric.
Finally, it’s time to say goodbye to Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi. I believe she is one of the worst Speakers in the history of the United States. She was divisive and horrendously out of touch with the American mainstream. It’s beyond me why the Democrats chose an extreme leftist as their party’s leader in the House. The leader of the party is typically not very popular with the opposition, but Pelosi wasn’t popular with anyone. Also, a special goodbye to Governor Charlie Crist. Crist has become the Florida version of John Edwards, without all of the bastard-child-mistress-wife-with-cancer-sleezy-lawyer-faux-man-of-the-people negatives, as far as we know. The man has no principle. His actions the past twelve months are a disgrace. Charlie Crist is the perfect example of a person who puts his ego and career ambitions ahead of everyone else. Good riddance.
Remember the Good Old Days: Now that the President has opened his mouth and inserted his foot therein about the NYC Ground Zero Mosque, it’s up to our liberal friends in the press to clean up the mess. That means we get to read nostalgic memories of President Bush. No really!
“It’s time for W. to weigh in,” writes the New York Times’ Maureen Dowd. Bush, Dowd explains, understands that “you can’t have an effective war against the terrorists if it is a war on Islam.” Dowd finds it “odd” that Obama seems less sure on that matter. But to set things back on the right course, she says, “W. needs to get his bullhorn back out” — a reference to Bush’s famous “the people who knocked these buildings down will hear all of us soon!” speech at Ground Zero on September 14, 2001.
Washington Post columnist Eugene Robinson is also looking for an assist from Bush. “I…would love to hear from former President Bush on this issue,” Robinson wrote Tuesday in a Post chat session. “He held Ramadan iftar dinners in the White House as part of a much broader effort to show that our fight against the al-Qaeda murderers who attacked us on 9/11 was not a crusade against Islam. He was absolutely right on this point, and it would be helpful to hear his views.”
Most Ethical Congress Watch: It seems like a million years ago, but in November 2006, Nancy Pelosi and the Democrats captured the majority in Congress. At the time the newly crowned Speaker of the House talked a big game.
“The American people voted to restore integrity and honesty in Washington, D.C., and the Democrats intend to lead the most honest, most open and most ethical Congress in history,” Pelosi said. She added, “And nowhere did the American people make it more clear that we need a new direction than in the war in Iraq. ‘Stay the course’ has not made our country safer, has not honored our commitment to our troops and has not made the region more stable. We cannot continue down this catastrophic path.” She called on the Bush administration to work with Democrats “to find a solution to the war in Iraq.”
I remember shortly after the Democrats took over the Congress that we immediately pulled out of Iraq. Well, I guess it didn’t quite turn out like that. The Democrats messed up that whole ethics thing as well. Charles Rangel joins the ranks of politicians caught up in ethics charges. This is hardly newsworthy. Corrupt politicians are a dime a dozen, but when you promise to “lead the most honest, most open and most ethical Congress in history” and fail catastrophically, it has to be pointed out. And what happened to transparency? Everyone loves to hear that we’ll find out what’s in a bill after it’s been passed. That’s comforting! Why would anyone be cynical about politics?
Most Biased Is? Big Journalism has completed the Top Ten Most Left-Biased American Journalists and the winner is Helen Thomas. I don’t know. Helen Thomas hasn’t been relevant since Antoninus Pius was a Roman emperor. Oh yeah, she didn’t like the Jews back then either; however, it was a lot more acceptable back then. What is truth?
Ego Watch: A recent Rasmussen poll shows Charlie “The Ego” Crist trails Marco Rubio in the Senate race. I point this out because I really don’t like Crist. I would rather have Lindsay Lohan as my senator than Charlie Crist. She would be an awesome Senator and far more ethical than most of the yahoos currently sitting in that august body.
Wal-Mart Deserves Nobel Prize: That’s what Mark J. Perry says and who can blame him? Perry links to an article that explains how apparel jobs created by Wal-Mart in Bangladesh appear to bolster school enrollments of girls, especially for young girls. Wal-Mart should be praised for how they’ve reduced poverty worldwide; however, progressives like IKEA and Target better because…. I’m not sure, but I think it has something to do with doing what everyone else is doing. Progressives are very susceptible to peer pressure. Winning the Nobel Prize is no big deal anyway since it’s been reduced to an honorary award given to failed presidents and terrorists.
Climate Bill Dead? Never underestimate the Democrats’ ability to pass unpopular legislation, but it looks like the climate change bill is dead. Score one for the Republic. The bill accomplishes nothing except to make the price of goods increase and make some hippies feel better about themselves, which is really what it’s all about. Imagine all the people, and so on and so forth.
Editorial Note: My annual trip to Priest Lake in my own private Idaho starts on Saturday, so I’ll be gone until August 2. Club Soda is going to be busy as well, so that means no posts for a week, unless Club Soda is struck with divine inspiration. I know… How will you survive? I don’t know. Read a book, play an instrument, or dream of Lindsay Lohan’s first day of freedom. I shall do the latter, but don’t tell my wife.
I had so much fun putting together The Daily Flush yesterday I’m making it a daily column here at The Daily Plunge. There’s just so much stuff to write about and so little time. Let’s Flush!
Double Rainbow: I’m a few days behind this internet sensation, but the Double Rainbow video is amazing. At first I thought the guy was on drugs, but after seeing an interview of the guy and seeing where he lives, I’m not so sure. He sure does love rainbows.
Apple iPerfect: Steve Jobs told everyone what we needed to know; they’re not perfect. Perfection aside, according to Jobs, 0.55% of all iPhone 4 users have called Apple Care to complain. For those scoring at home that’s one half of one percent. It should be noted that calling Apple Care is almost useless. Also, if someone is having problems getting a signal how exactly are you supposed to call Apple Care?
Foxes Running the Henhouse: The ass clowns who told us there was nothing wrong with Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are now celebrating the new “consumer protection bill.” When Nancy Pelosi, Christopher Dodd, and Barney Frank talk about “consumer protection” it’s almost certain that consumers are about to be screwed. These people should be in prison. Instead, they’ll continue to get sweetheart deals the rest of us can only dream about.
The Holy Trinity of Politcal Evil
While these idiots trade high fives some of the problems that led to the crisis aren’t being addressed. The Democrats are either too corrupt or too ideologically tied to the welfare state (take your pick) to deal with the problem.
Sheila Jackson Lee: Finally, we have a fantastic history lesson from Democrat Representative Shelia Jackson Lee. Did you know there’s a North and South Vietnam still living side by side? Nope, neither did I. Before anyone simply says she had Vietnam confused with Korea, she cites the correct number of American casualties from the Vietnam conflict. I only point out the ignorance of this representative because of white privilege.
That’s all for today… I’ll close with the Rainbow Guy song. Classic!
Politics is never logical. If this entire health care drama has taught us anything it’s that logic, facts and rational thinking are in short supply in Washington. According to Rasmussen roughly 42% of Americans support ObamaCare. I guess that’s the Senate version of the bill. 42% is a lot of Americans. Sadly, the real statistic is that at least 42% of Americans are completely clueless when It comes to the current health care debate.
Basically what’s happened is that party loyalists are rallying around the cause. The far left, who cried outrage with the public option was removed, now backs the Senate version. They’ve even come after Dennis Kucinich, who has vowed to vote against any bill that doesn’t include the public option. What is Kucinich’s crime? I guess maintaining his pledge is too much for the deranged left.
What people are endorsing now is the “idea of reform.” No one with a brain believes this bill is anything but a disaster; however, the left has decided it’s better to endorse a disaster than for the President to fail to deliver on the “idea of reform.” Bush was able to pass a prescription drug bill despite the fact that it was terrible; however, the public wasn’t as outraged as it is today. Make no mistake, the Democrats are going to get crushed in November because of this bill. It probably doesn’t even matter if it dies. If it passes, the Tea Party movement will become the Repeal Movement. What are the Democrats really trying to accomplish?
Obama could have broken the bill into five smaller bills and passed them one at a time without much resistance. Instead he let the most inept Speaker of the House in American history take over the process. This is what happens when the nation takes a chance on electing a President that’s woefully underqualified.
This video has been making the rounds over the last twenty-four hours. It’s Nancy Pelosi at her finest. What ever happened to transparent government?
The sad thing is she’s probably right. There are enough handout and giveaways in this bill to perhaps win over enough people to make it popular.
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