Friday, September 27, 2013

"That's the path forward"


"Send us a clean CR, clean debt ceiling. That's the path forward. There's no need for conversations. We've spoken loudly and clearly, and we have the support of the president of the United States, and that's pretty good," Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said Thursday."

Here is what Reid really meant.

The things that we were sent here to discus, budgets, debt ceilings, fiscal bottom lines, we already have control over those. Why are the republicans wasting our time?
We've spoken louder than 21 hours and we have the support of the president... where is he? ... ah, he is right behind me, and that's pretty good.
Conversations are meant to be about those things we have yet to control. Not the boring lugubrious running of the government.

116 comments:

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

Reid is a fascist dictator. He's the turd it the punchbowl of American politics. Reid, a little pathetic man, has turned America into a banana republic.

bagoh20 said...

Notice how their is nothing real bad about people losing their jobs, their doctor, or their future, the only serious problems are in Washington. The status-going-broke-quo ship must not be slowed or diverted. That cruise ship to failure must be fully stoked and on course at all times. We can't even slow down to check the map.

It's really understandable when you realize that government servants from the President through Congress to the lowest public sector union worker are just fighting to protect themselves from suffering the same economic effects as the rest of us. It us or them, and so what do you expect them, to do?

This is the basic problem of big government - it's bigger than you, yes even all of you put together. Now shut up and enjoy your vacation. We know what we're doing, and that's why you elected us to run this thing. Remember when you chose us based on our training, experience, and history of success?

Icepick said...

He's the turd it the punchbowl of American politics.

He looks like Guadalcanal?

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

I'm still waiting for an explanation as to why Obama voted NO on the debt ceiling when he was a senator.


A comment on Glenn Reynolds site:

I was at an event at the White House recently and found myself seated next to a prominent surgeon. We chatted through the meal and then I had to ask: “What do you think about Obamacare?” He looked around briefly and leaned in close. “I really shouldn’t say this here,” he said. “But I think they’ve already destroyed health care in this country.” And then he listed a host of ways he believes the law will make medical practice less efficient, less effective, and, something he says is too easily overlooked, less confidential. He was particularly upset that physicians will be required to record–and pass along to health officials–intimate details about patients’ sexual preferences and habits.

The democrats destroy things. And they do it with purpose.
The media and Hollywood actively cover, lie and defend it all with propaganda.

bagoh20 said...

What is depressing is that half or more of my fellow citizens find someone like Cruz, or Rand Paul more despicable than Reid or Pelosi. Democrats they have watched lie to them over and over, and who have totally failed to even try and do their actual jobs. They don't read the bills that they push and pass, they don't do a budget, they don't even try to slow the overspending that nearly everyone recognizes.

We have fools and suckers walking beside us in the park, working in the next cubicle, and voting in our neighborhoods. That's our real central problem. A few of them comment here.

bagoh20 said...

I don't blame the conservative politicians anymore, or even the RINOs. Too many of our people still grab the red-hot end of the poker over and over. They just can't learn, because it means admitting they were wrong and/or supporting the boogie man.

bagoh20 said...

"A man who carries a cat by the tail learns something he can learn in no other way" -- Mark Twain

Not always. Some won't even let go of the cat.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

The masses don't really hate Cruz. The masses are told to hate Cruz-- by the press.
The Democrat Protection Racket Media cannot let America listen to Cruz. That's why the press rush in to smother debate.


If given the opportunity to have real debate, I suspect most Americans would like what Cruz has to say. Sadly, depressingly, America doesn't have an honest curious press. We have a behemoth media complex that bows before one political party.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

Ted Cruz Tells Rush Limbaugh Reporters Behave Like Hollywood Gossip Columnists'

The giant pink elephant in the room at all times it our sickening, disgusting, biased unprofessional press.

Bender said...

And why did the Boehner House pass a continuing resolution in the first place? Whatever happened to passing regular appropriations bills?? Whatever happened to passing regular appropriations by department, rather than by an omnibus spending bill that lumps everything together?

I do blame Boehner and Cantor and, yes, that fraud Paul Ryan. Routinely they are playing John Kerry to the Dems' Vladimir Putin. Again and again they talk tough and make asses of themselves when they get rolled.

Bender said...

Meanwhile, we have the Establishment Republican supposed strategy of "let it crash and burn on its own and then people will vote for us."

Just exactly how is that supposed to work?

So the country crashes and burns. Then the Republicans say, "see we told you, vote for us."

And the voter asks, "Well what did you do when it was crashing and burning, what did you do to stop it?"

And the Republicans respond, "We did nothing. We let it crash and burn."

"So we are supposed to trust you, we are supposed to vote for you, because you did nothing to stop it? You did nothing except stand around and hope to exploit the situation politically afterward?"

"Yes, that's right. Vote for us! Of course, we won't be able to change things right away. It will take time. It might take several election cycles to do it. But just vote for us now."

"I have a counter offer for you Establishment Republicans. Why don't you all just eat shit and die? You know, that "let it crash and burn" works in other ways too. Let's just let the Republican Establishment crash and burn by our NOT voting for you ever again."

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

CNN's Jessica Yellin - She's a pro-democrat hack.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
bagoh20 said...

I was in the my doctor's waiting room yesterday, and on the TV was MSNBC showing some of Cruz's speech and a woman looked at me with that face that clearly said "look at that asshole Republican". I responded deadpan, which she instantly understood as I don't agree, and she looked away. An entirely nonverbal discussion of politics that is pretty much the state of things. Teams, not shared objectives, or solutions. Us versus them, period.

In the morning, I usually get the news still in bed, by clicking back and forth between MSNBC and Fox. It's just amazing to me how different they are. On Fox they are attacking the ACA nonstop, which I agree with, but on MSNBC they are blaming everything on the Republicans. Now both are biases of a sort, but attacking the Republicans is not a discussion of the issue. The issue is Obamacare. that's the big thing happening. MSNBC isn't defending the law or informing anyone about it, they are just helping obfuscate and playing pure politics, and demonizing the opposition. Sure Fox is biased too, but they are discussing the issue, they are reporting news. People are being laid off, having hours cut, and losing their insurance, and the left just cares about winning, and won't even mention what's happening to our people right now.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

Icepick - It's not so much that Reid looks like a turd or a fecaloid, it's that he IS a turd.

Reid looks like combination of a John McCain mini-me and a nasty hobbit troll.

sakredkow said...

The Republicans can't manage their own party. Why would anyone let them manage the country?

Bender said...

True fact --

Every time these spending resolutions have come up for a final vote, the Boehner Republicans have voted to FUND ObamaCare. Every time a bill has come up to increase the debt limit, the Boehner Republicans have voted to INCREASE the debt.

Don't blame Obama. Don't blame Reid. John Boehner and Eric Cantor and, yes that fraud Paul Ryan, own this.

Bender said...

And folks continue to be clueless as to why many of us so vehemently warned against nominating Mitt Romneycare.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

Republicans are messy because they allow a difference of opinion and a clash of ideas.

Discussion and CONVERSATIONS are not necessary when you have party loyalty.(D)

bagoh20 said...

There are three options:

1) Let Obamacare run which will produce severe loses to millions of Americans and a slowing of the economy = crash and burn.

2) Shut down the government = crash and burn - temporary

3)Do not fund or start Obamacare and do it right later.

There are choices, but the Democrats are the ones insisting on a crash and burn one way or the other.

Eric the Fruit Bat said...

I didn't click on the link.

Is whatsername laughing in somebody's scrunched up crying little face again?

bagoh20 said...

You know who manages their party real well? Communists and other one party states. Disagreement is proof of searching for solutions, asking for ideas, being open minded. Lockstep is for cattle and sheep.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

Correct me if I am wrong... but, didn't Romney promise to repeal and replace Obamacare?

Doesn't matter. We will never find out if Romney meant it.

Wouldn't want to take that chance.
Much better to have full-on 100% neo-Marxist neo-fascism.

betamax3001 said...

We Must Protect Our Precious Juices.

Icepick said...

Thanks for the comments at 9:51 and 9:58, Bender. You managed to say all that much more diplomatically than I could have, or would have.

bagoh20 said...

Those Dems run things real well. Hey hows that budget coming? Maybe we can get one this decade? It's just your job, but I don't want to nag.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

It's funny that we never or rarely ever hear democrats and the progressive left discuss the real-world successes of their plans an ideas.

Nope.
We just hear "Blame the republicans!"
over and over and over.
Even when the Republicans are out of power.

Icepick said...

The Republicans can't manage their own party. Why would anyone let them manage the country?

Democrats can't manage their own mouths. Hell, they can't manage their own policies, which is why Obama is illegally delaying implementation of the PPACA laws - because even with a a three and a half year head start, they couldn't figure out how to do most of it. Disgraceful.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

Bender, you and I may not agree on everything,. but ---
I would do cartwheels and backflips if we could get rid of much of the old guard GOP.

Sadly, no one is ever good enough. Not even Zombie Ronald Reagan Jesus Superman.

sakredkow said...

Hey hey hey! Republican internal discord is just something I thought noticed over the last few days. It's just a theory. Nothing I want to get beat up over.

sakredkow said...

It's probably fine. Republicans don't have any internal problems at all.

betamax3001 said...

After They Take All of Your Money They Come After Your Juices.

Bender said...

Those Dems run things real well. Hey hows that budget coming? Maybe we can get one this decade?

They did pass one. Reid called Boehner's bluff. In March. So now Boehner can't make that taunt anymore in trying to scam people into thinking that he's actually doing something.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

I think internal discord is a sign of life. A sign of death is party loyalty and lockstep suffocation.

Icepick said...

Hey, phx, how is that implementation of ObamaCare coming along? You know, the one they had three and a half years to plan for? The one that they've delayed several critical components of because they don't know what they're doing after three and a half years?

Yeah, that's why phx and Ritmo and all the other little communist shits want to talk about nothing but Republicans - they can't possibly defend their own record.

bagoh20 said...

If you were a pure and good person , and didn't care what anybody thought, or if you would be reelected or blamed or demonized - you just didn't care about anything but the long term future of this nation and it's people, what would you do as a Republican?


Answer: It doesn't matter. It's crash and burn either way unless the Democrats vote to postpone Obamacare.

betamax3001 said...

The IRS Takes Our Money and Now ObamaCare Is Trying To Take Our Vital Juices.

bagoh20 said...

That's not a budget - that's a political ploy. A budget is a working tool that can actually function, not just a word you attach to bullshit.

AllenS said...

phx, a lot of us don't see any difference between Democrats AND Republicans. That's a whole lot more than you can say.

What people like Cruz constantly need to do, is cite what Senator Obama said about the deficit, debt, and the inability to balance the budget.

Every. Fucking. Time.

betamax3001 said...

There Will Be Government Warehouses With Rows and Rows of Shelves Stacked Floor-to-Ceiling With Meticulously Labeled Jars of Our Juices. That Is Their Plan.

betamax3001 said...

Harry Reid, What Do You Intend to Do with Our Juices? Evil Man.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

Thanks of the link Bender


By JONATHAN WEISMAN

Published: March 23, 2013



WASHINGTON — "After an all-night debate that ended just before 5 a.m., the [Democrat controlled] Senate on Saturday adopted its first budget in four years, a $3.7 trillion blueprint for 2014 that would provide a fast track for passage of tax increases, trim spending modestly and leave the government still deeply in the red a decade from now.

The 50-to-49 vote in the Senate, which is controlled by Democrats, sets up contentious — and potentially fruitless — negotiations with the Republican-controlled House in April to reconcile two vastly different plans for dealing with the nation’s economic and budgetary problems. No Republicans voted for the Senate plan, and four Democrats opposed it: Mark Pryor of Arkansas, Kay Hagan of North Carolina, Mark Begich of Alaska and Max Baucus of Montana. All four are from red states and are up for re-election in 2014."



Hey cool - signs of life from an out of control Democrat party. 4 democrats got out of line!
Hey democrats - get back in line! Party loyalty! Party loyalty!

betamax3001 said...

We Will All Be Reduced to a Social Security Number and a Jar.

bagoh20 said...

Even shutting down the government is nothing but an attempt to get the Democrats to do the right thing. The Republicans can't fix this, because both sides know the Republicans will get the blame for the shutdown, and a shut down is the only way to get the Dems to act responsibly, and they don't want to.

betamax3001 said...

Woe Be You If You Cannot Produce Enough Juices. Or the Jar Gets Mislabeled: it Is, After All, the Government.

sakredkow said...

Yeah, that's why phx and Ritmo and all the other little communist shits want to talk about nothing but Republicans

I do like talking about Republicans. It drives base of the Republican Party crazy. They get unhinged and start calling out names like "communist! slut! socialist!" in front of the audience that is still up for grabs.
Those Repubs with their iron-clad logic! Their scoffing at "emotional" Dems, and women! All those feelings that the left are slaves to!

What arrogance.

betamax3001 said...

Gun Control Is the First Step in Preventing Americans From Protecting Their Rightful Juices.

betamax3001 said...

Man Juices, Woman Juices: It Will All Belong to the Government.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

4 democrats got out of line. Where were the on-air "talent" at MSNBC on this issue? Did the talent at MSNBC help spread the hate about these 4 horrible racist democrats who dared to step off the plantation?

betamax3001 said...

Comrade, Your Jar is Only Half Full: Please Visit the Appropriate Government Office.

chickelit said...

They get unhinged and start calling out names like "communist! slut! socialist!" in front of the audience that is still up for grabs.

I word searched those terms in this thread and only found them in phx's comment. He ascribes them to Republicans in general which is something that a good little sullivanist would do.

edutcher said...

Dingy Harry knows the Demos can't run the government as it's supposed to be run and survive, so we have this nonsense.

PS Ever notice how the thread hijackers always try to turn the discussion to the supporters' flaws?

Pure Uncle Saul.

Don't let 'em get away with it.

sakredkow said...

I word searched those terms in this thread and only found them in phx's comment.

Snicker. Someone else tell him for me!

sakredkow said...

Can't even properly word-search a document! Why do we allow stupid people to vote? How do they find their way to the polling station?

chickelit said...

Someone else tell him for me!

Yes, please do!

sakredkow said...

Figure it out yourself, genius.

sakredkow said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
sakredkow said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
chickelit said...

Be specific. Tell us what made you include that word here.

chickelit said...

I should put your comments back in, phx.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

Isn't in "unhinged" when the entire hate-filled pro-democrat media complex shuns a man just for openly speaking his mind?

Why are leftists so threatened?

sakredkow said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
chickelit said...

phx said You're just as petty as they come, and that's exactly why I don't normally take the time to take you to the woodshed.

I saw something nasty in the woodshed

sakredkow said...

Isn't in "unhinged" when the entire hate-filled pro-democrat media complex

Look at you calling someone else "hate-filled." Look at the first post in the thread, your post. I guess you know "hate-filled"!

sakredkow said...

You're just as petty as they come

I stand by that.

bagoh20 said...

Did anyone catch the stark comparisons between how the media handled Wendy Davis's filibuster against a popular law versus Cruz's against and unpopular one?

The same "journalists" like Charley Rose who thought the Democrat's filibuster was just a glorious defense of dissent that made her destined for greatness, found Cruz's to be obstructionist self promotion.

Whatever they were, they weren't that much different, except to the media.

chickelit said...

Did anyone catch the stark comparisons between how the media handled Wendy Davis's filibuster against a popular law versus Cruz's against and unpopular one?

This is a good valid critique of the media, bagoh20. They are "bulwark" when they should be "Bullworth."

chickelit said...

@bagoh20: I think it safe to say that the national media has chosen to focus "persuasional" resources on Texas. They will continue to do this for the next few years. Texas is a big red bastion of bigotry to them. How the people of Texas react will be interesting to say the least. The media blew it in Wisconsin and a backfire could happen in Texas too.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

PHX -
Did you hear CNN's Jessica Yellin? She said that Ted Cruz "loved the hate". Huh? Ted Cruz never said anything like that. NEVER. Inserting 'hate' is what the leftwing media does all the time.

It's your team. I don't expect you to understand.

All we hear from the unprofessional pro-democrat press is how horrible Ted Cruz is.. That's HATE. They are spreading hate.

No thoughts, no discussions, no debates - just HOW DARE HE! hatred.

Senior Obama Adviser Compares House Republicans To Terrorists, Kidnappers, And Arsonists

sakredkow said...

AprilApple I'm just sayin' you might want to dial it down a notch or two.

But maybe you don't

chickelit said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

We are watching the death of honest reporting in America. We've been watching for long time - decades, but has it ever been so blatant? I submit the answer is NO.
They don't even try to mask it anymore.
We don't have real journalism in this nation. It's gone.

Just look at the revolving door of "journalists" moving in and out of the Obama Administration.

bagoh20 said...

Actually I think the fecaloid nature of Reid is pretty much a known fact to everyone. It's just that some people like a turd.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

PHX - I'll take it under advisement. Probably though, I won't dial it down.
Don't take it personally. You're a good egg.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

@ El Pool-
That headline, coming from whom it does (and not some commenter in a blog) should make any thinking voter take notice and ask WTF?

But it doesn't, which is too bad.


I expect heated rhetoric from pundits. With the Obama administration - it's the actual administration.... Spreading hate.

sakredkow said...

Fair to call "hate-filled" on the Dems.

Repubs get a pass because Dems are hateful.

- From "Politics Without All That Icky Womanly Emotion" by The Republican Base.

chickelit said...

Senior Obama Adviser Compares House Republicans To Terrorists, Kidnappers, And Arsonists

That headline, coming from whom it does (and not some commenter in a blog) should make any thinking Obama voter take notice and ask WTF?

But it doesn't, which is too bad.

sakredkow said...

@AprilApple I don't take it personally with you either. I'm hanging with you through thick and thin, right or left.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

I think the fake "war on women" war was a fake war, pushed by the fake press.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

PHX - I will admit I get uncomfortable when my side says nasty things about Obama and his wife that do not pertain to the argument. I'll give you that one.

sakredkow said...

AprilApple you and I are THAT close to seeing eye-to-eye on everything! : D

theribbonguy said...

In the real world consequences category, we just received a letter from my wifes employer..the employer who's insurance covers both her and our daughter..that their policy doesn't meet ACA's coverage requirements. My current options are to add them to my insurance at $650 a month, go on the exchange (cost yet to be determined, but since our combined income is around $60k a year...no subsidy for me), or keep them on the employers insurance and pay the tax penalty.

Woo-Hoo...loving me some Obamacare!!!

sakredkow said...

I was on FB this morning and saw some meme comparing Boehner, McConnell and Ryan to 9/11 suicide terrorists.

I was tempted to take a stick to them but I don't ever engage in politics one way or the other on FB.

I know lefties can be assholes though.

bagoh20 said...

Hey ribbonguy, welcome aboard. I know the ship is not what we promised, but once out at sea, we're gonna patch those holes.

Hey did anybody order the patches?

Bender said...

both sides know the Republicans will get the blame for . . .

What do you mean "will get the blame"? They have already been blamed. Repeatedly. For many months now. So for the Establishment to pee their pants over the prospect of being blamed is absurd - it has already happened. Many times.

And not only on this. The Republicans have been blamed for everything under the sun. They are always blamed. If they do X, they are blamed. If they do Y, they are blamed.

It is time to quit worrying about getting blamed. JUST DO THE RIGHT THING.

It isn't that hard. Do the right thing. Do what you actually promised voters that you would do. Have some integrity. Have some honesty. Have some basic fortitude.

It is disgustingly pathetic. That this crowd so easily gets pushed around and pummeled all the time by the likes of guys like Barack Assad - some petty Third-World pipsqueak who the world thinks is a joke, but who is still able to laugh at what total worms the Republicans are.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

:) PHX

Bender said...

go on the exchange (cost yet to be determined, but since our combined income is around $60k a year...no subsidy for me)

Subsidy? Subsidy?

You mean government handout? You mean that you want to become a dependent of the government? You want to basically go on welfare? That is what the "subsidy" is, it is a government handout, a welfare check that infantilizes you and makes you a dependent child of daddy government.

theribbonguy said...

Oh hell it's only money. Besides at 60k a year for a family of three we're practically the Rothchilds !! Never mind the fact we are down to one serviceable car..it only has 225000+ miles and I only commute 25 miles a day to work so I'm sure it will be fine.

bagho20, we don't need any stinking patches, we'll just stomp the rich into the holes..there not worth anything anyway.

bagoh20 said...

"It isn't that hard. Do the right thing. Do what you actually promised voters that you would do. Have some integrity. Have some honesty. Have some basic fortitude."

I think you are misunderstanding what a politician is motivated by. They didn't run to demonstrate their honesty, or integrity. The entire job is image defense, and maintenance.

I agree with you that acting with integrity would be rewarded, but most people in Washington don't have a lot of experience with that approach. You might as well be talking String Theory to them.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

Bender - you are correct. The R party gets the blame no matter what they do. Up/down black/white right/wrong inside-out/ outside- in - R's are to blame.

Obstructionists! Arsonists! Terrorists! Rapists! It never ends.

I agree -so what - Do the right thing.

I'd like to recall John McCain as a show of internal strength. Fat chance.

bagoh20 said...

And you can't blame them. Is there anyone with less integrity than Harry Reid, and he's the repeatedly re elected head of the U.S. Senate?

The fault always lies with the voters.

theribbonguy said...

Bender.uh no..I don't want a "subsidy"..I also don't want to explain to my family why our new living room is a fridgeidare box.

Since I'm already feeding the beast at a rate of a 15k a year combined tax load , I think I would sleep ok if I did qualify for a obamycare break..which as I pointed out..I don't.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

Yeah - Bagoh. I hear ya.
I've forgiven McCain over and over, but this time, in his calling anyone who dare think the government is out of control - "tea party hobbits" he crossed a line. No more forgiveness from me.
It's time he retire and go away. .

The last time Reid was up for re-election there was some major shenanigans going on. Somehow Sharon Angle won against a sure fire Sue Louden. Again, the democrats picked our candidate and then the dems shipped in union people from all over. The whole thing was not in line with a respectable and honest system of voting.

That and think we all agree that Al Franken stole his seat.

test said...

phx said...
The Republicans can't manage their own party. Why would anyone let them manage the country?


Isn't it strange the leftists claim to believe when Republicans agree it's dangerous groupthink, but when they don't agree they can't managethemselves? Yet when Democrats agree it's consensus, and when they don't it's a healthy "big tent" debate.

The only underlying principle explaining these conclusions is that they will attack Republicans under any and all circumstances regardless of facts.

Methadras said...

Can someone somewhere please punch this man in the face so hard that his ancestors feel it for the shame that they've foisted onto the American public by his mere existence. Please? Someone?

sakredkow said...

You know what? I don't think friend, foe or undecided could look at the Republican Party today and say "This is healthy."

I know you don't feel much choice other than to spin it that way, but I don't think it's working.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

PHX - That's just the media whispering in your ear.

The Democrat party is full on corrupt. Any idea why?

test said...

AprilApple said...
The Democrat party is full on corrupt


The main difference with Democrats is their marketing. Because they control media and academia they've won a majority of their voters with the message their worldview is "what right thinking people everywhere agree on". Such a superficial message is effective but it enhances the risk of public debate, which is why their only debating tactic is "they're racist" or "they're only for the rich".

bagoh20 said...

That's how different we think, phx, many of us do think it's healthy to have dissent and disagreement even among our own, because it's not about winning, unless you have the right ideas first, and you can't get there without openness and questioning, and challenging.

Now I have enough respect for you to know you believe that too, but you are a partisan first, whether you admit or not, and so you must pretend to not value what you truly believe.

sakredkow said...

Now I have enough respect for you to know

Whoa, whoa! That doesn't seem to jibe with anything I ever heard from you directed towards me.

I'll take it though.

bagoh20 said...

Did I say that? I was high on poppers. I'll try to maintain my senses better from now on, but you have to understand the context:

IT's FRIDAY!!!!.

bagoh20 said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
sakredkow said...

Did I say that? I was high on poppers.

This is about t r u s t.

Beloved Commenter AReasonableMan said...

If Obamacare is the unsalvageable steaming heap of garbage of right wing dreams, the smart thing to do would be to let it play out in the real world and then let the people vote. A president committed to repealing the act would win in a landslide.

A failure to commit to the 'smart' strategy suggests that some are less than confident in the reality of their views regarding Obamacare.

bagoh20 said...

A lot of wasteful or unsustainable government programs have always been political third rails long after they lose their value to the public at large. Subsidies left over from the Great Depression for no defensible reason can't even be repealed. Turning over 1/6 of the economy and then changing your mind as an experiment just to fix some much simpler problems is irresponsible. This will create far more problems than it will fix, and the only focus going forward will be fixing it for the rest of our lives. I'll be here to remind you for as long as I can.

Beloved Commenter AReasonableMan said...

But we have been fixing health care for as long as I have been following politics. And what we had was a mess. Expensive and average, with a lot of people locked out of the system.

I don't doubt that Obamacare can be fixed in the sense that it can be improved. I thought the president's original proposal was better, cleaner and simpler than the sausage that emerged from the Congress, but we live in the real world.

bagoh20 said...

So all these people are losing their jobs, and their doctors, and their thin dollars for nothing. And it's a law that's not wanted, was passed in an underhanded and strictly partisan process in the dead of night that locked out half the political opinion of the nation. Nothing so important and far reaching should ever be done in that way, especially for such small returns if any. I'm really surprised at your naivete, ARM, on how wasteful, corrupt, and ineffective this will inevitably be. Every government program large or small is rife with waste, fraud, and abuse, and this is a huge monstrosity of hiding places for such.

test said...

AReasonableMan said...
A failure to commit to the 'smart' strategy suggests that some are less than confident in the reality of their views regarding Obamacare.


This might be true from a purely political point of view. But the strategy would necessarily entail allowing millions of Americans to suffer in order to prove the point. It's quite revealing ARM doesn't even consider their suffering even in a hypothetical where he agrees it exists. The left may claim to look out for Americans, but it's obvious they only care about the politics.

Beloved Commenter AReasonableMan said...

This might be true from a purely political point of view. But the strategy would necessarily entail allowing millions of Americans to suffer in order to prove the point. It's quite revealing ARM doesn't even consider their suffering even in a hypothetical where he agrees it exists. The left may claim to look out for Americans, but it's obvious they only care about the politics.

Obviously I don't believe this. I think the horror stories have been blown out of proportion for partisan political reasons and that more net good than bad will result, particularly for people currently locked out of the system. It will have no substantive effect on me and most people posting on this board. This is exactly what the opponents are afraid of.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

In most states, the cost of individually purchased health insurance will increase significantly, as much as 160 percent. A handful of states will see average rates go down. But that's generally because those states, like New York, had long ago imposed Obamacare-like mandates that made insurance unaffordable for the young and healthy. Nationally, so far, we've found that ObamaCare will increase premiums in the individual market by an average of 24 percent.

Poorer Americans will be insulated from these increases by Obamacare's subsidies. But the middle class will face a double whammy: higher premiums, along with higher taxes to pay for the subsidies that others receive. Younger, healthier Americans will get hit especially hard under this system.

And everyone agrees that the success of Obamacare hinges on the Obama administration's ability to persuade young people to buy in - to pay for insurance that is even costlier than the coverage they already can't afford. That isn't what Democrats promised when they named their bill "The Affordable Care Act."

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

lemme repeat that.

Poorer Americans will be insulated from these increases by Obamacare's subsidies. But the middle class will face a double whammy: higher premiums, along with higher taxes to pay for the subsidies that others receive. Younger, healthier Americans will get hit especially hard under this system.

test said...

AReasonableMan said...
Obviously I don't believe this


It doesn't matter if you really believe this. You hypothesized about what you would do if you believed as we do. So either you don't care about the negative health impact on millions of Americans, or you're admitting your accusation and conclusion were lies.

It doesn't even matter which is correct.

Beloved Commenter AReasonableMan said...

Marshall, as usual you reveal that you know nothing about how the world actually works. No human system is perfect. Obamacare is a step forward in that it deals people locked out of the system because of preexisting conditions, which was a moral disgrace. It also begins to deal with the free rider problem. To pretend the Republicans were going to deal with this is silly. Maybe they have some good ideas but now would be the time to put up or shut up.

Beloved Commenter AReasonableMan said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
test said...

AReasonableMan said...
Marshall, as usual you reveal that you know nothing about how the world actually works.


It's bizarre someone who thinks programs should be evaluated by what they claim to solve rather than their actual effects.

Obamacare is a step forward in that it deals people locked out of the system because of preexisting conditions, which was a moral disgrace

And ARM reveals his complete ignorance once again, as this issue was dealt with by HIPAA over a decade ago. I guess they didn't bother updating his talking points.

It's also interesting what a dodge this latest attack is. Yesterday he claimed Obamacare opponents knew the policy would be successful. When I pointed out his thoughts process meant he must not care about American health he suddenly recalled how important perspective is, demonstrating that he chose to overlook the perspective of Obamacare opponents in his previous accusation.

Rather than deal with this, or better engage in some introspection concerning his unwillingness or inability to think straight when addressing anyone not in complete agreement with him, he chose to attack hoping his ridiculousness would be forgotten.

And this is on top of yesterday's idiotic assertion that my pointing out that Breitbart held Allen West to a higher standard than our media does Democratic officials was blaming the left for West rather than noting the media's political bias. Note also that his substitution of the left when I criticized the media (not for West, but for Mikulski/Obama) shows he agrees the media is leftist, so what was he arguing anyway.

This guy is a fool.

Beloved Commenter AReasonableMan said...

Your statement regarding preexisting conditions is simply wrong. There are a large number of loopholes and exclusions associated with HIPAA that even the Republican party has acknowledged, and it only covers employer based insurance. Many employers do not offer insurance.

You want to maintain a system that is morally wrong and economically inefficient. That is certainly a point of view. Fortunately the American people, when given the opportunity to vote for someone who promised to repeal Obamacare on Day 1, gave a thumbs down to the status quo.

You are both wrong on the facts and out of step with the American people, no doubt something that has been true throughout your life.