Last year, anyone who dared point up Barack Hussein Obama's undeniable Muslim heritage or simply uttered his given middle name was branded an anti-Muslim bigot shamelessly trying to link Obama to terrorists and questioning his patriotism. People seeking relevant information about the natural-born status of a would-be president, who at one time or another has held citizenship to three nations, were branded "right wing conspiracists" and derogatorily dubbed "birthers" for asking Obama to produce his original birth certificate and any foreign passports he has held during his lifetime. Continued stonewalling and the expenditure of millions of dollars on attorneys by Obama has so far succeeded in denying answers to the American people on that small matter we refer to as "constitutional eligibility."
Now we turn to health care. The American people see Obama's health care plan for what it is: socialized medicine. As opposition grows amid many unanswered questions by Obama and the Democratic proponents of his big government health care plan, out comes the "vast right wing conspiracy" card. The Washington Times reports on who Obama is blaming for opposition to his health care plan:
I've got news for you, folks. The Republicans are so dysfunctional these days they couldn't possibly get their act together to organize anything against Obama or the Democratic Party. The Republican Party hasn't been behind the tea parties. And it certainly isn't behind the folks showing up at town hall meetings to bitch about what Obama's health care plan may or may not mean to them. In case Obama hasn't noticed, his party has overwhelming majorities in both houses of Congress, including a filibuster proof majority in the Senate. If he's having trouble passing his plan, it's a sure bet that more than a handful of members in his own party are having doubts about his plan. With the news media overwhelmingly on his side, the vast right wing conspiracy theory is always a safe card to play. Let's not let the truth get in the way when a lie will work.President Obama took to the conservative airwaves Thursday to charge that Republican leaders are engaged in a vast right-wing conspiracy to kill health care reform in order to repeat the 1994 mid-term takeover of Congress, which followed the defeat of President Clinton's reform plan.
"I think early on, a decision was made by the Republican leadership that said, 'Look, let's not give him a victory, maybe we can have a replay of 1993, '94, when Clinton came in, he failed on health care and then we won in the mid-term elections and we got the majority. And I think there are some folks who are taking a page out that playbook," the president said.
Appearing on the Michael Smerconish radio show, Mr. Obama said he would "love to have more Republicans engaged and involved in this process," but he vowed to win the battle, with or without support from the minority party in Congress.
"I guarantee you, Joe, we are going to get health care reform done," he said to one caller. "I know there are a lot of people out there who've been handwringing, and folks in the press are following every little twist and turn of the legislative process, but having a big bill like this is always messy."
Is Medicare socialism?
ReplyDeleteI had to Google to figure out who Michael Smerconish is.
ReplyDeleteWhy Conservative Talker Michael Smerconish Endorsed Obama
"Philadelphia radio talker Michael Smerconish, a life-long Republican, swears he's not using his Obama endorsement today [Oct 17, 2008] to land a fulltime spot on increasingly liberal MSNBC."
"Smerconish's radio contract expires Dec. 31. Buzz says he won't re-sign unless the station takes him national. His exclusive deal with MSNBC is up in the spring. He appears three times a week, on Chris Matthews' "Hardball" and on David Gregory's "Race to the White House."
Seems like the 2nd act of 'you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours' just played itself out.
Gary, you are right and wrong about the Tea Party Movement, which I studied and traced since February when it began.
ReplyDeleteThe Tea Party movement DID start from an arm within the Republican Party, although I don't think it was an "official" thing the party was doing. But the tea party website templates were set up all across the country before there were organizers in each city.
By mid-summmer the movement morphed into something outside of Republican control and a far bigger thing than anyone imagined...Mr. and Mrs. Main Street woke up from their long slumber in apathy.
Now Mr and Mrs Folks (armed with the Internet)are learning that the two parties are the different sides of the same filthy coin.
My hope, which I know you do not share, is that the Libertarian party will continue to pluck Republicans who realize that their party is never going to serve them or its core principles first.
The Republican Party is lost and only from the ashes will a Phoenix rise.
One day, even you might become so fed up with the Republicans that you jump ship. Regardless, I remain a fan of your blog.
IPOPA, Medicare is indeed a government-sponsored health plan for the elderly. You and I and every other working American pay taxes throughout our working careers to support a health insurance plan for us when we retire. It is not complete coverage. Medicare recipients need supplemental insurance, and there is considerable private insurance interaction with this public insurance program. Because of the growing number of elderly, the system already faces financial collapse. There simply aren't enough working Americans to tax to support the growing costs of the current system. Obama wants to put everyone under a government-run plan. He'll have to blow up Medicare as we know it to even come close to finding the money to pay for it. We'll have to see the tax burden expand well north of 50% of our earnings to meet the demands of this new entitlement program. I believe government already takes too much of the money I earn. We will make a complete transition to a socialist country if this plan is enacted, make no mistake about it. If that's what you want, then fine. I suspect there will be a taxpayer revolt unlike anything you've ever witnessed in this country, however, if he forces this plan through Congress as he seems determined to do.
ReplyDeleteThat was a learned discourse in response to somebody's question, but it wasn't mine. What I asked was IS MEDICARE SOCIALISM? That's a yes or no question, but NOBODY, including you, will answer it because it would require you to advocate the repeal of this system. Opponents of a single-payer system self-delude to act like SOMEHOW Medicare is different then Obama's plan when it's not. The basic Medicare coverage provided is provided to all without ANY private dollars being paid to anybody. It is all taxpayer funded, as you admit, AND only the truly dishonest will say people cover their own costs when we KNOW they don't, as you also admit.
ReplyDeleteYou won't say it because people will realize how much they LIKE "socialism," and you lose your bogeyman. But, for the record, you should because you don't even know what socialism means. It's state or common ownership of enterprises. In neither Medicare nor an Obama health plan does the government own the hospitals, clinics, pharmacies, and pharmaceutical companies, and in neither does it employ the physicians. People who oppose any healthcare reform also use the term "socialized medicine" interchangeably a lot. Anytime somebody has to purposefully confuse terms to prevail in a debate, I get suspicious.
All I ask of you, AI, it to have the intellectual honesty to call what bothers you "the expansion of the welfare state" because until you and every other opponent of the Obama plan are ready to ask for the repeal of Medicare publicly, you sure don't mind "socialism" as you define it.