Gibbs Gets One Right (Almost)
Oct 27, 2009 Political
White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs made a statement today that is almost completely correct though he probably thought it was more of a veiled threat. The statement came after someone asked about Senator Joe Lieberman, who vowed to filibuster the Reid plan (or any plan) if it contains a government option. This is how the exchange was reported:
Asked about Lieberman’s threat to filibuster a final vote on the Reid plan, White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said: “I haven’t seen the report from Sen. Lieberman or why he’s saying what he’s saying. I think Democrats and Republicans alike will be held accountable by their constituents who want to see health care reform enacted this year.” [emphasis mine] Politico
It is difficult to gauge what support for the public option is because various polls report drastically different results. An ABC/WaPo poll shows 57-40 in favor of (up 5 points from August) but Rasmussen says support is soft:
Polling on the health care topic by many firms has created some confusion. In particular, polls on the “public option” show a wide variety of results. A recent poll in The Washington Post found that 57% support a government-run health insurance company to compete with private insurers, but our polling shows that support is very soft. In fact, people are strongly opposed to a public option if they think it could lead employers to drop the existing coverage they provide employees. The fact that results are so subject to change based upon minor differences in question wording suggests that voters do not have firm opinions on the public option.
The issue is all over the place and that probably reflects confusion on the part of the public because the issue changes almost hourly. The polling to date suggests that those under 30 (the me generation) are in favor of the reform and the public option while those over 65 are not.
Back to Gibbs’ statement, he is right about paying at the polls but in all elections, and particularly midterm elections, the most reliable voting block is the elderly. Senior citizens show up in very large numbers on election day. The young do not generally show up and it is highly unlikely that they will turn out like they did during the last presidential election when they were excited about voting for ObaMao.
Those who are pushing this health care takeover will pay for it at the polls. Harry Reid is down to 41% in his home state and the last time I looked he lost to the generic Republican. Reid is digging his grave deeper but a lot of things can happen in the next 12 months. The economy will be a big drag if it stays bad but any improvement would help Democrats. There is some easing of the downturn but I think that is temporary. The recovery will be a W and we are on that first uptick. When inflation hits next year and we head back down the Democrats will have hell to pay.
So will any other politician deemed to have had a hand in this. This would include any that voted for the stimulus and those who decide to vote for the health care takeover.
The public is upset and politicians will have a hard time this go round. They usually rely on the short memories of the electorate who only remember the last thing that was done for them but this time it appears as if a lot of people have very good memories. The Tea Parties are still going strong and a lot of people are angry at government. ObaMao’s base is upset with him because he did not go all Commie fast enough and has not done enough damage to the country in their eyes.
The moderates, Independents, and Republicans are upset with out of control spending, a stimulus that has not worked, the abandonment of our troops in Afghanistan and the pettiness of the Rookie in Chief. Barring a major event that turns this country around in a good direction, next November will be a bloodbath at the polls.
Robert Gibbs might have thought he was issuing a veiled threat to Lieberman and others who oppose this health care takeover but he really accurately predicted the fate of many in government who have abandoned the Constitution and have spent like there is no tomorrow.
If Gibbs still has his job the day after the election, it would be funny to play his words back for him and tell him how he was almost correct. The thing he will get wrong?
The politicians will be held accountable by their constituents who do NOT want this health care takeover to go through.
[tip]If you enjoy what you read consider signing up to receive email notification of new posts. There are several options in the sidebar and I am sure you can find one that suits you. If you prefer, consider adding this site to your favorite feed reader. If you receive emails and wish to stop them follow the instructions included in the email.[/tip]
Tags: election, Gibbs, health care, lieberman, Obama, public option, seniors
We Will Not Bow This Old, Grey Head
Aug 20, 2009 Political
I have heard that the best way to stir up a hornet’s nest is to walk up, thrust a stick into the entrance, and stir it around vigorously. You will get a result.
You will note I did not say this was a smart thing to do. And yet that seems to be the result of this Healthscare legislation that the Resident is flinging on the walls. He has targeted senior citizens, what with the 500 billion dollars he wants to cut from Medicare (don’t worry- this is money you won’t need), and the talk, however incendiary, of “death panels” whose purpose is to deny care.
The two groups you don’t want to piss off are seniors and veterans, and yet the Resident, like some little kid whose mind aint right, continues to stir with the stick. He seems surprised at the reaction.
If President Obama wants to better understand why America’s discomfort with end-of-life discussions threatens to derail his health-care reform, he might begin with his own Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). He will quickly discover how government bureaucrats are greasing the slippery slope that can start with cost containment but quickly become a systematic denial of care.
Last year, bureaucrats at the VA’s National Center for Ethics in Health Care advocated a 52-page end-of-life planning document, “Your Life, Your Choices.” It was first published in 1997 and later promoted as the VA’s preferred living will throughout its vast network of hospitals and nursing homes. After the Bush White House took a look at how this document was treating complex health and moral issues, the VA suspended its use. Unfortunately, under President Obama, the VA has now resuscitated “Your Life, Your Choices.”
Who is the primary author of this workbook? Dr. Robert Pearlman, chief of ethics evaluation for the center, a man who in 1996 advocated for physician-assisted suicide in Vacco v. Quill before the U.S. Supreme Court and is known for his support of health-care rationing.
online.wsj.com
Health-care rationing. End-of-life counseling. There it is again, inconveniently popping up like some bizarre whack-a-mole game. The Resident says it aint so, but here it is again. That surely must chafe his nether regions- wow- an “Inconvenient Truth”! See, it can bite him on the butt, again and again.
The circumstances listed include ones common among the elderly and disabled: living in a nursing home, being in a wheelchair and not being able to “shake the blues.” There is a section which provocatively asks, “Have you ever heard anyone say, ‘If I’m a vegetable, pull the plug’?” There also are guilt-inducing scenarios such as “I can no longer contribute to my family’s well being,” “I am a severe financial burden on my family” and that the vet’s situation “causes severe emotional burden for my family.”
When the government can steer vulnerable individuals to conclude for themselves that life is not worth living, who needs a death panel?
online.wsj.com
Really! Gee Mr. Resident, can you explain that one in your dulcet tones and excess verbiage? I do not truly believe you can, because here’s the truth: Seniors are tough- they have lived through a process called life, where the weak are naturally winnowed out of the population, and old people have survived. That word means something special, because not everyone makes it this far, so seniors are tough.
In addition, these seniors are the parents of the baby boomers, who, while having supported you in your quest for the ultimate power, are beginning to have their doubts, because these seniors are their parents, and they quite naturally don’t want to hear that their mom or dad will just have to live diminished lives because you are too niggardly with the choices available for their health.
No, they want their parents to have the best, and you sir, are not providing the best- not even close.
And they (baby boomers, seniors, and veterans) are figuring this out.
If I were you , I would watch your step- the footing gets tricky from here.
[tip]If you enjoy what you read consider signing up to receive email notification of new posts. There are several options in the sidebar and I am sure you can find one that suits you. If you prefer, consider adding this site to your favorite feed reader. If you receive emails and wish to stop them follow the instructions included in the email.[/tip]
Tags: baby boomers, death panels, lies, rationing, seniors