Pull Grandma's Plug Quick!
Culture 5:20 PM
by Nick Stone of Drawnlines Politics.
It's classic Obama style. If you come to the realization that your utopian campaign promises aren't achievable without an indigestible consequence, simply ask one or a handful of your close advisors and chiefs "go rogue" and "let slip" the idea of backtracking the pledge. If it goes well, go with it. You're off scott free. If it goes poorly, make it look like they weren't speaking for the White House. Vehemently deny that you are even considering backtracking on a pledge and isolate the president from any fallout. All will be well. If only it weren't so transparent. Unfortunately for the Obama White House, it doesn't exactly take Scooby Doo to notice the pattern.
Last week for example, the White House suffered a debacle when Larry Summers and Tim Geithner indicated on the Sunday shows that tax increases on the middle class might be necessary to close the massive budget gap. The unusually straight talk from two key policymakers was met by Monday morning where the White House vehemently backtracked and renewed its pledge to reduce or maintain tax burdens on middle and lower income households.
Obama White House rule numero uno: Thou shalt not deliver obvious news which reflects poorly on the president. If you can't make the president's proposals work on a calculator, make it work on camera instead. Razzle dazzle 'em. But protect the president's image at all costs, no matter the cognitive dissonance or intellectual dishonesty.
This week, backtracking again on White House pledge # 346,787,476ish, the Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sibelius (...who, incidentally, is not Tom Daschle. I would have preferred Tom Daschle. He makes FAR superior fodder for my own entertainment!) dipped her toe in the water and backtracked on the idea of a so-called public option (read "the Big Brother Insurance Plan", or heretofore BBIP). Now we need only see what will happen Monday morning. Will the White House decide that Sibelius didn't sell the idea and slap her on the wrist? Or will the White House say they succumbed to the political realities of that pesky thing called the US Senate and drop the idea of BBIP officially? Personally I'm interested to see what Gibbs will say. Probably something along the lines of "Uhm, err, uhh..."
But talking points aside, we must ask ourselves what's really going on? We hear so much gobbledygook from both sides about what constitutes a win or a loss, and it's difficult for average Americans to wrap our brains around what idea is better or worse for our health and our children's piggy banks. We all know by now that President Bush didn't find a way to pay for his introduction of Medicare Part D (one of the only government run programs to EVER come in under budget). We know that health care costs are skyrocketing, that people already have insurance companies between them and their doctor, and we're unsure of whether or not a government "option" would crowd out free market insurance (hint: it absolutely positively factually would.) One particular panel on ABC's This Week (guest hosted by the strangely hot White House Correspondent Jake Tapper)was very telling. Orrin Hatch and the new darling of The Left Arlen Specter went at it. Tapper put Senator Hatch on the spot:
Tapper: "You are one of the chief cosponsors of [SCHIP] bringing health insurance through teh government to millions of children. You've been heralded for that by liberals. At the time you introduced it, then-Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott accused you of creating big government. What's the difference between [SCHIP] on a theoretical basis in terms of getting the government involved, and what you're now talking against?"
Hatch: "The way it was originally designed, it was a Hatch-Kennedy Bill. We wrote it together, and I have to say that plan basically provided block grants to states for the states according to their own demographics to set up their own SCHIP. It worked amazingly well until the liberals started to push more and more medicaid people into the SCHIP program. And started to expand the SCHIP program in ways that were never contemplated. We did SCHIP for the only kids left out of the health care program, kids of the working poor. Everything the Democrats are doing is pushing toward a single payer system, where the government basically controls everything. And this public government plan - don't think for a minute that that won't destroy the current insurance system. 8/10 Americans are basically pleased with their health care insurance."
Translation: "Look, I tried to work with Democrats to extend coverage to needy people through the government once and got burned. The liberals did exactly what they are planning to do now on a massive scale - get one foot in the door and use it as a stepping stone to nationalize our medical treatment. Don't make the same mistake I did by being lulled by the Dems. Bad idea! Run!"
The President has his 60 Democratic votes in the Senate. If he can't pass his dream plan, don't you dare point the finger at Republicans. He doesn't need one single Republican vote in either chamber to pass his bill, period. Not one. He can ram it through the same way he did his stimulus package. In fact, it would be better that way. Then, when somebody's grandma gets knocked off by the BBIP Cost Containment Plan (or the "Pull Grandma's Plug Quick Plan"), we'll know EXACTLY where to send our lawsuits and nasty letters.
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
Special kudos to my lefty liberal activist and friend who attacked me for spreading lies on this post before actually reading it. You know who you are. It is the Lefty nutjobs that are my true inspiration to keep blogging. Apparently being a Socialist actually gives you a keen psychic sense of what's about to be posted. If that's covered under BBIP, I might change my mind after all about Obamacare. Thank you sincerely for the tireless inspiration you give me.
It's classic Obama style. If you come to the realization that your utopian campaign promises aren't achievable without an indigestible consequence, simply ask one or a handful of your close advisors and chiefs "go rogue" and "let slip" the idea of backtracking the pledge. If it goes well, go with it. You're off scott free. If it goes poorly, make it look like they weren't speaking for the White House. Vehemently deny that you are even considering backtracking on a pledge and isolate the president from any fallout. All will be well. If only it weren't so transparent. Unfortunately for the Obama White House, it doesn't exactly take Scooby Doo to notice the pattern.
Last week for example, the White House suffered a debacle when Larry Summers and Tim Geithner indicated on the Sunday shows that tax increases on the middle class might be necessary to close the massive budget gap. The unusually straight talk from two key policymakers was met by Monday morning where the White House vehemently backtracked and renewed its pledge to reduce or maintain tax burdens on middle and lower income households.
Obama White House rule numero uno: Thou shalt not deliver obvious news which reflects poorly on the president. If you can't make the president's proposals work on a calculator, make it work on camera instead. Razzle dazzle 'em. But protect the president's image at all costs, no matter the cognitive dissonance or intellectual dishonesty.
This week, backtracking again on White House pledge # 346,787,476ish, the Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sibelius (...who, incidentally, is not Tom Daschle. I would have preferred Tom Daschle. He makes FAR superior fodder for my own entertainment!) dipped her toe in the water and backtracked on the idea of a so-called public option (read "the Big Brother Insurance Plan", or heretofore BBIP). Now we need only see what will happen Monday morning. Will the White House decide that Sibelius didn't sell the idea and slap her on the wrist? Or will the White House say they succumbed to the political realities of that pesky thing called the US Senate and drop the idea of BBIP officially? Personally I'm interested to see what Gibbs will say. Probably something along the lines of "Uhm, err, uhh..."
But talking points aside, we must ask ourselves what's really going on? We hear so much gobbledygook from both sides about what constitutes a win or a loss, and it's difficult for average Americans to wrap our brains around what idea is better or worse for our health and our children's piggy banks. We all know by now that President Bush didn't find a way to pay for his introduction of Medicare Part D (one of the only government run programs to EVER come in under budget). We know that health care costs are skyrocketing, that people already have insurance companies between them and their doctor, and we're unsure of whether or not a government "option" would crowd out free market insurance (hint: it absolutely positively factually would.) One particular panel on ABC's This Week (guest hosted by the strangely hot White House Correspondent Jake Tapper)was very telling. Orrin Hatch and the new darling of The Left Arlen Specter went at it. Tapper put Senator Hatch on the spot:
Tapper: "You are one of the chief cosponsors of [SCHIP] bringing health insurance through teh government to millions of children. You've been heralded for that by liberals. At the time you introduced it, then-Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott accused you of creating big government. What's the difference between [SCHIP] on a theoretical basis in terms of getting the government involved, and what you're now talking against?"
Hatch: "The way it was originally designed, it was a Hatch-Kennedy Bill. We wrote it together, and I have to say that plan basically provided block grants to states for the states according to their own demographics to set up their own SCHIP. It worked amazingly well until the liberals started to push more and more medicaid people into the SCHIP program. And started to expand the SCHIP program in ways that were never contemplated. We did SCHIP for the only kids left out of the health care program, kids of the working poor. Everything the Democrats are doing is pushing toward a single payer system, where the government basically controls everything. And this public government plan - don't think for a minute that that won't destroy the current insurance system. 8/10 Americans are basically pleased with their health care insurance."
Translation: "Look, I tried to work with Democrats to extend coverage to needy people through the government once and got burned. The liberals did exactly what they are planning to do now on a massive scale - get one foot in the door and use it as a stepping stone to nationalize our medical treatment. Don't make the same mistake I did by being lulled by the Dems. Bad idea! Run!"
The President has his 60 Democratic votes in the Senate. If he can't pass his dream plan, don't you dare point the finger at Republicans. He doesn't need one single Republican vote in either chamber to pass his bill, period. Not one. He can ram it through the same way he did his stimulus package. In fact, it would be better that way. Then, when somebody's grandma gets knocked off by the BBIP Cost Containment Plan (or the "Pull Grandma's Plug Quick Plan"), we'll know EXACTLY where to send our lawsuits and nasty letters.
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
Special kudos to my lefty liberal activist and friend who attacked me for spreading lies on this post before actually reading it. You know who you are. It is the Lefty nutjobs that are my true inspiration to keep blogging. Apparently being a Socialist actually gives you a keen psychic sense of what's about to be posted. If that's covered under BBIP, I might change my mind after all about Obamacare. Thank you sincerely for the tireless inspiration you give me.
Posted by Nick Stone
on 5:20 PM.
Filed under
Posts
When Sarah Palin went rogue, it was fodder. When Obama's people do it, it's "mis-speak" and perfectly acceptable.
How can he pay for what he wants without higher taxes? How can he even pay for what he's already promised without doing it? How much of the year does he expect us to work before we get to keep a penny of what we earn? Just past Thanksgiving, it looks like.
He can't do it without raising taxes. If he took every penny of income from earners above $500k/yr, he would only come up with 1.6B but he needs 4B to cover the spending. That's not gonna work.