GOP Determined to Spoil ObamaCare’s Birthday
While President Obama was out in the heartland pushing his energy policy offensive today, Hill Republicans have been pushing equally hard to ensure that the administration is on defense when the two-year anniversary of the healthcare reform law rolls around Friday.
In a double publicity boon for opponents of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, the Supreme Court begins hearing arguments Monday on the constitutionality of the insurance mandate.
For a piece of signature legislation that was such a “big f—ing deal,” in the immortal words of Joe Biden, the White House is being decidedly low-key about the PPACA’s birthday.
White House spokesman Jay Carney confirmed today that there are no events on the president’s schedule to mark the day. “But I want to be clear that this was historic and important legislation that is already leading to significant benefits for millions of Americans,” he said, noting that the administration released a video “that features a lot of folks who have benefited from the Affordable Care Act already.”
“I found absurd some of the suggestions that the president or the White House, the administration was running away from or not interested in talking about the Affordable Care Act, because, as you know, and I have seen, the campaign has put out its own campaign video where the Affordable Care Act is featured prominently,” Carney added. “… I don’t think a week goes by where he doesn’t include remarks about health care reform in some form or another.”
The message from Republicans this week? Obama should be running away from the law.
“We want to take a look back at what we think is a terrible piece of legislation,” Senate Republican Conference Chairman John Thune (R-S.D.) said today. “The law really does represent one broken promise after another.”
He noted that the bill came with promises of 400,000 jobs “almost immediately,” and now the Congressional Budget Office predicts a loss of 800,000 jobs due to the law. This is on top of the CBO finding that the law will increase family premiums by an average $2,100 a year, the senator added.
“When this is all said and done… it will dwarf what the predictions were in terms of cost,” Thune said.
So all weapons in the arsenal are coming out. The Republican Study Committee caucus of House conservatives released “ObamaCare in 5 Pictures,” a series of charts taking fresh hits at the law.
The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee released a report on the law’s negative impact on jobs.
“Obamacare’s attempt at a wholesale remake of our health care system will have crippling impacts on businesses and job creators — at a time when we can least afford it,” Chairman Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) said. “Our report documents job creators — in their own words — expressing very real and very personal concerns about what Obamacare will mean to their firm and their employees.”
Other members publicly renewed their mission to take down the two-year-old law.
“I ran for office in order to defund, dismantle, repeal, and replace Obamacare,” said Rep. Renee Ellmers (R-N.C.), one of the freshmen swept into office in the 2010 midterms. “I will not rest until the entire law is repealed and today we are one step closer to fulfilling this promise.”
Obama Changes We Can Really Believe In?
I haven’t had the pleasure of visiting the White House in decades so I can’t personally attest to all of the following details on recent alterations in America’s executive mansion but they are interesting, to say the least.
For example, has anyone noticed that our president no longer conducts his rare press conferences with the traditional trappings of American flags in the background?
Instead, a bright yellow curtain replete with what some people believe are Arabic symbols now decorates the press room, along with Obama’s trusty teleprompters, of course, without which he tends to put his foot in his mouth.
And, has anyone noticed that the decor at the White House has radically changed since the Obama clan occupied 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue?
The Oval Office is now almost devoid of the traditional display of American red, white, and blue. It has been replaced with what appears to be middle eastern wallpaper, drapes, and decor and the hallway Obama uses to talk to the press now features middle eastern-style chairs, drapes, etc.
And, has anyone noticed that Obama seems more Islamic than he seems American?
It’s understandable, actually, since his paternal heritage is Muslim, all his Kenyan relatives are Muslims, his mother married two Muslims, and he spent years of his childhood in Muslim Indonesia where he was partially educated in a Muslim madrassa and he diligently studied the Quran.
Before any White House alterations were made, surely the POTUS had extensive input from his lovely, style-conscious FLOTUS who, only a few years ago discovered she was proud of her country. She must be even more proud of her husband’s Muslim roots.
Michelle LaVaughn Robinson Obama must also be tickled pink that America’s White House now reflects both her tastes and her hubby’s documented Islamic affiliations even though those tastes and affiliations give rise to suspicions that the Obamas aren’t all we have been led to believe in.
Is Barack Hussein Obama a Muslim at heart? . . . (See pictures and read more at http://www.genelalor.com/blog1/?p=18390.)
To enact a new law that repeals ObamaCare would require a Republican president (obviously), plus a filibuster-proof GOP majority in the Senate. Because otherwise, left-wing senators like Barbara Boxer and Bernie Sanders (who showed he’s good at filibustering) will try to filibuster the repeal bill to death.
There is an even chance of electing a Republican president.
There is almost no chance that the GOP will win anything close to 60 seats in the Senate. Even if one or two moderate Dem senators (e.g., Manchin) vote with the GOP on this, it won’t be enough to win cloture and stop debate.
So if ObamaCare is to be stopped, it will require something clever. Romney’s plan is to just issue so many waivers to so many states that in effect, ObamaCare will no longer be a national program–and the insurance companies will back out.
” Even if one or two moderate Dem senators (e.g., Manchin) vote with the GOP on this, it won’t be enough to win cloture and stop debate. So if ObamaCare is to be stopped, it will require something clever.”
Not necessarily…it was passed via reconciliation…why can’t it be killed in same manner? In fact, just killing its funding will kill the law in effect.
actually after listenting today to stats the repub senate looks like at least 57 in the election with other undecided voters probably making it close to 60. after the last challenger realizes he is not helping anyone including himself the repubs will unite. vote vote the not one out!
I find it sad that something that is so blatantly unconstitutional as Obamacare will come down to one vote on the Supreme Court. I hope that the law will be rejected by a 5 to 4 vote, but it’s a little scary that it has to come down to this. But if the law is upheld by one vote, you will see a near revolution in this country, something that will make the Democratic defeats in 2010 look like nothing. I really don’t think Congress or the president know how angry the American public is right now, at least the part of the public that pays the lion’s share of the taxes. If the Supreme Court kills this thing, it will be a step in the right direction. Remember, the court could only kill the mandate. There are many other parts of this law that will NOT be declared unconstitutional. So if the Republicans get back into power in November (both in Congress and the White House), they will still have a lot of work to do.
Liberty, you said it:
“I really don’t think Congress or the president know how angry the American public is right now, at least the part of the public that pays the lion’s share of the taxes.”
When the Supreme Court removes a vital part of the Affordable Health Care Act, there will indeed be much more work to do, billions to reconcile, and a very large newly entrenched bureaucracy to halt. The momentum forward of the midnight monstrosity that was Obamacare will take years to undo. It will take years and courage by legislatures to repent that mess. The chaos of unintended consequences will still be carried forward.
What will be most embarrassing will be the tap dance by the administration to deflect blame and justify their signature defeat.
Keeep writing Libertyship46.
I’ll tell you this much, GDI, Obama promised that he’d be a uniter, and he is fast becoming just that. People who haven’t spoken together in years (for petty slights or plain indifference), neighbors, are coming out into their yards to rake Obama over the coals. He is universally despised, and the people will find a way, whatever it is, to eject him and his Marxist cronies from the scene. We will use the law where he has not. Depend on it that we will prevail.
I recently had dealings with a UK citizen who was here working with my company and he said of his travels in the US that he “couldn’t find ANYONE who had anything good to say about Obama”. So I take the polls that come out that are left-skewed anyway and just ignore them. They have sh*t the bed and they know it and now are wondering how to run a campaign. They can’t run Obama on his record because it’s a wrecking ball of destruction. Quoting Mr Reagan from the 80′s, “Are you better off now than you were four years ago?” And the answer then, as it is now a deafening “NO!”. Only the staunchest, most bigoted blacks are firmly in the tank for the guy. He’s admitted that he’s not seeking the “typical white person” vote, nor is he helping out his democrat party members as he keeps all the campaign funding to himself. That speaks volumes about how “uniting” he is and what a “team-player” he isn’t.
He is bad news. I’m pretty sure most of the democrat party would love to just dump the guy but they cast their lot in 2008 and they are stuck with it. A Hitlery uprising would be “bad optics” for the national socialists and they’d all be outed as the racists they are anyhow.
But, they stepped in it and now they’re walking all over the brand new carpet wondering what that smell is.
Countdown to 2012 – The Clueless Generation
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=50WHiYmOqTQ&feature=relmfu
Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) has introduced a new FY 2013 budget.
http://spectator.org/blog/2012/03/08/rand-paul-unveils-latest-budge
It may be that people are ready to revolt over this ideologue who seems to give no thought or care for anything but his ideals, which are contrary to American ideals. However, Joe Biden is hitting the senior centers, thundering that “The Republicans want to kill Medicare!!” The same thing over and over that they’ve ranted for so many years and people still believe them. Republicans have to be able to counter that because it’s the exact opposite of what Paul Ryan’s plan is and Obamacare is the plan that eliminates Medicare. Blatant lies that can be proven so easily to be lies. Republicans must show the proof otherwise I fear for this upcoming election!!
Hill Republicans are total idiots, egocentric and bent on destroying their own country. Sad.
Obama’s Little Mind
“A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds.” (Ralph Waldo Emerson)
As the Supreme Court prepares to hear arguments on the constitutionality of Obamacare, it’s fitting to consider the quality of the mind of the person who proposed and foisted that abominable legislation on the American people.
Before, during, and following the last presidential campaign, Barack Hussein Obama was presented to the American people and the planet as a scholarly, articulate, and charismatic savior who would masterfully lead and transform the nation and restore respect for America in the collective eyes of the rest of the world.
During his relatively brief tenure as the most powerful man in the universe, the president has indeed transformed the United States, although his version of change hasn’t been what most Americans expected.
Obama has transformed the economy into a virtual basket case, has created deficits and national debts which our children and grandchildren will be repaying throughout their lives, has been a simpering apologist for America’s exceptionalism, and has turned America into an international joke.
If upheld by SCOTUS, the Affordable Health Care for America Act will simply be the capstone of Obama’s socialistic policies, if not the gravestone for America’s economic viability.
And, all because Obama was misrepresented as a brilliant mind, a “constitutional scholar,” who would lead the country into the future while he leads us into Third World oblivion and ignores the Constitution.
Those millions of voters who saw through the charlatan candidate and resisted the urge to vote for him out of a sense of black pride or misplaced white guilt knew all along he was absurdly unqualified and inexperienced to serve as chief executive and commander-in-chief. We were more amazed that more foreigners seemed to be taken in by him than the 69,456,897 who cast their ballots for him in 2008.
Barack Obama may yet be re-elected in November by the same sheeple who fell for his empty promises of change last time around but many foreigners have long since seen through his vacuousness, have noticed the gaffe-prone “scholar” is even dumber than George W. Bush was reputed to be, and have come to the realization that, absent his trusty teleprompters, Obama is a braindead dolt who can only repeat hollow words and phrases.
Thomas Buch-Andersen, host of the Danish TV show Detektor, is one European who dared to buck the conventional wisdom that Obama can think on his own, devoid of scripted inanities dictated by his handlers
Buch-Anderson recently pointed out that Obama consistently uses the same trite, meaningless terminology when speaking to leaders of every ally who visits the White House. . . (Read more at http://www.genelalor.com/blog1/?p=19101.)