Toobin on Obamacare Supreme Court Arguments: ‘This Was a Train Wreck for the Obama Administration’
By: Jeff Emanuel (Diary) | March 27th at 01:45 PM |
I’ll leave further commentary to our excellent lawyers, but here’s the video: The CNN legal correspondent’s comments included the following: This was a train wreck for the Obama administration. This law looks like it’s going to be struck down…All of the predictions including mine that the justices would not have a problem with this law were wrong. …The only conservative justice who looked like he | Read More »
The Medicare Crisis is Here
By: Jeff Emanuel (Diary) | May 26th at 05:30 PM |
For years now, the American people have been treated to a single response from Democrat lawmakers and executives when it comes to reforming our bloated, foundering retirement programs: There Is No Crisis. That’s been the mantra of Barack Obama, Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi, and many other Democrats since George W. Bush attempted to stave off the collapse of the taxpayer-funded retiree safety net – the | Read More »
OPEN THREAD: Who REALLY won the Health Care Summit last week?
By: Jeff Emanuel (Diary) | March 2nd at 05:29 PM |
This video pretty well captures the Summit *I* saw. Be sure to watch all the way to the end for the money quote from Gergen. OPEN THREAD
Health Care Bill Fact of the Day: Creating Another Federal ‘Czar’
By: Jeff Emanuel (Diary) | August 14th at 07:00 AM |
The “Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009,” the House health overhaul bill, creates the position of Health Choices Commissioner, or “Insurance Czar.” The Insurance Czar would be appointed by the President to oversee the Health Choices Administration. This would be the 33rd federal ‘czar’ appointed by President Obama since his January 20, 2009 inauguration. The appointee would be responsible for establishing and regulating geographically-based Health | Read More »
Spokesman for Obama White House: ‘People are Showing Up to Events with Swastikas, Dressed Up as Hitler’
By: Jeff Emanuel (Diary) | August 13th at 01:30 PM |
See it for yourself below, as Bill Burton, a spokesman for Barack Obama’s White House, says: I don’t think that Speaker Pelosi was just claiming that people were wearing swastikas [at health care town hall meetings]; people are showing up to events with swastikas, dressed up as Hitler, with signs invoking Nazi Germany, so that’s not something that’s being made up. Video: The DC Examiner‘s | Read More »
5 Liberal Myths About Health Care ‘Reform’
By: Jeff Emanuel (Diary) | August 13th at 08:00 AM |
The debate over health care reform — what constitutes it and what public opinion of such reform really is — has become more polarizing as the summer has gone on. Below are five key liberal talking points about health care “reform” and an accompanying dose of truth their peddlers so desperately need to hear. 1. Republicans, who either believe the health care status quo is | Read More »
Health Care Bill Fact of the Day: Creating the Highest Federal Tax Rates in 20 Years
By: Jeff Emanuel (Diary) | August 13th at 07:00 AM |
The “Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009″ imposes a “surtax,” or income tax increase, on all Americans making $280,000 a year or more. Under the bill, those making $280,000 ($350,000 for couples) will have their taxes increased by 1 percentage point, those making $400,000 ($500,000 for couples) by 1.5 percentage points, and those making more than $800,000 ($1 million for couples) by 5.4 percentage points. | Read More »
The Federal Government Should Clean Up its own Medicare Mess Before Taking on the Entire Health Care System
By: Jeff Emanuel (Diary) | August 12th at 01:24 PM |
The New Testament book of Matthew contains a well-known allegorical tale known as the “Parable of the Ten Talents.” In this story, Jesus told of a man who entrusted his property to three servants while he was away. One servant was given five silver talents; another two; and a third one. The first two servants put that which their master had given them to good | Read More »
Sheila Jackson-Lee’s (D-TX) Constituents are Important – Just Not More Important Than Her Cell Phone Conversations [UPDATED]
By: Jeff Emanuel (Diary) | August 12th at 10:31 AM |
The arrogance of Democratic lawgivers is plain to see any time they step in front of a camera or microphone, but never is it on such full display as when they actually have to deal with their constituents. Take, for example, this video of Texas Democrat Sheila Jackson-Lee, who is willing to allow her constituents the honor of being in her presence, just so long | Read More »
Health Care Bill Fact of the Day: Billions in Pork Barrel Spending for ‘Community Transformation’ and ‘Beautification’
By: Jeff Emanuel (Diary) | August 12th at 07:00 AM |
Under the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee’s “Affordable Health Choices Act,” local governments can apply for “community transformation” grants to build jungle gyms, sidewalks, bicycle paths, and grocery stores, to install streetlights, and to establish new farmers’ markets. The dollar amount of these grants, and of the total “community transformation” earmark program, is left to the discretion of the Obama administration. Cities can | Read More »
To Channel Michael Dukakis: I Seriously Can’t Believe We Lost to This Guy
By: Jeff Emanuel (Diary) | August 11th at 04:59 PM |
I don’t know if I’ve seen a worse public speaker in my lifetime more lionized for his public speaking ability than President Barack Obama (D-IL). The homage paid to him by pundits and anchors across the country for his supposedly unique combination of intelligence and eloquence is shown almost by the day to be as misplaced as effusive praise for Vice President Joe Biden’s (D-Slave | Read More »
Rasmussen: Support for Obama’s Government-Centric Health Care Overhaul Down to 42%
By: Jeff Emanuel (Diary) | August 11th at 03:19 PM |
The latest report from Rasmussen shows only 42% of Americans now support Congressional Democrats’ and President Obama’s proposal for a government-centric overhaul of the American health care system. This poll shows that the decline in support for the President’s plan, which began in earnest in late June, has continued unabated. Two months ago, support for the Obama/Kennedy/Pelosi health care overhaul stood at 50%; in July, | Read More »
Health Care Bill Fact of the Day: Providing Businesses With an Incentive to End Employer-Sponsored Health Insurance
By: Jeff Emanuel (Diary) | August 11th at 10:30 AM |
The Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee’s “Affordable Health Choices Act” contains an “employer mandate,” or a legal requirement that all American businesses with 25 or more employees offer health insurance to their workers. The penalty for failing to comply with this mandate to offer employees health insurance is a $750 fine per full time worker per year. In 2008, employer-provided insurance policies averaged | Read More »
Health Care Bill Fact of the Day: ‘You Can Keep Your Health Plan,’ But Once You Change it, the Government is Your Only Option
By: Jeff Emanuel (Diary) | August 10th at 07:00 AM |
House Resolution 3200, the “Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009,” fulfills President Barack Obama’s promise that “If you like your health plan, you can keep it” – technically. Under the Democrat-sponsored bill, existing insurance policies are “grandfathered” into the new, overhauled national health care system, meaning that you have the option to keep your health coverage plan and provider even if they don’t conform to | Read More »
What if Obama Threw an Astroturf Party and Nobody Came?
By: Jeff Emanuel (Diary) | August 9th at 03:55 PM |
Bob Hahn’s comment to my earlier post about Organizing/Obama for America’s call for supporters to flood legislative offices in an effort to create the appearance of support for the very unpopular health overhaul proposal got me thinking. Here’s Bob’s comment: What if nobody cares? This is a pretty risky maneuver by the White House. If it doesn’t work — if supporters do not show up | Read More »
Panicking Democrats Seek Reassurance That Nobody Could *Possibly* Disagree With Them Legitimately
By: Jeff Emanuel (Diary) | August 5th at 05:36 PM |
With well over half of America firmly in opposition to the Obama/Kennedy/Pelosi health overhaul plan, Democrats are grasping at anything they can possibly find to reassure themselves that they are still both right and representative of the “collective American will” on this and myriad other issues. To that end, Jen O’Malley Dillon, executive director of the Democratic National Committee, sent an email to supporters this | Read More »
Democrats Attack ‘The Mob’ as the Community Organizer in Chief Unleashes His Hordes
By: Jeff Emanuel (Diary) | August 5th at 02:17 PM |
As President Obama called on his activists around the country to attend “thousands of events this month” in an effort to convince legislators that they, not the 55% of voters who oppose the Obama/Kennedy/Pelosi health care overhaul proposals, represent the majority of Americans (or, as a DailyKos diarist put it, “the collective will of the American people”), the Democratic National Committee was releasing an ad | Read More »
Call For Informants: If You Oppose Obamacare, Even in ‘Casual Conversation,’ the White House Wants to Know About It
By: Jeff Emanuel (Diary) | August 4th at 01:45 PM |
If you see anybody publicly opposing President Obama’s plan to implement a government-centric overhaul of the health care system, the White House wants you to report that person (or persons) ASAP. From the White House website: There is a lot of disinformation about health insurance reform out there, spanning from control of personal finances to end of life care. These rumors often travel just below | Read More »
Democrats’ Proposal to Tax ‘Cadillac’ Health Coverage Will Hit Lower and Middle Classes Hardest
By: Jeff Emanuel (Diary) | August 4th at 01:30 PM |
As the Senate Finance Committee takes its health care overhaul negotiations into the August recess, President Obama and key Senate negotiators are still struggling to find a way to afford the flagging health care overhaul proposal’s trillion dollar price tag. Their latest proposal, a new tax on so-called “gold-plated, Cadillac” health insurance policies, is receiving broad support from legislators and administration officials who see it | Read More »
Obama, Frank, Schakowsky: All Proponents of ‘Single-Payer,’ Government-Run Health Care, All Convinced a ‘Public Option’ is the Way to Get There (Hint: They’re Right)
By: Jeff Emanuel (Diary) | August 3rd at 10:00 AM |
Obama (D-IL): “I don’t think we’re going to be able to eliminate employer coverage immediately. There’s going to be potentially some transition process” (3/24/07, at SEIU “Universal Health Care Forum”); “I happen to be a proponent of a single-payer universal health care system” (2003 at AFL-CIO event) Frank (D-MA): “I think if we get a good public option, it could lead to single-payer; that’s the | Read More »
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