Another Republican Threat
Reason #4,793 to keep the Republicans from re-taking Congress this November.
They’re still blubbering about repealing Obamacare, but the smarter ones (if that isn’t an oxymoron) are grasping that this ain’t gonna happen. Instead, they’re pledging to use the “death by 1,000 cuts” method to kill health care reform. They simply won’t authorize the funding to carry out the new law.
What would George W. Bush have done if Congress had refused to fund his agenda? Or Bill Clinton? Reagan? Nixon? Lyndon Johnson? The word “payback” comes to mind. For any legislator who votes for shit like this, military bases — and any other government projects — in this person’s district could be closed or reduced. Infrastructure funding could dry up. Etc.
If Republicans do take back either the House or Senate, Obama will be forced to become a stronger leader. Remember Bill Clinton’s little wail of “I’m still relevant” after Republicans captured the House in 1994. He became a much stronger leader after that. If the unthinkable happens this November, it could be a teachable moment for Obama.
Regarding the Republicans’ slippery little “de-funding” agenda, a Democratic spokesman said:
“Washington Republicans’ agenda is a blast from the past: Shut down the government for selfish political reasons, dismantle Medicare, allow discrimination based on pre-existing conditions and add a trillion bucks to the deficit. This radical plan proves the GOP cares more about politics and insurance company profits than keeping the American people healthy.”
Labels: de-funding Obamacare
posted by Tom Harper @ 7:31 PM
10 Comments:
I have no doubt of their obsession to repeal anything that would help the poor shulbs trying to get by.
The thing is many of the shulbs will vote for them.
I'll take them seriously if each of them also sign a pledge not to accept their Government funded health benefits when they get into Office.
Erik
...wondering why Obama can't seem to go ahead and learn from Clinton's mistakes, and others, rather than just go ahead and re-invent the frikking wheel.
I don't know, the sooner we turn the gubmint over the looniest faction, the sooner they can wreck it beyond repair and the sooner we can start over with government by random dice roll.
The problem is just like medicare when first inacted this program hasn't been well received and is little understood. Once it's effects start making their way through the system and people see how it works they'll wonder how they did without it. It does need some tweeking.
You mean there are only 4,793 reasons to keep them from taking control in November? Heh!!
Tim is right, and there ought to be bumper stickers made that read "I'm a shlub and I vote".
I agree with Demeur, that if the new health care reforms are allowed to remain in effect long enough, people will get used to them and they will become things we "cannot do without". And I think they were designed to be that way. Get a few basic ideas in there that resonate with most American... because they are right, and fair... and then it will be amusing to watch the GOP try to get rid of them.
Once a "socialist" (LOL!) program or idea becomes a part of the American collective psyche, it probably ceases to be something that can be tossed out in one feel swoop.
What we have is by no means perfect, but I think it's a start in the right direction, and if it sticks we succeed in shifting the center of the American political spectrum back from center-right to the actual center.
The Republicans will fight this tooth and nail, of course.
For example, I believe most Republican voters, unless they are totally drunk on "tea" or unless they are way high on Looney Tunes Kool-Aid wouldn't think it is a good idea to dump Social Security or Medicare. And they certainly will look looney when they rail against things very few Americans will want to give up.
Many of the Republicans running in my district are all running on opposition to "Obamacare". And yet, not one of them vows to defund the congressional healthcare fund which will take care of them for life if they get elected.
Hey, the Republicans already control the Senate. Most of the country will get what it deserves. Too bad we all will go down with them.
I don’t think it’s fair to compare Obama to other Presidents in terms of handling the opposition party. No one has ever had to handle a party like this before. Before Nixon the party was regional. Made up of Eastern Liberals, Mid and South Western Conservatives and Californian Progressives. During LBJ the party was steering itself more to the right and a new Republican, the Southerner started to take over and started the slow purge. By Reagan you had to think, walk, and talk like a Republican – they started creating a party “think” and expected everyone to fall in line. This took time (and they had plenty of it). Their hate for Clinton helped solidify it and you really, really were for them or against them. Repercussions started coming to those who bucked the trend, the party bosses expected to be obeyed.
They got plenty of time to work out the wrinkles with GW Bush and didn’t let the fall of Delay deter them. Now their intense hate of Obama has made them one single mind. They have a strategy and the rest are to fall in line, they don’t even care if we know it! Today go anywhere and they all sound the same. In California you can close you eyes and our legislators’ sound like their Southern Leaders – makes them really out of step with coastal issues and is the biggest reason why they won’t be the majority party. The Question I always have is, “who’s in charge” It certainly isn’t Steele! Is the House and Senate Leaders, their fire and brimstone Preachers or Rush Limbaugh (I’m serious)?
No other President has had to bear with this type of party before. If I had a Republican representative, I would demand he look into my interest and the interest of his district instead of taking orders from the party leadership and follow policies to the detriment to his/her district.
Why do people put up with this?
Erik
Tim: The Republicans will keep stabbing their useful idiots in the back, and their useful idiots will still keep voting for them.
Erik: Works for me. It won't happen though.
Bee: It's definitely time for him to learn from Clinton and other predecessors instead of reinventing the wheel.
Randal: A dice roll -- couldn't make things any worse.
Demeur: That's what I keep hoping, that once HCR is in effect, the general public will say "WTF? Don't you date take away my health insurance!"
Snave: That's my theory too. HCR should soon be as ubiquitous as public schools, highways, mass transit, fire departments. It would be unthinkable to try repealing it or tampering it.
And this of course is why the Right is so desperate to repeal it now, before it becomes set in the public consciousness.
Lew: Hell no, they want socialized medicine for themselves, just not for the rest of us.
Dave: LOL. Sad but true. 41 Republican senators have 59 Democrats cowering and running from their own shadows.
Erik: It's true that none of Obama's predecessors have had to put up with anything like this current onslaught of rightwing inbred trailerwipes. During Clinton's last 2 years, I thought the Republicans were the lowliest bunch of ruthless assholes I'd ever seen. But they look like Eddie Haskell and Lumpy kidding with The Beav compared to Boehner, McConnell, DeMint, etc.
But the fact remains, Obama and Congressional Democrats are going to have to find a way to counter this Republican bullying. If the rules have changed, the Democrats will have to adapt. The public doesn't like bullies, but they don't have any sympathy for their victims either.
Post a Comment
<< Home