Shootout In The Obamacare Corral, Round 1
In all the intense focus on the Obamacare fight now playing out in the halls of Congress, very few are pointing out a rather depressing fact: this is only "Round 1." Out of three of these bouts on the schedule before 2014 dawns. It's important to keep the big picture in perspective, in other words. We're going to have this week's big showdown before the first of October, then we're going to fight all during October over the debt ceiling, and then we're going to have the very same fight we're having right now all over again in December, just in time for holiday shopping.
I admit that I've recycled my "Obamacare Corral" headline, as I first used it back at the beginning of August, in an article examining the likely Republican position and how Democrats should position themselves. This article ended with:
There will indeed be a battle royale in Congress over Obamacare next month. The Republican Party now cannot avoid it. Their base is demanding it. The only surprise is going to be the fact that the biggest fight isn't going to be with the Democrats, it's going to be a Republican-on-Republican donnybrook which is going to leave half the party absolutely enraged with the other half. It barely even matters what Democrats do -- this script is going to play out in any case. It's really hard to see any sort of downside for Democrats, and any sort of upside for Republicans -- even among the Tea Party base, who is now almost guaranteed to be disappointed with the outcome at the end of the day. To sum this up into one final amusing metaphor -- next month, there's a-gonna be a shootout in the Obamacare Corral. The only problem for Republicans is that they're lining up in a circle, and aiming at themselves.
Which, as prognostications go, has proved pretty accurate (if I do say so myself). We're now in a brief window where the Tea Party is experiencing the apex of their power over Obamacare, where they're all patting themselves on the back for a job well done in the House, and where John Boehner is actually their hero (for the time being). This will all be shattered approximately a week from now, when Boehner will introduce the Senate's continuing resolution budget bill (with Obamacare funding restored), and it will pass the House with lots of Democratic votes and a handful of Republican votes.
But even though Tea Partiers are riding high right now on a fantasy, Democrats should be warned that it would be just as big a fantasy to think that the battle will be over next week, when such a budget passes and the government shutdown is averted. Because Round 2 will begin immediately afterward. In fact, it has already begun in the House.
Boehner knows full well how enraged the Tea Partiers are going to be when Obamacare survives the last House vote intact. They're going to be calling him all sorts of nasty names, and doing so in public. The favored derogatory term (to hazard an easy guess) will likely use the word "surrender." Boehner is not going to allow any time for this to gain momentum, though, as he will move the House on to the next -- even bigger -- showdown, over raising the debt ceiling.
The dynamics of the debt ceiling showdown, as it relates to Obamacare, are interesting, however -- and not in such a good way for Democrats. The debt ceiling debate will differ from the government shutdown budget debate in a few key ways. First, it will not be a hard deadline (such as "the first day of October"). It'll be somewhat of a moving target (it's already shifted around and currently stands at the rather-vague "at some point from mid-October through mid-November"). This will lessen the pressure to pass something by a certain hard date, at least at the start. The second difference is that the stakes are incredibly higher. This is, after all, the full faith and credit of the United States of America, and destroying that could very well destroy the entire planet's economy. Which is on a whole different level than Yellowstone being closed and soldiers getting IOUs instead of paychecks. And the third big difference between the two fights is that the Republicans' demand is going to sound a lot more reasonable than what they're fighting for right now.
It's the last two of these which bear examination (the scheduling problem will resolve itself, because the longer the debate goes on, the more the pressure is going to increase). The enormity of defaulting on our debt is going to benefit both sides in the political fight. For Republicans, it is much bigger leverage than just shutting the government down. The fallout of a default would be so severe that they'll be able to use it to frighten Democrats into acting. If everything falls apart in the next few days on the continuing resolution, Democrats may indeed sit back and allow the Tea Partiers in the House to shut the government down. They will not, however, be able to use this as a bargaining position in the credit limit battle, due to the catastrophic consequences of a default. But, as mentioned, default is a two-edged sword -- because Republicans will be under enormous pressure from Wall Street and their big-money donors not to allow America to default on its bills. Much more pressure than they are getting now, on the shutdown fight. Billions of dollars of private money (held by some of those same big Republican donors) will be on the line. Puppet strings will be pulled.
The Republican strategy for "defunding" Obamacare has largely been seen by Democrats (and an encouraging number of the media) as somewhat of a joke. In the first place, even the bill the House just passed doesn't actually defund most of Obamacare (see: the difference between "mandatory" and "discretional" spending). In the second place, the whole exercise is -- quite rightly -- seen by most Americans as nothing more than a last-minute temper tantrum by a Tea Party who couldn't convince voters at the ballot box of their position, last year. And there's a reason why part of the American mythos is scorning the tactic of "I'm taking my bat and my ball and I'm going home!" (or, perhaps, "holding my breath until I turn blue!"). Tantrums aren't pretty when small children mount them, and they're even less attractive when members of Congress use the same tactic.
Smarter Republicans have apparently realized this. They've let the Tea Partiers have their "defunding" moment in the sun, but when the debt ceiling battle is joined, the Republicans are planning on a much subtler tactic -- let's just delay Obamacare for a year, instead of killing it off completely. One year -- what difference could that make? It sounds almost reasonable, and it certainly will sound a lot better to the public at large than the "kill Obamacare" tactic they're now using. Republicans know full well that delaying Obamacare for a year brings them two big benefits. It will push implementation past the 2014 midterm elections -- leaving them free to demagogue on the issue without voters seeing for themselves what the reality of "Obamacare" truly is. And it means they can fight this battle every single year, and just "delay" Obamacare, year by year, into obscurity. As Little Orphan Annie might sing: "Obama(care), Obama(care), I love ya, Obama(care) -- you're always a year aaa-waaaay!"
All of that is only going to be Round 2, remember. The third round of this fight is going to happen right before the end of this calendar year. Because even if the Senate and the House pass a continuing resolution this week and avoid a government shutdown, this bill will only fund the government for less than three months. Which automatically reschedules the entire fight over again in December.
Democrats scoff at the chances of Round 3 being won by Republicans, but the way Republicans figure it, it will be their final bite at this particular apple. The insurance exchanges will open for business at the start of October, but even if a bunch of people sign up for insurance, the coverage of these policies will not begin until January. This means that the benefits of such insurance won't be real in late December, but Republicans are hoping that they'll have plenty of horror stories (which the inevitable snafus setting up such a sweeping system will undoubtedly produce). If they're smart, they'll stick with the "let's just delay it for a year" strategy in the December budget battle, and jettison the "defund" idea completely.
Predicting the outcomes of each of these fights is tough, because the second and third rounds are going to depend heavily on what happens before we get to them. It is certainly looking like the first round is going to go to the Democrats, and that the Tea Party folks are going to be downright apoplectic this time next week. But, just as it is folly for the Tea Party people to be triumphantly celebrating right now, it will also be folly for Democrats to be too triumphant next week. Because it won't be the end of the fight. After we get through the first government shutdown battle, there will be two more such bouts of brinksmanship before 2014 dawns. I know it's rather depressing to consider, but we've all got to keep things in the proper perspective.
-- Chris Weigant
Cross-posted at The Huffington Post
Follow Chris on Twitter: @ChrisWeigant
This will all be shattered approximately a week from now, when Boehner will introduce the Senate's continuing resolution budget bill (with Obamacare funding restored), and it will pass the House with lots of Democratic votes and a handful of Republican votes.
Assumes facts not in evidence... :D
Which is on a whole different level than Yellowstone being closed and soldiers getting IOUs instead of paychecks.
Let's be clear on the shutdown. Yes, parks will close. But soldiers and most other federal employees will still get paid..
seen by most Americans as nothing more than a last-minute temper tantrum by a Tea Party who couldn't convince voters at the ballot box of their position, last year.
That's a common theme amongst the Left that just doesn't pass the smell test..
"The voters spoke last election and voted Democrats and Obama back into power so that means they love Obamacare"
That's crap.. That's like saying a cardinal is red and is a bird so that means that all birds are red.
Or, if you prefer the Month Python explanation:
" There are ways of telling whether she is a witch."
"Are there? Oh well, tell us."
"Tell me. What do you do with witches?"
"Burn them."
"And what do you burn, apart from witches?"
"More witches."
"Wood."
"Now, why do witches burn?"
"...because they're made of... wood?"
"Good. So how do you tell whether she is made of wood?"
"Build a bridge out of her."
"But can you not also build bridges out of stone?"
"Oh yeah."
"Does wood sink in water?"
"No, no, it floats!... It floats! Throw her into the pond!"
"No, no. What else floats in water?"
"Bread."
"Apples."
"Very small rocks."
"Cider."
"Gravy."
"Cherries."
"Mud."
"Churches."
"Lead! Lead!"
"A duck."
"...Exactly. So, logically..."
"If she weighed the same as a duck... she's made of wood."
"And therefore..."
...A witch! A WITCH!!!
Unfortunately, you lose a lot w/o the audio and visuals, but it shows that it's a logical fallacy built upon a false premise...
The American people are speaking right now specifically ON Obamacare.. One doesn't have to "extrapolate" or divine what Americans are thinking based on how they voted in the last election. We KNOW how Americans feel about Obamacare.
The majority of Americans don't like it.. Period..
No amount of spin will change that one simple fact..
I agree with you that the Delay Tactic is a much better way to go than the defund/kill tactic. But you miss one important reason WHY..
Because Obama has already, by fiat, delayed part of Obamacare to serve corporate interests...
All Republicans have to do is say, "Obama delayed Obamacare to help his corporate cronies. Why can't he delay Obamacare to help the middle class??"
And that would be dead on balls accurate...
So yer dead on. Democrats may be tempted to "nyaaa nyaaa nyaaa Obamacare didn't get defunded.... ppppfffffffftttttttttt" this week... Of course, they may not, depending on how it goes down..
But it's undeniable that the coming fights, the odds are that Republicans will be able to extract their revenge and THAT won't be pretty for the Left..
Michale
Michael
All polls are subject to interpretation, polls concerning Obama Care more so than most.
My interpretation:
Most Americans are currently against OC...
Most Americans admit they don't understand the provisions of OC...
Most Americans like key provisions of OC when stated in isolation from the bill itself....
Most Americans oppose shutting down the government.....
The Republican Party has done an excellent job on muddying the waters about OC. That said, the job was easy because the bill is complex and lengthy (to put it mildly). Easy to spin, and the Republicans have done a very good job at spinning it. The bill is hard to explain, and the Dems and Obama have not been as effective as their opponents.
Still, OC is law, and the only legislative means the Repubs have to fight it (economic arson)is hugely unpopular..and that includes unpopular with the business wing of the party. The business wing is still pretty influential.
I submit that evidence from 2012 shows Republicans tend to have trouble interpreting polls. But not all Republicans. The savvy ones recognize that OC is structured as a classic "nose under the tent" that will quickly gain ground once it's implemented, and that when it does, Republican support will tend to fold one tenet at a time at the local level. We are already seeing some of that.
As CW points out, OC is not a done deal, but Republican tactics strike me as a "forlorn hope." Sometimes forlorn hopes work, but mostly they don't.
All polls are subject to interpretation, polls concerning Obama Care more so than most.
That's what I always say as well... Especially when everyone around here starts touting polls that say how wonderful Obama is. :D
However, when you have poll after poll after poll consistently saying the exact same thing for a couple years.....
Well, it's a safe bet that the poll DOES reflect reality.
And the reality is, the majority of Americans are against Obamacare. Have ALWAYS been against Obamacare...
Given this, I am hard pressed to understand why the Left can claim "the will of the people" when it's obviously a bald-faced lie...
The bill is hard to explain,
It's not "hard to explain" because it's complex. It's "hard to explain" because it simply is unworkable.
It's like trying to explain exactly how I can fly.. It's hard to do because it is simply not possible for me to fly unaided..
Obamacare is hard to explain because it simply doesn't work.
We are seeing the evidence before our very eyes..
Exorbiant rate increases.
Employees losing pay and hours.
Businesses shutting down.
Doctors leaving their practices and retiring.
All of this is a DIRECT result of Obamacare..
As CW points out, OC is not a done deal, but Republican tactics strike me as a "forlorn hope." Sometimes forlorn hopes work, but mostly they don't.
I was watching a Jags vs Texans game once. Literally 14 seconds left in the game, score tied and the clock is ticking. David Gerrard lobs a 70 yard hail mary into the end zone. Texan safety jumps up and knocks the ball down. Right into the arms of Jags Mike Thomas who takes two steps into the end zone and wins the game...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GlvOUG8nuZ4
True story...
Call it forlorn hope, call it a hail mary... But sometimes they DO work..
And if the Republicans are really committed to stopping the abomination that is Obamacare, then ANY logical and rational person would simply HAVE to admire their tenacity..
Wouldn't ya'all respect a Democrat who ignored the odds and did what they think is right??
Of course ya'all would..
So, why is it such a BAD thing when Republicans do it??
Michael
"However, when you have poll after poll after poll consistently saying the exact same thing for a couple years.....
Well, it's a safe bet that the poll DOES reflect reality."
The reality may just be that pollsters are asking the wrong question, and getting the same answer time and again. Polls also repeatedly show the public favors the key elements of OB care when presented as specifics. Polls show the public does not want a government shutdown over the issue. We have an inconsistency here. So why are Republicans cherry picking just one part of the data?
Probably because asking the public whether or not they like OC is acting a bit like a push poll for Republicans. They like the answer they get, because the answer fuels debate in the media, and that debate might, but only just might, derail implementation for a while. Slowing implementation is the last best hope the GOP has of killing the program.
I have found the biggest danger in decision making is to believe your own BS. Republicans have cherry picked polls before, and have paid the price.
You cite a lot of apocrypha indicating OC doesn't work, but much of it reflects trends going on long before Obama even took office, and some of it is just smart business people shifting costs from themselves to OC subsidies.
There is only one place where OC, or something very, very, very like it is actually fully implemented, and that's in MA, where the program, let's call it Romney Care, does what was intended and is reasonably popular. That fact may well be the GOP's greatest greatest fear.
Everybody tends to respect the crusader who flaunts the odds and does what he/she thinks is right, so long long as the cause is noble and innocents are spared. However, I doesn't place money on them, unless I get good odds.
We'll see.
The reality may just be that pollsters are asking the wrong question, and getting the same answer time and again. Polls also repeatedly show the public favors the key elements of OB care when presented as specifics. Polls show the public does not want a government shutdown over the issue. We have an inconsistency here. So why are Republicans cherry picking just one part of the data?
The same reason Democrats cherry pick data to further THEIR agenda...
I have found the biggest danger in decision making is to believe your own BS. Republicans have cherry picked polls before, and have paid the price.
As have Democrats..
They're called politicians. It's what they do..
You cite a lot of apocrypha indicating OC doesn't work, but much of it reflects trends going on long before Obama even took office, and some of it is just smart business people shifting costs from themselves to OC subsidies.
Actually, all I have quoted is a direct result OF Obamacare...
The middle class getting scrooed out of hours and pay.
The astronomical rise in insurance rates.
Doctors leaving their practices..
etc etc etc..
All of it, plus so much more is a direct result of Obamacare..
Everybody tends to respect the crusader who flaunts the odds and does what he/she thinks is right, so long long as the cause is noble and innocents are spared.
AND they believe in and support the agenda...
CW is on record as praising Republicans with credit where credit is due..
JL and David have been known to slip a kind word or two about Republicans when it's deserved.
Barring them, I don't know of any Weigantian who can stand and say, "Ya know. Republicans are Americans just like us. They believe in different things but that doesn't make them evil or bad or terrorists..."
While it's true I do hold a special contempt for Democrats (I'll never forgive them for siding with Al Qaeda as a way of attacking Bush) the simple fact is, I hold politicians in general with great disdain...
In THIS particular case, however, Republicans hold the moral high ground when it comes to Obamacare..
The ONLY people that are winning with Obamacare are the corporate interests.
The middle class is getting scrooed...
It's really that simple...
As much as I hate to do it, I have to agree with Warren Buffett...
Obamacare SHOULD have been scrapped and redone with emphasis on reducing costs, rather than expanding those insured..
If we had actually taken steps to reduce the costs, then those who are insured would have expanded naturally, due to the lower costs...
But Nooooooooo....
Obama had to serve his corporate interests and the Democratic Party agenda and to hell with the American people...
If we had actually taken steps to reduce the costs, then those who are insured would have expanded naturally, due to the lower costs.
But it does reduce costs. I think this is what Republicans are really afraid people realize - that the "free market" did a terrible job at healthcare because the incentives were structured horribly.
Of course we could reduce costs more if we went with a single payer plan like Medicare for everyone, but you "no government" types hate that kind of thing, right?
Regardless ... if you're interested in improving the plan, I'm all for it. Let's improve it.
Meanwhile, I'm just glad people are going to have insurance and can stop clogging our emergency rooms.
-David
p.s. Thanks for the kind words. Seriously. Though we argue a lot here, I have tons of friends who would call themselves Republicans or Libertarians. We disagree, but I have no doubt they're good people. I always try to keep this in mind in any discussions. You do a good job at it too, Michale, which is much appreciated!
Regardless ... if you're interested in improving the plan, I'm all for it. Let's improve it.
Two Words...
Tort Reform...
Where is it??
p.s. Thanks for the kind words. Seriously. Though we argue a lot here, I have tons of friends who would call themselves Republicans or Libertarians. We disagree, but I have no doubt they're good people. I always try to keep this in mind in any discussions. You do a good job at it too, Michale, which is much appreciated!
As you are fond of saying, we can go at it like cats and dogs, but when the chips are down (with beer, of course) all politics goes out the window... :D
MIchale
Tort Reform.
In the same graveyard as Single Payer ... think of the buying leverage we could have gained?
It's interesting though that you claim Democrats are on the side of corporate interests though.
Why?
Because corporate interests want ...
- Tort reform
- Eliminating any type of consumer leverage
- Less regulation
- More consolidation and less competition (basically, monopolies who can dictate price)
All of these are the platform of the Republican party ... no?
-David
Hay CW,
Cruz's shoes are seeming pretty comfortable right now, wouldn't ya say?? :D
David,
It's interesting though that you claim Democrats are on the side of corporate interests though.
Why?
Because the evidence of same is all around us. You have acknowledged as much.
The list is long, but let's just stick with ObamaCare..
Is the middle class being helped at all by Obamacare??
No. The middle class are losing hours, losing pay, losing doctors, losing their businesses and losing their freedoms of choice..
Corporate interests are raking in the bucks, in the form of higher rates and bigger and better investments...
The ONLY group that is making out under obamacare is the very corporate interests that you are against..
The group getting scrooed by obamacare is the middle class that you support..
Support for obamacare is support for corporate interests and support for scrooing over the middle class.
It's that simple...
Good ta have you back! :D You have been missed...
Michale
It's rather ironic..
First Rand and now Cruz...
Looks like Republicans are acting how I always thought Democrats should act...
That's just gotta hurt.. :D
Michale
Premiums under Obamacare beat expectations
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-250_162-57604498/premiums-on-obamacare-marketplaces-beat-expectations-report-shows/
Because corporate interests want ...
- Tort reform
- Eliminating any type of consumer leverage
- Less regulation
- More consolidation and less competition (basically, monopolies who can dictate price)
I guess that depends on which "corporate interests" you are referring to.
The lawyers don't want tort reform...
Other corporate interests LOVE more and more regulation, as evidenced by who is really going to get rich under obamacare..
You are complaining about monopolies?? How do you reconcile that with the ultimate monopoly that is "single" payer??
I mean, let's face it. Obamacare is ALL about "corporate interests"... But their interests coincide with the Lefty agenda so those "corporate interests" are perfectly acceptable...
Michale
Sorry, Michale. I just don't buy it.
Your story makes for a good press but the reality doesn't support it.
What corporations want is to go back to the good old days when they could gouge ... err, charge whatever they wanted because there really wasn't any competition.
-David
Premiums under Obamacare beat expectations
That's a prediction by an Administration who has a HUGE stake in making such prediction rosy...
We'll know in about a week if that prediction becomes fact.
Wanna lay any bets?? :D
Michale
Your story makes for a good press but the reality doesn't support it.
Your reality doesn't support it..
But the facts do..
Unless you are denying that employees are losing hours and pay, that doctors are leaving their practices, that businesses are shutting down..
All because of obamacare...
What corporations want is to go back to the good old days when they could gouge ... err, charge whatever they wanted because there really wasn't any competition.
You mean like now when there are insurance rate hikes upwards of 300%??
Even the touted "all pre-existing conditions must be insured" is a Democrat red-herring.
Yes, insurance companies must cover pre-existing conditions. But obamacare doesn't prevent or preclude those insurance companies from charging MORE for pre-existing conditions...
The health insurance corporate interest is salivating at not only all the new warm bodies they will have, but also reaping windfall after windfall from those who opt to pay the penalty rather than carry insurance..
The ACA is a health insurance "corporate interest" wet dream.. They win no matter WHAT happens and the middle class pays thru the nose in more ways then one..
How can ANYONE, *EXCEPT* the Corporate Interest, think that this is a GOOD thing???
Michale
Cruz is still going at it.. :D
Whatta guy.... :D
Michale
Here's a different take on the new health care rates...
Obama’s Health-Law Premiums Test Limits of Affordability
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-09-25/obama-pulls-back-curtain-on-health-law-to-reveal-rates.html
So, on the one hand, you have the administration putting out warm and fuzzy, everything is going to be peachy-keen wonderful...
And you have unbiased third parties painting a completely different picture.....
Hmmmmmmm....
Which has more credibility....
Hmmmmmm......
Michale
Premiums under Obamacare beat expectations
60% of Americans will find health care affordable..
What about the other 40%??
Oh, they are probably all conservatives and Republicans so who cares about them, eh?? :D
Michale
Not mentioned by the CW article or reader commentary is the 14th amendment, 4th section. Validity of the public debt.
That could be a path for Obama to pursue in the end game, should it come to that.
Think of it as the Neutron Bomb Option - 'cause it would demolish the political opposition while leaving the US infrastructure intact.
Validity of the public debt.
I remind you that Senator Obama did not think the "validity of the public debt" was anything to worry about under the Bush Administration..
No matter how ya'all try to paint the shutdown or the debt ceiling as Armageddon, it's all simply partisan politics..
How do I know this??
Because, with regards to the Debt Ceiling and Government Shutdown, Democrats acted in the past JUST like Republicans are acting now.. Threatening this and threatening that, just to push their own agenda..
Ho hum.. Nothing new here...
Michale
http://washingtonexaminer.com/white-house-report-tennesee-men-face-290-women-197-obamacare-hike/article/2536363
More great things about obamacare...
Michale
Whiney and mousey Harry Reid shut Cruz down.
What an impressive display by Cruz...
I probably disagree with him on a lot of things..
But NO ONE can deny his commitment to his beliefs..
Michale
And you have unbiased third parties painting a completely different picture...
Hahahahah. Unbiased. Like that headline: "tests limits of affordability"!
$2,988 a year on average. $250 a month. For people who make more than $94,000 for a family of 4.
60% of Americans will pay approximately $100 a month.
Sounds pretty affordable to me. Especially after seeing premiums of $800+ per month before the law if you didn't get insurance through your employer.
-David
Hahahahah. Unbiased. Like that headline: "tests limits of affordability"!
It's not biased, if it's true...
Here are the facts about rate increases..
Young consumers in many states will be offered rates that are lower than some initial forecasts, but still significantly higher than they may be used to seeing, on health-insurance exchanges run either entirely or in part by the federal government. New federal requirements will require carriers to price insurance equally regardless of consumers' medical history or gender and will offer more generous coverage and more benefits than current plans may offer. Compare insurance premiums for the lowest-cost ‘bronze’ plan for a 27-year-old single person with the current lowest-cost option for a man in a metro area in 36 states where the federal government will oversee exchanges. Some people may be eligible for subsidies towards the cost of coverage.
STATE Obamacare CURRENT
Alabama $170 $80
Alaska $254 $79
Arizona $139 $50
Arkansas $190 $31
Delaware $203 $51
Florida $163 $66
Georgia $166 $43
That's just a sample.. I didn't feel like having to adjust the text for all 50 states..
You could read the facts here:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303983904579095731139251304.html?mod=djemalertNEWS#project%3DEXCHANGES0924%26articleTabs%3Dinteractive
60% of Americans will pay approximately $100 a month.
What of the other 40%???
Aren't they Americans too???
Especially after seeing premiums of $800+ per month before the law if you didn't get insurance through your employer.
Cite???
Michale
OK OK, let's just forget about the rates..
You have the Administration's projections based on nothing but hope and I have the facts.. We're never going to agree on that.
Let's look at the fallout otherwise..
Employees getting scrooed by cut hours and cut pay..
Businesses going OUT of business..
Doctors leaving their practice because of the paperwork and the hassles...
What's your response to those??
Michale
No matter how ya'all try to paint the shutdown or the debt ceiling as Armageddon, it's all simply partisan politics..
Of course it is! That's what politicians (of all parties) do for living. It's the sausage being made. They sell stuff, they make deals. Frankly, I wish Obama were better at it. To be interested in politics is to know disappointment, year after year. Compromise is another name for disappointment.
Of course it is! That's what politicians (of all parties) do for living. It's the sausage being made. They sell stuff, they make deals. Frankly, I wish Obama were better at it. To be interested in politics is to know disappointment, year after year. Compromise is another name for disappointment.
OK... So we're agreed...
Republicans aren't "terrorists" or "arsonists" or any of the other ridiculous names the Left likes to throw around.
They are simply politicians pursuing their agenda as fervently and as passionately as Democrats pursue THEIR agenda.
Wouldn't you agree???
Michale
Personally, I believe that ANYONE who supports obamacare should be required to forgo ANY other health insurance and sign up for the obamacare plans..
ANYONE...
Any takers???
Michale
I have no precise data on the number of arsonists or terrorists in either of the two major US political parties, but I agree that both sides pursue their agendas with fervor and passion, using roughly the same playbook.
There are a lot of scoundrels in politics, few saints.
And so it begins...
D.C.’s Obamacare fail: Prices won’t work until November
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/09/25/d-c-s-obamacare-fail-prices-wont-work-until-november/
Even before it begins..
If the Obama Administration can't get things right in their own backyard, what hope do they have for the rest of the country??
For some reason, I am thinking of snowballs, chances and Hell....
Michale
I have no precise data on the number of arsonists or terrorists in either of the two major US political parties, but I agree that both sides pursue their agendas with fervor and passion, using roughly the same playbook.
There are a lot of scoundrels in politics, few saints.
I could not have said it better myself.. Although I think you'll find ample testimony to show that I have tried on many, many, MANY occasions.. :D
Michale
And the obamacare fraud begins...
IRS Watchdog: $67 Million Missing from Obamacare Slush Fund
The IRS is unable to account for $67 million spent from a slush fund established for Obamacare implementation, according to a TIGTA report released today.
http://atr.org/irs-watchdog-million-missing-obamacare-slush-a7886#ixzz2fzcGDx1h
Oh yea....
obamacare is going to be awesome.... :^/
Michale
http://www.wnd.com/2013/09/meltdown-gop-bosses-phones-unplugged/
Looks like Cruz's historic fauxlibuster was not the bust ya'all hoped it would be.. :D
Michale