Althouse: The end.

March 21, 2010

The end.

160 comments:

kentuckyliz said...: Running out for a pack of cigs.; 3/21/10, 9:47 PM
Anonymous said...: Now, we have nice list of who to hang.; 3/21/10, 9:47 PM
Unknown said...: YES WE DID !!; 3/21/10, 9:48 PM
Big Mike said...: This is a long way from the end. Ms. danielle and her fellow Democrats declared open war on the American middle class.

And now we're angry.

That genie is not going back into the bottle.; 3/21/10, 9:52 PM
Andrea said...: danielle, your diaper needs changing again.; 3/21/10, 9:53 PM
MnMark said...: The Democrats now own responsibility for what happens to health care in this country. It's theirs 100%. They passed it all on their own, forcing their idea of a solution on the rest of us against our will. Whatever happens from here on out is on their heads.; 3/21/10, 9:56 PM
David said...: The path I have chosen to follow by attending Princeton will likely lead to my further integration and/or assimilation into a White cultural and social structure that will only allow me to remain on the periphery of society; never becoming a full participant.

--Michelle Obama (Princeton Thesis)

Oh how wrong she was.; 3/21/10, 9:57 PM
Phil 314 said...: Danielle;
As I've said many times before. Providing coverage for all is the easy thing (frankly, I was surprised how hard this was for the Democrats)

Paying for it is the hard part.

Now what will be interesting in the next four months is how many fiscal conservatives will have the courage to vote "no" on the doc fix. I'm a doc and deeply believe that primary care physicians are underpaid but we simply don't have the money.

I suspect the Republicans will be just as chickensh*t about Medicare as the Democrats.....

7 years and counting; 3/21/10, 9:58 PM
Peter V. Bella said...: Yes, Danielle, you did. Now we will fight back. A bill passed against the wishes of two thirds of the voters- the American people who they Congress is supposed to represent- is tyranny, not democracy.

The war has just begun.; 3/21/10, 9:58 PM
MadisonMan said...: Well, I guess we know what the Election in 2010 will be about. I will give credit to Dems -- I did not think they'd be able to pass a bill, because Democrats are usually all over the place on issues. No focus. But now, delivering on a campaign promise...wow.; 3/21/10, 9:59 PM
HT said...: Yes, Madison Man. On that you and I can agree. Me too.; 3/21/10, 10:00 PM
Dear corrupt left, go F yourselves said...: Hear that? That's the air buzzing out of your freedom.

The Democrats own this.; 3/21/10, 10:00 PM
Unknown said...: well folks. been a long day.

make sure to catch our President who should be speaking sometime soon.

I'll be back to celebrate with all of you after whatever else is required of the Senate before this gets to Obama's desk. cant wait !!!; 3/21/10, 10:01 PM
David said...: The "Senate" bill has passed the House, by a three vote margin.

Who wants to bet that the "Reconciliation" bill will fail.

Game over.

(Hey, it could happen.); 3/21/10, 10:01 PM
PWS said...: Dear Ann Althouse-I'd like to extend my pointer finger high and the air and point at you, and then follow it with a Nelson Muntzian "HA-ha!"; 3/21/10, 10:04 PM
Falsifiabilitor said...: Prof. Althouse -- With regard to the second comment by NewHam:

"Now, we have nice list of who to hang."

Do you really want your blog to be the home of death threats?

/; 3/21/10, 10:04 PM
Palladian said...: Maybe we can now afford to buy danielle a shift key for her keyboard under some sort of provision for providing for the indigent retarded population.; 3/21/10, 10:06 PM
Dear corrupt left, go F yourselves said...: "The president is pushing legislation that a clear majority of the people dislike, and whose details neither he nor his supporters can explain in simple language. Its ends-justify-the-means passage will require legislative gymnastics that border on the unconstitutional, and in Orwellian fashion are designed to reassure its sheepish supporters that they can appear not to be voting for the bill they vote for. And to achieve a House majority, Obama must offer an array of personal favors, political payoffs, federal stipends, and open threats, which, if done in the private sector, would be actionable acts of felonious bribery or racketeering.

So, yes, this is a reflection about character; and so far the president has throughout this entire shameful process been shown to be utterly wanting on that count, as he misrepresents both the bill’s contents and the opposition to it. All of his “let me be perfectly clear” and “make no mistake about it” and now-tired rhetoric and faux cadences simply cannot change that disturbing reality.

That such chameleon legislation is the work of a supposedly healing, post-partisan, post-ideological politician makes it even more embarrassing. There will be lots of us — Democrats, Republicans, Independents — who simply will not vote this fall for any congressional representative who votes for this tawdry DMV-like take-over of health care."

-VDH; 3/21/10, 10:06 PM
Rose said...: This is unforgivable.; 3/21/10, 10:06 PM
Palladian said...: "Do you really want your blog to be the home of death threats?"

Threat or promise?; 3/21/10, 10:06 PM
David said...: Remember, hardly anything (except higher taxes) changes until 2014. Mainly because that was the only way they could make it look deficit neutral.

The dems are assuming we will forget, or be distracted.

They could be right.; 3/21/10, 10:06 PM
Peter V. Bella said...: It took thirty years to deatroy what LBJ and the Democrats did to this country- the enslavement of Blacks and other poor people under welfare and the plantation Public Housing system- the War On Poor People.

We learned our lesson. It will take the next election to overturn this rot, this stench, this vomit on the American public. This bill will be thrown in the trash where it belongs.

Have the SEIU Purple Shirts started marching to the White House yet? Six million dollars bought a president.; 3/21/10, 10:07 PM
JAL said...: Megan McCardle

Republicans and other opponents of the bill did their job on this; they persuaded the country that they didn’t want this bill. And that mattered basically not at all. If you don’t find that terrifying, let me suggest that you are a Democrat who has not yet contemplated what Republicans might do under similar circumstances. Farewell, social security! Au revoir, Medicare! The reason entitlements are hard to repeal is that the Republicans care about getting re-elected. If they didn’t–if they were willing to undertake this sort of suicide mission–then the legislative lock-in you’re counting on wouldn’t exist. . . . If the GOP takes the legislative innovations of the Democrats and decides to use them, please don’t complain that it’s not fair. Someone could get seriously hurt, laughing that hard.

Hold your high fives, Dems.

But the saving grace might be that the Republicans will most likely tend not to be as vicious as the Chicago mob.; 3/21/10, 10:07 PM
Calypso Facto said...: Well at least Al Sharpton's for it. Whew.

But one note of concern Professor: the Reverend claims that voting for Obama was a clear mandate for this bill. Ouch.; 3/21/10, 10:09 PM
David said...: Falsifiabilitor said...
Prof. Althouse -- With regard to the second comment by NewHam:

"Now, we have nice list of who to hang."

Do you really want your blog to be the home of death threats?

It's a metaphoric exaggeration.

Like when Jeremy says "Fuck you."

Well, maybe that's a bad example.

(A little tea bag humor heh heh heh.); 3/21/10, 10:09 PM
David said...: Palladan:

Together or separately.; 3/21/10, 10:11 PM
Radio Free Ohio said...: Hey Ann:

John McCain wouldn't sign this bill.

Well done. If only the rest of us were as enlightened as law professors (public employees).

Fraud.; 3/21/10, 10:13 PM
AlphaLiberal said...: Oh thank God the uninsured will get health care.; 3/21/10, 10:14 PM
TosaGuy said...: Danielle and other liberals who support this thing

I hope you are forced to use it.; 3/21/10, 10:14 PM
Peter V. Bella said...: This is the end of our Republic as we know it. Two thirds of the American people do not count. Only the small vociferous irresponsible entitlement slacker minority counts in our society today.

This is the also the start of the new revolution. Two thirds of the American people will remember this treason come November. We will not forget.; 3/21/10, 10:15 PM
David said...: AlphaLiberal said...
Oh thank God the uninsured will get health care.

From AP summary of the bill: "Major coverage expansion begins in 2014. When fully phased in, 95 percent of eligible Americans would have coverage, compared with 83 percent today."

The fierce moral urgency of later (after I am relected.); 3/21/10, 10:18 PM
HT said...: Has Cantor been really quiet? Or is that just me?; 3/21/10, 10:19 PM
gk1 said...: This is so cool. Obama is a first termer failure for sure and the democrats get tossed out in November. It's a twofer. I have to admit I was really afraid the democrats were going to pull back and sink this clunker before it pulled them under. See you hosebags in November!; 3/21/10, 10:20 PM
Lem Vibe Bandit said...: Where can I apply for an apartment Comrades?; 3/21/10, 10:20 PM
Peter Hoh said...: Finally, Althouse acknowledges the Wisconsin's fate in the NCAA tournament.; 3/21/10, 10:21 PM
MadisonMan said...: John McCain wouldn't sign this bill.

This comment betrays a short-term view of thinking about Elections.

Had John McCain been elected President, there would continue to be very little to distinguish between Democrats and Republicans. McCain would have played nice with Democrats, and some kind of weird legislation would have been passed because of that.

Now, Democrats, (some of) who campaigned on this issue, have delivered. Like it or not, that is something to applaud: Politicians who do what they say they are going to do. Now this is an opportunity for Republicans to make their mark as the party that opposes Health Care for All. Now they can be distinguished, easily, from Democrats.; 3/21/10, 10:21 PM
Anonymous said...: Great. So now I have my individual liberty curtailed, my federal representatives flagrantly disregarding my concerns, my federal government getting bigger and more out of touch, more and more fellow citizens reliant on the nanny state, higher federal debt, and new policies that discourage job creation and economic expansion.... and in return I get higher insurance premiums and higher taxes. Yippee.

I'm seriously considering picking up and moving to Alberta, Canada. Check it out: zero sales tax, only 10% personal income tax, zero tax on capital, only 10% corporate income tax, and a 3% tax rate on small business! Oh and zero government debt too. And a growing population and economy.

Personally, I like keeping the money I work hard to earn. And I don't mind helping the less fortunate. People should be insured and they shouldn't be denied coverage for pre-existing conditions. Things had to be fixed.

But not this way. Dear god, not this way.; 3/21/10, 10:22 PM
kentuckyliz said...: The Democrats will be responsible for over a hundred thousand deaths of uninsured people by the time 2014 rolls around.

Stupak is a babykiller.; 3/21/10, 10:23 PM
David said...: HT said...
"Has Cantor been really quiet? Or is that just me?"

Fool. Cantor is dead. So are Benny, Hope, Burns, Carson, Winters--all the great ones.; 3/21/10, 10:23 PM
kentuckyliz said...: You know the commercial in the UK with polar bears falling out of airplanes and going splat on the street?

Mangled baby pieces falling out of airplanes and landing all over northern Michigan.; 3/21/10, 10:24 PM
el polacko said...: i feel sick.; 3/21/10, 10:24 PM
HT said...: What?

Can someone ELSE weigh in?; 3/21/10, 10:25 PM
kentuckyliz said...: So what, Wisco loses to Cornell. That game was just to determine who loses to Kentucky Thursday.

Go Big Blue!; 3/21/10, 10:26 PM
Sloanasaurus said...: The passage of this bill is far worse than even Obama's election. Despair doesn't even begin to explain my feelings and millions of others in this country.

Supak's Executive order will last to November 2, when he loses his election. Then full government funding for abortion will return. nevertheless, we need to forget about Stupak, what happened was a naked power grab by the left, and it is only the beginning of the war. Tomorrow is a new day and the battle begins anew. This battle will never end. The partisanship will only increase as Obama has set a new precedent for how to get things done. The country will be torn apart in the process, but there is nothing that can be done to prevent it.; 3/21/10, 10:28 PM
Irene said...: Hey look! Some crafty Tea Partier stole Bo.; 3/21/10, 10:29 PM
Radio Free Ohio said...: Ah, MadisonMan. Enlighted as our hostess, it seems.

National socialist health care has arrived. It is because President Barack Obama will sign a bill enacting it.

John McCain would have done no such thing. In fact, John McCain voted against national socialist health care.

So spare me the 'long-term view.' We fight every day, day-to-day. Today we lost because Barack Obama is the President of the United States. We would have won had John McCain been the President of the United States.; 3/21/10, 10:29 PM
Anonymous said...: Everyone happy with your Obama vote in '08?; 3/21/10, 10:29 PM
Unknown said...: When FICA taxes go through the roof for four years without anything to show for it, repeal may become easier than many think. Even the people who don''t pay income tax have to pay FICA and it's the bigger bite out of most paychecks. This will kill a lot of potential jobs that might otherwise have been created and probably stir more layoffs. Watch the U-3 and U-6 edge northward.

Both FDR and Hitler understood that, if you give a man a job, you own him. The Zero, Pelosi Galore, and Company forgot the corollary: when people can't find work, they get angry. And very often violent.

Interesting that with their supermajority (about 280 Demos in the House?), they only got three more and that was by a lousy 3/4 of a million. So even the Demos really didn't believe that much in this.

AlphaLiberal said...

Oh thank God the uninsured will get health care.

As if you care (yes, you can take off the /sarc tag now). Even the Demos admit 30 million would still be uninsured under their plan (if they're using the John Edwards figure of 34 million uninsured, that means 4 million are saved by the Demos' largesse). So spare us the hosannas, hypocrite.

And remember, this war has just started.; 3/21/10, 10:30 PM
David said...: "Can someone ELSE weigh in?"

Jeremy. Maybe Jeremy will.; 3/21/10, 10:30 PM
Prosecutorial Indiscretion said...: This abomination of a policy cost them the freaking Ted Kennedy seat in Massachusetts. I look forward to seeing what it does to them in every remotely swing district in the country come November.; 3/21/10, 10:31 PM
save_the_rustbelt said...: My management consulting rates just doubled.

In every gray cloud is a silver lining. :); 3/21/10, 10:32 PM
PWS said...: Peter V. Bella-

Where the hell were you when the Iraq war was happening? What about the will of the people? The wars were even less popular than this bill. The "surge" was an act of treason, by your lights?; 3/21/10, 10:32 PM
Triangle Man said...: Wonder if they are hiring for those death panel positions yet.; 3/21/10, 10:33 PM
David said...: "I look forward to seeing what it does to them in every remotely swing district in the country come November."

It may be less than it appears now. Republicans have to do more than just be against this. I have full confidence the Republicans can screw up the opportunity.; 3/21/10, 10:33 PM
lucid said...: People like Daniele and Alex don't realize how immoral they are. They sanctimoniously think of themselves as on the side of the angels, while they rejoice in repression by a a politically privleged elite who are successfully pursuing their own self-aggrandizement. Just appalling.; 3/21/10, 10:34 PM
Peter V. Bella said...: Oh thank God the uninsured will get health care.

Not so fast my Purple Shirted SEIU Nazi thug. Not for four years. Four years. A lot could change. Two thirds of the American people- Right to Left opposed this atrocity. Their congressmen who voted for it are all going to be gone.

They finally passed a bill that created pure hatred against the congress. Pelosicare will die a slow agonizing death.

38 states are passing legislation to fight it. 38 governors have gone on record willing to sign the bills and 38 AGs are gearing up for the legal battle. Idaho and Virginia's governors have already signed the legislation.

You really are dumber than you seem.

That is over two thirds of the governors.; 3/21/10, 10:34 PM
Lem Vibe Bandit said...: "Its Over"

"The End"

"Kaputt"

"Sayonara"

"Arrivederci" ;); 3/21/10, 10:34 PM
Radio Free Ohio said...: PWS:

The surge, as was authorization and funding of the Iraq War, was approved by a bipartisan majority of both houses of Congress (in fact, the surge was approved by Democrat-led House and Senate).

You've outrun your coverage. You're exposed.; 3/21/10, 10:35 PM
george said...: Watch. The next step will be to import enough foreign citizens to ensure that the Dems keep enough seats to hold onto their prize. Amnesty will come up before November.

To tell the truth, the country is so far past broke that I don't think it even matters what they do next. It is madness of a sort only a Roman Emperor could truly appreciate.

We will be lucky to make it through the next decade with only a few hangings.

Tomorrow I call my accountant and if this thing is as advertised I have to draw up a list of 15-20 people to fire as a result of this bill. You can bet they will know the cause.

Good thing jobs are so plentiful right now.; 3/21/10, 10:36 PM
Anonymous said...: "Yes we did!!!"

Now all that remains is for the Chinese to fund it.

A responsible, adult bunch, those dems.; 3/21/10, 10:37 PM
Beta Conservative said...: Nancy just stated the obvious: A huge new monstrosity of an entitlement program will cut the defecit.

I assume she couldn't say this with a straight face if hers wasn't botoxed snugly in place.

Anyway, take heart. Entitlement programs always cost less than projected, right you lefty fucking idiots who are thrilling to the death throes of a once great, proud, and independant people?

I am sick about this. I hope tomorrow I'm just pissed off and moved to do something about it. But not now.; 3/21/10, 10:37 PM
Beth said...: Peter, are you relying on polls for this cry that "two-thirds" of the voters have been ignored? Voters sent a Democratic majority to Congress; most of those Democrats, including Obama, ran with healthcare reform on the platform. This country runs by elected representation, not Rasmussen polls. There's no usurpation going on here.; 3/21/10, 10:38 PM
Radio Free Ohio said...: Beth:

Barack Obama said he was against individual health mandates.

He said he would balance the federal budget.

He said he wouldn't raise taxes on the middle class (exactly what do you think health insurers will do with all these new taxes? HINT: rhymes with 'schmass them on to the schmiddle class...')

You have also outrun your coverage. You are also exposed.; 3/21/10, 10:40 PM
PWS said...: Radio Free Ohio:

BRING THE TROOPS HOME! THE PEOPLE DEMAND IT! Repeal Social Security-the people when it passed hated it! Stop Civil Rights-the majority of people hated the bill!

Can i join you and Peter Bella in your armchair patriot coup and subsequent installation of a democratic plebiscitary?; 3/21/10, 10:43 PM
Lem Vibe Bandit said...: There's no usurpation going on here.

The democrats are not leveling with the people Beth.. They are not saying how this is going to be payed for.; 3/21/10, 10:44 PM
Radio Free Ohio said...: No patriot coup here. The people voted for these motherfuckers, the people deserve to be motherfucked. Maybe the people will get it right this fall. Probably not, but maybe.

All I was doing was pointing out the idiocy in what you wrote. Which I did.; 3/21/10, 10:45 PM
Mian said...: Wolverines!; 3/21/10, 10:46 PM
Jane said...: Columbia is crawling up out of the mud where she's been thrown down, regaining her strength, and stalking toward Washington with a vengeful look on her face.

Oh, dear sweet Danielle, you have no idea what's coming. Enjoy your moment.; 3/21/10, 10:46 PM
Unknown said...: our President is on TV !; 3/21/10, 10:49 PM
Palladian said...: "our President is on TV !"

OMG! HOW UNUSUAL! HE'S NEVER ON TV!!!

ARE YOUR PANTIES DAMP YET?!?; 3/21/10, 10:49 PM
MadisonMan said...: Republicans have to do more than just be against this. I have full confidence the Republicans can screw up the opportunity.

Exactly. It's very hard to run against some dying person receiving needed medical care. Especially when the program doesn't begin 'til way past 2010. An intangible like that won't elect anyone. I think you could make hay out of Congress exempting itself from it. IF this Health Care is so great, why be exempt? Is that fair?

The question is: what are Republicans going to offer instead of what Democrats have delivered on? Will being just not Democratic be enough? Not if the economy is improving (a big if).; 3/21/10, 10:50 PM
Lem Vibe Bandit said...: There is Obama yapping again... can this guy gab or what?; 3/21/10, 10:51 PM
Unknown said...: victory for the American people !; 3/21/10, 10:51 PM
Radio Free Ohio said...: 0 on TV says this is about "every American who opened an envelope and saw their premiums shot up when times are already tough" or something like that written by some cool kid, Starbucks-laptop-type.

Can't wait to hear what 0 says when health insurance premiums continue to rise. He owns it now.; 3/21/10, 10:52 PM
MadisonMan said...: Wolverines!

Spartans!

(Saw the last 5 seconds of that game. Note to Maryland: Ha-ha!)

(But the UNI bounce-out of Kansas was nicer, as any WIsconsin fan can tell you); 3/21/10, 10:52 PM
Palladian said...: " victory for the American people !"

the unproductive ones that is!!!!1!!11111111

Seriously danielle, you're going to have a stroke if you don't calm down.; 3/21/10, 10:53 PM
Radio Free Ohio said...: Beth:

I didn't ask and I don't care.; 3/21/10, 10:54 PM
Mark said...: You know, danielle, Obama doing a victory lap crowing about a bill most Americans never wanted to see become law is both short term and long term stupid.

But then, it's his first real win since 2008. Guess he missed the "anointed one" feeling. My guess is he and his party are going to be anointed good and hard for the foreseeable future.; 3/21/10, 10:56 PM
Radio Free Ohio said...: "Victory for the American people!"

The ones who no longer have to choose iphones over health insurance (before they chose iphones, now they get both and they only have to pay for the iphone).

The ones who want to stay on mom & dads plan until they're closer to 30 than 20.

Losers.; 3/21/10, 10:56 PM
Beta Conservative said...: It's a victory for the American people who are willing to trade self reliance for government dependency and the loss of liberty that entails.

It is also a victory for the hundreds of thousands of yet to be hired federal employees who will enjoy above average pay, massive benefits, and early retirement.

The rest of us are fucked.; 3/21/10, 10:56 PM
Beth said...: I think you could make hay out of Congress exempting itself from it. IF this Health Care is so great, why be exempt? Is that fair?

MM: that's one of my objections to this bill as well. In fact, I'd like to see Congress people live under the same structures as the rest of us. They should buy into their own retirement funds, and use the same healthcare you and I use, for example.

I expect there will be plenty of room for GOP candidates to capitalize on this in 2010, and in 2012. I think it's a bit early to speculate now, though. If a majority of voters do indeed feel the Democrats have ignored them and used legislative trickery today, then that will be a warning for future congresses, GOP or Democratic (McArdle doesn't consider that in her post).; 3/21/10, 10:56 PM
HKatz said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 3/21/10, 10:59 PM
Peter V. Bella said...: Ah, yes, PWS, a student. A member of generation entitlement. Another slacker who wants to live off the breasts of mother government.

I supported the Iraq war. I supported killing terrorists. I also support assassinating the leaders. So now you know.

I do not support a government that forces me to buy a consumer financial product and report that purchase to the IRS. I do not support a government that will financially ruin me for failing to do so or making me a criminal for failing to pay their unconstitutional fines.

Please explain to me how mandatory insurance is a benefit to others? Please explain to me how penalizing and criminalizng citizens who fail to give private information to the government is moral and ethical.

Oh, and do not insult my intelligence with the car insurance canard. It is an apples to oranges- that is an insurance phrase, by the way- argument.

Oh, yeah, Mr. Student, have you read the 3000 page bill?; 3/21/10, 11:00 PM
Palladian said...: "In fact, I'd like to see Congress people live under the same structures as the rest of us."

Yeah, fat freakin' chance.

And I fully expect the Republicans to screw up this golden opportunity, through stupidity, corruption, or both.; 3/21/10, 11:01 PM
Beta Conservative said...: HKatz, I hope you're right. But I am less optomistic. Entitlements foster not just economic dependency, but also a loss of rigor in individuals. Whole communities in America have been devastated by self destructive behavior enabled by government handouts.

Now the target is not the needy, but everyone. This is a sea change.; 3/21/10, 11:03 PM
Lem Vibe Bandit said...: There is Chairman Comrade Pelosi.; 3/21/10, 11:04 PM
Radio Free Ohio said...: FOX has Geraldo singing the bill's praises right now, MSNBC has Schuster, joined by a Democrat strategist (what the hell do these people do for a living?), Ed Schultz, Ezra Klein, some liberal newsrag columnist and Dick Wolffe (of Keith-Olbermann-thanks-for-having-me-tonight-for-the-4th-time-this-week-so-we-can-flirt-on-camera fame).

Fair. Balanced.; 3/21/10, 11:04 PM
Lem Vibe Bandit said...: ..the yes vote was an act of patriotism?

If you voted no you were unpatriotic.

Pelosi is shameless.; 3/21/10, 11:06 PM
Anonymous said...: I have been trying to come up with a good word of mockery to hurl at democrats every time they appear in public - something that could be shouted to deride and scorn them in their power grab.

Would "Hail Ceasar!" do the trick?

There's got to be something better - what are your thoughts?

I'd like to see Pelosi not be able to step or speak in public without hearing it shouted at her in derision.; 3/21/10, 11:07 PM
Mian said...: MadisonMan,

"Wolverines" was the war cry shouted by the gang of high schoolers (ably led by Patrick Swayze) in Red Dawn after they ambushed a Russian/Cuban/Venezuelan (!) convoy in occupied Colorado.

Kudos to the Spartans, however,(the East Lansing kind and not the come-back-with-your-shield-or-on-it kind.) My wife is a Spartan and wears her green and white with pride.; 3/21/10, 11:07 PM
Palladian said...: "There's got to be something better - what are your thoughts?

I'd like to see Pelosi not be able to step or speak in public without hearing it shouted at her in derision."

How about "FUCK YOU, YOU EVIL FUCKING COMMUNIST FUCK! WE'RE GONNA BURY YOU!"

Hmmm... doesn't really roll off the tongue very well.; 3/21/10, 11:09 PM
Joe said...: That's "Communist Whore" to you Palladian.; 3/21/10, 11:11 PM
Beta Conservative said...: I tried it Palladian, and it rolls off mine nicely.; 3/21/10, 11:12 PM
Lem Vibe Bandit said...: I've read her called "Nancita" after Evita Peron.

They have to know history for that one.. afraid they wont get it.; 3/21/10, 11:14 PM
Palladian said...: Althouse said: "The end."

Not the beginning of the end, but the end of the beginning.; 3/21/10, 11:15 PM
Lem Vibe Bandit said...: 100!; 3/21/10, 11:18 PM
Ritmo Re-Animated said...: Competent provision of basic services will be the death of OUR GREAT REPUBLIC!!!

(You see, Demoncrats, Our Great and Glorious Right-Wing Republic defines itself by incompetence and the perpetuation of market failure. At least, according to Republicans, it does. And that's something every individual American citizen can get behind).

Shame on you for asking that public servants show the people something for the salaries they're paid (at taxpayers' expense!). Shame on you.; 3/21/10, 11:21 PM
LoafingOaf said...: I wasn't a supporter of this particular legislation (I don't even know what all it will do, and anyway, I'd prefer experimenting with reforms in the various states). But, I didn't see Republicans trying to address the most urgent problems people were suffering with under the status quo (particularly for those with pre-existing health problems).

Also, I found it telling that a high percentage of the most evil people in America were worked up into an extreme frenzy against this.

And, President Obama and many of the Democrats who swept into Congress the last election were elected after campaigning on this issue, so this seems to be more in line with the will of the people than the Rush Limbaugh/Paul Shanklin song parody "The Day Obamacare Died" (I guess Rush can shelve that one now!).

I'll have to wait and see if I like what these reforms bring. My main concern is that America leads the world in innovations in medicine and I'm worried that might slow down. However, any decent person would want all Americans to have access to good health care, including preventative health care that many Americans don't get when they just go to the ER. They seem to manage to have high quality health care for all in a country like Sweden, so apparently it's possible to do things a little better than the way we have been here.

I was also struck by how many Democrats decided to vote for it even though it might harm them politically in their districts. It's nice to see some politicians occassionaly place principles above their own political self-interests. I have found them increasingly persuasive in the late-goings of the debate, while I found the opponents increasingly vile and definitely not people who are concerned at the problems millions of Americans are going through. I hope the Democrats are right that these reforms will improve the lives of most Americans. If they are, needless to say history will vindicate them.

It became clear to me in recent months that the Democrats care a whole lot more about helping to ensure that all Americans have a high level of health care than the Republicans do, and so I give them in return an open mind and my hesitant support. They seem to genuinelly want to improve health care in this country and, even if it'll be a rocky road, I will side with politicians who are on the side of the people. It seems to me, if this bill had been killed today, reforming our health care system would be put over for another 20 years and that would be far worse an outcome than any of the downsides of this reform. We can continue to reform the reform in the years ahead.

With all that said, however, it's true that this loafing oaf was paying more attention today to the exciting spring the Ohio State Buckeyes and Cleveland Cavaliers are having. I guess I was supposed to be watching C-Span and smash my TV over how the whole country was destroyed tonight, and then log on here and spew obscenities at everyone like Palladian is doing?; 3/21/10, 11:30 PM
Ritmo Re-Animated said...: Palladian posted this (most ungraciously) in response to Danielle:

"ARE YOUR PANTIES DAMP YET?!?"

Which leads me to wonder if this is the sort of thing that gets his wing-wang erect.; 3/21/10, 11:31 PM
LilyBart said...: "Oh thank God the uninsured will get health care."

Government funded health care insurance isn't going to be of much help when the economy collapses, you have no job, and you can't find a doctor to treat you.

We don't have the money to pay for all the promises government has made.

So, go ahead and celebrate...while you can.; 3/21/10, 11:32 PM
Tom P said...: It seems to me the "progressives" neglected considering the political version of the Golden Rule - how will they feel when the Republicans control all their shiny new bureacracies, AND their health care?; 3/21/10, 11:34 PM
kentuckyliz said...: The new way to greet a Democrat!

straight arm flies up in salute

Sieg Heil!; 3/21/10, 11:35 PM
Ritmo Re-Animated said...: "The new way to greet a Democrat!

straight arm flies up in salute

Sieg Heil!"

Your vast and broad lack of any understanding of history gives me much hope that Republicans will match their failure to competently govern with even greater failures politically.

For someone to even make a comparison like that shows just how warped the thinking goes. I suppose the existence of Amtrak makes us a bit like fascist Italy, too. You know, because of that thing with Mussolini and the trains running? Right, liz?; 3/21/10, 11:48 PM
Falsifiabilitor said...: "kentuckyliz said...

The new way to greet a Democrat!

straight arm flies up in salute

Sieg Heil!"

Prof. Alhouse,

You must be so proud of your blog, and the people it attracts.

/; 3/21/10, 11:54 PM
JAL said...: And you are how old, danielle?; 3/21/10, 11:55 PM
Falsifiabilitor said...: "Palladian said...

'Do you really want your blog to be the home of death threats?'

Threat or promise?"

So you are not making a death threat, but instead a promise of death? Nice.; 3/21/10, 11:58 PM
Scott said...: This is a great victory for the Uglycrats the same way that Pearl Harbor was a great victory for the Japanese.; 3/22/10, 12:05 AM
LoafingOaf said...: That obscenity-spewing, vile hedonist, Palladian, likes to stuff his face with foie gras. So he said in another thread, as he was patting himself on the back as a member of the "productive class" and telling others they're a bunch of low class fuckers who are gonna interfere with his lifestyle.

Foie gras is disgusting, diseased liver made by the force-feeding torture of geese. It wasn't enough for Palladian that even the Pope condemned his sick appetites.

Since foie gras has been found to cause various dieases in humans, I hope the government will live up to Palladian's worst fears and tax that shit to the hilt, or better yet, ban it entirely.; 3/22/10, 12:08 AM
Scott said...: Obama Akhbar!; 3/22/10, 12:14 AM
LoafingOaf said...: So, the Tea Partiers who went to Washington yesterday to scream "ni**er" and "fa**ot" are probably crying in their pillows about now. Aww.; 3/22/10, 12:16 AM
dick said...: Loafing Oaf,

What makes you think that Zero's promises on healthcare had anything at all to do with his and the Democrats getting elected in 2008? It sure didn't figure in my voting against him. That was because he was a total incompetent. Most of the people I know who voted for him did so for the same stupid reason Ms Meade did - his pragmatism. I didn't see it then and I surely don't see it now.; 3/22/10, 12:18 AM
LoafingOaf said...: BTW, thank you President Obama for keeping the home soil safer than the last President from the threat of Islamic terrorism.; 3/22/10, 12:19 AM
Palladian said...: Ah, PinchingLoaf, of course you would hate foie gras as you seem to be the sort of miserable, meddling, joyless, wheat-grass-enema of a person that likes to force your brand of abstemious dourness upon people who actually enjoy their lives.

About the only sensible thing ever to happen in Chicago politics was when the public rose up and told your fellow petty puritans to go and take a flying fuck at a duck when they overturned the brief ban on foie gras in their town.

As to why you think I'd care about the opinion of the Pope on culinary matters when he's also opposed to my very existence as a practicing homosexual, I cannot say as I cannot begin to understand the way a diseased brain such as yours operates.

I do owe you for the entirely honorable title you have bestowed upon me: Palladian: that obscenity-spewing, vile hedonist. I shall wear it with pride. And in the spirit of that title, I'm going to eat a little lobe of foie in your honor tomorrow, and raise a Baccarat crystal glass full of something expensive and alcoholic and shout aloud my toast to you: Viva Sarah Palin's Pussy! Long may it gnaw at PinchingLoaf's brain!; 3/22/10, 12:29 AM
Ritmo Re-Animated said...: "BTW, thank you President Obama for keeping the home soil safer than the last President from the threat of Islamic terrorism."

Given the sweet praises sung by Ms. Althouse in George W. Bush's honor on that subject, you'd think an acknowledgment of the sort given above is the least she could do. But alas, we are in anti-empirical blog territory. The plain facts regarding Obama's more competent fight against terrorism just don't jibe with the aesthetics and taste standards of the Althouse blog, you see.; 3/22/10, 12:30 AM
Palladian said...: "BTW, thank you President Obama for keeping the home soil safer than the last President from the threat of Islamic terrorism."

LOL.; 3/22/10, 12:30 AM
Mick said...: Happy now Altouse? Now that you cut off your nose? To all the other educated idiots that were blind to everything about the Usurper, including his ineligibility for the office (not a Natural Born Citizen, father never a Citizen), I spit on you. You should be ashamed.; 3/22/10, 12:32 AM
Palladian said...: Thank you, Obama, for keeping Gitmo open and not changing virtually any defense policies that George W. Bush put in place thereby keeping us safe!; 3/22/10, 12:36 AM
Ritmo Re-Animated said...: "Thank you, Obama, for keeping Gitmo open and not changing virtually any defense policies that George W. Bush put in place thereby keeping us safe!"

So says someone whose hedonism and spewing of obscenity compels him to register as a "libertarian" when it's convenient one moment and a defender of the safety, security and warfare state the next.; 3/22/10, 12:41 AM
Unknown said...: the comments on this are sad, truly sad. No substantive comments, just nasty remarks. Makes one proud to be an American.; 3/22/10, 12:45 AM
Palladian said...: Liberty has to be defended, honey. So you oppose your President regarding the war on Terruh?? Are you a racist!?!?; 3/22/10, 12:45 AM
Palladian said...: "the comments on this are sad, truly sad. No substantive comments, just nasty remarks. Makes one proud to be an American."

Oh blow it out your ass, you sappy little twerp. We made substantive comments and we still got the yoke of economically disastrous socialism thrown over us. Substantive comments are meaningless in this low and dishonest age. Now's the time for nasty remarks, venom and obstruction.; 3/22/10, 12:49 AM
Ritmo Re-Animated said...: "So you oppose your President regarding the war on Terruh?? Are you a racist!?!?"

I oppose your pretensions to giving a fig about ideological concerns when your only concern is maintaining an alliance with people who care as much about their greed and your pocketbook as you do. And as for what your ideas on national security, I'll guess they're as unserious and oxymoronic as an attempt among libertarians to organize.

But it's good to know that you haven't accused them on giving up on elitism! (But that's ok, I'm sure Sarah Palin would appreciate being invited to partake of your hoity-toity lifestyle while you suppress any urge to ridicule her for not understanding anything about it).

Maybe you'll take to tutoring her in the finer points of wine selection so as to "bring her up to your level", and have it filmed by A & E and produced as a reality TV show. That would be something.; 3/22/10, 12:56 AM
Tom P said...: Palladian said - "Now's the time for nasty remarks, venom and obstruction."

Not sure I want to be that much like a "progressive", though I can certainly appreciate the sentiment.

I expect those who use the "progressives" as political tools want them to natter, and those of us who oppose their attempt to gain control of the country to be distracted by that fog of words. I think we have more productive actions to take.

I'll offer a quote from someone who said it better....

"If ye love wealth greater than liberty, the tranquility of servitude greater than the animating contest for freedom, go home from us in peace. We seek not your counsel, nor your arms. Crouch down and lick the hand that feeds you; May your chains set lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that ye were our countrymen."
Sam Adams, Philadelphia, August 1, 1776; 3/22/10, 1:04 AM
Roost on the Moon said...: QUICK!

While all this despair at what is going to happen is fresh in your mind. Write it all down. "The end of the Republic", "the end of freedom", "the rise of the Nazis", "the start of the teaparty revolution", whatever it is you're worried/excited about...

Write it down. Then save it and read it in a few years. However long you think it will take. I don't know how long it takes for freedom to end, probably a couple years. But then reread those notes. Or just remember to come back and reread the stuff you've written here.

Maybe you'll feel proud and wise!; 3/22/10, 1:05 AM
reader_iam said...: What IS it with people wanting to be all falling in--with, without or otherwise.; 3/22/10, 1:59 AM
reader_iam said...: Second worst thing to happen this weekend: Validation of the idea that just because a president says so, therefore it shall be.; 3/22/10, 2:09 AM
reader_iam said...: And the worst thing would be ...

what?; 3/22/10, 2:13 AM
Alex said...: I condemn this, hear hear!; 3/22/10, 2:38 AM
Methadras said...: You leftards will rue this day. One way or the other.; 3/22/10, 2:45 AM
Brian Hancock said...: I'm never voting for a Democrat ever again. I supported both Feingold and Baldwin in the past with my votes.; 3/22/10, 5:47 AM
Andrea said...: "Oh thank God the uninsured will get health care."

You do realize that health insurance isn't health care -- that they are two different things? Just the same as the money in your pocket isn't the meal at the restaurant. The same way that if the restaurants are all out of business and the grocery stores out of food you can't eat the money in your pocket, health insurance won't cure your cancer if there are no available doctors. Of course, I'm sure the leftist answer to this is "we'll just force people to go into the medical profession -- enough of this chaotic, selfish letting people decide for themselves what they want to do for a living!" I can see that coming next down the line.; 3/22/10, 6:07 AM
Unknown said...: I love that the usual National Socialists among us are trying to sarc away the fact that 3/4 of the American people do not approve of this mess. When a legislature approves something by fiat, without the consent of the governed, it is dictatorship. When that administration uses organized thugs to intimidate dissent, that is dictatorship

They make their Alinsky show of bleeding all over the floor for the uninsured, knowing most of them will not be covered by this atrocity - and this by the Demos' own admission! Now, when the Rahm it through model is used for immigration and cap & trade over the objections of the people, they will find more wellsprings of pseudo compassion (driven by the hate they accuse the opponents of this coup of having) as the Congress and administration pushes us toward a state that makes the Weimar Republic look stable.

One thing they, and The Zero, and Reichsfuhrer Nancy might want to remember is the Law of Unintended Consequences. FDR did his damage in a country that had a fairly stable economic base (you know, all those capitalists who provide the jobs), these morons don't have that and have done everything they could to make an unstable banking system, made so by the last Democrat administration, even worse. Soros will raid one nation's banks too many and his bought-and-paid-for radicals will bankrupt too many businesses and it will all come crashing down.

That is not a prediction; that is history and history is cyclical. I've always said the day would come when there would be a Lefty hanging from every lamppost in this country. I just didn't think I'd live long enough to see it.; 3/22/10, 6:40 AM
Paco Wové said...: I can see that coming next down the line.

Yup. And all those new doctors? Between you and me, they get paid way too much. Better have the state do something about that too.; 3/22/10, 6:50 AM
Fred4Pres said...: The battle of Helms Deep is over...and the Orcs ate every one.

The end.; 3/22/10, 6:58 AM
Shanna said...: Exactly. It's very hard to run against some dying person receiving needed medical care.

But MM, it's very easy to run against increased taxes, especially with nothing to show for it, which is what we're going to hvae for four long years...

Also, considering that the public is overwhelmingly against the bill, I can't see how this is a lose for Republicans. Unless, as mentioned, they screw it up.; 3/22/10, 7:03 AM
TWM said...: The taxes, fees, and higher premiums will kick in now with nothing to show for them for at least four years. And when - not if - the Republicans take the House and maybe even the Senate in November there is a chance to repeal. Just a chance, but a good one since after a small bump Barry and the Dems numbers are going to tank even further.

Add in the fact that the Student Loan program will now be run by the government and interest rates raised to pay for Obamacare, well, I don't think you will have many happy students out voting Dem any time soon.

People like danielle are clueless but they will get a clue soon. As will Alpha liberal, whose premiums and taxes will also rise for all those millions that now have insurance at his expense.

Of course health care will suck but at least it will suck for all of us, right?; 3/22/10, 7:07 AM
Fred4Pres said...: Who do we blame for last night? Well George W. Bush, of course:

The question conservatives should be asking though, is how did we get in this position in the first place? How come, over the course of two elections, Democrats were able to take back the White House and amass substantial majorities in both chambers of Congress, allowing them to enact this sweeping legislation with no Republican votes – and huge defections in their own party? How could a generally right-of-center nation be taken over by liberals from Chicago and San Francisco?
The answer, of course, is that none of this would have been possible without George W. Bush — or more broadly speaking, Bush era Republicanism. While they were in power, Republicans squandered an opportunity to push free market health care solutions. When they did use their power to pass major legislation, it was for policies like the big government Medicare prescription drug plan, which was (until today) the largest expansion of entitlements since the Great Society. They took earmarks and doled out farm and energy subsidies. They earned a reputation for fiscal recklessness and corruption and incompetent governance. President Obama ultimately forced through the health care bill in spite of the political consequences to his party because he’s ultimately a true believing liberal. But it was only because of the failures of Bush-era Republicanism that an ideological liberal with little experience was able to capture the presidency on the abstract notion of change.
Today will be largely remembered as the biggest legislative victory for liberals since Medicare in 1965. But it should also be remembered as the day that Bush cemented his legacy as one of the most destructive presidents for advocates of limited government.; 3/22/10, 7:09 AM
master cylinder said...: Palladian-now's the time for a lapband surgery?; 3/22/10, 7:24 AM
Christy said...: "Our government is a body of people, usually, notably ungoverned." Sheppard Book (actually written by Cheryl Cain, maybe Joss Whedon)

Needed some comfort watching last night. This episode "War Stories" from Firefly was perfect. Lots of torture, unbreakable heroes, Warrior Woman leads successful rescue mission. Substitute Paul Ryan for the Warrior Woman, and I have hope.; 3/22/10, 7:25 AM
Palladian said...: "Palladian-now's the time for a lapband surgery?"

slave cylinder: now's the time to do something about those ambiguous genitalia?; 3/22/10, 7:49 AM
MadisonMan said...: considering that the public is overwhelmingly against the bill,

I see that phrase. I agree that a segment of the public is overwhelmingly against the bill. There's a smaller, significant segment that is overwhelmingly for it.

And then there's the rest of America that doesn't know what's in the bill and is wondering what's next.; 3/22/10, 7:55 AM
Lem Vibe Bandit said...: I dreamt I saved some kittens last night.. I had to crawl in the bushes to get to them.; 3/22/10, 7:56 AM
Palladian said...: And what is with left-wing douche bags who can't use the shift key? Is it some sort of protest against the patriarchal hegemony of capitalization? Does it imply that they're KEEPIN' IT REAL and "down to earth"? Is it the result of a lifetime spent in Democrat-dominated public education? Keyboards short-circuited by all the drool?

My theory is that the lefties realized that minuscules are the perfect letter-form to express the minuscule ideas flowing from their minuscule minds.; 3/22/10, 7:58 AM
Palladian said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 3/22/10, 7:59 AM
Palladian said...: "And then there's the rest of America that doesn't know what's in the bill and is wondering what's next."

And that group probably includes most of the legislature and Barack Obama.; 3/22/10, 8:02 AM
Roger J. said...: I rather agree with Fred4Presdent's quote, although I think it was less George Bush than the tone deaf republican congressional leadership who engaged in an orgy of earmarks laced with scandals and capped by nominating a poor candidate for president. They permitted the dems to come to power, and the dems acted, well, like democrats.

I am equally pessimistic about the ability of the republican "leadership" to capitalize on what appears to rather popular non-support of health care legislation.

While no one approves of congress as an institution, most voters like their congresscritter--that coupled with Gerrymandered districts makes them relatively safe.

Far to early to project the consequences of passage of this legislative abomination, although there will be changes this november--whether enough to be effective remains to be seen.

all, of course, IMHO; 3/22/10, 8:10 AM
damikesc said...: Look at the bright side...under Obama, US bonds have a higher interest rate than Buffett's firm's bonds. Yes, lenders trust Buffett more than the US to repay debts. I bet this won't cause problems as we lose our AAA rating...; 3/22/10, 8:16 AM
ricpic said...: Let them celebrate their "historic" victory, the Democrats are dead in November.; 3/22/10, 8:21 AM
master cylinder said...: my bad.; 3/22/10, 8:30 AM
Calypso Facto said...: Hey Radio Free, you're too conservative by 1/2. You can get your health care free AND your cell phone free.

What a great country! (If you're not paying for it).; 3/22/10, 8:33 AM
X said...: ..I'm not committed to voting for him in 2012.

at least when Hamlet did his routine there was the possibility he could come down on either side; 3/22/10, 8:55 AM
KCFleming said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 3/22/10, 8:55 AM
Meade said...: Concluded the president: "We have honest disagreements about -- about the vision for the country and we'll go ahead and test those out over the next several months till November. All right?"

On his walk back to the White House from the Blair House after the summit, the president was asked if the summit was a success.

"I thought it was a terrific discussion and we'll see whether it made any difference in terms of people's attitudes," he said. - Feb. 25, 2010
-------------------------------------
Irene said...
Hey look! Some crafty Tea Partier stole Bo.
3/21/10 10:29 PM

Irene, I'm sorry I failed to get the name of the beautiful dog in that photo so I'm just going to call her "Payback," as in "[political] Payback is a bitch."; 3/22/10, 8:59 AM
Calypso Facto said...: Feeling a little like this today.

wv: virry. As in, "I'm virry disappointed."; 3/22/10, 9:00 AM
Meade said...: MadisonMan said...
...There's a smaller, significant segment that is overwhelmingly for it.

And then there's the rest of America that doesn't know what's in the bill and is wondering what's next.

MadMan, I think that should be:

There's a smaller, significant segment that is overwhelmingly for it [but] doesn't [even] know what's in the bill and wonders [when and where their ponies will be delivered].; 3/22/10, 9:07 AM
Smilin' Jack said...: AlphaLiberal said...
Oh thank God the uninsured will get health care.

No, they'll get health insurance. Americans are about to learn, as so many victims of other socialized systems such as Britain's NHS have learned, that they're not the same thing.; 3/22/10, 9:51 AM
jaed said...: THey won't even get health insurance. They'll get a mandate. "Buy this or else!" Also, a letter from the IRS demanding proper proof that they have purchased it.

My mother has no idea what's in the bill, but she's sure it will (somehow) help my brother who's been out of work for months. "His COBRA subsidy will run out soon," she says, "and this will help." I didn't have the heart to ask how this is supposed to "help"; I expect she thinks the bill gives "free insurance for all", or something.

(She's on Medicare Advantage. I don't think she realizes what's about to happen to Medicare Advantage, either, or that she's likely to soon lose access to her doctors unless they start taking straight-Medicare patients.)

Sigh.; 3/22/10, 10:44 AM
Irene said...: Haha Meade. I was just going to call it a bitch.; 3/22/10, 12:11 PM
Known Unknown said...: Continue the meme!; 3/22/10, 4:39 PM
LoafingOaf said...: Palladian: As to why you think I'd care about the opinion of the Pope on culinary matters when he's also opposed to my very existence as a practicing homosexual, I cannot say as I cannot begin to understand the way a diseased brain such as yours operates.

Oh, I thought the Pope might carry some sway with you, seeing how you suck up to the Christianist freakos so much. Guess what? A large percentage of the folks at the Tea Party rally Meade went to don't like homosexuals either. But you look the other way.

You can go on about how I have a diseased brain, and you may be right. But it takes quite a sicko to support the force-feeding torture of geese just to satisfy your disgusting need to boast that you ate something that cost a lot of money. Yes, you are a vile hedonist and proud of it. I doubt someone has to be a "puritan" to oppose the needless and barbaric torture of animals.; 3/23/10, 5:27 AM