Glenn Reynolds predicts: A brief poll bump for Obama based on positive news coverage of the bill passage. Then, more decline."
I tend to think people will get used to the change and stop paying attention, and the polls will move back to equilibrium between the parties. People will never be giddy and dreamy about Obama again, but so what? (Note to Althouse haters: "So what?" is a serious question.) We shouldn't be so optimistic about government. That's why we resisted the reform. We didn't trust it. Now that it's happened, won't most people get bored with looking at the government and turn back to their immediate lives? The mistrust that made people say "no" will be processed into jadedness and aversion to politics. People will try to live good lives on their own and be fatalistic about how the reforms will affect them. My basic political orientation is aversion to politics, and I found myself thinking, as soon as the vote count reached 216 last night: Well, I hope some good comes of this and the bad isn't too horribly bad. People aren't going to stay fired up. The natural process is to stabilize and find normal. Isn't that why we're so conservative in the first place?
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«Oldest ‹Older 201 – 284 of 284Hoosier's right. The election will be about unemployment and the $840 billion spent that appears not to have done much good to remedy it.
The health insurance bill will buttress this argument.
Dems will also not be able to run against W. because that will be even older news and more tiresome than the health insurance bill come November.
Oh, they'll run against Dubya. They'll never stop running against Dubya. And the MSM will broadcast the fact that it's Dubya's fault.
consider the absolute absurdity that barring mental or physical incapacity, a 25 year old person should still be dependent upon their parents for anything.
Really!! At 25 I was married and had a 5 year old daughter, and still managed to earn a M.S. degree.
Where does a gun come into this?
I suppose if I don't obey this law or refuse to pay taxes to support it the feds will just smile and say OK. Or, will they send people with guns to arrest me, take my house, etc? Few countries are more oppressive than ours and the libs are leading the wau.
Angry as I am, though, I go along with King Banian.
"In the months ahead it is important for people not to lose their heads. Lusty calls for revenge are not going to do any good. Focus on the positive analysis: Most of the members of one party bribed each other for votes with your money. To help 32 million get health insurance they damaged the insurance of hundreds of millions of others. And most of all, you knew it and told them not to do it, and they did anyway. If this is not enough to move the American public then the Eurosclerosis of America is already irreversible and what has transpired was inevitable."
@Julius Ray, please don't whine. You picked the fight with NewHam, not him with you.
I think we conservatives can keep him in line, but it would be helpful if you'd stop goading him.
I know you can't be wise by being reverse-stupid, but still:
I hope Pogo's public declaration of his intention to become a bad doctor, a bad person really, out of spite and Obama-hatred, at least makes it clear to people what a morally retarded manchild is behind those political views.
The idea of realizing there's no such thing as a conservative Democrat, or a moderate Democrat, or an anti-abortion Democrat is the beginning. The fact is the Democrats, all of them, have proven they can't be trusted. The other part is to start going after the RINOs, the ones who can't wait to "reach across the aisle to our friends in the Democratic Party". Just as Stupak should be made an example, so should Lindsey Graham, who wants to partner with Chuckie Schumer in a new immigration bill.
The business cycle, contrary to what the National Socialists have been told to say by Kos and Puffington, is going to plummet quickly. Any expansions contemplated will stay on hold and a new round of layoffs will start. Even more, the same people who called the September Swoon two years ago, say another one's coming this year. FHA, anyone?
Victor Davis Hanson has a good piece in which he expects not only immigration, but cap and trade to be rammed through in the same way. Just as The Zero wants single payer, he also wants to kill coal and to drive the price of gas to $8 a gallon. With healthcare, finance, housing, and automobiles already under the Fascist thumb, that would put about 1/3 of the economy under the control of people like Henry Waxman and Pelosi Galore.
As I've said before, I blame the people who voted for the empty suit less than I blame the "conservatives" who long for a return of Willie Whitewater, but wouldn't soil their hands to come out to vote for McCain. That 7 million did this. They said they wanted the Weimar Republic and they'll get it, along with the rest of us.
Mrs. Meade, be proud of your husband, people like him are what built this country. And, no, I don't think people will calm down. The first time their paycheck is raped, they'll remember. The first time they or a relative is denied treatment because they don't constitute a Useful Life, they'll remember. The first time gas goes over $5, they'll remember.
This is just beginning.
Why I think Althouse is wrong.
In the past the Democrats contented themselves with taking our money. For those of us in the middle class it meant tightening our belts, maybe not eating at a restaurant when we otherwise felt like going out, cutting back on Christmas presents, etc., but we could cope.
Now they want to restrict our access to medical care. That's qualitatively different. I'm supposing that the state of Wisconsin will provide coverage that will shield you, personally, from most of the consequences of this law, so you, personally, can merely try to get on with things. For the rest of us, it's not quite so straightforward.
On reading Meade's words...my heart swelled, tears welled and then my spine stiffened. I just can't shake the feeling that this matters way more than the Dems can guess. I will contribute more generously to fiscal conservatives. I will try to find protest gatherings to participate in.
I'd like everyone to take a look at that sentence and for a moment consider the absolute absurdity that ... a 25 year old person should still be dependent upon their parents for anything.
My reaction as well. If my kids aren't independent by age 25, then I think I've failed as a parent.
(I might change my mind in 9 years :) )
Interesting how this change might change things.
I guess I am not thrilled with Kennedy getting more power and influence leaning liberal (more "that is how they do it in Europe" does not give me a warm fuzzy feeling), but in some cases it might be a good thing.
The other part is to start going after the RINOs,
For a party that is all about "federalism" you somehow don't get that you need to first win elections-at the local level.
All politics is local, Republicans are supposedly all about local determination yet when it comes to the party they want hegemony.
It gets really ugly really quick and you turn off not only republican voters, and Democrat voters but the swing vote.
Yellow journalism of the likes practiced by Michelle Malkin when she took tight photos of certain protests and labeled them all by their most extreme element-or when she posts leading articles such as -Drunk Driver How Much Do You Want To Bet It Was A ********.
Then of course everyone is shocked! shocked! when the very same slime ball methods are used against the Tea Party protesters.
You have a large growing population of potential American voters and you cast all kinds of dispersion upon their heritage-it's very easy for them to feel as if you mean all of them-even those that have been Americans for several generations.
TITS ALTHOUSE SEZ:
"FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK THOSE NIGGAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRZ!"
as she looks for another white-daddy-cock to suck.
"FAGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGOT!" she screeches at Barney Frank, her loose, sad, sagging old-lady tits swinging violently beneath her mumu.
HI TITS!
Well, it certainly looks like my employer sponsored plan is dead thanks to this bill. We're self-insured and provided 100% employer paid premiums with low deductibles as a way of retaining an excellent workforce. Now Obamacare will:
1) bribe the youngest and healthiest members away by offering a voucher they can keep the cash balance of, and
2) drive costs sky-high because we can't screen for preconditions, making every new employee a potential suicide bomber of our financial stability, which will
2) increase the plan cost for the remaining members, and
3) put a 40% excise tax on the now "Cadillac" plan, all while the company gets to pay a
4) per-capita tax for the "privilege" of self insuring.
Wow. Looks like the exchange market will get 50-some new bodies when we are forced to drop the benefit.
Nice work on behalf of our working class Democrats.
OK, now I'm mad enough to make some giant puppets.
I hope Pogo's public declaration of his intention to become a bad doctor
Roost on The Moon-
You gotta link for that assertion?
He's a bad person because he wants to avoid sales tax?
Or
He's a bad doctor because he is thinking of quitting!?
In the new Obamacare quitting is not an option?
And then there is this bumper sticker.
@madawaskan, I think you've got the sequence backwards as to who takes tight photos.
"Brown Revolution"?
The Nazi thing came later, after the following:
1. "Mailing it in", as in UPS - What can Brown do for You?
2. About as appealing as a clogged toilet, which is the visual conjured by the phrase "Brown Revulsion, uh, Revolution".
Amazing that in a country that self-identifies more as center-right, the center-right types (still) can't find among themselves any creatives or media-savvy types worth a damn.
And I say that as a center-right type. It's embarrassing, the lameness ("lamity"?) of it all.
A little OT: I just visited the Dan Benishek facebook page and sent a contribution. He will be facing Stupak in November as has been mentioned.
Anyone know if Doug Hoffman will be running against Owens in November? I contributed once and would gladly again.
In Wisconsin we have a great young candidate namde Sean Duffy who is challenging the old lefty lion David Obey.
Frankly, things are looking up.
Scott
@9:50 AM
Perceptive analysis.
Developing, as Drudge would say.
The Brown Revolution. Man I hope this one sticks. So to speak.
Roost,
I am just going to start acting like a gummint employee.
Why do you think that's bad?
The cruel thing about it is that the only real option now is to get back to work. Work harder, work smarter.
I WILL WORK HARDER!
Just for giggles I went and looked at Michigan 1 - Bart Stupak's district - to see how they've voted for POTUS.
In 2008, they went for Obama 50-48. In 2004, it was Bush over Kerry 53-46. In 2002, it was Bush over Gore 52-45.
Bye bye Bart.
Thanks for going to the protest, Meade. It heartened me to see so many go at such short notice. It's part of the reason, aside from my own continued anger and determination, that I believe we'll continue to fight. And prevail.
One registered Democrat since 1976 will be registering as a Republican immediately. As I said, this is day one.
Please no third party. The Republicans earned my support this week and they will get it. To paraphrase the first lady: For the first time in my life, I'm proud of my new party.
Congratulations to Christopher Buckley and all of the so-called conservatives who came up with clever reasons to vote for Obama. I'll be registering Republican voters this weekend.
Go back to normal? What normal? The Government is going to be bigger and more intrusive than its every been in our live times. There will be no area of our lives they won't feel free to intrude upon. We won't be able to get away from it.
And, we cannot afford all the promises. This is bankrupt us - we will experience severe economic stress.
Too many people seem to think that things will go on as before - because they always have - at least in their life times. These people are not students of history
Haha! I'm still a registered Dem, too. I was reluctant to make the formal switch, and well, just lazy about it.
Yeah. They earned it. I'll give them a good shot.
Alex - there's an interesting assumption you and the left wing have made...
You've equated universal coverage of people with universal coverage of care. The bill doesn't say people won't pay deductibles, won't have co-pays, and won't have non-covered items.
Kind of like people believing Social Security will take care of them during retirement. It may help a bit, but doesn't really do the job.
People (unfortunately) will still find some drugs not covered, some treatments not covered, and co-pays for various types of treatments. So while someone's $500,000 of care may be covered, they still will be faced with $100,000 in co-pay.
Now I happen to be writing this from overseas where there is a national medical plan. Here people with certain diseases DIE because some things are covered, others just AREN'T. You can buy additional coverage if you want, but the politicians argue yearly to decide what drugs and what treatments get covered (the "basket" of care and the "basket" of drugs) and what don't.
If you need one that's not on the list...well, good luck to you. You can't even pay out of pocket because the pharmacies don't stock what's not on the plan!
Enjoy the new world.
I'm exactly as you describe, politically averse and hoping the statists will just crawl back into their think tanks so I can go back to ignoring politics. However, I am determined NOT to stop shouting. It is obvious that this crowd currently in Washington will not listen to anything but a righteous hammer coming right down on their heads.
Plus, now that they've confirmed for themselves that they can get away with anything, they're going to keep on keeping on. Next we have amnesty and cap and trade. Plenty more reasons to wave the pitchfork. Oh no, I am not going back into my gentle sloth.
bagoh20
The Republicans earned my support this week and they will get it.
Yeah baby!!!!!!
**********
Darcy
Yes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Be proud-Republicans have to own the brand-the party of Lincoln.
Screw those trying to take advantage of the vacuum.
Cantor and Boehner were phenomenal considering the odds.
They had all Republicans hold the line in the face of the opposition that was willing to do anything, in the face of the media....
As mandatory enrollment does not occur for four more years, how can this not cause a massive hike in insurance premiums?
I don't know about "massive" since we've since consistent, significant rate hikes already but clearly WE ALL WILL SEE SIGNIFICANT INSURANCE PREMIUM INCREASES over the next several years.
As for what I will do: I will do as much as possible to get a rational, sustainable solution to the impending Medicare crisis (i.e. out of money in 2017) To that end I believe that Rep. Paul Ryan's solution (if you visit this site go down to the Medicare section) is the best I've seen. And as someone who hasn't hit 55 yet I'm willing to accept a dramatically modified but sustainable Medicare program for the time when I retire.
Althouse has that same spirit of defeatism we've come to know and love in RINOs.
Who's your candidate?
Mitt Romney, no doubt.
If you have kids, you know this is too important to forget. We won't. November is going to come quickly and be terrible for Dems. Start finding good challengers today.
Send Washington some people who WILL listen to us, not just those who tell us what to do.
btw, guys, this will not strengthen the insurance companies... because the mandate is unconstitutional. its the lynchpin, and it is unconstitutional.
"People aren't going to stay fired up."
I agree that anger and rage can't be sustained. But some people aren't angry; they're determined.
I don't think people are going to "just forgive and forget" this time. This so-called "healthcare" bill was rammed through using every dirty, corrupt trick in the book, and people are not going to forget that, because it's scary.
And I don't know about you, Althouse, but I'm mad as hell.
People aren't going to stay fired up.
Only in the absence of continued external stimuli.
If things keep getting worse, people will stay fired up.
If everything is 'basically ok' and you get fired up over one issue, yes, it will fade into the background. But do you think large numbers of Americans think the current situation is basically fine? And do you think events by November are going to improve or worsen many Americans views of the state of the country?
I think passing an ill-advised massive new tax-and-spend entitlement, when we are watching the old entitlement model crash and burn all around us, to the backdrop of extremely high and extremely steady unemployment, is quite likely to keep people fired up until November.
The Tea Party folks, of course, are going to be crawling over broken glass to vote in November. I'm talking about the 'rest' of the country.
The lesson that must be learned about Stupak is that social conservatives are not true advocates of limited government. The social conservatives have been critical of the "tea party" movement of late because they think it is "too libertarian". This shows the true colors of the social conservatives in that they have more in common with liberals than with true limited government advocates.
The social conservatives are not to be trusted any more than the liberals.
"I think the National Weather Service -- staffed by dedicated, hard-working federal employees -- gives excellent service."
Hey, maybe the next bill will put the NWS in charge of our healthcare!!
But, seriously, when they break in with their weather alerts, it's barely intelligible and takes FOREVER. It sounds like technology from 1965.
I mean, that's the beginning and end of my contact with the NWS, but my impression has always been that their communication skills are kind of embarrassing. Especially since we rely on them in emergency situations.
I found myself thinking, as soon as the vote count reached 216 last night: Well, I hope some good comes of this and the bad isn't too horribly bad.
Precisely my reaction. Nothing to do now but make the best of it.
Many apologies upfront for the following comment:
Sorry, when I read that I kept thinking of that infamous response by Bobby Knight:
In an NBC interview with Connie Chung, who asked how he handles stress, Knight says: "I think that if rape is inevitable, relax and enjoy it."
It's a veiled threat of violence, and as such is just one step away from an outright threat of violence.
Most of our founding documents contain the implicit threat of armed insurrection, and the writings of many of the Founding Fathers such as Jefferson are full of even more explicit threats of this nature. That's who we are as a nation, and I pray it may remain ever thus.
Violence and hatred are not just tolerable in some circumstances, but can be positiviely praiseworthy. I am teaching my children to hate anyone who would overthrow the Constitution, and I am teaching them how to shoot.
"I hold it that a little rebellion now and then is a good thing, and as necessary in the political world as storms in the physical."
Thomas Jefferson
Not yet, but keep that card in the deck...
I hope Pogo's public declaration of his intention to become a bad doctor, a bad person really, out of spite and Obama-hatred, at least makes it clear to people what a morally retarded manchild is behind those political views.
Up yours, Jack. I'm a doctor too and I totally support what Pogo said. If it's good enough for the SEIU goons that Obama is turning the country over to, it's good enough for me. If society wants to treat me like a bus driver, we'll make the ugliest nastiest bus driver's union you ever saw.
I tell you now, subject only to the constraints of the law, the Hippocratic Oath, and my fiduciary duty to my partners, I am going to do my level best to badmouth and undermine and sabotage Obamacare for the rest of my career. Every complaint from my patients will be greeted with a shrug of the shoulders and "Eh. Obamacare, whatcha gonna do? Call your Congressman, and maybe next time vote Republican."
Julius wrote: See... Now that's what I'm talking about! It's a veiled threat of violence, and as such is just one step away from an outright threat of violence.
When you refer to "violence", do you include the means by which the government proposes to force all Americans to have health insurance or to extract a percentage of their incomes if they refuse?
The sheer whininess and bitchiness quotient has gone off the charts, even by Althousian standards!@!! All this because of a watered-down bill that doesn't have public option and isn't close to single-payer that real progressives wants. However it's a nice first step in a many steps to single-payer. Ahum.
I don't believe we are going to get back to "normal" because the Socialists, Progressives and Marxists in the Congress and White House have stolen "normal".
This is just the beginning of a long war to DESTROY these bastards.
This bill is a massive wealth transfer from the young and healthy to the older population. It seeks to coerce young people to buy very expensive health insurance that they may well not want (them being healthy) — but doesn't actually force them to do so, instead fining them (with a fine amount much smaller than the actual cost of the health insurance they would otherwise have to buy) if they don't purchase insurance — simultaneously forcing the insurance companies to accept any applicant while ruling out denying coverage based on pre-existing conditions.
Thus the effect for any sensible young adult will be for them to pay the annual fine and go on indefinitely without real health insurance coverage — until they are injured or become sick, then instantly apply for the insurance that insurance companies must provide them — and afterwards go off insurance again until the next bout of illness. What effect do you suppose such a policy engaged in by tens of millions of folk is going to have on insurance rates and the viability of insurance companies?
@Darcy, don't just say you'll change affiliations, by all means get a change of party affiliation form (or the equivalent document for your state) and do it.
Then, please do something else. Since Newt Gingrich retired there have been too many Republicans who win over the social conservatives with rote speeches about overturning Roe v. Wade or "reforming" homosexuals or introducing Creationism into textbooks. They get nominated, they perhaps win, and then they go to Congress and spend tax dollars like drunken Democrats.
So what I'm asking for is for you to back fiscal conservatives, even if you might disagree with them on certain social issues. Secondly, if you can afford the time, be prepared to do some work for fiscally conservative Republican candidates down at the local level, especially for city council and school boards. It doesn't have to be much -- arranging coffees for the candidates, driving for an hour or two to get-out-the-vote on election day, things like that.
There are not many things better than seeing a good person win a close race, and you helped get his or her word out and you helped get voters who are inclined to support that Republican to the polls.
@michaele, you might think about this, too.
@Darcy, don't just say you'll change affiliations, by all means get a change of party affiliation form (or the equivalent document for your state) and do it.
Then, please do something else. Since Newt Gingrich retired there have been too many Republicans who win over the social conservatives with rote speeches about overturning Roe v. Wade or "reforming" homosexuals or introducing Creationism into textbooks. They get nominated, they perhaps win, and then they go to Congress and spend tax dollars like drunken Democrats.
So what I'm asking for is for you to back fiscal conservatives, even if you might disagree with them on certain social issues. Secondly, if you can afford the time, be prepared to do some work for fiscally conservative Republican candidates down at the local level, especially for city council and school boards. It doesn't have to be much -- arranging coffees for the candidates, driving for an hour or two to get-out-the-vote on election day, things like that.
There are not many things better than seeing a good person win a close race, and you helped get his or her word out and you helped get voters who are inclined to support that Republican to the polls.
@michaele, you might think about this, too.
Well said, Big Mike. And well worth repeating.
I'll go one step further and say - even put your support behind a fiscal conservative Democrat.
That is, if you happen to find one.
Oh, and thanks! In advance.
Meade said:
I'll go one step further and say — even put your support behind a fiscal conservative Democrat.
Which is why Darcy might want to keep her Democratic Party membership for the time being.
You are so very wrong. This will not go quietly into the night....a movement is afoot and it is just beginning to grow. 1776 is alive and well.
That is, if you happen to find one (i.e., fiscally conservative Democrat)
Big "if" there, partner. I've never seen one. They're the Ivory Billed Woodpeckers of politics.
Thanks, all.
I have worked on political campaigns - always for conservatives, but yes, it's fiscal conservatives that matter most to me now.
A Democrat would have to go a long way to convince me that they were fiscally conservative. I'm through with them forever, I think.
And hello, Science Guy!
Check out the 34 Democrats who voted against this monstrous bill. Maybe one of them is from your state and is worth your support:
Rep. John Adler (N.J.)
Rep. Jason Altmire (Pa.)
Rep. Michael Arcuri (N.Y.)
Rep. John Barrow (Ga.)
Rep. Marion Berry (Ark.)
Rep. Dan Boren (Okla.)
Rep. Rick Boucher (Va.)
Rep. Bobby Bright (Ala.)
Rep. Ben Chandler (Ky.)
Rep. Travis Childers (Miss.)
Rep. Artur Davis (Ala.)
Rep. Lincoln Davis (Tenn.)
Rep. Chet Edwards (Texas)
Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin (S.D.)
Rep. Tim Holden (Pa.)
Rep. Larry Kissell (N.C.)
Rep. Frank Kratovil (Md.)
Rep. Dan Lipinski (Ill.)
Rep. Stephen Lynch (Mass.)
Rep. Jim Marshall (Ga.)
Rep. Jim Matheson (Utah)
Rep. Mike McIntyre (N.C.)
Rep. Mike McMahon (N.Y.)
Rep. Charlie Melancon (La.)
Rep. Walt Minnick (Idaho)
Rep. Glenn Nye (Va.)
Rep. Collin Peterson (Minn.)
Rep. Mike Ross (Ark.)
Rep. Heath Shuler (N.C.)
Rep. Ike Skelton (Mo.)
Rep. Zack Space (Ohio)
Rep. John Tanner (Tenn.)
Rep. Gene Taylor (Miss.)
Rep. Harry Teague (N.M.)
And hello, Science Guy!
Hello, Darcy! Haven't seen you on Althousean shores for seemingly months. I hope things are going well for you.
I hate smug self-satisfied bourgeois Althouse. You can afford to be lower case 'c' conservative from your privileged position as tenured law prof. The rest of us are now radicalized. To hell with conservatism.
No, I don't think it will go back to normal, the Democrats will not let it. They will immediately start to tax people and mess with the system. Then they will probably try either amnesty or cap and trade just to pour salt on the wound and use their numbers while they have them.
Ordinary people might like normalcy and stability, but the hipsters and commies running the Obama administration want to shake things up. What was it Michelle Obama said? He will never let you go back to your ordinary lives.
Check out the 34 Democrats who voted against this monstrous bill.
...Many of whom were given political cover; a semi-clever, political calculation to bolster their rogues list.
Not trying to change the subject here, but while we were focusing on the health care legislation, the government also took over the student loan program. Riding the coattails of a historic health care vote, the House on Sunday also passed a broad reorganization of college aid that affects millions of students and moves President Barack Obama closer to winning yet another of his top domestic policies.
I would hope this does not go quietly into the night---but with a portion of the american public (not the blogging community mind you but the PUBLIC) who seems more interested in dancing with stars, american idol, march madness, and the NFL season, I suspect the good professor has it right.
Hope I am wrong, but time will tell--the dems should lose some seats in the mid terms, and perhaps a bit more than usual. The tactics rely on changes at the precinct, local party and state legislative levels, and frankly most americans have no idea how to get involved (although sending money is a good first step)
The system is corrupt from the grassroots up--start with the grassroots.
I hate smug self-satisfied bourgeois Althouse. You can afford to be lower case 'c' conservative from your privileged position as tenured law prof. The rest of us are now radicalized. To hell with conservatism.
Easy there Grames, the purges can only occur once we're in power.
"What will happen to Obama and the Democrats in the polls now?"
The fact that this legislation passed is enough warning to Americans that our views do NOT translate into corresponding legislative response.
That means * the * polls * don't * matter.
It's not about what we say, it's about what we DO.
Meade, I photoshopped you. Apologies if you do not care for it. I'll remove it if you say so.
A Harbinger of the future.
with price control comes scarcity
"Now that it's happened, won't most people get bored with looking at the government and turn back to their immediate lives?"
Only those whose 'rage' was kabuki.
What happened yesterday is called representative democracy.
It seems to be working.
When governments (and the coincident politics) are involved in Health Care Management, strange things happen:
Beginning this year, the bill would make all Medicare preventive services, such as screenings for colon, prostate and breast cancer, free to beneficiaries. (from Kaiser Health News)
And from the US Preventative Services Task Force:
The USPSTF concludes that the current evidence is insufficient to assess the additional benefits and harms of screening mammography in women 75 years or older.
So for all of you women over 75 out there, it may not be worth it but hey, its free. So run out and get you mammogram TODAY!
And not to leave the guys out:
The USPSTF concludes that the current evidence is insufficient to assess the balance of benefits and harms of prostate cancer screening in men younger than age 75 years... The USPSTF recommends against screening for prostate cancer in men age 75 years or older.
And remember, PREVENTION ALWAYS SAVES MONEY!!
An Aug. 1, 2010, deadline on new doctor-owned hospitals to apply to the government for eligibility to serve — and get paid for — Medicare patients would be extended to Dec. 31. Aides and lobbyists said this would help roughly 13 facilities. These include Mercy Hospital in Monclova, Ohio; Scranton Orthopedic Specialists in Dickson City, Pa.; and Paragon Rehabilitation in Goodlettsville, Tenn.
The three facilities are represented, respectively, by Democratic Reps. Marcy Kaptur of Ohio, Paul Kanjorski of Pennsylvania, and Bart Gordon of Tennessee. Gordon has switched to support the health legislation after opposing an earlier version and Kaptur said Sunday she would stick to her "yes" vote. Kanjorski hasn't indicated how he would vote. Aides to all three said the lawmakers had nothing to do with the provisions and their votes would not be affected by inclusion of the language.
this came out before the vote. all three voted for the bill. Like little mini-cornhuskers kickbacks!
"What happened yesterday is called representative democracy."
Actually the pols indicate it was mostly unrepresentative partisanship.
November will be representative democracy. That will be what change looks like, and we don't need no stinking hope.
So glad to know that Pogo finds an appropriate outlet for his anger against the government... by channeling it against his patients.
What an asshole.
I think when you take out a political grievance on a third party valuable to your enemy, Pogo, that's called "terrorism".
Pogo. The Medical Terrorist. How lovely.
His (counter-)revolutionary zeal makes him a bit like fellow physician Che. Nevermind the fact that his colleagues had got sick of excusing the moral problem of however many tens of millions without care in his country, and ended up backing this.
Your curmudgeonly sense of reluctant professionalism is truly something to aspire to, Sir!
There are movements starting, to "Repeal the Bill". While we hope those are successful, the real movement has to be "Repeal the President". And that part of Congress who rammed this thing down our throats.
Drill SGT: "Call your Congresscritter".
Fat lot of good that'll do. They didn't listen to us when we said "No way!"; they're not going to listen to us later. Besides, by the time this stuff really kicks in - around 2018 or so - they'll all be retired (on generous government pensions).
AA: "... aversion to politics".
I can understand that, but that's really part of the problem. It's a vicious cycle: I'm apathetic because I feel the government doesn't care about/doesn't represent me. So I don't vote, I don't talk about it with other people. Then later on, when government gets less and less responsive, I can just sit back and say, "OK, I told you so" and be even more apathetic.
As I tell my libertarian friends who say they don't vote, "Good - that means the rest of us get to decide how you live".
That's what happened here. The liberals got out the vote (just check out Obama's Facebook page). Democrats know how to get people to the polls. They'll take them there in wheelchairs, en masse in buses - whatever it takes to get the bodies to the voting machines.
We've got to do as well. We've got to do better than we have in the past; we've got to do better than them.
NewHam: Don't forget that Obama extended - without change - the PATRIOT Act. While I think that's probably the only sensible thing he's done in office - any office - it does tend to annoy his liberal base.
Pogo: "I will practice civil disobedience wherever and whenever possible."
Go out and get a copy of Alinsky's "Rules for Radicals". That's been the blueprint for the Left for decades. Many of his tactics won't work any more (they worked the first time, and then we defended against them) - but read between the lines. He was a genius at civil disobedience. Learn his fundamentals. This has to be two-pronged attack: attack them from the top at the ballot box; attack them from the bottom with demonstrations, phone campaigns, whatever it takes.
They've taken the country, we have to either take it back or go gentle into that good night.
Or rage, rage against the dying of the light.
I think what I'm going to be more entertained by, than anything else, is watching a bunch of greedy, rage-filled crybabies attempt to build a political movement on the idea of framing a correction against market failure, that reduces the rate of the uninsured by more than 30 million, as the WORST THING EVER!!!
This actually helps marginalize the Republican rage-machine even further. Obama comes across as more competent than any politician of recent memory. Some see that as a form of power, for better or worse. Your ilk is right to fear it, because power should be dealt with carefully - but courageously and not incompetently (if they were incompetent they'd be Republicans). Others are just glad to know that there are people in office who don't believe they should get paid for making things work worse.
The peanut gallery will cry and spew their talking points, and huff and puff with fantasies they've channeled into manifestoes that recall a certain Kaczynski-esque quality. But they will fail and implode, a victim of their own lack of any principles save for the most narrow and self-serving. And any political gains they had hoped to achieve in eight months are now doomed to be shrunk into irrelevance. Enjoy the rage-party.
Bye!
Chip Ahoy said...
"Meade, I photoshopped you. Apologies if you do not care for it. I'll remove it if you say so."
Do not care for it? Do not CARE FOR IT?!?
Are you inSANE, my friend? It's total dope!
Thanks!
Boy Ritmo,
What artistic representation! What well-turned phrases and well-constructed arguments. I'm sure we'll all just accept your arguments and thoroughly shamed by your blinding opinion of yourself, disappear back into our neanderthal digs. Accept, we know what you and your fellow travelers really desire. For those of us who follow politics, but are not constantly consumed by it, this is a wake-up call.
Your idealogy and it's followers must be driven from any proximity to the levers of political power. Too many liberal democrats, at heart, believe this country is corrupt, simple headed, and needs to be lead by it's less compensated, but more sophisticated elites. Metrics mean nothing. Minority rights which don't align with your adolescent sense of entitlement mean nothing.
I think, you and your friends, convinced you've personally been cheated (democratic politics is based upon victim status and empathy), have been looking for a fight. You're going to get one, but like most bullies, I don't believe you'll learn your lesson until you find yourself matched up with a ruthless opponent.
@ Althouse I tend to think people will get used to the change and stop paying attention
I haven't got time to read all the 211 comments to date, but Professor -- I think you're not paying attention to your commenters.
Jesus freaking Christ does somebody need a spell-check!
The problem with your form of a "wake-up call", Night2night, is that it's less caffeine than cocaine and speed. And cokeheads and meth addicts don't really do the organization and persuasion thing too well. Their preferred drugs are just not conducive to that, you see. They need to allow for thought.
The problem you're having, is that you actually think I'm a left-wing partisan. I could give a fig for that stuff as much as I could for the right-wing rage. (Although you're right that empathy is a good thing; and it would do you some good. Look into it). The government shouldn't be regulating health care... or anything else? You don't say! Well, that's all well and good but the issue is that you have a sneering problem. You see, many of your countrymen feel otherwise, feel they have been suffering under the weight of bureaucratic incompetence, and that constituency deserved to be tapped. It had been waiting to happen for years and it finally did, putting us back in the running for what qualifies as a non-third world country. Not many people would get so worked up over such a simple thing, but you and others have. And there you have it.
It's called "market failure" NTN, and correcting it doesn't make this country and its leaders any of the things you say it does. We are not socialists for correcting it. We are not totalitarians for comparing you to the Republicans of the Great Depression who thought someone had no more a right to food and freedom from starvation than you think Americans in 2010 have a right to expect the decent provision of what has become another basic commodity. We are just modern human beings who don't fear a competent self-government that can solve a few problems here and there as much as you do. So remind me, which one is the Neanderthal?
I hate to say it but this post borders on trolling. One does not have to walk around ranting every minute of the day to maintain a simmering rage. If you think this too shall blow over I fear you significantly underestimate the level of anger. I realize the Tea Party protests are almost common now but they didn't exist at all 18 or so months ago. That sort of anger won't simply end.
Reynolds is closer to the mark except there won't be much time for a slight bump up. This isn't leaving the news cycle any time soon and the more Obama talks the worse he does. Can't wait to hear all the names they call us. Yeah that'll change our minds. Idiots.
There are at least two Obamacare exemptions: Christian Scientists (The First Church of Christ), and the Amish (aka Anabaptists).
Technically, Catholics could also claim an exemption given the abortion language.
Mennonites also have a case. The point being that Obamacare may be rejected on religious grounds.
Scott
I added, with attribution, your 9:50 AM Comment in my overall comment to
http://www.intellectualconservative.com/2010/03/19/toward-a-constitutional-convention/
@Ritmo,
Sorry about the spelling errors (I rarely run a spell checker within blogger, particularly at work, and not really sure how to short of pasting into Word).
I understand your political desire, but believe the democratic mechanism to accomplish this is unsustainable (which is why I will continue to fight against it; small oped by David Brooks in the NY Times this morning comes closest to my emotional home).
Some of the terms you use in your response are commonly accepted by proreform folks, but ill-defined (i.e. "market failure"; what does that mean to you?). There is also a legitimate argument within both the medical device community and nuclear (places where I've worked for years) as to how effective regulatory mechanisms are with regard to assuring safety and efficacy. Regulators typically are always looking for signs of the last problem, which is usually different than the new problem. Unfortuatedly, all these folks cost money, even if they don't add value. I'll leave you with a pertinent quote for the morning.
"A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the voters discover that they can vote themselves money from the Public Treasury. From that moment on the majority always votes for the candidates promising the most benefits from the Public Treasury with a result that a democracy always collapses over loose fiscal policy always followed by dictatorship. The average age of the world's greatest civilizations has been 200 years. These nations have progressed through the following sequence:
From Bondage to Spiritual Faith
From Spiritual Faith to Great Courage
From Courage to Liberty
From Liberty to Abundance
From Abundance to Selfishness
From Selfishness to Complacency
From Complacency to Apathy
From Apathy to Dependency
From Dependency back into Bondage"
- Alexander Tytler, 18th century Scottish historian, Decline and Fall of the Athenian Republic.
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