July 18, 2009

Wasn't This Guy Supposed to Be Smart, Moderate, and Temperate?

Justin Katz

This bit of cynicism should be beneath the cool-headed genius whom we elected president:

Obama countered yesterday that "if we step back from this challenge at this moment, we are consigning our children to a future of skyrocketing premiums and crushing deficits. If we don't achieve health-care reform, we cannot control the costs of Medicare and Medicaid, and we cannot control our long-term debt and our long-term deficits."

"Our children" (in this cliché) have years before adulthood and will not be consigned to anything by some months of research and debate. There is no milestone pending in the next few weeks or months that will lock in costs. Unless, that is, the federal government does act and institutes a mess of an oppressive power grab like the plans that are on the table.

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The President speaks the truth regarding health care reform. sooner or later there will be no choice but to reform health care in America.

Posted by: phil at July 18, 2009 9:54 AM

The President speaks the truth regarding health care reform. sooner or later there will be no choice but to reform health care in America.

Posted by: phil at July 18, 2009 9:54 AM

Ah, one of my favorites from Bierce (and usually one reserved for the Obama camp)...

CYNIC, n. A blackguard whose faulty vision sees things as they are, not as they ought to be. Hence the custom among the Scythians of plucking out a cynic's eyes to improve his vision.

Interesting that after decades of wild claims of urgency (to justify cutting Medicare and Social Security), with a Democrat in office suddenly some see things differently.

Posted by: Russ at July 18, 2009 10:11 AM

The President wasn't too worried about the costs that our children would bear with TARP. He didn't mention the burden that comes to future generations when he signed Stimulus 1 (...or the upcoming Stimulus 2?). He certainly didn't worry about putting our kids in the hole with the automaker bailouts and revamp of bankruptcy code for GM and Chrysler. Now this one... THIS is "for the kids".

JPS

Posted by: Jon Scott at July 18, 2009 10:15 AM

Phil,

But your "sooner or later" makes all the difference.

-----

Russ,

I'm not denying urgency. I'm saying that urgency of a few weeks is misplaced, because the institution of a policy will be the consignment of which the president speaks.

The only real "this month" urgency to healthcare is that the Democrats see a small window for the legislation that they want. I'd suggest that the country ought to insist on the legislation that will work instead.

Posted by: Justin Katz at July 18, 2009 10:56 AM

Russ,
And this one from Bierce is my favorite...
Quotation, n: The act of repeating erroneously the words of another.

Posted by: bobc at July 18, 2009 12:40 PM

All part of Dear Leader Obama's modus operandi:

http://www.americanthinker.com/2009/02/the_clowardpiven_strategy_of_e.html

http://www.americanthinker.com/2009/05/clowardpiven_crisis_care.html

"The president's ability to exploit crises is reminiscent of the controversial teachings of Columbia University political scientists, Frances Fox Cloward and Richard Andrew Piven. Inspired by the Obama mentor -- radical community organizer Saul Alinsky -- these two sixties social revolutionaries taught that upheaval is something that should "never be wasted" and that political change can be fostered through "...orchestrated crisis." Two skills Barack Obama proficiently exercises every chance he gets."

Posted by: Tom W at July 18, 2009 12:55 PM

There is a TV ad blanketing the South depicting a woman from Canada who had a brain tumor and did not trust Canadian medicine- effectively orchestrating collective fear of socialized medicine. She came to the US instead for 'good' healthcare to get her head fixed.

I guess they don't think the ad would scare people as well up here because of proximity to Canada. So, they are focusing the spin on where they can expect people to fear the unknown. It is ironic that the people they are trying to scare have the most to benefit from such programs.

Posted by: Robert Balliot at July 18, 2009 2:26 PM

Those who ran for national office last year heard from many voters for the need to do something about healthcare, with the exception of Palin who was too busy scooping up designer clothing. Obama (the name excluded from Justin's writings) heard the voters and is pushing the agenda on healthcare. It's about time someone did.

Posted by: Phil at July 18, 2009 2:38 PM

>>I guess they don't think the ad would scare people as well up here because of proximity to Canada. So, they are focusing the spin on where they can expect people to fear the unknown. It is ironic that the people they are trying to scare have the most to benefit from such programs.

Consider the likelihood that the ads are targeting states with "blue dog" / moderate Democrats in Congress and the Senate, who may be hearing from their constituents who don't want the expensive nightmare of KATRINA KARE.

There's no point in wasting time running ads in states that would send people like Monsieur Kerry, DUI Ted, Noblesse Oblige Whitehouse, Compact Comrade Reed and Am'bien Rehabbed Again Patrick to Congress.

Posted by: Tom W at July 18, 2009 3:01 PM

Tom W,
The biggest organized crisis in the last 10 years is the "Weapons of Mass Destruction" argument used as a justification to invade Iraq and, if I recall properly, you were sucked in completely. So your track record on spotting "organized crises" is very suspect. You don't seem to weigh the evidence evenly. Could you be going into the argument with a certain set of preconceptions?
OldTimeLefty

Posted by: OldTimeLefty at July 19, 2009 12:04 AM

By Obama's own admission Medicaid and Medicare are bankrupt.

Help me out here: Why are we going to trust the goverment to run a massive universal healthcare system?

Posted by: George at July 19, 2009 12:34 AM

By Obama's own admission Medicaid and Medicare are bankrupt.

Help me out here: Why are we going to trust the goverment to run a massive universal healthcare system?

Posted by: George at July 19, 2009 12:35 AM

Can everybody put down the panic button?
Obama's health care reform will never happen. Too many powerful interests (and the politicians, both Republican and Democrat, whose lips are glued to their teats) are opposed to Obama for any plan of his to get off the ground.
That's why the Obama-as-dictator rhetoric I read here leaves me ROTFL.

Posted by: rhody at July 19, 2009 3:29 PM

"By Obama's own admission Medicaid and Medicare are bankrupt."

And doubly so after they are raided to pay for health care "reform".


Sure hope you're right, Rhody.

Posted by: Monique at July 19, 2009 8:56 PM

Rhody,

The questions of political feasibility of policies' implementation and of their logical consequences should they pass are two distinct questions. If we inadequately explore the latter, we risk inadvisable tipping of the former.

Posted by: Justin Katz at July 19, 2009 9:31 PM
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