@okie,
I guess the question has always been if the American voter, overall, will approve of the 'Party of NO' for saying just that to this collectivist, budget busting, government increasing, freedom killing pig sans lipstick the liberals call a 'Health care Bill". The Republicans in congress only get a C minus for their effort to kill this bill from me. They could have done a lot more to hold this bill up, after all, its popularity has been indirectly proportional to the time the voters have to examine it (when allowed). Why not judge it on its merits, or lack thereof? We see the Dems now using extra legislative procedures to circumvent the normal bill passing process keeping it in the back room where even Democratic back benchers have no access and keeping it out of conference thru the "ping pong" process. Here one must admit the Dems are not ignoring the Republicans, they are actively straight-arming them (and many Dems) so they will have little input and demonstrating their contempt for Americans’ freedom thru a process that has the transparency of the NSA.
And this: We have seen lefty liberals like H. Dean calling for the killing of this hog. Dean wants the public option or single payer (same thing). Others on the left have said they won't accept it if it refuses to pay for abortions for all and illegal immigrants. They have every right to their opinions and legal actions to obtain their goal. But they should understand they must now put up, if they ever want to be taken seriously, or shut up. Rahm Emanuel called it. This is the crisis, this is the reform, and this is the Democratic majority that probably won't be seen again in their lifetimes (no matter how young they might be). Put simply: Its now or never for them, or so they feel. The desperation is palpable and overwhelming. But, public opinion is moving away from them and Obama. However, it means little to them that the more the public learns of their efforts the less it approves, all the more reason to push, cajole, bribe, and threaten.
I find the Democratic Party has done a good thing for this country. Through their attempt at obfuscation they have made it perfectly transparent what their vision of a future America is: an anti-business, anti-entrepreneur, individual freedom killing, anti-innovation government that can take away that which it giveth (but then it always could) whether that is SS, Medicare, or whatever. A government that forces its citizens to buy dangerously small cars, or electric cars that get electricity, ultimately, from… where? A government that forces its citizens to pay 3-5 times more for electric power so a select few, Gore-like, citizens can make millions, feel good about itself, and allow India, China, and ASEAN nations enjoy a leg up in global competition. A nation that allows its intercity youth to be steeped in ignorance, its citizens open to terrorist attack, and globally disadvantaged in economic competition so that the Democratic party can siphon off union dues to enlarge their political coffers. Many American people have started to pay attention and they have seen a Democratic political monopoly more powerful than Standard Oil was in its Rockefeller heyday.
So the lefty statists now have control and have secluded themselves in smoky backrooms and speak for all America. The party of 'No" did the same way back when Tom DeLay used his nasty political tricks. Was this any different than what we are witnessing now?
From Nov 4, 2008:
Quote:When Barack Obama wins the election tonight, take a moment to thank Tom Delay,
Jack Abramoff, Karl Rove and all the other corrupt Republicans who handed Democrats
the 2006 election and set the table for this year's rout.
And when you've said your thank yous -- and taken a few gleeful swings at
your George W. Bush piñata -- let your mind wander back a couple of decades.
It was Watergate that led to the Democratic tide in 1974 and allowed an outsider
-- a "change" candidate named Jimmy Carter - to walk into the White House
in 1976. And that reign, as you may recall, did not last as long as we might have
hoped.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tom-cosgrove/thank-tom-delay-today_b_140814.html
So what did we learn from this as Americans? Apparently, not much. Other than being thankful for the short “National Malaise” infected Carter Administration, we might think less towards ‘Throwing the Bums Out” and more towards not voting them in to begin with... This, of course, calls for a better educated American voter. But this time is and can be different. It is different because we see can see clearly what Democrats hope for the American future. This health controversy is the glass bottom boat that looks all the way to the very bottom of the Democratic soul. What this reveals is not just the party’s socialistic collectivist rationale fueled mainly by its desire for permanent power over Americans. Also seen in this view is what one finds by studying just a little bit of the Comm Intern and even Islamic extremism ideology: the concept that every means (lying, cheating, killing, exploiting and corrupting the system in place, etc) is justified by the hoped for end: power over the populace. Killing you say? Well, it isn't that bad yet. So far the closest anyone has suggested to this might be Palin's 'Death Panels' used to decrease costs on senior care. This validated by a real world government panel telling women " no need for mamography if you are 49 years of age or younger". But it is important to note Sen. Reid's tactics that will pay any cost (or obscure it), break any Constitutional Amendment (see Ican's post of Orin Hatch et al in a WSJ op/ed article), and throw any principled leftist (including himself) under the bus to get this win. For we have seen that that is exactly what it is all about and to hell with the American public.
Is this the soul Americans should trust with their future? Remember those 'principled' Democratic Senators from Louisiana and Nebraska that had drawn lines in the political sand over which they would not budge until Reid gave 300 million taxpayers dollars (from other states) to one and a prepaid (with all state’s dollars except Nebraska’s) infinite balance debit card to the other? At this point there is little doubt that Reid and Obama are in for the proverbial pound. Therefore we can expect all manner of congressional pandering, handouts, pork, and sell outs to make this happen, I have absolutely no doubts it will happen. But this is the second biggest difference from what happened in the past: the Democratic Party will own it--all of them. Each Democratic member of Congress will be the last and deciding vote for this, at least in the public’s eye. The only way this will not be the public perception is if Obamacare does not pass. What a pickle of a situation the Dems find themselves! Additionally, the Dems and his lack of party leadership are dragging down Obama! Oh well. Politically the only group that could have possibly saved the Democrats from this was, at one time, the Party of NO! So we may very well see the damage to the Democratic Party caused by its saying NO to the Party of NO!
So Rahm and the boys have handled their 'crisis'. But their crisis is in contrast with the public perception whereof focus is rightly on the economy, jobs, and, increasingly, national security. But in ,William Kristol's words:"It is a good time to be a conservative!" Why? There is no doubt in my mind that conservatives have individual freedom and, therefore, the country's best interests first on their list of principles. These principles guide through thick and thin but they also restrict our government as the founders intended. Democratic Party principles, whatever they may now be, are not demonstrated in their health care bill itself, but in its midwifery. Indeed, these principles are more like reasoned steps towards the ultimate goal of statism. Not only do these not guide us, they impose restrictions on American’s individual freedoms in favor of increasing the power of government institutions. We conservatives may very well be in the position to not only rid ourselves of the party of socialism but to encourage republican candidates that adhere closely to the founding fathers' intentions for our citizens, individual freedoms being paramount. We have Republicans that have bought into the surrender principle just to survive, the R leadership in Congress not excepted. Sure we will have to compromise here and there but with stronger conservatives we will be better able to convince those compromised to lean right. Events are now indicating that Obama’s election was not an indication of America moving left. For a
really interesting explanation of the Obama’s election phenomenon I recommend Shelby Steele’s essay at:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704254604574614540488450188.html
It’s a bit more nuanced then just voter Bush fatigue and, yes, involves some self deception on voters part.
JM
P.S. It has been pointed out that this is all OK because the Dems are in the majority and they have every right to behave as they have. Apparently those in concert with this thinking have little concept of a main tenent of our Constitution which is minority rights. Purpose of which is to eliminate the "tyranny of the majority". Simply now, what if Bush, Cheney, and an overwhelming Repbulican congress pushed thru a bill to ban abortion, ban all government payouts to perceived dead beats, ban all labor unions, summarily execute illegal aliens, invade Iran, or (insert your most detested G.W. thingy here)? Would those in the minority deserve some legtimate input? If not, could we depend on the irate voters to change things? Just sayin. Will we see future Republican candidates campaigning on repealing this health care disaster?
