Last week with little fanfare and even less notice the GOP released their answer to the health care crisis that is plaguing this country. “The Patients’ Choice Act of 2009” (you can read it here) as to be expected is nothing more than a series of tax cuts and another layer of corporate welfare designed to maintain the status quo. This of course came as no surprise to me as I do believe the GOP sees themselves as being the protector of the “haves”, but it occurred to me something else is going on here, something much more insidious.
Today’s GOP, the GOP of Rush, Newt, Dick, Glenn, and Sean really only have one concern, to stop President Obama. The GOP understand all too well that much of the presidents reelection hopes will come down to his fulfilling his campaign promises on two issues mostly, the war and health care. Those of you out there that think some sort of bipartisan consensus will arise around health care reform are kidding yourselves. The GOP has no interest in meaningful reform, only in stopping Obama.
The BackChannel Blog 
Morning peeps
I’m amazed that the prez went with Sotomayor, I would have thought he would have gone with a “safer” pick for his first choice. Good for him!
He has done great so far! She’ll be confirmed, I’m sure.
As hungry as the GOP is for Hispanics I think she’ll have pretty smooth sailing.
I hope so; but I wouldn’t count on it. The repug party seems to have a real knack for cutting off its nose to spite its face. They are so blinded by ideology or fear of the right wing ideologues that they may dig their hole even deeper.
Where did the Memorial Day thread go? It’s not appearing with the update.
Hang on everybody for a shoot out over Sotomayor. She’s a great choice and will bring a bit more diversity to the Court.
Single-Payer system or nothing! Now is the right time for a real national health service for all Americans. If you didn’t watch Bill Moyers on Friday night, see it on the Internet at his web site.
Have a great day, everyone.
eprof2 only likes Sotomayor because she ended the ’94-’95 baseball strike 😉
Sotomayor’s nomination may be a significant enough distraction to get health care through!
Rush, Newt, Dick, Glenn and Sean can only concentrate on one thing at a time 😉
“Rush, Newt, Dick, Glenn and Sean can only concentrate on one thing at a time ;)”
Good one dnd, and probably true. Picking a hispanic is a very savvy choice for the prez, it is going to make things difficult for the GOP.
Petraeus Endorses Obama’s Plans To Close GITMO, End Torture
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/05/26/petraeus-endorses-obamas_n_207513.html
WASHINGTON — Former Vice President Dick Cheney’s defense Thursday of the Bush administration’s policies for interrogating suspected terrorists contained omissions, exaggerations and misstatements.
http://www.mcclatchydc.com/226/story/68643.html
d you don’t mean to suggest that Dick Cheney lied do you?
I agree with your premise, Brian. The GOP is out to stop Obama and try to diminish his support. They don’t give a damn about healthcare. They never have and never will.
Well this didn’t take too long!
Sotomayor Video: Judges Make Policy, Latinas Better Than Whites
http://www.newsmax.com/insidecover/Sotomayor_statements/2009/05/26/218143.html?s=al&promo_code=8061-1
Wyden Open To Public Health Care Option If His Plan Stalls
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/05/26/wyden-open-to-public-heal_n_207638.html
Breaking News Alert
The New York Times
Tuesday, May 26, 2009 — 1:36 PM ET
—–
California Supreme Court Upholds Ban on Gay Marriage
The California Supreme Court upheld a ban on same-sex
marriage today, ratifying a decision made by voters last year
that runs counter to a growing trend of states allowing the
practice.
The decision, however, preserves the 18,000 marriages
performed between the court’s decision last May that same-sex
marriage was lawful and the passage by voters in November of
Proposition 8, which banned it.
dnd, just one of her many attributes. Her pros far outweigh her cons. But, the GOPers will try to tear her down. Baseball owners be damned!
Specter Applauds Sotomayor Pick
http://politics.theatlantic.com/2009/05/specter_applauds_sotomayor_pick.php
Utah Sen. Orin Hatch, not exactly a flaming liberal, has voted for Soyomayor. Twice. It’s gonna be interesting to see what he has to say about this pick.
He was somewhat noncommittal when he spoke to Andrea Mitchell about her today, dnd. He, also, suggested that it will take at least 90 days to examine her record before hearings and a vote. In other words, the repugs are going to try to “slow walk” this nomination.
“In other words, the repugs are going to try to “slow walk” this nomination.”
Spot on, after all what else do they have?
Nannymm,
Interesting. Seems to me that Hatch is kind of in a pickle. Since he’s voted for her twice, being critical now would imply that he was snoozing during the previous votes, something I doubt he’d be anxious to admit.
Oh I don’t think Hatch is in a pickle, easy enough to rationalize why you vote one way on a circuit court nominee than on a Supreme Court nominee.
Good evening all. Testing if comment will post without apostrophe in my name.
Missed most of the news after the press conference. Disappointed in California decision on Prop 8, but maybe another run by the voters would yield a different result. Without huge out of state funding, if possible.
Cheers.
Eye of the Dog
Yippee! It worked.
3 cheers and a hearty glass of pinotage to dnd, for figuring out the wordpress bug’s specific complaint with me.
dnd rocks!
OK. Out for a walk. Catch you soon.
dog,
Much as I’d like to take credit, Brian was the one who pinged WordPress with the problem and got their reply.
Glad you’ve escaped from the spam queue 😉
Three cheers for dnd!
Glenn Beck: Bush’s Compassionate Conservatism Must ‘Die Violent Death’
http://www.newsmax.com/insidecover/beck_limbaugh_bush/2009/05/25/217943.html?s=al&promo_code=806B-1
Yeah but dnd you actually read through it all and found the problem!
“Beck, a rising ratings star at Fox News and one the nation’s leading talk hosts, has earned his popularity taking on some of the most cherished shibboleths of the Republican establishment. ”
Shibboleths? Is Newsmax a Jewish organization?
http://www.jackandjillpolitics.com/2009/05/rush-limbaugh-the-niggers-are-coming-for-their-reparations/
“Three cheers for dnd!”
That’s what they say at McSorley’s when I buy a round 😉
How often does that happen?
DENVER—Vice President Joe Biden dropped in unexpectedly on a Denver barbecue restaurant Tuesday after presiding over a town hall meeting on green jobs and the economy.
Patrons of M&D’s Cafe east of downtown broke into applause when Biden walked in. The vice president shook hands and posed for photos.
http://www.denverpost.com/ci_12453573
BTW, Biden will be delivering the commencement address at the Air Force Academy tomorrow morning.
4 cheers for Brian! I am just so glad to be back on, and with an avatar besides.
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dog’s idea on healthcare:
in order to retain their generous government (socialist!) pensions, GWBush, our MBA president, should be detailed to a community health clinic somewhere in Texas or Louisiana or Arkansas, and use his MBA smarts to figure out how to keep their doors open in the face of rising demand and lessened public funding.
GWB can find something to do in retirement more demanding than meeting with Boy Scouts and other non-voters.
He may not have any good ideas, but perhaps he will. And perhaps he can give his compassion talents a workout.
Richard B. Cheney, in the event he is not incarcerated overseas — which is fine by me, and I don’t care if it’s Puerto Rico that throws him in the clink:
can turn his talents for bureaucratic infighting and end-runs to ceaseless work on behalf of Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans, to ensure they get every penny available to them and increased support and care as they need. He can change dressings on wounds, during any break he needs from phone and computer work.
He can also provide respite care for their families. He has a closely knit family himself; it’s taking advantage of an underused skill of his.
Donald Rumsfeld will not be allowed near anyone in need of care of any kind.
Ok what does everyone think of the bouncing Rush head on Keith?
Continuing with the healthcare theme (tangentially):
From South Carolina’s The State:
Dog has knack for making people feel better
http://www.thestate.com/local/story/801029.html
Paws together for therapy dogs. This dog is nonpartisan.
I think the bouncing is genius. (As in Olbermann and his producers. For Rush, can’t guess why he was bouncing. And care less.)
The bouncing head sucks!!! Every time Rush’s name is mentioned up goes the lower right hand corner of the screen with Rush bouncing. I think all it does is promote the guy because your attention is diverted from the story or the point. Even the scroll or witty sayings go bye-bye. Why advertise for the nitwit?
Interesting that you raise this issue as I was just about ready to send KO an email saying, “stop with the bouncing idiota.”
It cracks me up eprof, but I think it will grow tired real quick.
Tucker Carlson to launch right-leaning HuffPo alternative
http://briefingroom.thehill.com/2009/05/26/tucker-carlson-to-launch-right-leaning-huffpo-alternative/
Gee I can’t wait to see it up and running!
LA Times columnist David Lazarus: “Canada’s healthcare saved her; Ours won’t cover her”
http://www.latimes.com:/business/la-fi-lazarus27-2009may27,0,5656927,full.column?vote47135499=1
Lazarus writes “If you offer health insurance as a for-profit business, it goes without saying that you’ll do everything you can to avoid making payouts … shun anyone with even a whiff of medical trouble.
But this is no way to run an insurance system, let alone to protect people from financial ruin due to catastrophic events such as being sent to the hospital by a drunk driver.
The Obama administration has already rejected the idea of a single-payer system similar to Canada’s — a mistake, in my opinion. Instead, it wants a smaller public program that would compete with private insurers and keep costs down.
… Maybe one compromise would be to let private insurers handle the small stuff and to have a public program that could tackle the catastrophic stuff.
I asked Yount what would have happened if she’d gotten into her accident in Southern California instead of Nova Scotia.
“I can’t say whether my care would have been better or worse,” she replied. “But I know this: I’d be bankrupt now.”
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I would like to see single-payer insurance as well. Maybe it will get a second or third look as the program develops.
Incidentally, Lazarus is an LA Times BUSINESS columnist.
New thread.