Liar

Out: Reconciliation… bad.

In: Reconciliation… good.

Folks, at the end of the day do you really think that giving the government more control over your health care matters will a) actually bring down the costs of your health care and b) actually improve your health?

As far as overarching national efforts go, the Feds do about one thing well: blowing up shit.

See: our armed forces.

Check out B-Daddy in full throat on this matter and the hypocrisy of Democrats and particularly the President as they contemplate executing the nuclear option on a piece of (legislation) the majority of Americans don’t want.

A BwD (partial) book review

A very good friend of ours gave us as a Christmas gift Thom Hartmann’s What Would Jefferson Do? A return to Democracy. Those of you in the know, know that Hartmann has a gig on Air America (or at least he used to. Is Air America even around anymore?) and so you are probably wondering just what the angle here is. The angle is that it’s a gift from a friend who was nearly in tears when she presented it to us - you have to respect that type of passion - so of course we are going to read it and filter out as best we can the expected liberal bias.

Reviews thus far (50 pages in): Mixed.

We get some good history concerning Jefferson’s view of democracy and in particular his study of a strain of democracy as practiced by the Saxon tribes of England prior to the Norman conquest in the 11th century. But, as one would expect for a book written by a liberal in 2004, it’s also providing an opportunity to bash Bush.

As a liberal populist, Hartmann goes at lengths decrying what he describes as corporatism – the government cozying up to big business to effectively control the masses. In the following paragraphs, which is very representative of his ideological slant, Hartmann makes the corporatism-fascism nexus (page 22-23):

Beware: Tight control can look very good at first

When Germany faced the last depression, its government turned to a hand-in-glove partnership with corporations (including some American corporations, as has been shown in recent years) to solidify its power over its own people and to wage war on others.

When Benito Mussolini named this new form of corporate/state partnership “fascism” referring to the Roman fasces or bundle of sticks held together with a rope, that was the Caesars’ symbol of power, he said that the bundle represented the police and military powers of the state combined with the economic power of industry. The fascist system was adopted by Italy, Spain, Japan and Germany.

Using Hartmann’s own standards, he shouldn’t be surprised that in 2009, we can effectively substitute “America” for “Germany’ and “recession” for “last depression”.
And this brings us to the larger point: Sure, it was easy to bang on Republicans and Bush back in ’04 if you were a liberal/statist – banging on the other guy when you’re on the outs is to be expected. But how is that first paragraph working out for Hartmann, now?

Whatever dim view Hartmann may have had of Bush and the Republicans, how does the nationalization of the auto industry which included firing the CEO of Chrysler and jobbing the secured creditors in favor of the unions in the bankruptcy cramdown, the crony capitalism of the Environmental-Industrial complex and now the attempted nationalizing of the healthcare industry look through Hartmann’s liberal populist prism?

It can’t look good or else Hartmann is a complete hypocrite. Since the state of the American auto industry is not what it was in ’04, we don’t know how Hartmann would react to the fascist tactics employed by the Obama administration but we have a clue how he feels regarding Big Green and universal healthcare (we cheated and skipped ahead to Hartmann’s to-do list for returning to democracy which is to be totally confused with a liberal policy laundry list).

First on Big Green (p. 245-246):

Use tax incentives and grants to jump-start alternative energy

Jimmy Carter pioneered this during his time in the White House and the alternative energy industry was birthed from his tax cuts, tax credits and grants for solar, wind, water and other power sources.

We’ve seen how this all really works as Big Green is nothing more than crony capitalism dressed-up in the fineries of doing something about our dependence on fossil fuels and doing something about global-warming and of course we now know its all bullshit as it is the politically well-connected that are receiving the benefits of the Environmental-Industrial complex.

How about healthcare?

From p. 227:

Provide health care for all

Insurance companies take between 8 percent and 60 percent (with an average of 15 percent) of the money that flows through them to cover their overhead, administration, and profits.

Aside from the total incoherency of that sentence (how do you “cover” profits?), suffice to say Hartmann is a big fan of the single-payer system of “every other industrialized nation in the world”.

But how does nationalizing the healthcare industry to where the government is dictating the terms of coverage and forcing every single citizen to sign up with a private insurer anything other than the “hand-in-glove partnership with corporations”, Hartmann claims is an anathema to democracy?

We will continue reading the book as it looks like there is some good history but at this point we have to conclude that Thom Hartmann and many of those who bashed Bush for his power grabs but now support Obama's policies are big fat hypocrites.

Quote of the day

"That's going to cause us to make some real decisions as to who gets how much health care and when they get it… To the extent we need to raise taxes down the road we're going to have to sort of work our way down that income level starting with people making over $250,000 and maybe even going further down. I hope we don't have to do too much of that."

We actually posted this quote back in April of this year. It’s from Lawrence J. Haas, the former communications director for Al Gore and who, you can imagine, is a big fan of government-managed healthcare.

Consider this a reminder that even before “rationing” and “death panels” entered the rhetorical fray of the healthcare debate, proponents of Obamacare knew in their hearts, even if they denied it in public, that government-managed healthcare would indeed entail the same government picking winners and losers with respect to healthcare services.

Consider this also a reminder of the blatant hypocrisy of a set of people that occupy a band on the political spectrum that have conveniently tucked away displays of bumper sticker politics to the basement of their convictions.

The Great Dodge challenge

Last week, we blogged about Big Media’s KSM problem and of the Great Dodge. The Great Dodge is Big Media’s refusal to call on the carpet or at least question the Obama administration’s double standard regarding the civilian criminal trial of KSM. Both the President and the hack currently employed as this country’s attorney general, Eric Holder, have assured us that regardless of the outcome of KSM’s trial, the dangerous terrorist that he is, KSM would not be set free.

No one of which we have either yet heard or read has confronted this galling hypocrisy where KSM will be treated to the full benefits of America’s sense of justice and rule of law and its civil rights traditions… except that he won’t.

Defenders of the decision to try KSM in civilian court have been throwing out red herrings (the Islamic world will respect us for doing this... and whaddya mean it’s a bad idea to try KSM in New York? Who are the cowards now, conservatives?) left and right so as to not have to confront the unbearable reality that the trial of KSM is nothing more than a show trial.

Perhaps to incentivize a show of spine for those who have unflinchingly been accepting the Obama/Holder “logic” hook, line and teabag, we are issuing a challenge.

Upon reading the first reasonably coherent and consistent defense of the overarching KSM trial strategy that is presented either abroad or in the comment section of this blog, we will walk away from blogging forever*, no questions asked. It's that simple. If the hypocrisy can be rationalized then we shut down Beers with Demo and devote our remaining days to voluntary acts of charity and sobriety and involuntary acts of chastity.






* By employing the Obama/Holder KSM exit strategy, we’re not shutting down anything regardless of how eloquent and fluid the logic and will continue blogging at our normal course and speed.

Federalism for thee but not for ye

The White House has decided it will not waste federal resources in prosecuting medical marijuana users and suppliers but signed into law a ban on flavored cigarettes and of course deems it necessary for the federal government to get involved in your personal health care decisions.

B-Daddy asks: how the hell does all that make any sense?

NASA's newest astronaut is concerned... really, really concerned.

Unbelievable. Simply unbelievable.

Poor pathetic Nancy Pelosi bemoaning the lack of civility regarding the current political debates and fearing it could lead to violence.

An uncharacteristically emotional Nancy Pelosi is warning Republicans — and other groups getting whipped up over the health care debate — not to incite unstable supporters who might repeat acts of violence that struck San Francisco in the 1970s.

A top Pelosi aide later confirmed reporters' suggestions that her statement — a reference to the City Hall murder of gay rights activist Harvey Milk and Mayor George Moscone in November 1978 — an earth-shattering experience for Bay Area Democrats like the speaker.

Pelosi stumbled when asked about Rep. Joe Wilson's "You lie!" outburst and its impact on civility in the House, momentarily overcome by emotion.

See video here.

“I think we all have to take responsibilities for our actions and our words.”

“Some of the rhetoric is frightening.”

“I think they have to take responsibility for any incitement they may cause.”

We’re curious if any of this rhetoric entails calling the townhall protesters “un-American"? Would the Speaker like to take responsibility for that? And just wondering if any of this frightening rhetoric falls along the lines of one of her fellow elected representatives likening the same to the KKK.

Because if it is, then it’s a day late and a dollar short… and, we might add, directed the wrong way as it didn’t prevent an African-American from getting the crap beat out of him by union thugs at a townhall meeting (Kenneth Gladney is the only person thus far that can legitimately make the KKK charge).

And it hasn’t prevented the reckless and ad hominem charges of racism from everybody from cable talking heads to dottering former Presidents being directed at anyone who has had the temerity to exercise their 1st amendment rights in vocally opposing the President's ruinous proposals.

The whole “can’t we all just get along” plea is so bald-faced hypocritical it defies credulity.

It’s like Pelosi spent the last 3 or so months cut off from all the news of the world in the international space station and splashed down yesterday only to just discover all this mean and nasty stuff being cast about and then wimper (boo-hoo!) that we all need to take responsibility for what we say.

After you, madam.

Father of the Year

The First Family will be pleased to know that the head of the household loves them too much to entrust their health to the “public option”.

Devinsky asked the president pointedly if he would be willing to promise that he wouldn't seek such extraordinary help for his wife or daughters if they became sick and the public plan he's proposing limited the tests or treatment they can get.

The president refused to make such a pledge, though he allowed that if "it's my family member, if it's my wife, if it's my children, if it's my grandmother, I always want them to get the very best care.

Why?

Well let’s see: it's cheaper and unlike the public education system in that neck of the woods, it actually works. That should effectively end the argument.



"Everything else (that) they could've shut down... they take this one away."

Masters of the Obvious, we are.

Hey, give us a break. We gave Larry Craig the business here and here… you didn’t think we were going to let Spitzer off the hook now did you?

Those looks, well her look, has to be the most pitiable we’ve seen in ages. Its that mushroom cloud blooming over her marriage, her career, her children…. her entire life while she sticks it out (for now) next to Slappy.

Alright… enough of that. Here’s a roundup of related items:

Why’d he do it? Call it the Bill Maher syndrome: just makin’ up for some lost time. Also known in some circles as the BwD syndrome though its yet to kick in.

And Jonah Goldberg gives a nice “private matter/public shame” reading of the situation here.

Some thoughts on the matter here from a woman who probably cancels vacations when something like this goes down.

And this from ‘Kos-ville. Careful… what you’re about to read could be considered tantamount to waterboarding. Thankfully, the commenters take this idiot to task on account of his “logic”.

Finally, this from Dr. Laura on whom we could’ve bet would have a take like this. The woman is insane and we mean that in the most complimentary of ways.

H/T: Hot Air, Drudge, Daily Kos, NRO