Ok, we all have our own opinion on the matter, and some people feel very strongly about it, The Wulfshead is no exception---jin made it unambiguously clear where she stood on the issue. And this is the way it should be---this is a free country (or so they keep telling us).
But, seriously now, isn't this taking it a little bit too far, now?
Have you no sense of decency people, at long last?
Have you left no sense of decency?-
It's the god that failed.
ReplyDeleteIn reverse.
And let's hope it really fails.
They’re fighting a battle to the death. These people are not fake, necessarily astroturf, though perhaps exploited by big moneyed interests. Whipping them up. But for 8 years they were riding high. The presidency of George W. Bush was a great morale boost, though only offering a modicum of what they desired. And toward the end they even began to protest and complain about Bush. He didn’t go far enough. But look at the change. No god in schools, no toting assault rifles through kindergarten parking lots. No common worldwide enemy among dark skinned turban-wearing peoples. No fear and horror over the plague of illegals crossing our borders. No bombing the hell out of them. (Does it matter who?)
ReplyDeleteNo. Obama comes along and threatens all that. Why, the guy is even black, fer Chris’sakes. And he can actually begin a sentence, work on it for a while, do some interesting loops, and come out at the other end without having fallen on his face. Now how often could Bush do that?
They see their world crumbling all around them. No wonder they’re mad. They had it pretty good for awhile: no more. Their America is crumbling and all they can do is shout. Wave their guns. Stomp their feet and draw Hitler moustaches on Obama.
So let’s, as a cognizant political body, recognize this is the culture wars in its last (well, quite probably not) gasp. They’re fighting for their lives. Thus the passion, thus the anger. Should we be held back?
teeheeeee!
ReplyDelete*blush*
You remembered that comment after this length of time... stored in your mental rolodex... awaiting an opportunity merely to recall it???
Colour me jinpressed.
I suppose I must give my 2 scents yet again... oh dear, my bad, I've got chocolate & coconut in front of me... I meant my $0.02.
"NO Pubic Option"
???
Ahhh... so "To shave or not to shave is not the Question?"
Well... let me tell you... the day that I am told when I can't shave is the day I will stand up proudly in the middle of that crowd & drop trou... sans coiffure, of course.
;-)
Resisting comment on jin's delicious promise to appear entirely naked around here someday, I return to the issue of healthcare...and refer you to Matt Taibbi's lament in the latest Rolling Stone. http://www.rollingstone.com/issue1086 He concludes~~~
ReplyDelete"Then again, some of the blame has to go to all of us. It’s more than a little conspicuous that the same electorate that poured its heart out last year for the Hallmark-card story line of the Obama campaign has not been seen much in this health care debate. The handful of legislators--- the Weiners, Kuciniches, Wydens and Sanderses--- who are fighting for something real should be doing so with armies at their back. Instead, all the noise is being made on the other side. Not so stupid after all--- they, at least, understand that politics is a fight that does not end with the wearing of a T-shirt in November."
Nearly all the blame has to go onto us. After all, we, as a people, elected these people to represent us. Our advanced democracy allows us to choose our own oligarchs. If we were wiser we would choose otherwise. Tom Ridge’s memoirs reveal that the Bush administration manipulated the terror alerts to benefit themselves politically at election time. Many of us saw and knew that was going on. But apparently their manipulations worked. Who’s to blame for allowing that success?
ReplyDeleteIn fairness to President Obama he is being asked to do the impossible. This is the United States of America, after all. And though the rest of the civilized world (and there are surely times when it is questionable if we are truly civilized) has universal healthcare we have the Religion of Capitalism fully imbedded here, an orthodoxy which is hard to shake. What's more, millions of Obama's opponents see their dream of not only the orthodoxy but of a Christian hegemony slipping away. They truly do believe they are losing their freedom and common sense is not about to dissuade them. There is more here than being bought up by the corporations.
It's too early for the post mortems on the Obama presidency. He may fail, though let's at least give him credit for attempting to finally bring a national healthcare system to this country. While the overall proposal may not be perfect, or the best we can choose, which I think would be single payer, it is probably about as good as can be expected from this orthodox capitalist country.
We are in the midst of a Congressional recess now. That empty space is being filled by a great deal of noise. Much of it raucous coming from the far right seeing their dream slip away. It ain't over until it's over. I hope those who believe the Obama administration is essentially corrupt are wrong. Though I can't say with any thorough confidence they are.
Sorry, I can't open the Taibbi piece. Would it be possible to copy and paste it here or on your own site?
So who's the beautiful chic in red up there? Is that the delectable no we can't Jin of the luscious pastries?
ReplyDeleteThat this debate should have this amount of vitriol and passion attached to it prior to any actual bill being offered for consideration is utterly ludicrous. Doesn't anybody remember their scoolhouse rock lessons on government and how it works? Am I the only one who remembers 'I'm only a Bill'. That this incredible uproar should have been created over something NOBODY has read and NOBODY actually knows what is contained therein is such an obvious scare tactic from the far right that it is unbelievable that the press and a large portion of America has fallen for this crap. How about we debate something that actually exists and we all have the same set of facts on? This cynical manipulation of groups of the population that they actually don't care about is a repeated tactic of the Republican party that should be nakedly obvious to anyone with some common sense. The tactic started by their cynical adoption of the right to lifers in order to co-opt the previously solid South. The true core of the Republican agenda is to protect the wealthy and privileged from the rest of us and to make sure their little club stays that way. To actually believe they have ANY common cause with the rest of the population on any issue other than to protect their own money and power is to fall for their ruse.
ReplyDeleteWell, the overall outlines are known. The most contentious being the "public option" which the right rightly sees as eventually leading to single payer.
ReplyDeleteFrom my point of view that eventuality is actually quite good. And the illogic of protecting the private insurers by those who are exploited by the private insurance companies is astonishing, explained only by an unflexible belief in the capitalist orthodoxy. And other rightwing chimera.
If the public option offers a better deal then consumers will drop their private policies in order to take it. According to the Republicans that's bad. But shouldn't Americans (obviously) look after their own healthcare needs first before considering the profits of the private insurers? And a superior, cheaper public option would be disastrous to the private insurers.
But neither Republicans or Democrats want to touch that obvius truth, for the reality is simply too hot and charged to handle. So the Democrats say the public option is only intended to keep the private insurers "honest." And the Republicans clam it will lead to "socialism."
Yes, the insurance companies are fighting for their life, assisted by millions of blind believers, including the birthers, right to lifers, 2nd amendment types, and those who believe government can't do anything right as an article of faith. All this goes into the cauldron. Add fear, ignorance, and exploitation and we obtain a long hot summer.
Let's hope some cold air enters the fray when Congress comes back. Polls seem to say most Americans want the public option. Perhaps we're not as foolish as we appear on cable TV?
My point would be that by putting the debate so far in front of an actual proposal (ie a bill) they have made sure that they polarize the population on the basis of sketchy at best information and make any meaningful debate nearly impossible - part of the strategy is to scare people enough with false information so that when the real bill actually exists there will be no real debate or consideration of what is actually proposed, what it will actually cost, how it is actually proposed to be paid for - I vote we take back those banking and insurance bonus payments given for doing a crap ass job (paying for talent? what talent? they sold the whole damn country down the river - don't pay the damn bonuses, fire their asses, prosecute them and send them down here to Angola to spend the rest of their lives doing manual labor to repay us) Why as a country do we continue to prop up the greedy and self involved CEO's of the world and ask the rest of us to sacrifice for them while they spend their lives poisoning our bodies and our environment for the sole purpose of their profit?
ReplyDeleteYeah, you're right.
ReplyDeleteWe all knew any type of "reform" would include a titanic battle. We shouldn't be too surprised by any of this.
At this time we have the jitters it may all fall apart. At worst we may get some kind of healthcare "reform" which resembles Medicare Part D. A boondogle.
But it ain't over until it's over. Onward.