Donald Trump Just Publicly Embraced the WORST Part of Obamacare [VIDEO] [Ind. Mandate]

PoliStick ^ | February 19, 2016 | Matthew K. Burke

[SoConPubbie]

Donald Trump: “I like the mandate.”

Donald Trump has often promised to repeal the “disaster” that is Obamacare and he’s right, it is a disaster.

But at Thursday night’s CNN Republican Presidential Town Hall in South Carolina, Donald Trump embraced what is easily the worst part of Obamacare, the anti-free market “individual mandate” which forces Americans to buy only government-approved health care insurance, whether they want to or not.

To justify his support for the Obamacare mandate, Donald Trump uses leftist talking points of not wanting people to “die in the streets,” as if they has ever happened in America — before or after Obamacare.

Here’s how Donald Trump answered CNN’s Anderson Cooper last night (emphasis added):

DONALD TRUMP:“Well, I like the mandate. OK. So here’s where I’m a little bit different. I don’t want people dying on the streets and I say this all the time. And I say this – look, I did five speeches, maybe six speeches today. We had a lot of rallies. We had of thousands and thousands of people. I mean, we get big crowds.“

Allow me to break down the “logic” of this:

1. Trump promises to get rid of Obamacare.
2. Americans are, or have been “dying in the streets.”
3. He wants to KEEP the worst part of Obamacare — the “mandate.”
4. Don’t worry, folks, because he gets big crowds and standing ovations, just like Obama did with his worshipers in 2008, and that makes everything just swell.

WATCH BELOW:

WATCH HERE

[kiryandil]

The little cruzers who cried “Trump”...

[DoodleDawg]

Fine. You favor a member of the political class, someone who has spent most of his working life feeding at the government trough. If you typify the average Cruz supporter, then it shows how difficult it will be for Cruz to govern. Ideologues don’t do well in executive positions unless they govern using executive orders.

And you favor a moderate who is really an unknown. You hope that his professed shift to the right is real but at the end you don't know. What you do know that he's proud of being a deal-maker. But you don't know what principles he will toss out the window just to make his deal, assuming he has principles to begin with.

[diamond6]

Principles aren’t important to him.

Just build the damn wall!

If “working life feeding at the government trough” is what you call writing constitutional legal opinions for Justice Rehnquist and arguing before the Supreme Court nine times, give me more like Ted!

Why is this such a horrible thing?

Is he not the most knowledgeable consitutionalist we have running?

Don’t you think he could do a pretty damn good job deciding on a Supreme Court justice who will stick to the Constitution?

A President is supposed to follow the Constitution.

I’m not sure if Donnie even knows the Constitution.

[kabar]

If we don’t appoint the right Supreme Court justice, you can forget about everything else, because our rights and liberties will go down the drain. A leftist Supreme Court will take everything away.

Rather thin gruel to base a political philosophy. I disagree profoundly with your priority issue. If we don't get the immigration issue right, it really won't matter about who is appointed to SCOTUS. We will lose this country thru the ballot box. The Dems are well on their way to becoming the permanent majority party. They can shape the Constitution any way they want. Demography is destiny.

By the way, instead of just cutting and posting a diatribe that you could have summarized in two sentences, what do YOU really believe at your core?

First of all, it is not a "diatribe." You seem to not grasped what is being discussed. You should reead the entire article along with the referenced Samuel Francis piece. It may be too long for you to read.

The Dems have won the popular vote in five out the last six elections with Obama getting the two highest vote two highest vote totals in US history. See my post #232.

The problem is that we will not win national elections espousing the traditional conservative bromides, i.e., individual liberty, limited government, fiscal discipline, etc. They are not resonating with the majority of people and they will over time as the demographics change marginalize our candidates.

Trump has demonstrated through populism and nationalism, you can broaden your appeal and actually win. We are being tyrannized by the ruling class, which are really the establishments of both parties. They are the ones who are oppressing and limiting our liberties thru laws and regulations.

Trump is conservative on some issues and liberal/moderate on others. He is not orthodox or a prisoner to dogma. The only way we (the people) can regain control over this country is to galvanize the electorate around nationalism and pro-American (vice globalist)policies.

For example, why would we bring in 1.1 million legal permanent immigrants a year and 640,000 guest workers annually when we have the lowest labor participation rates in 38 years. We have a huge labor surplus but continue to import more workers. Immigrants use the welfare system to a greater extent than the native born. We are importing poverty. Our social safety net is being torn apart and the costs to the taxpayer go up. The lack of jobs causes all kinds of social problems. Yet we continue to export our manufacturing base overseas taking good paying jobs out of this country. The 75% of Americans without college degrees are being hurt, but even those with college degrees now find it difficult to find jobs while being burdened by huge debt. Is it any wonder that Bernie Sanders is finding fertile ground with young people?

If we can't win the WH, we can't appoint SCOTUS justices. We can't stop the tyranny of the political class.

[kabar]

And you favor a moderate who is really an unknown. You hope that his professed shift to the right is real but at the end you don't know.

I care about issues, not labels. Immigration is the litmus test for me.

hat you do know that he's proud of being a deal-maker. But you don't know what principles he will toss out the window just to make his deal, assuming he has principles to begin with.

So we have a Rep controlled Congress that gives Obama everything he wants. We have controlled the House since 2011 and have yet to use the power of the purse to stop Obama's agenda. You seem to hold Trump to a higher standard than the political class, which has lied to us and implemented policies that hurt American workers and the country. I'll take my chances with the outsider who self-funds his campaign and is not a prisoner of special interests.

[patq]

Keep telling yourself that. We will see tomorrow.

[pollywog]

Check back with us next year, if he ends up in the Oval Office.....

[diamond6]

You’ve made a great case for tamping down on the immigration problem, and I don’t disagree that we need to address that immediately.

However, I disagree with your premise that Cruz can’t possibly win.

We haven’t had a principled, solid conservative as a candidate since Reagan, and we keep on putting up RINOs as candidates. I believe Trump is another RINO in sheep’s clothing. I’m hoping I’m wrong, but, apparently, even you would agree.

The problem hasn’t been that our candidates have been TOO conservative, it’s that they haven’t been conservative enough. People will come around to our way of thinking if we just talk common sense with them. The case for that message has not been really been effectively communicated by a Republican candidate since Reagan. I don’t believe we get anywhere by being more like the ‘rats. That’s already been tried again and again, and it never works!!!

Furthermore, Trump’s pissing off a ton of people. The latest poll I saw shows he has 60% unfavorable rating. How’s he going to win with that??

And if we get the Supreme Court wrong, we will pay for it forever, because any decisions that are decided now will be precedents for the future. Our constitutional principles have already been severely eroded. Any more erosion, and we will be France.

I don’t believe we should just settle. We’ve been doing that for years, and it’s gotten us nowhere.

I believe Cruz is the right candidate at the right time. He believes in conservative ideals, he can communicate the message effectively, and I also believe he will build that damn wall!

What’s not to like?

[diamond6]

I’m still waiting for your source....

.....

Oh, that’s right. It’s about as real as Donnie’s defamation lawsuit...

...

[patq]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/3399283/posts?page=249#239

[Carry_Okie]

You haven't a clue. I am talking about legal permanent immigrants.

I knew you were. We're starting with 15 million already here that Trump intends to bring back rapidly on an expedited basis. When he builds his wall with its great beautiful door, you'll get even worse.

In the mean time, you think he's the only one who will do anything to stem legal immigration. I guess you didn't read Cruz' immigration plan:

Halt any increases in legal immigration so long as American unemployment remains unacceptably high. The purpose of legal immigration should be to grow the economy, not to displace American workers. Under no circumstances should legal immigration levels be adjusted upwards so long as work-force participation rates remain below historical averages. Gilmore had the same plan. You didn't even read either.

[diamond6]

You are your own source?

Wow. That’s credible.

[diamond6]

You don’t understand.

Donnie is the only anti-immigration Messiah.

At least, that’s what the Pied Piper Donnie has led them to believe...

[shotgun]

You forgot to add while they scream CONTEXT! WHATS THE CONTEXT!

[Heart of Georgia]

I was finally able to watch the video .. I don’t know why there’s any confusion about it. How can what Trump says directly after Cooper asks the question be taken any other way than it sounds?

Cooper’s question: If obamacare’s repealed, and there’s no mandate for everybody to have insurance...

Trump’s answer: I like the mandate.

He’s right about needing to do something quickly, and we’ve got to have competition, but I do wish he’d stop saying he doesn’t want people dying in the streets.

Of course we don’t want that, but it’s not happening and not going to happen. And it wasn’t happening when the dems were saying it while ramming obamacare down our throats.

He didn’t finish his thought about doctors and hospitals not doing well. Where was he going with that?

He does this trailing off and interruption of thought often enough that it’s become a huge problem with me. I want to understand his reasoning on the issue he’s discussing, and this habit makes it extremely difficult to do that.

[kabar]

We haven’t had a principled, solid conservative as a candidate since Reagan, and we keep on putting up RINOs as candidates.

True enough. But Cruz has changed his position on various issues, including immigration. Perceptions often substitute for reality. Cruz has been portrayed as a far right ideologue who is despised by his fellow senators, none of whom have endorsed him. He comes across as preachy and self-righteous wearing his religion on his sleeve. The Dems outnumber the Reps. How much crossover appeal will Cruz have? He is a first term senator (like Obama and Rubio) with little experience in the private sector and limited executive experience. He is no Reagan in terms of likability.

I believe Trump is another RINO in sheep’s clothing. I’m hoping I’m wrong, but, apparently, even you would agree.

Trump defies labels. Everyone knows he is not a conservative. But he also not a career politician. He is a real outsider who has self-funded his campaign and owes no one anything. Cruz receives contributions from Goldman Sachs, the Club for Growth, oil and gas interests, and a billionaire hedge fund guy.

The problem hasn’t been that our candidates have been TOO conservative, it’s that they haven’t been conservative enough. People will come around to our way of thinking if we just talk common sense with them. The case for that message has not been really been effectively communicated by a Republican candidate since Reagan.

The conservative message isn't resonating, even in the GOP primary. Trump swept all demographics in NH, including the very conservative. He is holding his own with conservatives and evangelicals in SC.

Demographically, we live in a far different country than when Reagan was elected. Reagan would not be elected governor in CA today. By 2019 half of the children 18 and under will be minorities as classified by the USG. Each cohort that turns 18 annually is more Dem and minority than the previous one. By 2043 non-Hispanic whites, the GOP power base will be 50% of the population down from 89% in 1970 and 63% today. We are in the era of tribal politics. The Dems are on the cusp of being the permanent majority party.

The way to penetrate Dem constituencies is to use populist issues and nationalism. Immigration is a wedge issue for Reps, a winning issue if it is used properly. About two years ago, Jeff Sessions wrote a brilliant article giving the template for victory, Becoming the Party of Work--How the GOP can help struggling Americans, and itself. I won't cut and paste. I doubt you will read it, but it should be required reading for every GOP candidate at any level. Trump is the only one using it.

Furthermore, Trump’s pissing off a ton of people. The latest poll I saw shows he has 60% unfavorable rating. How’s he going to win with that??

He is winning in the GOP primaries with that. And I guess the Dems don't seem to mind with Hillary having 58% unfavorability ratings. These polls are of little value until we get to the general election. Trump rates high on leadership, management of the economy, immigration, and trade. The best poll is the election results. Let's see how Trump does tomorrow here in SC. FWIW: Ben Carson has the highest favorability ratings. How is that working out for him?

And if we get the Supreme Court wrong, we will pay for it forever, because any decisions that are decided now will be precedents for the future. Our constitutional principles have already been severely eroded. Any more erosion, and we will be France.

First you have to win the WH. The Reps have lost the popular vote in 5 out of the last 6 elections with Obama getting the two highest totals in American history. If we nominate another member of the political class who can't connect with the average voter, we will lose again. The GOP is a dying party. A loss will probably result in a splintering of various factions and the birth of a new party(s).

This is the year of the outsider. The success of a 74 year old avowed Socialist against the Clinton machine, should give us a good indication of how pissed off the people are. Trump's populist, nationalistic message is resonating. Some polls say he could get up to 25% of the black vote. If that happens, the Dems are finished. Trump has energized the party resulting in getting more voters out to the polls and watching the debates. I have been to one of his rallies. They are electric reminding me of the Palin rally I attended in 2008. Trump is a celebrity with 92% name recognition only topped by Hillary's 94%. He has been in people's homes for 14 years thru his TV program.

Trump the billionaire seems to connect better with the average voter than any of the others. And Trump is not a politician nor has he ever run for political office. He is learning on the job, which should be frightening to the others. He has mastered the social media with close to 6 million followers on Twitter.

I believe Cruz is the right candidate at the right time. He believes in conservative ideals, he can communicate the message effectively, and I also believe he will build that damn wall!

The conservative message isn't resonating like Trump's. Why did Trump clean his clock in NH? Why is Trump doing so well in every state. He is either first or second seemingly everywhere.

No one would really be talking about the wall if Trump didn't join the race. I know for a fact that the RNC wanted to minimize the immigration issue in the campaign/ Cruz has moved from legalization to deportation over the past few months. He has moved closer to the Trump position.

In any event, we will find out tomorrow night where the race stands. A strong victory for Trump and anything less than second for Cruz will be very bad for Cruz and the field. Bush will drop out after SC meaning that Rubio will get a boost in the polls probably topping Cruz on Super Tuesday. Exciting stuff. I can't wait to vote tomorrow. As has become the norm, a record turnout is expected. I will be at the polls helping the Trump campaign. Cheers.

[kabar]

knew you were. We're starting with 15 million already here that Trump intends to bring back rapidly on an expedited basis. When he builds his wall with its great beautiful door, you'll get even worse.

Where has Trump said he will bring them all back. He made an off the cuff remark that he would allow the good ones back, but they would have to come here legally. As someone who has actually issued visas, it will be very difficult for the vast majority of them to come back even on tourist visas let alone a permanent immigrant visa. In addition to entering illegally, the lawbreakers have committed multiple crimes like ID theft, working illegally, lying on federal forms, tax evasion, etc.

Trump has said in his position paper that we will return legal immigration back to their historic levels, which means 200,000 a year. Have you read Trump's position paper on immigration?

In the mean time, you think he's the only one who will do anything to stem legal immigration. I guess you didn't read Cruz' immigration plan:

Absolutely. As soon as it came out. I am part of a grassroots immigration group that lobbies on the Hill. I have been involved with the immigration issue for the past nine years.

Cruz promises not to increase legal immigration. Trump says:

The influx of foreign workers holds down salaries, keeps unemployment high, and makes it difficult for poor and working class Americans – including immigrants themselves and their children – to earn a middle class wage. Nearly half of all immigrants and their US-born children currently live in or near poverty, including more than 60 percent of Hispanic immigrants. Every year, we voluntarily admit another 2 million new immigrants, guest workers, refugees, and dependents, growing our existing all-time historic record population of 42 million immigrants. We need to control the admission of new low-earning workers in order to: help wages grow, get teenagers back to work, aid minorities’ rise into the middle class, help schools and communities falling behind, and to ensure our immigrant members of the national family become part of the American dream.

Requirement to hire American workers first. Too many visas, like the H-1B, have no such requirement. In the year 2015, with 92 million Americans outside the workforce and incomes collapsing, we need companies to hire from the domestic pool of unemployed. Petitions for workers should be mailed to the unemployment office, not USCIS.

Immigration moderation. Before any new green cards are issued to foreign workers abroad, there will be a pause where employers will have to hire from the domestic pool of unemployed immigrant and native workers. This will help reverse women's plummeting workplace participation rate, grow wages, and allow record immigration levels to subside to more moderate historical averages.

[Lagmeister]

Because it’s both an incredibly stupid assumption and a lie.

[only1percent]

The individual mandate is far from the worst thing about Obamacare. Once you’ve decided to make pre-existing conditions not excludable from health insurance, you MUST have an individual mandate or the moral hazard issues become unmanageable. In other words, the individual mandate was a shining moment of rationality in the Obamacare construct.

And even without Obamacare, if we’re not going to turn people away from the emergency room (which is the legal status quo going on 30 years) than we get that moral hazard without even having a no-pre-existing-condition exclusion on insurance.

[Lagmeister]

Beautifully written.