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Krauthammer: For Obama, health care show must go on
Memphis Appeal ^ | 05/06/2010 | Charles Krauthammer

Posted on 03/05/2010 12:25:54 AM PST by ErnstStavroBlofeld

So the yearlong production, set to close after Massachusetts' devastatingly negative Jan. 19 review, saw the curtain raised one last time. Obamacare lives.

After 34 speeches, three sharp electoral rebukes (Virginia, New Jersey and Massachusetts) and a seven-hour seminar, the president announced Wednesday his determination to make one last push to pass his health care reform.

The final act was carefully choreographed. The rollout began a week earlier with a couple of shows of bipartisanship: a Feb. 25 Blair House "summit" with Republicans, followed five days later with a few concessions tossed the Republicans' way.

Among the few Republican suggestions President Barack Obama pretended to incorporate was tort reform. What did he suggest to address the plague of defensive medicine that a Massachusetts Medical Society study showed leads to about 25 percent of doctor referrals, tests and procedures being done for no medical reason? A few ridiculously insignificant demonstration projects amounting to one-half of one-hundredth of 1 percent of the cost of Obama's health care bill.

As for the Blair House seminar, its theatrical quality was obvious even before it began. The Democrats had already decided to go for a purely partisan bill. Obama signaled precisely that intent at the end of the summit show -- then dramatically spelled it out just six days later in his 35th health care speech: He is going for the party-line vote.

(Excerpt) Read more at commercialappeal.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Front Page News; Government; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: healthcare; krauthammer; obama; obamacare; socializedmedicine
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1 posted on 03/05/2010 12:25:54 AM PST by ErnstStavroBlofeld
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To: sonofstrangelove
It was Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., who in July, 2009 said, "If we're able to stop Obama on this, it will be his Waterloo. It will break him."

Explaining his comment, DeMint said that, if Socialized Medicine did not pass by the August, 2009 recess, the American people would learn what was in the bill and respond as the bill deserved.

Since The Obammunist has been president, there has been a haste to all socialist legislation because the Left cannot afford for the public to know in advance what they are up to.

yitbos

2 posted on 03/05/2010 12:39:10 AM PST by bruinbirdman ("Those who control language control minds.")
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To: sonofstrangelove

Krauthammer does another excellent piece.

It would make a great addition to Obama’s political obituary.


3 posted on 03/05/2010 12:43:19 AM PST by Gator113 (Obama is America's First FAILED "light skinned African American [Pres-ent] with no Negro dialect..")
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To: Gator113

Ok, what I don’t get is if the Democrats in the House can’t pass the Senate bill, and the Senate is only going to get a bill through by forcing a reconcilliation vote that only requires 50 votes +1, why isn’t Harry Reid just pushing the House bill in the Senate? Sure, he’ll lose Lieberman and Ben Nelsen and a few others, but he can afford to if 50 is the new threshhold.

Something to be wary of.


4 posted on 03/05/2010 1:11:56 AM PST by counterpunch (The Emperor has no Cloture)
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Comment #5 Removed by Moderator

To: sonofstrangelove
Thx Son, wonders never cease in the wired world! Krauthammer is published everywhere even in the Mempho Commie Appeal...as a long ago, short term resident of Memphis, home of one side of my family, I am amazed to see this ray of light published in Memphis, truly a den of corruption! I maintain that Obama has already suffered his Waterloo, what we are witnessing is the final death throes of the International Comintern’s vast dream of One World uber Alles. As General Jim Demint, hero from SC has declared, Freedom will prevail!
For a list of General Demint’s Battle Victories:
http://www.facebook.com/notes.php?id=19787180818
6 posted on 03/05/2010 1:22:16 AM PST by iopscusa (El Vaquero. (SC Lowcountry Cowboy))
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To: iopscusa
Ol' DeMint is keeping a wary eye on the final death throes of this Socialized Medicine/Universal Abortion legislation.

The Obammunist and his comrades still have some fruitless tricks up their ruffled sleeves.

yitbos

7 posted on 03/05/2010 1:37:35 AM PST by bruinbirdman ("Those who control language control minds.")
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To: counterpunch

There are two bills, the Senate Bill and the House Bill.

For the Senate to pass the House Bill, they have to vote on it and it would not be reconciliation, so Republicans could filibuster it.

To use reconciliation. the House must pass the Senate Bill or a version of it and then the Senate can go nuclear with it if it is aimed at deficit reduction which of course it is not, but that doesn’t matter to dems in the Senate.


8 posted on 03/05/2010 1:45:38 AM PST by Hostage
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To: sonofstrangelove; All
I found Ace's essay- and some of the comments that followed- "interesting," to say the least:

Posted by Ace at 08:06 PM New Comments Thingy

 
21  I think it's amazing that Obama is now reduced to arguing that we should destroy the American healthcare system, the American public be damned, just to save his Presidency.

Is that what his argument for Crap & Trade will be?
 
218 I have to admit that they have been clever. They have the media, they have the voter fraud, they have the universities, they have the aliens, they have the poor and the lazy. But we are still here and I think that there are more of us than there are of them---at least I think there are.

Like I said, Americans, most of which are not included in the list of people above, purchased 14 MILLION guns in 2009 alone. If it comes to it they will be prepared to separate.

When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
 
22  This is the end of the line.  Maybe they think Republicans can't repeal it, but passing this bill this way will bring white-hot hatred from the electorate.

Frankly, I knew this would be Obama's last pitch: Save me.

His presidency is over.  The only question is whether people will be disappointed or whether they will loathe him.


( I lean toward "fear & loathing," myself... )

9 posted on 03/05/2010 2:39:01 AM PST by backhoe (All Across America, the Lights are being relit again...)
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To: bruinbirdman

The thing I am concerned about at this point is that Stupak and his so called 12 that are opposing Obamacare on the issue of abortion only. They have no Concern about the rest of this Monstrosity,I believe that Obama is not going to let this fail over wording about Abortion,so we are screwed these Democrats will fold.
The only hope is that from what I heard is that the wording in the Bill cannot be Changed that would scuttle the Bill Because nothing can be Changed, I dont know if that is true or not


10 posted on 03/05/2010 3:07:32 AM PST by ballplayer
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To: backhoe

“they have the aliens”

Only those who cross our borders by conventional means. I have it on good authority that that the real “aliens” are warming up their death rays for the RATS.


11 posted on 03/05/2010 3:21:03 AM PST by rod1
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To: ballplayer

That is why we can encourage each little group to stand on their STATED priciple and prove they are not being bought. I don’t care if they don’t like the bill because it uses one word too many times and might contribut to vocabulary shortages. If they have started they would vote against it because that is important to them,

......then we must insist they have to prove it (or prove they can be bought and will embrace a non-existance change in the bill). Enough REPS whose feet and in the fire on their own statements and no sham “I got the bill changed” will work.


12 posted on 03/05/2010 3:26:06 AM PST by rod1
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To: ballplayer

Right, the bill cannot be changed. And here is the kicker, BUDGET reconciliation which is being threatened cannot be used to change things like the abortion language, AND...Harry Reid has made it known there will be such attempted change. Harry and Nancy are prepared to sacrifice on of their own, a peon Congressman. So there we have it folks a Mexican stand-off, will Stupak cave?


13 posted on 03/05/2010 3:57:20 AM PST by pburgh01
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To: sonofstrangelove
Obama only needs the House of Representatives to pass the Senate version as it has most of the important provisions, nationalization en route, mandatory abortion funding, etc. Obama can then declare success.

Reconciliation is only a ruse to secure House votes.

14 posted on 03/05/2010 3:58:22 AM PST by ricks_place
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To: Hostage
What confuses me is, if what you say is true, what is this talk about Obama tossing the Pubs a few bones with such things as tort reform. How can any bone even be added to either the House or Senate bill and still be handled in reconciliation if no changes would be allowed?

And if a change is put in, aren't we back to square one with filibuster in the Senate?

15 posted on 03/05/2010 4:07:37 AM PST by USNA74
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To: sonofstrangelove

Serious question. Why is Krauthammer’s opinion so important ?


16 posted on 03/05/2010 4:23:24 AM PST by Raycpa
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To: USNA74

Tort reform is not a mere bone but an entire appendage and is not being offered by the Obammunist. Hence,the bill still sucks.


17 posted on 03/05/2010 4:25:24 AM PST by wiggen (Never in the history of our great country have the people had less representation than they do today)
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To: ballplayer

Bart Stupak has also said on Fox News that there were a lot of other people not voting for the bill for other reasons. He said they would not attach their names to a bill that was headed for reconciliation.


18 posted on 03/05/2010 4:44:28 AM PST by thethirddegree
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To: AdmSmith; Berosus; bigheadfred; Convert from ECUSA; dervish; Ernest_at_the_Beach; Fred Nerks; ...
After 34 speeches, three sharp electoral rebukes (Virginia, New Jersey and Massachusetts) and a seven-hour seminar, the president announced Wednesday his determination to make one last push to pass his health care reform. The final act was carefully choreographed.
That thing you smell is the rotting of the Obama administration. But, K is right, Zero needs O-care because he's literally had NO other successes with his announced agenda -- the unannounced stuff such as taking over large industries, he hadn't announced. Thanks sonofstrangelove.
19 posted on 03/05/2010 4:57:50 AM PST by SunkenCiv (Freedom is Priceless.)
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To: USNA74

The Senate can amend their bill and then the House can vote on their amended bill.

It’s an awful game played in Congress. Reps and Senators can vote for one thing and against the samething, and then claim either.

A lot of amendments are farces and are put up just so a member can say they voted or did not vote on a certain issue etc.

The principle is that the House representing the People votes on the final bill and the Senate representing the States (at one time) plays the role of referee or parent. If the Senate votes on a House Bill with no changes, then it need not be voted again by the House.


20 posted on 03/05/2010 5:14:39 AM PST by Hostage
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