Mad About Obamacare? Blame Bush

American Spectator ^ | March 21, 2010 | Philip Kline

[ejdrapes]

Mad About Obamacare? Blame Bush
By Philip Klein on 3.21.10 @ 11:27PM

They did it.

Despite an overwhelming public backlash and the likely political ramifications, Democrats cut deals and twisted arms and got the votes they needed, winning by a 219 to 212 margin. While the reconciliation process still remains, it’s a sideshow at this point. The United States is a presidential signature away from having national health care.

Suffice it to say, as somebody who has spent the past year working to expose the devastating consequences of this legislation and who values individual liberty, this is a sad day. And I’m working on a longer piece right now for tomorrow’s site about the ongoing fight against its provisions, which just got a lot harder. But as upset as I am, I can’t pin the blame entirely on Democrats.

The reason is that by passing this bill, liberal Democrats were just doing what liberal Democrats do – raising taxes and expanding the role of government in our lives. Liberals have been working for decades to impose national health care on America. It’s been their Holy Grail. It should have been apparent to everybody that once they took over Congress and the presidency that it would be their top domestic priority. All of the leading Democratic presidential candidates proposed health care plans roughly along the lines of what passed today.

The question conservatives should be asking though, is how did we get in this position in the first place? How come, over the course of two elections, Democrats were able to take back the White House and amass substantial majorities in both chambers of Congress, allowing them to enact this sweeping legislation with no Republican votes – and huge defections in their own party?

[A message]

Baloney. I blame stupid American voters who vote for Socialists and Communists because they always vote Democrat and will vote Democrat even if their eating stone soup every night.

I blame voters who would prefer to be slaves than freemen.

I blame apathy and laziness as the choice too many Americans make every election rather than seek information that would allow them to make an intelligent choice.

[Indy Pendance]

I blame the DOT. Damn them for that fricking sign that says, ‘don’t harass me’ or I’ll call my mommy.

[Dallas59]

uncooperative right hand fingers...;-)

[Chgogal]

Obama, if the US loses its AAA rating you will own that, not Bush, but YOU!

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aYUeBnitz7nU

[SmokingJoe]

Was Bush partly resposnsiblke for Republian loses in 2006 and 2008? Sure.
And did Bush's(and Rove’s) backing of Arlene Specter lead directly to the the Democrats having a filibuster proof majority in the US Senate in order to pass 0bamcare ? You bet.
But this is no time for looking back to 2008. This is a time for action to take the Democrats down in November and crush 0bama in 2012, then repeal 0bamacare. I am not going to waste time on Bush right now.

[Reagan Man]

>>>>>> ... none of this would have been possible without George W. Bush -- or more broadly speaking, Bush era Republicanism. ... it should also be remembered as the day that Bush cemented his legacy as one of the most destructive presidents for advocates of limited government.

Agreed!

[Cold Heat]

Republicans squandered the 8 years they had with Bush in office. Now we're stuck with Zero

Yeah.....so all these angry repubs voted for Obama?

What happened was the the party fractured and we ended up with a lousy primary. Bush did not cause that. He was leaving. It was the fight for his replacement where we formed a circular firing squad and killed our own asses.

Bush did nothing to cause that. Greed and political stupidity did. "If I can't have my way I'll screw you!" was the motto.

We got what we deserved and asked for.

[April Lexington]

Mexico is going to have one heck of a fight on its hands trying to capture California from the Chinese. Obama will likely sell California to the Chinese to pay off the debt. Just like Russia sold us Alaska to pay off its debt.

[coconut47]

I blame every dumbass that voted for Obama and I hope the Democrats choke on their votes!

[SoCal Pubbie]

Is this a joke? The seeds of our current situation were planted long before Bush ever went to Washington. The ability to label George W Bush as a buffoon, simpleton, and lying Nazi were sown in the 1960’s, when academia refused to respond to campus takeovers with the proper response that was due those red diaper doper babies. Failure to hold the line ever since, in the media, newspapers, and TV news was instrumental in creating a class of people dedicated to convincing the American public that the original sin of white guilt had to be exorcised by the election of Barack Obama. Blaming Bush, who was an uneven President to be sure, is like blaming a riveter in Belfast for the sinking of the Titanic

[Indy Pendance]

Lucky you, you got a good screen name. Kudos!

[softwarecreator]

More like a freudian slip?  =)

[Salamander]

I got the crap flamed outta me for saying that pre-election.

McCain is a freaking loser RINO without equal but I think he wouldn’t have done anything as tyrannical as *this*.

Take cold comfort in the fact that all of those who stayed home to “teach Republicans a lesson” are now in the same boat as those of us who sucked it up and voted any way.

At least *we* tried to stop it before it began.

I’m sure I’ll get flamed again for saying it now but I no longer care, after today’s [latest] coup.

God help us, God protect us, God have mercy on us and most importantly, God give us the strength to aright this abomination.

[Jewels1091]

in a heart beat!

[montag813]

Sad to say it, but I agree with this. Republicans squandered the 8 years they had with Bush in office.

Bush made this decision by being the "war president". But he didn't even communicate his approach towards the wars directly to the American people. He just kept quiet for 18 months, while his numbers went down the rathole, and I had to listen to Veterans in the grocery store bash him, when I saw those same folks with Bush/Cheney 04 stickers just a few years earlier.

It all started downhill right after the re-election, when he said he was going to use some of his political capital...on Social Security reform that had ZERO chance of passing the Senate? Then he had his AG appoint Fitzgerald as a spec prosecutor in the ridiculous "Plame affair". More self-inflicted wounds.

He passed bankruptcy reform--but let Tom Delay block a key amendment which would have exempted those provably caused by medical bills--a HUGE blunder that left an issue open to the Dems for this very debate now.

He refused to pursue drilling in ANWR with a 90% post-9/11 approval rating! Oil from ANWR would be flowing next year if he had put his capital behind a major issue like that. And it could have opened up huge offshore drilling momentum--again taking away a big issue for the Dems as oil prices exploded.

And he did not propose ANYTHING to reform health care. NADA. Well, speaking of "Nada", he did try to push illegal amnesty, but let's please not raise my blood pressure and further...

[Indy Pendance]

So would I. 43 is a good man.

[surfer]

Absolutely spot on. If it weren’t for the idiot Bush we wouldn’t have idiot part deux today.

The most famous line he ever spoke...

I had to abandon the principles of the free market to save the free market...

AYE YI YI!!! spoken like a true progressive!

[Dallas59]

In some ways he was close..

[dajeeps]

"I blame all the couch potatoes that were teaching the republicans a lesson! They more than helped this sad excuse for a president get into office! They didn't vote because they were having a temper tantrum because 100% of the republicans weren't 100% clones of themselves.

I can think of a number of high profile conservatives who lead the couchpotato brigade. Of course now they have changed their tune when they see that elections really do have consequences. Surely they never meant for a Marxist to win the White House, but what's one little mistake between a host and loyal viewers?

[April Lexington]

Who in the hell would invest in a country that is circling the drain? Nobody is buying Greek bonds today. America is a bankrupt socialist state with a crazy dictator leading us into servitude. Americans either stand up NOW and take this country back (by expelling many of our socialist neighbors) or bend over and kiss the proverbial posterior goodbye.