The Fox News Interview With Obama: The Old Rope-A-Dope

17:00 Central Time

Bret Baier asks his first question about the Slaughter Rule: Yes or no, do you support this approach to passage?

Obama immediately begins to bob and weave. At 9 minutes after, he's still bobbing and weaving, changing the subject, refusing to acknowledge his own words as a Senator.

He still won't answer the question--he's conducting his own filibuster!

Won't answer about specific state-by-state deals. He claims the process is transparent, that 'everyone knows' what's in the bill.

Bret keeps attempting to pose a question, and Obama won't stop jabbering. It's like Bill Clinton from the late 1990's.

12 after--he's still jabbering.

Baier is asking about Medicare.

Baier quotes the chief actuary contradicting Obama's claims. Obama brushes it aside.
More double-talk.

18 after--still jabbering.

This lowers the number of questions that can be asked, of course.

19 after--Baier APOLOGIZES to Himself!?!?!?!?!?????

Obama is acting outrageously, and will not answer questions. He talks, and talks, and talks, generating words and confusion.

Yet one more post-modern president...

This did not go well for Himself, which explains the wierd statement release just before the interview aired, accusing Fox News of spreading lies, naming Glenn Beck in particular.

Looked at WhiteHouse.gov for the quote, and it's not there. Will have to search further.

For the younger ones amongst you: The 'Rope-A-Dope' was Muhammed Ali's technique for winning fights. He would lean against the ropes, raise his arms, and let opponents beat themselves into exhaustion and frustration. Later opponents figured this out, and refused to play. He was drawn into the ring and forced to box, and his career was ended. He is also so injured from the process as to be tragically disabled.
No boxer has attempted it since. Of course, politicians love it.

It's always worked for them.

Until now.

The Call List:

OS called the offices of Lincoln Davis (TN-4), in both Rockwood and Washington. No answer, anywhere.

Heath Shuler's office in NC answered politely, and he's undecided.

Chandler (KY-6) indicated he will vote 'No'.

Seek And Ye Shall Find

The Great Health Care Bill is entitled(no kidding!):

In the Senate of the United States,
December 24, 2009.
Resolved, That the bill from the House of Representa-
tives (H.R. 3590) entitled ‘‘An Act to amend the Internal
Revenue Code of 1986 to modify the first-time homebuyers
credit in the case of members of the Armed Forces and cer-
tain other Federal employees, and for other purposes.’’, do
pass with the following
AMENDMENTS:
Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert: 

And after that, we are greeted with 2300-something pages of health-care legislation.

And tucked in on page 1858,  Congress's sum total of its attempt to address tort reform--read it and weep:

Subtitle I--Sense of the Senate Regarding Medical Malpractice
SEC. 6801. SENSE OF THE SENATE REGARDING MEDICAL MALPRACTICE.
It is the sense of the Senate that-- (1) health care reform presents an opportunity to address issues related to medical malpractice and medical liability insurance;
(2) States should be encouraged to develop and test alternatives to the existing civil litigation system as a way of improving patient safety, reducing medical errors, encouraging the efficient resolution of disputes, increasing the availability of prompt and fair resolution of disputes, and improving access to liability insurance, while preserving an individual's right to seek redress in court; and
(3) Congress should consider establishing a State demonstration program to evaluate alternatives to the existing civil litigation system with respect to the resolution of medical malpractice claims.

This Man Graduated From Harvard? How Did He Get Into Harvard?

OS knows people who attended (and graduated) Harvard. They had to pass standardized examinations with very high scores, which included some sophisticated math.

Now, here we have our Harvard-Alum-In-Chief, who claims that employer health insurance premiums will drop by THREE THOUSAND PERCENT! (Really, you can't make this stuff up!)



The rather more disturbing bit follows the  three-thousand-percent claim: Then your employer can give you a raise!

It's a raw appeal to greed and envy.

Assuming Obama's math is right--which, by the way, it isn't:

What if the employer needs to buy new equipment, hire more people, or GodForbid--pay a dividend to the investor, or pay down the firm's indebtedness?

One could say, 'Well, he's just out on the stump, holding forth, caught up in the moment with the crowd, etc. etc.'

But, this man is President of the United States, with his Harvard degree, speaking about major legislation. He's not seeking office, he occupies it. This is not one of those 'fluff events', like the annual 'pardon' of the Thanksgiving turkey, or throwing out the first pitch of the baseball season.

This is serious business.
 
Can we afford to trust Himself and His followers with our health care?

The Charm Offensive: Obama and Geithner on Fox (aka, Maybe Pigs Fly After All!)

After years of pretending that the Fox News Network doesn't exist, suddenly we have TurboTax Timmy doing a live interview on Fox Business yesterday.




Well, when you release a long document that tells Congress 'We saved the world, and we're recovering, but the New Normal will be about 8% unemployment after 2012...' And, by the way, we still plan to do Health-Care, Cap-n-Tax, etc... you'd better start trying to make nice with somebody. Ain't nobody watching MSNBC and CNN.

And, today, Himself is scheduled to appear on Fox News.

Holy Denial, Batman! These Fox News people are are are are, eeeeewwww!!! Conservatives!

They're all White (exept for the ones who aren't, but they don't count!) and speak with southern and midwestern accents, and didn't go to Yale or Brown.

Eeeeewwwwwww!

(Of course, once Himself doesn't need to appear like he cares, the White House boycott of anyone who deigns to question TheTransformationOfAmerica will resume.)

March Madness: The Obama Full Court Press

March Madness traditionally refers to the NCAA college basketball tournament. The term is taking on a new life in 2010. 

Politico is covering the frantic efforts by Obama and Pelosi to strongarm, bribe, cajole, threaten, and/or blackmail wavering Democrat House members into submission. Himself is calling lowly House members, Himself's loyal troops that still remain are gearing up to flood offices, member's donors are being strongarmed,  Cabinet members are being thrown into the effort. It's a scorched-earth approach, with uncooperative members threatened with revenge from the Democrat party organization. Al Capone would be proud.

Which leads to the obvious question: If this 'health-care reform' is such a great idea, why is it such a struggle to get it passed?  Why the need to hide behind so many procedural dodges? Why is this likely to be 'voted on' (or not?) sometime this weekend while the NCAA tournament will be underway?

Why? Why? Why?

For those overseas who don't follow basketball, the Full Court Press is a technique practiced by a team, usually behind in the score, with little time left on the clock. From one end of the court, the offensive player with the ball is assigned two defensive players to harass him. Sometimes, one is used to block the view of the referee, to obscure the beating administered by the other. Well executed, the tactic forces the ball to turn over, and a few quick points can be scored. It can't be sustained for long, and within a minute or two, the press is broken by passes to open players downcourt, easy layups are scored, and humiliation follows.

Time to break the Press. That little red widget on your right displays the Capitol Hill switchboard numbers. Click on the widget, and you've got the list of the Democrat members being subject most relentlessly to Obama's ChicagoLand pressure. Their contact info is there. If the members hear, once again, that the overwhelming sentiment is against this folly, they can hold out. The Press can be broken.

OS called a regional office of his House member, John Tanner. A tired-sounding woman answered the phone and took my message urging him to oppose the measure. A reminder that the 'Slaughter' approach, whereby the Members avoid that nasty 'up-or-down' vote, is odious to the Constitution was also noted, and the lady's tone turned chillier. She really did not want to hear that constituents are paying attention...

Tanner is not running for re-election, which means his local staff will all have to locate new jobs, in a depressing job market. Imagine if he votes for this nonsense, and his staffers have to go looking for work in TN-8 with their long and faithful service to the man on their resumes. It won't be pretty...

It will be hard enough if he votes 'no'. After all, Tanner bailed out early, knowing what awaited him in November.

The US Social Security System: Peter, Meet Paul

Anecdotal Economics, authored by Keith Hazelton, proudly announces that it is 'Making Astrology Look Respectable, Since 2005'.

At least he has a sense of humor, which is often hard to do when discussing the mathematical challenges that confront us after the great seventy-something-year-long experiment in Ponzi finance known as the US Social Security system. When Roosevelt signed it into law, there were a comfortable surplus of working taxpayers who could be fleeced just a little bit to pay that modest check to Grandma in the 1930's. What could possibly go wrong, they figured?  Besides, it's a fabulous way for Congress to buy votes, with, you know, other people's money.

Fast forward a few decades. The birth rate falls. Life expectancy increases.  And subsequent Congresses tumble to the fact that they can raise benefits, add some perks, not really raise the tax that pays for it,  and keep buying votes. Easy-peasy!

In the late 70's, the actuaries notice that the light at the end of the tunnel is actually a freight train headed in our direction. Social Security taxes rise dramatically, actually creating a surplus--you know, to build up reserves to fund the obligations to all those born after about 1950.  Of course, this really creates a huge drag on the economy, especially on business and job formation. A good deal of work and compensation begins to quietly move underground, and overseas.  Birth rates keep falling, and longevity increases.

In the meantime, Congress sees this big pile of cash, licks its lips, and says, 'Hey, let's spend that! We'll hand the Social Security System T-bills, and they can cash them in from about 2010 on. It's only 1980, we'll be gone by then, and besides, what could possibly go wrong?'

It became a classic Ponzi scheme, in which Peter is robbed to pay Paul. It can be maintained for a long time, but inevitably, the scheme collapses.

Peter, meet Paul.

Hazelton has the gift of clearly explaining the math while maintaining a sense of humor, as he recounts that all those T-bills are stored in ring binders in the bottom drawer of a file cabinet in West Virginia.
What could go wrong?

And you children and grandchildren of the Boomers, wondering exactly why it is your parents and grandparents have no money saved for retirement...? Before your righteous indignation sets in, please take a moment to remember, fondly, all the Beanie Babies, Pogs, Tomagachis, Furbys, Barbies, Cabbage Patch Kids, music lessons and instruments, athletic lessons and equipment, summer adventure camps, trips to Disney World, skiing at Vail, Back Street Boys concerts, mountain bikes, X-Boxes, Nintendos, Segas and video games, CDs, DVDs, computers, stereos, televisions, cell phones, boom boxes, iPods, iPhones, 4,000 sf suburban homes, automobiles, boats, jet-skis, motorcycles, expensive-but-useless college educations, cosmetic surgery and glitzy/destination weddings which your elders showered upon you throughout your enchanted upbringings.

And don't be surprised when they (we) have to move in with you someday. Back to three generations in the same household, but look on the bright side: it might save on childcare expenses, depending on Grandma and Grandpa Boomer's schedules at Wal-Mart.


Chin-straps on, boys and girls.  And keep your sense of humor.

You'll need it.

Angry White Men: The Economist

On his travels, OS spotted a copy of The Economist lying about, and scanned briefly.  Always a good read, looking at Our Fair Country from a British perspective.

Correspondent Lexington visited a suburb of Memphis earlier this year, and offers this report.

The opening paragraph is pretty salty, but the essay is fair-minded and accurate, in the main. Since his conversations took place in OS's congressional district (TN-8), it seems good to pass it along, to give a 'snapshot' view of where we are here.

Anyone who wishes to paint this part of the world with a tar brush is simply mistaken. The dissatisfaction with the Current Occupant of The White House is not about the color of his skin, but rather about the content of his character, to paraphrase Dr. King.

Bigotry cannot explain, however, why Mr Obama’s approval rating among white Americans has fallen since he took office, from roughly 60% to 40%. As the president pointed out in September: “I was actually black before the election.” White voters have changed their view of Mr Obama not because of his skin colour, but because of what he has done—and what he has failed to do—since he took office. And although he is not on the ballot this year, this matters. The less people admire the president, the less likely they are to vote for his party in the mid-terms.

Meanwhile, Back At The Mexican Border That Obama Is Leaving Undefended...

US Consular officials are now being murdered.

From today's New York Times, which has finally decided it will print bad news about the Obama administration:

LA UNIÓN, Mexico — Gunmen believed to be linked to drug traffickers shot a pregnant American consulate worker and her husband to death in the violence-racked border town of Ciudad Juárez over the weekend, leaving their baby wailing in the back seat of their car, the authorities said Sunday. The gunmen also killed the husband of another consular employee and wounded his two young children.  


Following the lead paragraph, the boilerplate denunciations of violence emerged from both the White House, the President of Mexico, and from Foggy Bottom, where Hilary Clinton daily attempts to prove she's not in way over her head.

Yada, yada.

Yada.

Before Congress lost track of its cojones, it authorized the construction of a secure border fence.  At the places it was constructed, the flow of illegal drugs and illegal people was cut dramatically.

Then, the Democrats took power, de-funded the project, and began cutting back on the numbers of border agents. Citizens who took turns monitoring the border and calling the Border Patrol were deemed 'racists'.  Remember?

Two questions:


1. Should anyone, anywhere be surprised that this happened, in light of the fact that the US decided to walk away from its duties to police the border?

2.  Do you want the people who made these decisions running the health care system of the United States?

Final paragraph of the Times story:

Concerned about the rising violence, the State Department had decided that employees at a string of consular offices along the Mexican border — Tijuana, Nogales, Ciudad Juárez, Nuevo Laredo, Monterrey and Matamoros — could temporarily evacuate their families to the United States. That decision was not formally announced until Sunday. 

Wow--just in the nick of time...

An Open Letter to the Honorable John Tanner, Tennessee 8th District

He won't read it. He doesn't seem to read his mail, and his staff are utterly clueless. OS has called with questions a few times over the years, and no one knows what in Heaven is happening.

(Besides, he's retiring as of next January, so November is the last thing on his mind.)

The local papers are not likely to print it.

So, OS mounts his private pulpit. If you know somebody who lives in West Tennessee, OS would appreciate it being forwarded.


Dear Representative Tanner:

I respectfully urge you to oppose the current attempt to force health care 'reform' through Congress.

1. It is evident that a great portion of the country has deep, serious misgivings about any sweeping program that will seek to control this large and vital part of our economy and culture. Please, prudence demands restraint.

2.  The Federal Government has taken us to the brink of bankruptcy by enacting one entitlement program after another since the 1930's.  Each one, the country was told, was a modest effort, and would not ever cost too much. Each one ballooned into an out-of-control black hole of spending or outright fraud. Fannie and Freddie immediately come to mind, as does Medicare. Social Security has become an actuarial impossibility. You are in the insurance business, so you must understand this better than most. Please, this has to stop, and this is our best opportunity to begin to turn the corner.

3. There are other, much less invasive ways to accomplish some good reforms within our outstanding system of medical care that Obama and company will NOT consider.  A physician of any integrity will not advocate surgery when a medical solution shows great promise of working effectively. He will not even advocate a 'medical solution', e.g. writing a prescription, when what is needed is a change of diet or lifestyle. Why won't the Congress and Executive branch exercise that same prudence?  The government plays roulette with our lives, and seems deaf to our voices.

4. The Federal Government has proven itself, again and again, to be a completely untrustworthy steward of our resources. It must not be entrusted with control of our health care. It has not earned that trust. Why should we entrust health-care to the same people who have treated us to both the creation of, and subsequent misguided attempts to cure, our massive financial difficulties?  If it can't clean up GMAC, why should we hand over the medical system to Washington? Sheer prudence demands restraint.

I read of various procedural 'dodges' being cooked up, whereby members of Congress might spared actually having to VOTE, up-or-down, on the record, on this bill. Please be assured that this behavior is being watched. These attempts are unconstitutional on their face, blatantly so. You know it , we know it, and you know that we know that you know it. Nowhere to hide on this one, Mr. Tanner.

Please don't shred the Constitution on our way out the door.

Please. Prudence demands restraint.

Respectfully,

Monday Morning, Home Again

Home again after three days of travels, and OS is so grateful to sleep in his own bed, eat food cooked under his own roof, and have the privilege of a quiet day to spend with Mrs. OS, who is utterly wonderful, in great part because she so lovingly tolerates Mr. OS.  He gets to pet all his dogs, always a treat, and watch the cat who drinks coffee with him in the morning maneuver toward his mug when she thinks he's preoccupied. It's a ritual, and all these little rituals help create the texture of this good life he is so blessed to lead.

Way, way, way too much to write about all at once, much of it arcane that no reader should really care about, so the mental sorting process is underway.

But this can be said, in a general way:  The weekend was a deeply heartening, encouraging experience.

America is blessed with a lot of energetic, creative, and ambitious people who think that the best way to live one's life is by contributing to the lives around them.  OS met some of them this weekend, some of them facing daunting odds in their situations, yet demonstrating great good cheer and moxie.

In general, they are working (quietly) to undo the damage that of the past fifty years of deterioration have wrought on the culture, and they are quietly succeeding.

Here's hoping they get their work done before the trolls in the guv'mint realize what's happening.

But, that's also for another day....

Moh', latuh.

OS