Well, whaddaya know.
He actually voted against this turkey.
Here's the tally of ayes and nays, which will be a good reference doc for the fall.
HT to all those who screamed bloody murder about the attempt to avoid an up-and-down vote.
Tanner knew the numbers were bogus, and that anyone running as a Dem in his district would be doomed if he voted 'aye'.
In any case, a word of thanks to Rep. Tanner.
Monday, March 22, 2010
Stating The Obvious In Sydney, Australia
It never ceases to amaze how closely the world watches how the United States acts. They scratch their collective heads in wonder at our self-absorbed folly, our refusal to take into account how our refusal to act responsibly impacts the entire world.
These words from Paul Sheehan in the Sydney Morning Herald express that concern well.
As I wrote this column, and as you read it, the United States had reached the climax of the most contentious and sweeping attempt at social engineering in more than 40 years, a process that has degenerated into the abattoir of politics: bribery, chicanery and bloody-mindedness.
A deeply divided Congress mirrors a divided nation. The majority of Americans are opposed to the changes. Bipartisanship has become roadkill.
In contrast to the soaring rhetoric and uplifting symbolism that carried him to the White House, Obama has engaged in old-school, bare-knuckle, divisive politics wrapped in an impossibly complex 2700-page bill loaded with accounting tricks and dirty deals.
If he can see it, why can't we?
We have long been the envy of the world, and at times its hero. OldSouth's departed father spoke with such affection of his time spent in New Zealand in the 1940's. The locals could not do enough to make 'The Yanks' feel welcomed. Twice within one hundred years, Americans were viewed as the liberators of Europe, the saviours of civilization.
If you read this from overseas, know this: The anger of the US populace toward the political leadership is palpable, and growing. This latest debacle has only stoked the fires. This week, the offices of members of Congress were flooded with people begging their representatives to vote 'no', just as they flooded their offices with calls in fall of 2008, begging them to oppose the TARP bailout. In each case, they were met with deaf ears. The TARP was history's largest bait-and-switch fraud. This latest measure is worse. Responsible conservative voices, including this one, increasingly feel compelled to remind one and all that violence is NOT NOT NOT an acceptable course of action, that the political process and ballot box are the only way to go.
It's beginning to be that bad. The economy is not recovering, even if the stock market is. And taxes on employers just rose, as of today.
If you're reading from within the US, it's time to act. Budget some small amount every month, if you can, and send it to conservative candidates who are taking on the Obama machine. Every ten dollars helps, and donation is now a simple process.
A good first target for removal from office is Bart Stupak, who sold his soul for a meaningless executive order, and 700,000 dollars in airport improvements.
These words from Paul Sheehan in the Sydney Morning Herald express that concern well.
As I wrote this column, and as you read it, the United States had reached the climax of the most contentious and sweeping attempt at social engineering in more than 40 years, a process that has degenerated into the abattoir of politics: bribery, chicanery and bloody-mindedness.
A deeply divided Congress mirrors a divided nation. The majority of Americans are opposed to the changes. Bipartisanship has become roadkill.
In contrast to the soaring rhetoric and uplifting symbolism that carried him to the White House, Obama has engaged in old-school, bare-knuckle, divisive politics wrapped in an impossibly complex 2700-page bill loaded with accounting tricks and dirty deals.
If he can see it, why can't we?
We have long been the envy of the world, and at times its hero. OldSouth's departed father spoke with such affection of his time spent in New Zealand in the 1940's. The locals could not do enough to make 'The Yanks' feel welcomed. Twice within one hundred years, Americans were viewed as the liberators of Europe, the saviours of civilization.
If you read this from overseas, know this: The anger of the US populace toward the political leadership is palpable, and growing. This latest debacle has only stoked the fires. This week, the offices of members of Congress were flooded with people begging their representatives to vote 'no', just as they flooded their offices with calls in fall of 2008, begging them to oppose the TARP bailout. In each case, they were met with deaf ears. The TARP was history's largest bait-and-switch fraud. This latest measure is worse. Responsible conservative voices, including this one, increasingly feel compelled to remind one and all that violence is NOT NOT NOT an acceptable course of action, that the political process and ballot box are the only way to go.
It's beginning to be that bad. The economy is not recovering, even if the stock market is. And taxes on employers just rose, as of today.
If you're reading from within the US, it's time to act. Budget some small amount every month, if you can, and send it to conservative candidates who are taking on the Obama machine. Every ten dollars helps, and donation is now a simple process.
A good first target for removal from office is Bart Stupak, who sold his soul for a meaningless executive order, and 700,000 dollars in airport improvements.
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Thomas Cranmer, Martyred Today in 1556
So why, one should ask, would anyone note this date? One more religious figure from long ago, killed in a long-forgotten dispute.
These things happen. Move on.
OS hopes you pause a moment, and give a few minutes to the old Archbishop. He still has something to teach us, a huge gift to give us, if we will let him.
Cranmer's life really mattered.
It isn't how or when Thomas Cranmer died, or even the particulars of the political intrigues that finally led him to the stake.
It's what he did with the time he was given, and what he left behind for all of us. The PowersThatBe of his day indeed did kill him, but they were unable to kill his words. He, more than any other individual, was responsible for the Book of Common Prayer. His words helped shape a common theology that held England and the English-speaking world together when all else was flying apart, both in his time, and the centuries that followed. His words, indeed, shaped much of the English language as we know it, much as Martin Luther's translation of the Bible into German helped form and unify that language.
Whether you know it or not, Cranmer's words resonate inside your head:
DEERELY beloved frendes, we are gathered together here in the syght of God, and in the face of his congregacion, to joyne together this man and this woman in holy matrimonie, which is an honorable estate instituted of God in paradise, in the time of mannes innocencie, signifying unto us the misticall union that is betwixte Christe and his Churche:
Lyghten our darkenes we beseche thee, O lord, & by thy great mercy defende us from all perilles and daungers of thys nyght, for the love of thy onely sonne, our saviour Jesu Christ. Amen.
Of course, we now read them and hear them in less of a 16th-century usage and spelling. But they are his words nonetheless. Cranmer knew that words have great power, for good or ill, and wished them only to to convey truth. His only regret, as he died, was that at points earlier in his life, he had failed in the right use of words, and prayed for forgiveness.
His murderers, although then in power, are now reviled. Cranmer's words are woven into the fabric of the world's most successful and ubiquitous language.
In these days, when darkness seems to descend, it is good to remember this.
'Lighten our darkness, we beseech thee, oh Lord...'
Here's a short video assembled in honor of Cranmer's words:
And, a big HT to today's Cranmer, the great English wordsmith and blogger.
These things happen. Move on.
OS hopes you pause a moment, and give a few minutes to the old Archbishop. He still has something to teach us, a huge gift to give us, if we will let him.
Cranmer's life really mattered.
It isn't how or when Thomas Cranmer died, or even the particulars of the political intrigues that finally led him to the stake.
It's what he did with the time he was given, and what he left behind for all of us. The PowersThatBe of his day indeed did kill him, but they were unable to kill his words. He, more than any other individual, was responsible for the Book of Common Prayer. His words helped shape a common theology that held England and the English-speaking world together when all else was flying apart, both in his time, and the centuries that followed. His words, indeed, shaped much of the English language as we know it, much as Martin Luther's translation of the Bible into German helped form and unify that language.
Whether you know it or not, Cranmer's words resonate inside your head:
DEERELY beloved frendes, we are gathered together here in the syght of God, and in the face of his congregacion, to joyne together this man and this woman in holy matrimonie, which is an honorable estate instituted of God in paradise, in the time of mannes innocencie, signifying unto us the misticall union that is betwixte Christe and his Churche:
Lyghten our darkenes we beseche thee, O lord, & by thy great mercy defende us from all perilles and daungers of thys nyght, for the love of thy onely sonne, our saviour Jesu Christ. Amen.
Of course, we now read them and hear them in less of a 16th-century usage and spelling. But they are his words nonetheless. Cranmer knew that words have great power, for good or ill, and wished them only to to convey truth. His only regret, as he died, was that at points earlier in his life, he had failed in the right use of words, and prayed for forgiveness.
His murderers, although then in power, are now reviled. Cranmer's words are woven into the fabric of the world's most successful and ubiquitous language.
In these days, when darkness seems to descend, it is good to remember this.
'Lighten our darkness, we beseech thee, oh Lord...'
Here's a short video assembled in honor of Cranmer's words:
And, a big HT to today's Cranmer, the great English wordsmith and blogger.
Saturday, March 20, 2010
What Obama Didn't Talk About At The George Mason University Pep Rally
It was inspiring, wasn't it, the President givin' it up for all those screaming adolescents. They were lapping it up, all those promises of free health care, and staying on Mom-and-Dad's policy until age 26. So was he. A regular love fest. What more could one desire than moments like these?
However, JDA passes on that there are things about these kids' futures that Himself didn't mention. Like how the IRS becomes every family's new best friend.
What he didn't mention, and what they evidently haven't been told yet, is that every utopian scheme, however well-intentioned, and wherever sourced in the political spectrum, always requires a massive increase in governmental control. They all end in tears, and/or poverty, tyranny, and often-times in war.
Just ask folks in the UK how well the welfare state is working. Or how well it worked in places like Poland and Hungary before they freed themselves in 1989. Or how well it worked in Gemany in the 1930's and 40's.
It's especially charming that illegal immigrants are exempted from all these requirements to conform to the law of the Brave New World. They will, however, receive health care at taxpayer expense: No te preocupa, chavo; mi casa es tu casa....
And, so at this point, OS has decided to break with his new-found commitment to civility, and post the most descriptive illustration of this legislation he has found to date:
However, JDA passes on that there are things about these kids' futures that Himself didn't mention. Like how the IRS becomes every family's new best friend.
What he didn't mention, and what they evidently haven't been told yet, is that every utopian scheme, however well-intentioned, and wherever sourced in the political spectrum, always requires a massive increase in governmental control. They all end in tears, and/or poverty, tyranny, and often-times in war.
Just ask folks in the UK how well the welfare state is working. Or how well it worked in places like Poland and Hungary before they freed themselves in 1989. Or how well it worked in Gemany in the 1930's and 40's.
It's especially charming that illegal immigrants are exempted from all these requirements to conform to the law of the Brave New World. They will, however, receive health care at taxpayer expense: No te preocupa, chavo; mi casa es tu casa....
And, so at this point, OS has decided to break with his new-found commitment to civility, and post the most descriptive illustration of this legislation he has found to date:
Food For Thought From The Acton Institute
OS has spent a little time, not enough, in the erudite pages of the Acton Institute.
It's a think tank with a peculiar purpose:
The Mission of the Acton Institute is to promote a free and virtuous society characterized by individual liberty and sustained by religious principles.
The Acton Institute for the Study of Religion and Liberty is named after the great English historian, Lord John Acton (1834-1902). He is best known for his famous remark: “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” Inspired by his work on the relation between liberty and morality, the Acton Institute seeks to articulate a vision of society that is both free and virtuous, the end of which is human flourishing. To clarify this relationship, the Institute holds seminars and publishes various books, monographs, periodicals, and articles.
A free and virtuous society--now that's worth spending our energies on.
Acton Institute becomes a GreenShoots nominee, and their feed is posted on your right.
It's a think tank with a peculiar purpose:
The Mission of the Acton Institute is to promote a free and virtuous society characterized by individual liberty and sustained by religious principles.
The Acton Institute for the Study of Religion and Liberty is named after the great English historian, Lord John Acton (1834-1902). He is best known for his famous remark: “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” Inspired by his work on the relation between liberty and morality, the Acton Institute seeks to articulate a vision of society that is both free and virtuous, the end of which is human flourishing. To clarify this relationship, the Institute holds seminars and publishes various books, monographs, periodicals, and articles.
A free and virtuous society--now that's worth spending our energies on.
Acton Institute becomes a GreenShoots nominee, and their feed is posted on your right.
Friday, March 19, 2010
Message And Audience At George Mason University
Honest, this is not about That Bill--The Bill That Dare Not Speak Its Name.
It's about the culture, and the use of language, and the manipulation of message by means of an audience.
This morning, Himself headed out to George Mason University for a campaign rally. Without a doubt, the man knows how to give a stump speech. The crowd was cheering and applauding--sounded like a basketball pep rally, OS thought at first.
Then came the 'Aha' moment: It was a basketball pep rally!
There is no better place to get a loud and happy crowd than a university. Those late adolescent college kids are simultaneously the most biddable, and most assured of their intellectual maturity, of any demographic in the society. And, as students at a private university, they believe they are God's Chosen(although they may never verbalize it just that way). How could they be wrong? What could go wrong, when everything leading up to today has gone so wonderfully right? They've never had to balance a life of work, parenthood, marriage, finances, aging parents, etc. At this point, someone else is doing that; they're just on the front end of that process, and cannot imagine just how difficult it can become, and how quickly it can become difficult. They can't know, they're too young to know.
So, a charismatic speaker can tell them what they want to hear, and the cameras and audio can broadcast the cheers to the world. He can talk to them in tones of the coach of the underdog team, that has prevailed against all odds to arrive at this day when the team climbs on the bus to head off to The Big Game. 'We're gonna make history this weekend!' Does this sound familiar?
It's heady stuff. Really. It's jolly near Hollywood script-writer quality. He bashes the insurers, the kids cheer. He bashes anyone who stands in His way, the kids cheer. He promises them they can stay on Mom-and-Dad's policy until they are twenty-six, and they really really really cheer! (He saves that bit until toward the end, like the coach does when he finally introduces the point guard who drains all those three-pointers for the team, and the school, and the student body.)
How could the rest of us possibly deny Him and them what they so ardently want?
OS thinks it's evil to do this to students, and to use students to manipulate the rest of the culture. Obama is certainly not the first to do this, but he does it better than most.
Presidents are supposed to be grown-ups. Grown-ups don't knowingly abuse kids.
At least they don't in a healthy culture.
In the meantime, the grownups who answer to the stockholders of Catterpillar Corporation aren't cheering about the bill, estimating it will add $100,000,000 to annual costs.
That 100,000,000 in expenditure will not build or sell one additional piece of heavy equipment.
The actual unemployment rate of the US hovers at about 16%.
Makes you want to stand up and cheer, don't it?
It's about the culture, and the use of language, and the manipulation of message by means of an audience.
This morning, Himself headed out to George Mason University for a campaign rally. Without a doubt, the man knows how to give a stump speech. The crowd was cheering and applauding--sounded like a basketball pep rally, OS thought at first.
Then came the 'Aha' moment: It was a basketball pep rally!
There is no better place to get a loud and happy crowd than a university. Those late adolescent college kids are simultaneously the most biddable, and most assured of their intellectual maturity, of any demographic in the society. And, as students at a private university, they believe they are God's Chosen(although they may never verbalize it just that way). How could they be wrong? What could go wrong, when everything leading up to today has gone so wonderfully right? They've never had to balance a life of work, parenthood, marriage, finances, aging parents, etc. At this point, someone else is doing that; they're just on the front end of that process, and cannot imagine just how difficult it can become, and how quickly it can become difficult. They can't know, they're too young to know.
So, a charismatic speaker can tell them what they want to hear, and the cameras and audio can broadcast the cheers to the world. He can talk to them in tones of the coach of the underdog team, that has prevailed against all odds to arrive at this day when the team climbs on the bus to head off to The Big Game. 'We're gonna make history this weekend!' Does this sound familiar?
It's heady stuff. Really. It's jolly near Hollywood script-writer quality. He bashes the insurers, the kids cheer. He bashes anyone who stands in His way, the kids cheer. He promises them they can stay on Mom-and-Dad's policy until they are twenty-six, and they really really really cheer! (He saves that bit until toward the end, like the coach does when he finally introduces the point guard who drains all those three-pointers for the team, and the school, and the student body.)
How could the rest of us possibly deny Him and them what they so ardently want?
OS thinks it's evil to do this to students, and to use students to manipulate the rest of the culture. Obama is certainly not the first to do this, but he does it better than most.
Presidents are supposed to be grown-ups. Grown-ups don't knowingly abuse kids.
At least they don't in a healthy culture.
In the meantime, the grownups who answer to the stockholders of Catterpillar Corporation aren't cheering about the bill, estimating it will add $100,000,000 to annual costs.
That 100,000,000 in expenditure will not build or sell one additional piece of heavy equipment.
The actual unemployment rate of the US hovers at about 16%.
Makes you want to stand up and cheer, don't it?
Ten Reasons For Optimism In The United States
It's been an ugly, pretty discouraging month in some ways.
OS pleads guilty: He got caught up in it this week, the political
rope-a-dope, beating his fists endlessly into the pillow of the politicians' cynicism, ending up frustrated and exhausted, just as planned. The moment of insight came today on the golf course--when the mind was clear, humming a tune, enjoying the sunshine, the ball seemed to launch itself off the club. Greenside bunker? No problem! Putts rolled like they had eyes. Freddie Couples would be envious of some of those shots.
Then, distraction arrived, and thoughts of the world off the course interposed. The drive was a nasty pull hook into the ravine: No need to even search, it was gone.
The rest of the hole was seriously ugly...
Damn! Those guys need to give it a rest. Didn't pay green fees for them, by golly!
So, to chase the ghosts away, ten great things about living here that the politicians, bankers and other sociopaths can't do much about.
1. We're not Mexico, yet.
2. Baseball season is in spring training, and the season begins in April. Since the 1860's, in good times and bad, baseball has always been played, from the local sandlot to the majors. Not even crooks like Pete Rose and Mark McGwire have been able to destroy it.
3. It's a big, big country, with large parts of it still pretty much in the same condition as when the European settlers first arrived. Geography conspires on the side of freedom and prosperity. You can fit the entire UK into Illinois.
4. Churches, of all stripes and flavors, still dot the landscape throughout most of the country. People there, for all their failings and quirks, talk to one another and look out for each other and the people around them. Most churches are small and Protestant of some flavor, and the idea of freedom is larded throughout their theology.
5. Golf. Lots of it here, from humble county courses to places like Torrey Pines. It provides a quiet haven where people can think and talk. It runs on rules that assume honorable behavior from everyone.
6. Americans, for the most part, in most places, are outgoing and friendly. Wherever you go, you can make a friend if you give someone the opportunity.
7. This country, in addition to being huge, is breathtakingly beautiful, coast to coast. Not even the politicians can take away the sunrises and sunsets over the beaches that line the coasts, or the turning colors of the hardwood trees in the fall. That's God's bidness.
8. Americans know how to cook! Great food grows in abundance here, and great cuisine emerges from all parts of the country.
9. Jack Daniels. Same as it ever was.
10. America is generous. When calamity strikes somewhere else, checkbooks are pulled out, and volunteers saddle up. We git-'er-done like nobody else. And then we go home.
OK, that's better.
Back to that spring training game...
OS pleads guilty: He got caught up in it this week, the political
rope-a-dope, beating his fists endlessly into the pillow of the politicians' cynicism, ending up frustrated and exhausted, just as planned. The moment of insight came today on the golf course--when the mind was clear, humming a tune, enjoying the sunshine, the ball seemed to launch itself off the club. Greenside bunker? No problem! Putts rolled like they had eyes. Freddie Couples would be envious of some of those shots.
Then, distraction arrived, and thoughts of the world off the course interposed. The drive was a nasty pull hook into the ravine: No need to even search, it was gone.
The rest of the hole was seriously ugly...
Damn! Those guys need to give it a rest. Didn't pay green fees for them, by golly!
So, to chase the ghosts away, ten great things about living here that the politicians, bankers and other sociopaths can't do much about.
1. We're not Mexico, yet.
2. Baseball season is in spring training, and the season begins in April. Since the 1860's, in good times and bad, baseball has always been played, from the local sandlot to the majors. Not even crooks like Pete Rose and Mark McGwire have been able to destroy it.
3. It's a big, big country, with large parts of it still pretty much in the same condition as when the European settlers first arrived. Geography conspires on the side of freedom and prosperity. You can fit the entire UK into Illinois.
4. Churches, of all stripes and flavors, still dot the landscape throughout most of the country. People there, for all their failings and quirks, talk to one another and look out for each other and the people around them. Most churches are small and Protestant of some flavor, and the idea of freedom is larded throughout their theology.
5. Golf. Lots of it here, from humble county courses to places like Torrey Pines. It provides a quiet haven where people can think and talk. It runs on rules that assume honorable behavior from everyone.
6. Americans, for the most part, in most places, are outgoing and friendly. Wherever you go, you can make a friend if you give someone the opportunity.
7. This country, in addition to being huge, is breathtakingly beautiful, coast to coast. Not even the politicians can take away the sunrises and sunsets over the beaches that line the coasts, or the turning colors of the hardwood trees in the fall. That's God's bidness.
8. Americans know how to cook! Great food grows in abundance here, and great cuisine emerges from all parts of the country.
9. Jack Daniels. Same as it ever was.
10. America is generous. When calamity strikes somewhere else, checkbooks are pulled out, and volunteers saddle up. We git-'er-done like nobody else. And then we go home.
OK, that's better.
Back to that spring training game...
Votes (And Souls) Up For Auction This Week...
OS mused earlier about the process of auction of Rep. John Tanner's (TN-8) vote.
His Washington office isn't answering the phone, and now maybe we know why.
From today's Human Events:
Most interesting rumor from the Hill yesterday: Rep. Bart Gordon (D-Tenn.) who announced his retirement from Congress has been promised the job of NASA administrator in exchange for his vote, and Rep. John Tanner (D-Tenn.), another retiring Democrat, has been promised an appointment as U.S. Ambassador to NATO in exchange for his vote.
Why, as we say here, isn't that special!
He'll get a very nice job in a very nice part of Europe, where he can hide out until the rage blows over about selling his soul and vote to Obama.
This is positively banana-republic sort of stuff. One of Mexico's most odious presidents was a character named Echeverria, who in the 1970's arbitrarily devalued the peso against the dollar, on a weekend, after the banks had closed. Of course, he had hoovered up on dollars, and when all those businesses opened on Monday, they found they were bankrupt, 'cuz a lot of loans were written in dollars, but paid in pesos.
Isn't that special!
So, our friend Echeverria and his friends were able to move in and appropriate a great portion of the country's wealth in short order. All the dollars sitting in everyone's Mexican bank dollar accounts had been seized, 'compensated' at an exchange rate that bore no relation to reality. It was a fire sale, and Senor Presidente was buying.
After he finished his term, he was appointed ambassador to UNESCO, and cooled his heels in Paris for a while. Every time he came home to visit, the newspapers announced his visit the week after he left. He returned to resume colorful life of crime, which continues unabated to this day. No one north of the border ever paid much attention, and besides, he was pro-Allende, anti-Israel, anti-American, and ranted leftist cant on a regular basis.
You know, the sort of despot the American left loves the best.
OS knew several people who would have happily shot the man on sight, had they been able to get within range. Normal, gentle, otherwise upstanding citizens. Little did OS know, back in his misspent youth, that he was visiting his future.
Isn't that special!
His Washington office isn't answering the phone, and now maybe we know why.
From today's Human Events:
Most interesting rumor from the Hill yesterday: Rep. Bart Gordon (D-Tenn.) who announced his retirement from Congress has been promised the job of NASA administrator in exchange for his vote, and Rep. John Tanner (D-Tenn.), another retiring Democrat, has been promised an appointment as U.S. Ambassador to NATO in exchange for his vote.
Why, as we say here, isn't that special!
He'll get a very nice job in a very nice part of Europe, where he can hide out until the rage blows over about selling his soul and vote to Obama.
This is positively banana-republic sort of stuff. One of Mexico's most odious presidents was a character named Echeverria, who in the 1970's arbitrarily devalued the peso against the dollar, on a weekend, after the banks had closed. Of course, he had hoovered up on dollars, and when all those businesses opened on Monday, they found they were bankrupt, 'cuz a lot of loans were written in dollars, but paid in pesos.
Isn't that special!
So, our friend Echeverria and his friends were able to move in and appropriate a great portion of the country's wealth in short order. All the dollars sitting in everyone's Mexican bank dollar accounts had been seized, 'compensated' at an exchange rate that bore no relation to reality. It was a fire sale, and Senor Presidente was buying.
After he finished his term, he was appointed ambassador to UNESCO, and cooled his heels in Paris for a while. Every time he came home to visit, the newspapers announced his visit the week after he left. He returned to resume colorful life of crime, which continues unabated to this day. No one north of the border ever paid much attention, and besides, he was pro-Allende, anti-Israel, anti-American, and ranted leftist cant on a regular basis.
You know, the sort of despot the American left loves the best.
OS knew several people who would have happily shot the man on sight, had they been able to get within range. Normal, gentle, otherwise upstanding citizens. Little did OS know, back in his misspent youth, that he was visiting his future.
Isn't that special!
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Rules? We Don't Need No Stinking RULES!!
The Wall Street Journal tells all.
The Rules Committee will meet on Saturday to set the rules for debate. Following the letter of the 72-hour rule would mean no vote before late Sunday, but Democrats have allowed themselves an out. "The Democratic leadership has declared 'martial law,'" Poltico.com reports, "allowing leaders to bring legislation straight to the floor on the same legislative day." That could mean a vote as early as Saturday, with a floor debate of just four hours. The public and members of Congress would have only 48 hours or even less to examine the bill.
Democrats are in a rush for two reasons. One, the longer they wait, the iffier their chances of assembling a majority of 216 House members. Two, they're also in a hurry because the Senate needs a minimum of a week of floor debate to pass the expected reconciliation bill full of legislative "fixes." With Congress set to begin its two-week Easter recess on March 26, Democratic leaders don't want members leaving town before the issue is settled, fearing a pummeling by angry constituents back home that will weaken their resolve.
Back to the question asked of the President last night, submitted by a viewer:
If this is such a good idea, why the need for these sorts of practices to get it passed?
Obama admitted he didn't care about the process, just the result.
Well, if your aim is to totally take over the culture, lock-stock-and-barrel, niceties about legislative procedure and the Constitution really don't matter that much.
OS has resisted that interpretation of Obama's behavior, because he does not want to go get fitted for his personal tin hat. But, given the brazenness of the behavior, how else can it be explained?
This sort of thing has been attempted a few times before, in Germany, Italy, France, Russia, Argentina...and has always ended in tears.
And poverty.
And war.
The Rules Committee will meet on Saturday to set the rules for debate. Following the letter of the 72-hour rule would mean no vote before late Sunday, but Democrats have allowed themselves an out. "The Democratic leadership has declared 'martial law,'" Poltico.com reports, "allowing leaders to bring legislation straight to the floor on the same legislative day." That could mean a vote as early as Saturday, with a floor debate of just four hours. The public and members of Congress would have only 48 hours or even less to examine the bill.
Democrats are in a rush for two reasons. One, the longer they wait, the iffier their chances of assembling a majority of 216 House members. Two, they're also in a hurry because the Senate needs a minimum of a week of floor debate to pass the expected reconciliation bill full of legislative "fixes." With Congress set to begin its two-week Easter recess on March 26, Democratic leaders don't want members leaving town before the issue is settled, fearing a pummeling by angry constituents back home that will weaken their resolve.
Back to the question asked of the President last night, submitted by a viewer:
If this is such a good idea, why the need for these sorts of practices to get it passed?
Obama admitted he didn't care about the process, just the result.
Well, if your aim is to totally take over the culture, lock-stock-and-barrel, niceties about legislative procedure and the Constitution really don't matter that much.
OS has resisted that interpretation of Obama's behavior, because he does not want to go get fitted for his personal tin hat. But, given the brazenness of the behavior, how else can it be explained?
This sort of thing has been attempted a few times before, in Germany, Italy, France, Russia, Argentina...and has always ended in tears.
And poverty.
And war.
The Admission: The Health-Care Bill Is About Obama's Political Health
This just in on Politico.
Obama's pitch to House Democrats is now boiling down to one point: The whole enterprise is about the Obama Presidency, the Obama brand, the Obama legacy, the Obama agenda. It's all about Barack Obama.
President Barack Obama had exhausted most of his health care reform arguments with members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus during a White House meeting last Thursday when he made a more personal pitch that resonated with many skeptics in the room.
One caucus member told POLITICO that Obama won him over by “essentially [saying] that the fate of his presidency” hinged on this week’s health reform vote in the House. The member, who requested anonymity, likened Obama’s remarks to an earlier meeting with progressives when the president said a victory was necessary to keep him “strong” for the next three years of his term.
Another caucus member, Rep. Jose Serrano (D-N.Y.), said, “We went in there already knowing his presidency would be weakened if this thing went down, but the president clearly reinforced the impression the presidency would be damaged by a loss.”
The Oval office has been occupied by clueless alcoholic dolts (U.S. Grant comes to mind), men who just could not manage to keep 'that thang' in their pants (that list is quite a bit longer, but we'll settle for Harding, Kennedy, Clinton), paranoids(remember Nixon?), deluded egotists(Lyndon Johnson personally ordering particular Vietnam air raids), a few dedicated servants(Washington, Jefferson, Adams, Madison, Eisenhower, Reagan), and well-meaning people in waaaaaay over their heads (Jimmy Carter, both Bushes).
But Barack Obama is a completely different sort of Occupant.
Not even FDR possessed the complete narcissism that Barack Obama displays for us all, combined with a complete willingness to, well, just make stuff up and expect that no one will dare challenge him. Jerry Ford bumps his head on an airplane, and it gets days of coverage in the 70's. Obama tells one howler after another, like yesterday's claim of an Hawaiian earthquake, or that he has saved or created millions of jobs since coming to office, or his 3000% reduction in health-care premiums for small businesses, and no notice is taken.
This man is willing to play dice with every life in America for the sake of His Presidency. His image. His ego. His legacy.
If He succeeds at this, what else lies in store for us?
The Call List
See that little red banner on the top right of the page? It's been an interesting exercise to go down that list.
OS's own beloved John Tanner (TN-8) isn't answering the phone in his DC offices. Voice mail, mailbox full. The Jackson office answered, with the weary sounding lady assuring the caller she'll pass the message on--riiiiiight....claiming he still hasn't decided. The auction for his vote is still ongoing, evidently. He sold his soul so long ago, it's not worth mentioning. OS's reminder that the attempt to pass the bill without a recorded vote on the bill is unconstitutional is met with irritation.
Still, OS takes a break from his work, and dials the Capitol switchboard, hears the busy signal, and takes a bit of comfort that maybe somebody is paying attention enough to really get motivated...
Obama's pitch to House Democrats is now boiling down to one point: The whole enterprise is about the Obama Presidency, the Obama brand, the Obama legacy, the Obama agenda. It's all about Barack Obama.
President Barack Obama had exhausted most of his health care reform arguments with members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus during a White House meeting last Thursday when he made a more personal pitch that resonated with many skeptics in the room.
One caucus member told POLITICO that Obama won him over by “essentially [saying] that the fate of his presidency” hinged on this week’s health reform vote in the House. The member, who requested anonymity, likened Obama’s remarks to an earlier meeting with progressives when the president said a victory was necessary to keep him “strong” for the next three years of his term.
Another caucus member, Rep. Jose Serrano (D-N.Y.), said, “We went in there already knowing his presidency would be weakened if this thing went down, but the president clearly reinforced the impression the presidency would be damaged by a loss.”
The Oval office has been occupied by clueless alcoholic dolts (U.S. Grant comes to mind), men who just could not manage to keep 'that thang' in their pants (that list is quite a bit longer, but we'll settle for Harding, Kennedy, Clinton), paranoids(remember Nixon?), deluded egotists(Lyndon Johnson personally ordering particular Vietnam air raids), a few dedicated servants(Washington, Jefferson, Adams, Madison, Eisenhower, Reagan), and well-meaning people in waaaaaay over their heads (Jimmy Carter, both Bushes).
But Barack Obama is a completely different sort of Occupant.
Not even FDR possessed the complete narcissism that Barack Obama displays for us all, combined with a complete willingness to, well, just make stuff up and expect that no one will dare challenge him. Jerry Ford bumps his head on an airplane, and it gets days of coverage in the 70's. Obama tells one howler after another, like yesterday's claim of an Hawaiian earthquake, or that he has saved or created millions of jobs since coming to office, or his 3000% reduction in health-care premiums for small businesses, and no notice is taken.
This man is willing to play dice with every life in America for the sake of His Presidency. His image. His ego. His legacy.
If He succeeds at this, what else lies in store for us?
The Call List
See that little red banner on the top right of the page? It's been an interesting exercise to go down that list.
OS's own beloved John Tanner (TN-8) isn't answering the phone in his DC offices. Voice mail, mailbox full. The Jackson office answered, with the weary sounding lady assuring the caller she'll pass the message on--riiiiiight....claiming he still hasn't decided. The auction for his vote is still ongoing, evidently. He sold his soul so long ago, it's not worth mentioning. OS's reminder that the attempt to pass the bill without a recorded vote on the bill is unconstitutional is met with irritation.
Still, OS takes a break from his work, and dials the Capitol switchboard, hears the busy signal, and takes a bit of comfort that maybe somebody is paying attention enough to really get motivated...
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