Political Digest September 12, 2009

Rep. Joe Wilson, an immigration attorney, explains why he thinks illegals are covered by Obamacare
http://www.minutemanpac.com/inner.asp?z=64
Rep Wilson calling Obama a liar to his face: bad. Obama calling Sarah Palin and other Obamacare opponents liars without naming them directly: good. Here’s his quote, “The best example is the claim, made not just by radio and cable talk show hosts, but prominent politicians, that we plan to set up panels of bureaucrats with the power to kill off senior citizens. Such a charge would be laughable if it weren't so cynical and irresponsible. It is a lie, plain and simple.” Got it? But Government healthcare in Britain routinely denies advanced drugs and care that is considered too expensive to those who are considered to be too off. A “Death Panel” by another name would smell as sweet to BO & the statists.

The Gentlemen From South Carolina
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/10/AR2009091002051.html?wpisrc=newsletter
Excerpt: Sentiments ran just as strong on the other side, as Democrats made him a pariah. Former Marine Rob Miller, Wilson's likely opponent in 2010, collected more than $500,000 in new campaign contributions between the Wednesday outburst and Thursday afternoon, more than most challengers running in a heavily Republican district could expect to raise for an entire campaign.

Morning Fix: Joe Wilson and the Laws of Political Chaos
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/thefix/morning-fix/morning-fix-joe-wilson-and-the.html?wprss=thefix
Excerpt: Had Wilson said nothing, the narrative coming out of the Obama's speech would have been whether he had done enough to convince wavering members of his own party to get behind his proposal. (And, the tepid statement released by the conservative Blue Dogs in the House would have gotten a lot more attention.) Instead, the after-action report of the speech focused almost exclusively on Wilson's outburst and allowed the White House to paint the South Carolina Republican as the essence of blind partisanship. Electoral politics is filled with examples just like this -- where one unplanned or unchoreographed moment changed things in a moment.

Far left “Air America” calls Obama a “Charming Liar.”
http://www.redstate.com/bs/2009/08/20/its-pretty-bad-when-you-have-air-america-calling-you-a-liar-mr-president/
Where’s the outrage at this racist incivility?

From The Patriot Post (www.patriotpost.us/subscribe/)"
“Of course, Obama also claimed that government will "keep insurance companies honest." Politicians keeping anyone honest? And he wonders why we're skeptical. Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC) is also skeptical. He yelled, "You lie!" after Obama told Congress that illegal aliens will not be covered by ObamaCare. In its current form, the legislation does say coverage does not apply to illegals, but it also doesn't require citizenship verification. Apparently, it's on the honor system -- and Wilson was right.”

A fighting Word that's Lost its Punch
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204731804574390693250364638.html
Interesting essay on the word “liar.”

Listening to a Liar: Part II
http://townhall.com/columnists/ThomasSowell/2009/09/10/listening_to_a_liar_part_ii
Excerpt: "Hubris-laden charlatans" was the way a recent e-mail from a reader characterized the Obama administration. That phrase seems especially appropriate for the Charlatan-in-Chief, Barack Obama, whose speech to a joint session of Congress was both a masterpiece of rhetoric and a shameless fraud. To tell us, with a straight face, that he can insure millions more people without adding to the already skyrocketing deficit, is world-class chutzpa and an insult to anyone's intelligence. To do so after an analysis by the Congressional Budget Office has already showed this to be impossible reveals the depths of moral bankruptcy behind the glittering words.

Obama's top five tax fibs in Wednesday evening speech
http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/blogs/beltway-confidential/Obamas-top-five-tax-fibs-in-Wednesday-evening-speech-58628327.html
Excerpt:

Newt Gingrich: Prove it, Mr. President http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/columns/Prove-it_-Mr_-President-8224981-58630002.html
Excerpt: In a speech this week riddled with partisanship, evasions, and the very demagoguery he claimed to be deploring, President Obama nonetheless gave lawmakers who are serious about health care reform several opportunities to test his commitment to reform. "I will continue to seek common ground in the weeks ahead," Obama promised. "If you come to me with a serious set of proposals, I will be there to listen. My door is always open." To which congressional reformers should respond: Really, Mr. President? Prove it.

What Was The Stupidest Statement In Obama's Health Reform Speech?
“I have insisted that like any private insurance company, the public insurance option would have to be self-sufficient and rely on the premiums it collects. But by avoiding some of the overhead that gets eaten up at private companies by profits, excessive administrative costs and executive salaries, it could provide a good deal for consumers.”
If you have a problem understanding this selection visit some local business—plumber, grocer, mechanic, whatever, and ask him or her to explain the difference between “overhead” and “profit.” Then note the quote that followed. “The only thing this plan would eliminate is the hundreds of billions of dollars in waste and fraud...Reducing the waste and inefficiency in Medicare and Medicaid will pay for most of this plan.”
So, a government which loses hundreds of billions in its Medicare and Medicaid programs is going to eliminate the insurance company’s excessive administrative costs. And if the government knows how to eliminate waste and fraud in Medicare and Medicaid (just for starts) why hasn’t it already done so? (I received this in an e-mail, with no link or note on whom to credit. But it’s too good not to share. Thanks to the person who pointed this out. Imagine the “overhead” in the government. Think Fannie Mae cooking the books so execs like Franklin Raines could get huge bonuses while helping bring down the economy.)

Another apology
http://posuerpresident.blogspot.com/2009/09/it-is-time-for-another-apology.html
Excerpt: Let's start with Mr. Obama's basic premise: "the public insurance option would have to be self-sufficient and rely on the premium it collects." Presumably this statement is meant to reassure us that the public option would have to be competitive - rather than reliant on tax payer subsidies. While this approach seems sound, it is unconstitutional. The Constitution does not give Congress authority to enter into competition with the free market. The Bill of Rights was added to protect us against people like Mr. Obama, who argue that "I can do whatever I want unless it is expressly prohibited."

Details still lacking on Obama plan
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/10/AR2009091004365.html?wpisrc=newsletter
Details? We don’t need no stinkin’ details. But if the details are lacking, how do we know illegals and death panels aren’t in the details?

Moderate Senate Dems still not convinced on health care
http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/politics/Moderate-Senate-Dems-still-not-convinced-on-health-care-8225352-58661427.html
Excerpt: While President Obama has been talking a lot about Republican opposition to his health care plan, his biggest obstacle is more than a dozen moderate Senate Democrats who oppose much of his proposal, including mandates for insurance coverage and the creation of a government plan. A day after an address to Congress, Obama sought to rally 17 Senate moderates at a White House meeting, but these lawmakers say they won't make up their minds until they see a bipartisan Senate proposal that is still in the works. Among those who remain undecided is Sen. Evan Bayh, D-Ind., a fiscal conservative and head of the Democratic moderate group who has questions about the size and cost of reform legislation, say his aides.

From Medical Malpractice Reform
Robert – We appreciate you including a story mentioning our trial lawyer ad study on your blog. You might be interested in our latest statement, in which we acknowledge that the President has opened the door for medical liability reform in the health care debate, but that we need meaningful reform as part of the overall package.

From Lisa A. Rickard, president of the U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform: “We are encouraged that the President acknowledges the problem of medical liability lawsuits. While his demonstration program might be a step in the right direction, the devil is in the details. However, one thing is certain: the only way to achieve meaningful medical liability reform is through a comprehensive legislative solution aimed at reducing the soaring costs of defensive medicine – and an overwhelming majority of the American people agree. A new nationwide poll released by Common Good reveals that 83 percent of voters want Congress to include medical liability reform as part of any health care reform plan.”

Here’s a link to the Common Good study –
http://www.philipkhoward.com/images/uploads/CommonGood_PPT_Clarus-poll-sept10-09_ppt.pdf
and their press release –
http://commongood.org/assets/attachments/Press%20Release.doc

Mark Szymanski
Director of Communications
U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform

Sign the Medical Liability Reform petition
http://www.protectpatientsnow.org/site/c.8oIDJLNnHlE/b.5337405/k.2D6B/Medical_Liability_Reform_Petition/apps/ka/ct/contactus.asp?c=8oIDJLNnHlE&b=5337405&en=6oJFKLMkF4KBLNOuHaJAKTMvHgKOKOOnF5JHJRMwFoIZG

Special-interests and the health-care status quo.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203440104574404984255332524.html?mod=djemITP
Excerpt: On Wednesday the president told Congress "I will not stand by while the special interests use the same old tactics to keep things exactly the way they are." In fact, the administration is standing by to allow its most special, special interest to drive this debate. What the tort bar wants, the tort bar gets. Health insurers should be so lucky. The legal question has become the starkest symbol of a broken health discussion, and offers insight into this presidency. For Republicans, legal reform has become a litmus test, proof that Democrats have no interest in a deal, and therefore a reason to step back. For many Americans, legal reform has become proof that President Obama is more interested in an ideological triumph than his stated goal of lowering health costs. Tort reform is a policy no-brainer. Experts on left and right agree that defensive medicine—ordering tests and procedures solely to protect against Joe Lawyer—adds enormously to health costs. The estimated dollar benefits of reform range from a conservative $65 billion a year to perhaps $200 billion. In context, Mr. Obama's plan would cost about $100 billion annually. That the president won't embrace even modest change that would do so much, so quickly, to lower costs, has left Americans suspicious of his real ambitions.

Why are the uninsured growing?
http://www.ncpa.org/sub/dpd/index.php?Article_ID=18426

Obama: I used to say 47 million uninsured. Now, it's 30 million.
http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/blogs/beltway-confidential/Obama-I-used-to-say-47-million-uninsured--Now-its-30-million-58237842.html
17 million uninsured vanish. Maybe they went back to Mexico?

Read the Union Health-Care Label
Get ready for Detroit-style labor relations in our hospitals.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203440104574400571702189240.html
Excerpt: In the heated debates on health-care reform, not enough attention is being paid to the huge financial windfalls ObamaCare will dole out to unions—or to the provisions in the various bills in Congress that will help bring about the forced unionization of the health-care industry. Tucked away in thousands of pages of complex new rules, regulations and mandates are special privileges and giveaways that could have devastating consequences for the health-care sector and the American economy at large. The Senate version opens the door to implement forced unionization schemes pursued by former Govs. Rod Blagojevich of Illinois in 2005 and Gray Davis of California in 1999. Both men repaid tremendous political debts to Andy Stern and his Service Employees International Union (SEIU) by reclassifying state-reimbursed in-home health-care (and child-care) contractors as state employees—and forcing them to pay union dues. 9death Panels for the economy!)

Prisoners have a better diet than Health Service hospital patients, scientists warn
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1210109/Prisoners-better-diet-Health-Service-hospital-patients-scientists-warn.html
Nationalized health care in Britain.

The Van Jones Matter
http://townhall.com/columnists/CharlesKrauthammer/2009/09/11/the_van_jones_matter
Conservative defends Jones—on some points.

Beck Strikes Again; Yosi Sargent Reassigned at NEA
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/44/2009/09/10/beck_strikes_again_yosi_sargen.html?wprss=44
Blame the media, not the actions. It’s the Chicago way.

Book Recommendation
We picked up a CD version of A Thousand Splendid Suns, the second novel by Afghani refugee Khaled Hosseini. Terrific writer, terrific book. Several times we sat in the garage waiting for a chapter to finish. If you want the flavor of what life is like for women under strict application of Islamic Shari’a law, read (or listen to) this book.

The Third Jihad
www.thethirdjihad.com
Documentary film on line.

Eight years
http://jihadwatch.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=12857896c3097382b25b80a09&id=184950d726&e=e7dc22f4a7
Excerpt: The global jihad is not over. There have now been over 14,000 deadly attacks carried out since that fateful September 11 in 2001 by believers in Muhammad's dictum that "Islam must dominate, and not be dominated." Yet as a society we are farther away than ever from recognizing how exactly to combat this foe.

New strategy in Afghanistan: Protect everyone but Americans
http://townhall.com/columnists/DianaWest/2009/09/11/new_strategy_in_afghanistan_protect_everyone_but_americans
Excerpt: I refer to death by rules of engagement. Specifically, the deaths of four U.S. Marines seemingly by the new rules of engagement (ROE) in Afghanistan. They took place on Tuesday in an ambush against Afghan forces and their U.S. trainers around the village of Ganjgal. There, journalist Jonathan S. Landay of McClatchey Newspapers lived through the deadly firefight to write the following: "U.S. commanders, citing new rules to avoid civilian casualties, rejected repeated calls to unleash artillery rounds at attackers dug into the slopes and tree lines -- despite being told repeatedly that they weren't near the village." (Marines dies so politicians can look good. Alas, nothing new about that. Rest in Peace, Brothers.)

Obama on 9/11 murderers
http://www.redstate.com/bs/2009/09/10/obama-and-the-911-murderers/
Yup. It was poverty made them do it. Poor like bin Laden always feel aggrieved.

NYPD rewords terrorism report to please Muslims
http://jihadwatch.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=12857896c3097382b25b80a09&id=ce4cc69f8a&e=e7dc22f4a7

Research Shows $100 Billion Education Stimulus Likely Hurting Economy
http://www.ncpa.org/sub/dpd/index.php?Article_ID=18430
Excerpt: The president's Council of Economic Advisers will soon release its report assessing the short and long-term effects of the stimulus bill on the U.S. economy. As with previous iterations, this report will attempt to forecast overall effects of the stimulus across its many different components and the different economic sectors it targets. In doing so, it ignores the clearest research findings available pertaining to a key portion of the stimulus: K-12 education, says the Cato Institute.

But Bush tax cuts are helping
http://www.redstate.com/brianfaughnan/2009/09/10/whos-doing-more-for-economic-growth-barack-obama-or-george-bush/

Inquiry opened into New Black Panther case
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/sep/09/inquiry-opened-about-new-black-panther-case/
Excerpt: The Justice Department's Office of Professional Responsibility has begun an official inquiry into the dismissal in May of a civil complaint against the New Black Panther Party and two of its members who disrupted a Philadelphia polling place during the November general elections. The inquiry is disclosed in an Aug. 28 letter to Rep. Lamar Smith of Texas, the ranking Republican on the House Judiciary Committee who first raised questions about the dismissal in May and asked unsuccessfully that Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. make available the head of the department's Voting Section of the Civil Rights Division for a closed-door briefing on the decision. (They are only kidding the Congressman alone. Expecting Holder to investigate black thugs intimidating white voters is like asking the KKK to investigate a lynching in the old South. Justice is not color blind.)

ACORN and the case of the underage, illegal-immigrant prostitutes
http://newsrealblog.com/2009/09/10/acorn-and-the-case-of-the-underage-illegal-immigrant-prostitutes/
Just creating jobs for teenagers from Latin America. Should be tax exempt.

From The Patriot Post (www.patriotpost.us/subscribe/)"
Unfortunately, Jones isn't the only radical in Obama's crew. Regulation Czar Cass Sunstein advocates changing the organ donor rules to a system whereby people have to opt out of donating their organs rather than opting in. Sunstein believes that the government should manipulate choices to "make life easier for people and by gently nudging them in directions that will make their lives better." And then there's Obama's Science Czar, John Holdren, who once floated ideas like forced abortions and compulsory sterilization to help control human population levels. How many other people like Sunstein and Holdren are there in the White House? As they say, "Inquiring minds want to know."

Quote
"To judge from the history of mankind, we shall be compelled to conclude that the fiery and destructive passions of war reign in the human breast with much more powerful sway than the mild and beneficent sentiments of peace; and that to model our political systems upon speculations of lasting tranquillity would be to calculate on the weaker springs of human character." --Alexander Hamilton, Federalist No. 34, 1788. Founder's Quote Daily, a service of The Patriot Post, the conservative journal of record. To subscribe, link to http://patriotpost.us/subscribe/.