There will be no reconciliation
Several have made the point SusanAnne Hiller made at RedState.com March 5 (bold emphasis hers):
[T]he Democrats talk of “reconciliation” or the nuclear option is nothing more than a diversion from what the real goal is – to pass the Senate version through the House and then have Obama sign it into law.
And once signed into law, does anyone really think that Obama will keep his promises of the “fixes” through the reconciliation process after he got what he wanted via the Senate bill?
No.
On that topic I received this from Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s office…
Yesterday afternoon Senator Johanns (R-NE) delivered a terrific speech on the Senate Floor regarding the health care debate and how pro-life principles play into the discussion. He specifically walks through how the Senate health care bill funds elective abortions with taxpayers’ dollars.
Senator Johanns spells out there is no possibility for reconciliation on abortion in healthcare in the Senate. I admire his heartfelt plea for the preborn…
As if it’s not enough that Republicans and pro-lifers distrust Democrats and Obama on the reconciliation proposal, apparently Democrats are also growing distrustful with each other as well as Obama about it. Furthermore, recent news reports indicate the White House inner circle is fracturing over distrust, too. From the Wall Street Journal, March 7:
House Democrats are suspicious of each other, none of them trust their Senate counterparts, and vice versa…. ObamaCare-induced paranoia… now engulfs Congress – not to mention the double game that the WH may well be running.
Last week President Obama sanctioned “reconciliation,” a complex tactic that would jam ObamaCare into law on sheer power politics. But what if this gambit is really a false-flag operation, meant to lure House Democrats into voting for a bill that they would otherwise oppose? That’s the question many rank-and-file Members are now asking themselves, and they’re right to be worried.
The cleanest option for Democrats would be for the House to pass the Senate’s Christmas Eve bill word for word, thereby bypassing a Senate filibuster under the normal rules and forwarding ObamaCare directly to the Rose Garden signing ceremony. But Speaker Nancy Pelosi has repeatedly said the votes simply don’t exist for the Senate bill as is….
Thus the convoluted scheme the WH has mapped out. The House would first pass the Senate bill, and then pass a reconciliation bill that addresses these objections…. Mrs. Pelosi can’t rope in the 216 votes she needs without an iron-clad promise of another round of Senate action.
Iron-clad promise – or double-cross? After all, the WH would much prefer the Senate bill….
In other words, perhaps Mr. Obama has embraced this reconciliation 2-step only to renege as soon as the House gives him what he wants….
What intrigue. I love it. The more paranoia the better.
Bottom line, we must urge our congressmen to oppose the Senate bill, no matter what.
Jill Stanek is a nurse turned speaker, columnist and blogger, a national figure in the effort to protect both preborn and postborn innocent human life.
So Obama agrees to change the language in order to get the pro-life Dem’s in the House to vote for the Senate bill but there really is no way to pass any abortion amendments in Reconcilliation cause the same amendment only got 45 votes last November. And now it would need 60, not just the 50 it needed at the previous vote. So Obama would sign it without and falsely claim once again, as he has falsely claimed all along, that the current language in the Senate bill does not allow federal funding of abortion. Question Barry, then why did you have to bribe Sen. Nelson with the cornhusker kickback? And why did you break your deal and take the bribe back after he voted for your plan?
Should have said:
So Obama would sign the Senate version of the bill without any changes and falsely claim once again, as he has falsely claimed all along, that the current language in the Senate bill does not allow federal funding of abortion.
Hi ts,
Correct me if I am wrong but didn’t Nelson voluntarily return the bribe because of the outrage of his constituents and the possible legal action of other states attorneys general?
Mary,
Nelson can’t return the Cornhusker kickback. It’s written into the legislation. The only way to eliminate the kickback or to expand it is to pass a new bill or a reconciliation bill after the Senate bill is already law. Nelson lost his chance to take out that passage after the Christmas Eve vote.
Thanks Michael,
I recall his constituents booed him out of a pizza parlor which gives some indication of their appreciation. I also hear some other states attorneys general may take legal action, as it puts an unfair burden on their states.
When one lays down with dogs they get up with fleas……..
Dang….Nobody trusts the WH? Gee, I wonder why?
I’m even SERIOUSLY contemplating not to turn in the 2010 CENSUS info…with the way the current gov’t screws everything up and keeps tracks of it’s so-called “domestic terrorists” lists…I dont trust this gov’t with this kind of information.
RSD:
This is also one of the first years I can think of that the government has really pushed hard for everyone to turn it in (multi-million dollar commercials on tv? They sent a flier home with my daughter the other day from school and SHE was urging me to turn it in!). I definitely don’t trust it. Although, I will admit that the more someone tells me to do something forcefully, the less likely I am to do it. I have a very rebellious nature. :S
X, I’m feeling the same way. Why the huge (expensive!) push to get us to turn in the stupid census? I just got a letter telling me that my forms are on the way. Was that waste of paper really necessary? Come on!
The huge expensive push is not to get reasonable people to send in the census. The push is to get all the slackers to send it in because states spend billions on slackers and they need the fed money to help cover all the programs for slackers.
The census also determines how much representation your state gets in congress.
Received the letter stating the census was on the way too!! Good grief.
When a blog starts posting pictures of the President (anyone for that matter) with makeup and the word “Liar”, they cease being relevant in any sort of adult conversation and debate. Tacky, disrespectful, childish, and something that I thought this blog was above (at least barely).
Buh bye EGV.
Does anyone know if convicted Illinois sex offender Marty Stanek is related to Richard Stanek? It would be interesting to know.
Do you disagree Carla – that a blog that seeks to expand understanding of a topic would stoop to levels seen in the worst pockets of paranoid politics? It’s just unfortunate, because if I went to a topic site led by a Democrat, and saw that about Bush, I’d leave because I’d think the organization/person was a big joke. Sorry – it’s just low-class.
Ex-GOP Voter, many people who post here are phony Christians. They are power hungry. They make the baby Jesus weep. They make God sad.
Well how interesting,
Firas Alkahteeb, the artist responsible for the Obama “joker” poster, is, according to the LA Times, a supporter of Ohio Democrat Dennis Kucinich who I understand plans to vote “no” on Obama’s health care “reform”.
Alkahteeb also produced an altered image of The Naked One, Rahm Emanuel.
EGV, I think you need to go to a Democrat site to profess your profound horror at such intolerance.
Harry, 8:17PM
A blood relationship, if it existed, between these two people would prove….what?
Hey Harry,
I’m the blood relative of an ex-police officer, and a deceased refrigeration repairman, and a person who did a little bootlegging during the Depression. Please enlighten me as to what significance this has.
Mary, with all due respect, it doesn’t matter who drew the artwork or anything like that.
What I’m saying is there’s a lot of people in the world looking at the pro-life movement to see what it is made of. This is a strong site in regards to public opinion and providing a “face” for the movement. And the face presented in this blog is one of ignorance, paranoia, and quite frankly, is going to be a turn-off for most thinking Americans that don’t watch Fox News 20 hours a day.
Yes, I’m sure most people on this board disagree with me – I’m just saying that if this site is a rallying pole for right wing extremists, then it fits. If this site is meant at all for folks to learn about the pro-life movement or get facts/thoughts/opinions or any useful information about the movement, then dumb stuff like that is going to just drive people away.
Ex-GOP – What is it about that picture that offends you? Are you trying to say that Obama is not a liar or that he doesn’t have a lot in common with the Joker?
I’m saying that reasonable people in society will disagree with elected officials. People will flat out distrust and dislike folks.
I did not like George Bush. I can formulate it in a couple of paragraphs why I didn’t like him. As the President, I do think he commanded a certain level of respect for what he was for the country, and what he did for the country.
I’ve seen people who HATE George Bush and make stupid cartoons of him and say outlandish things. In my mind, it makes them look dumb that they couldn’t engage in any sort of reasonable discussion, and quite frankly, I think it is a troubling lack of respect.
What bothers me is the whole logic of the post. It isn’t that anyone has lied – the author is SPECULATING that something might happen, and if so, then they aren’t being honest (though even that is a bit of a stretch). And taking a picture of the President and coloring it and putting liar on it – there’s nothing to say about it except that it is inflammatory and disrespectful.
You want respect, you have to give respect.
Ex-GOP,
If Obama wants respect then he needs to quit lying. For example, he goes on the air day after day saying that there is no federal funding of abortion in Obamacare, lie He claims not to know “scientifically” when life begins, lie. He claims day after day that there is no federal funding of abortions in his Obamacare proposal, lie. We need billboards of that picture of Obama to educate people about his serial lying. It is not disrespectful to call somebody who lies a liar.
truth – and there is a very interesting article in Slate right now regarding how abortion isn’t funded in the newest bill. A lot comes into how bills are read. For instance, if I gave you $20 and told you to go out and have some fun, there’s some people who would say I just possibly funded an abortion because who knows what you’ll do with it.
I’ve worked with community health centers – if that is the current abortion loop hole, well, I think we’re okay and can move on.
Lying because of how he answered the “above my pay grade question”? Wow, you’re reaching now.
Come on EGV,
A picture of the president made to look like the joker(origially with the word “socialism” under it) that was drawn by a Chicagoan who supports Democrat Kucinich reflects badly on us?
Deviousness? What about bribes and giving political supporters backroom special concessions concerning their health care plans?
Oh and please EGV, do a little historical research. Since the founding of the republic, political figures, especially presidents, have been subjected to every kind of ridicule, criticism, and name calling you can imagine. This poster of Obama is tame and tasteful by comparison. Its called freedom of speech. I can remember Lyndon Johnson being reviled as a n—– lover for his support of civil rights as well as called a “baby killer” for his escalating of the Vietnam War.
Ex GOP,
If there was no federal funding of abortion then why did Obama and his minions bribe Ben Nelson to remove language restricting federal funding of abortion from the bill?
And yes, his above my pay-grade answer was disingenuous and deceptive. Are you unsure about when human life begins “scientifically”? Ugh
Ex-GOP. I have an endless amount of lies we could cover here. As Sen. McCain has pointed out, Obama promised to use public funding in the general election if the Republican candidate would do so also. Well, McCain agreed to it, but Obama broke his promise. After all, when he made the promise, he didn’t have a chance of raising more than the public’s $85 million stipend. But now that he can raise $300 million, well, what’s a little untruth between the annonted one and his people? Yes, he can.
Mary – in no way am I saying that a person doesn’t have the right to do this. In no way am I also saying that people haven’t done this for years.
I am saying that if I were somebody looking to find out information on a site, or find out about an organization or group, that this would be a turn-off for me. It is fringe group stuff, not intellectual, and frankly a little childish.
truthseeker –
Bush, Clinton, Obama, McCain, Sanford, Kennedy – I don’t know a politician who hasn’t lied, or had something that they promised not come true.
If you went on a site and it had George Bush depicted the same way, what sort of word associations would you think? Honorable? High-class? Warm feelings?
It’s like comedians swearing. Do they have the right? Sure – but I wish they were smarter enough to approach things at a college graduate level and not pander to stupid people. Sorry if that’s harsh – it just is childish.
EGV,
Like I said, tell it to the Democrats, specifically Kucinich supporters.
Didn’t realize you were such a fan of Kucinich.
Maybe soon we’ll get the George Bush picture of him as a vampire sucking the neck of the statue of liberty (The Village Voice).
I’m no fan of Kucinich and never said I was.
Since you have such an issue with a stupid political cartoon/poster, only one of who knows how many have been produced since the founding of the republic, then I suggest you take it up with the Democrat Kucinich’s supporter who produced the cartoon/poster to begin with.
Well Mary, that is rather silly logic, isn’t it? As long as somebody else came up with it, a person can post it and really take no ownership of the logic? Oh, I only posted a sign that says person XYZ is a nazi…I didn’t mean it – I mean, I just posted a picture.
The Palestinian guy who put it together didn’t even vote.
Not at all,
Political cartoons/posters are as old as this republic. Since I have never taken them all that seriously, and have heard and seen politicians attacked far more viciously and unfairly, this is of no special importance to me. If you have such an issue with a poster/cartoon, take it up with the person who produced it.
I don’t care if the person producing it voted or not. This is America and we have freedom of speech and expression.
I see cartoons/posters/bumper stickers all the time that I don’t like. Big deal.
Mary –
Have a great evening. We could exchange posts for 10 years and we aren’t going to see eye to eye on some things, so might as well just drop it.
Ex-GOP,
Acorn is getting convicted of fraud all over the place because of duplicitous and fake voting all over the place. Is it too harsh to Acorn a fraud?
Hate to do it, but I agree with XGV that this particular picture was a bad idea.
Why? I didn’t think Joker. I thought whiteface. So I was a little shocked to see it here. Now that I know the intent, I still don’t really get it, but I don’t think it’s meant to be offensive, either.
Calling him a liar or a socialist is objectively true and provable, so that doesn’t bother me at all.
Hey truth – did you think of the word associations at all?
YCW,
I saw absolutely nothing racial and frankly I’m a little tired of this “racism” claptrap every time someone ridicules or criticizes the president.
The white “joker” character had whiteface, the “catwoman” dressed like a black cat,(something sinister about the color black?) the “riddler” dressed in green(some suggestion about the Irish?).
This is a general comment YCW, not addressed so much at you.
YCW,
Concerning racism,you may be thinking of “black face” which is what white actors like Al Jolson would put on their faces to ridicule and stereotype black people. It was viewed as acceptable and entertaining.
I’ve only seen “white face” on clowns.
Thank you for specifying that it wasn’t me you were accusing of jumping on the racism bandwagon.
Yes, that is what I was thinking of; perhaps if I were more into Batman I would have thought of the Joker, but I didn’t figure it out.
Really, I “forget he’s black” except when the media is rubbing my face in it, because I honestly don’t think it matters. But if someone were to attack or insult the president based on his race, it would bother me. For the record, I have not yet seen that happen, here or elsewhere–I just thought this particular “artwork” was in poor taste.
Hi YCW,
Like you I do not support racial attacks against anyone, especially the president. I also don’t support turning every criticism and ridicule into something racially motivated. I have heard this plenty and is the “claptrap” I was referring to.
Most political cartoons are not in the best taste, they’re just making a point. Personally, I find this poster incredibly ugly more than anything.