While we are certainly disappointed in this morning’s Supreme Court decision upholding Obamacare, it should serve as a rallying cry for all Americans that cherish individual freedom and responsibility. Elections have consequences! This health insurance law (it is anything but a healthcare law) was passed in March of 2010, little over a year after voters in the U.S. handed complete control of our federal government over to the Democrat party — the presidency, majority control of the House, and filibuster-proof control of the Senate. Frankly, it’s remarkable that the 2009-2010 Congress didn’t implement a number of other laws further extending government control over our lives and limiting our personal freedoms. The Democrats are claiming victory, with little regard (and frankly zero concern) for the fiscal calamity that Obamacare will cause. How anyone can believe that adding 30 million uninsured people to the healthcare system will somehow reduce costs is living in the same economic fantasyland in which our president has lived his entire life.
We have the opportunity and the obligation to do something about it. We can do everything in our power to elect Mitt Romney as our next president. We can retain and expand our majority in the House, and we can take back the Senate. It’ll be difficult to secure a filibuster-proof majority (60 seats) in the Senate, but we can certainly halt the path toward statism on which the progressives are taking us. We’ll need volunteers for our fair booth; we need riders and walkers for our July 4th parade entry; we need donors so that we can better market our philosophy to Nevada County voters, and we need HQ volunteers to register voters, make phone calls and get out the Republican vote this November. Send an e-mail to John Fuller — fuller5@aol.com, and sign up for HQ duties. But even more importantly, recruit your neighbors and friends to help us in “Taking Back America with Boots on the Ground”! I know that we can do it!
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You obviously need a much better understanding of all of the ramifications of the new law.
Did John Fuller write this? Who’s signing on to this partisan tract?
These guys are dreaming. The President will see a 5 point bump in the polls because of the SCOTUS ruling today. Vindication will boost his popularity, make him appear strong, and put a critical dent in the armor of conservative solidarity on health care. More important, the ruling directly supports the narrative designed for this campaign, which is that the President is the candidate of the working person and Mr. Romney is the candidate of the corporate class, who bears the most responsibility for the collapse of the economy in 2008.
Nice framing, Steve. I like it.
Steve,
It will allow the democratic party one more chance to sell the good things in the law to the American people again. The more people hear what it is the more they will like it. The other angle they need to take is the job creation in the health services industry. 20% increase of insured Americans will create a huge new demand. It will also free up many people who are locked into their jobs because the preexisting clause allows them to move more freely in the market and not be shackled to an employer. Many good things in this law such as the community health clinics for rural America. The 80/20 clause where 80 cents out of every dollar of our premiums is mandated to go to health care.
Steve, I agree he will see a bump in the polls. Add to that the huge increase in his base among Hispanic voters that resulted from his executive decision a few weeks ago and the increasing marginalization among women votes that the GOP has brought upon itself through its medieval stance on reproductive rights and the President is more or less guaranteed a second term. The 2010 elections were the high water mark of the conservative ascendency, its time for the moderates in the Republican Party to have the courage to take a leadership role if the GOP is to have any future at all.
The lie from our local Republicans: “How anyone can believe that adding 30 million uninsured people to the healthcare system will somehow reduce costs…” How about having 30 million uninsured citizens BUY health insurance. That is what the law makes happen. In my econ classes it was taught that vastly expanding a market leads to more competition, higher profits, better products, and, in this case, a net gain for the national budget. Argh……
I suggest that all of you read Paul Krugman’s article on this subject: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/29/opinion/the-real-winners.html?_r=1
http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2012/jun/28/mitt-romney/mitt-romney-says-obamacare-adds-trillions-deficit/
John and Steve,
The Democratic Party has been handed control for a generation if they would just have faith in the people and reclaim the people’s party status and ditch the money game. The Bush administration and the republican party going so far the right set this up but the democratic leadership is so deep in the pockets of the same large transnational corporations they can no longer represent the people in good faith. This is why the half steps of Dodd/ Frank, Obamacare (no public option and no repeal of Medicare part D), Defense budget bigger than ever, and more Farm Subsides to the huge 5 companies that control something like 85% of our food production (High Fructose Corn Syrup is a product of these subsides).
I will jump on board of either of the big two if they would represent the people over the profits of financial, military, big ag and big pharma industries. I don’t see it happening so I choose to sit on the outside and continue to try to hold the duopoly accountable and encourage others to the same.
Ben, while I understand idealism, I suspect putting forth a public option upon election would have ensured defeat of any health care reform; just enrolling in Medicare so don’t really understand it and did so only because VA–where I get most of my many meds for free–will almost never give pain meds, but found a Dr. up here thru longtime Physician Asst. friend who trusts/believes me and knows what an “incredibly complicated case,” I am; defense spending needs to be cut, intelligently and not decimated and while I have some issue with big pharma and believe complimentary and alternative therapies, including traditional Chinese medicine can be helpful for some ailments, they can also be dangerous, as are claimants of miracle cures for cancers, be they Benny Hinn laying hands upon ones tumor, or Dr. Bryzynski down in Houston blaming all his troubles on the FDA instead of moving his operation to Mexico and seeking funding from the tobacco industry, which would gladly spend millions for the guarantees emanating from his disciples.
How do we achieve such a pure gov’t, free of defect, vulnerabilities, flaws and warts, when human nature itself can not claim such purity. I know you are extremely intelligent and versed in Enlightenment thinking, but does your interest in history branch out deep into various societies from all parts of the ancient world. I know that besides being advised not to pursue a PhD in history by my friend and favorite college Professor after returning from Vietnam, because there were so many unemployed ones because of the war, I’ve been too fascinated by so many cultures and their histories to every specilize. My personal library is about as eclectic as they come, and I can’t recall any gov’t that hasn’t been terribly flawed.
I believe goods things are achievable in small quantities, pragmatically speaking. Achieving all at once, IMO, a total impossibility. Thus my partiality for the line from the movie Julia, whiich I’ve posted before: “We can only do today, what we can do today.” And the speaker, Julia, was soon murdered by the Brownshirts.
Fighting everybody is too much for me; so I fight the hard right.
It will take more than positive messaging about the actual benefits the ACA provides to Americans. The Republicans are the masters of shameless lies repeated endlessly and everywhere. More than anything else, this is how they dominated the 2010 elections. Democrats, liberals and progressives need to be out there starting yesterday countering every one of the lies Romney and McConnell retched in their attacks yesterday. Those lies are pithy-packaged for consumption by the large numbers of uninformed voters and they were effectively disgorged enmasse within hours of the Courts opinion. Heard nothing from the Democrats in response, just the wonky benefits. Knife to a gunfight once again. Even if Obama is reelected the makeup of Congress is at stake and the way to get rid of the awful, unpatriotic Republicans is to expose their dishonesty loudly and often. RESPOND!
Ed,
Is it not a sad commentary on the state of the nation when a public option is a deal breaker due the overwhelming marketing that would have taken place against it. Our representative government has been completely bought off and average Americans have become after thoughts or collateral damage in the name of short term electoral gains.
Yes, Ben, it is sad. I just think individuals/groups need to carefully pick their battles. Marketing would be unrecognizable if the consumers of the product were sculpted into a more flexible mold. Citizens and students, I firmly believe, are ultimately responsible for the finish work, ensuring they have been adequately educated/prepared to function intelligently in society and not merely be puppets on a string. As you know, dedication to this goal is required. With tens of millions of citizens and voters, I do not believe such dedication exists.
For Instance, Obama has been excoriated by more than a few for setting up a Super PAC/accepting money from one. Well, as someone who believes defeating the extreme right–who, as an Independent, I deem as far different and an infinitely greater threat to achievable ideals as expressed by the Founding Fathers than the Dems–I would condemn Obama as being plain stupid not to fight fire with fire. Obama has bravely stood his ground on some issues which could lead to his defeat. Then what do we have? A nightmare, I’d say; a tightening of the noose around the neck of the 99%ers. For me, there is a distinct choice.