Been very busy lately with work and all, but I listen to the radio while I work and heard Sean Hannity with senators Tim DeMint (R-SC) and Coburn (R-OK), about insisting that a 767-page amendment to the socialized medicine bill proposed by Bernie Sanders (Socialist-VT) be read aloud on the floor of the Senate. Sanders' amendment proposed an entirely socialized single-payer health care system. After about three hours of droning on and on, Sanders withdrew the proposal. Embarrassed at having it exposed to the public or what?
The Republicans are finally taking the gloves off, apparently. About all they can do is delay the bill so long that any kind of vote on it will slop over into the 112th Congressional Session, beginning in January. By then, the socialized medicine bill will be "old business." It will also come up after the senators have had the opportunity to go home and listen to their consitutents' opinions of it.
A recent poll conducted by the Wall Street Journal and NBC news -- so likely any biases would cancel each other out -- showed that the general public is 53% opposed to socialized medicine. That's kinda the same margin that swept the Comrade into the White House, isn't it? By the same poll, and also Rasmussen's Daily Presidential Tracking poll, the Comrade's popularity seems to rise and fall tied to socialized medicine. He's at an all-time low right now -- in the low 40% approval range -- even according to polls done by the likes of the Washington Post, which probably cheers him on. The Comrade did get a little and temporary boost when he decided to send troops to Afghanistan.
Anyway, from what I've heard, the Republicans, who apparently also are reading the polls, have decided that "nyet" and "obstructionism" might not be such a bad thing in regard to socialized medicine. Right. Glad they finally figured that out. DeMint and Coburn have always been outspoken on the issue, as have other Republicans. I'm just glad they've finally found the stones to do whatever they can to block this garbage legislation. The nation is behind them -- or as behind them as the nation ever gets.
Matter of fact, being a reader of the Congressional Globe, the 19th century forerunner to the Congressional Record, which documents all the palaver in congress, it struck me a little while back that the Republicans -- or someone -- should insist on having these mammoth bills read on the floor. That's in the congressional rules, you know. The bills are supposed to be read when they're introduced (got that from the old Globe.) Usually, reading the bills is waived, but it has to be waived by a unanimous vote of the chamber. One member of congress wants it read aloud, and it must be read aloud.
In addition, according to these same polls, more people would rather have NO HEALTH CARE REFORM AT ALL than the socialized medicine legislation from either the House or the Senate.
So, good move, DeMint and Coburn. Insisting they be read on the floor may be the only way to really find out what the hell is in these bills, as well as being an effective obstructionist tactic.
Please. Feel free to throw up as many roadblocks as you can devise. The American public applauds you. We've had our fingers crossed all these many months that something like this would happen.
On another, but closely related subject. Saw Glenn Beck today, and he reported on a item that appeared in the Weekly Standard. OK. So Senator Ben Nelson (D-Nebraska) is something of a Blue Dog Democrat -- conservative. He seriously questions the abortion provisions in the socialized medicine bill and a bunch of other things. Like, in his state, if payments to doctors for Medicare are reduced even further, you won't be able to find too many doctors in Nebraska. It's a largely agricultural and rural state, with not a lot of doctors to begin with. Underpay them, and they won't be able to survive.
So the revelation from the Weekly Standard and Glenn Beck is that someone from the White House, possibly Ram Emanuel, contacted Senator Nelson's office and threatened to shut down Offut Air Force Base if Nelson doesn't fall into line and vote "yes" on socialized medicine. Offut is in Nebraska and is the home base of what used to be called the Strategic Air Command. You know, in those old Cold War movies, when the people in the underground bunkers watched missiles sailing across the US borders.... you know how they always showed these Air Force pilots scrambling into fighter jets? That was the Strategic Air Command.
Actually, the way it's done now, I believe, is that some of those jets are constantly airborne and ready to attack at any moment to defend US borders. But I'm not sure about that.
So the White House wants to shut down Offut? And move 100+ islamic terrorists to Illinois. Hey, you know what? Why not just touch off a couple atom bombs in the Heartland and get it over with, Jackass. I mean, what do the Democrats care, as long as they get socialized medicine? These people are... I really don't want to use that kind of language.
Anyway, that's extortion pure and simple. That's politics Chicago-style. Nothing is beneath these slimebags. It boggles the mind.
So anything the Republicans can come up with to stop the assault on the nation from the Merry Marxists will guarantee those Republicans a place in history. That is, if the nation does manage to survive this administration. That remains to be seen.
But I'm beginning to feel hopeful again.
(And I'm sorry. I had to edit this three times! I'm very tired.)
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