US Healthcare Policy

[Donkey]

Funding attached to that bill?
No.
I think he's referring to the "no air" issue. Congress is obsessed with the Healthcare bill right now so no one is interested in discussing any other issue. Once that bill is gone, then other issues can be discussed.

I'm just speculating of course.

(obviously our favorite young lobbyist doesn't have a fat budget to bribe people with!!!) :D
Correct. We are working very hard to see immigration next on the docket.
Lets see, there is:


Financial Reform
Climate Change Law/Green Energy Development Initiative
Infrastructure Renewal/Upgrade
Education Reform
Balancing the Budget
Sorting out 'Af-Pak' after the surge is done with

Quite a lot for one term, and while Obama is deliberative/slow and shrewd/manipulative and also a consensus-seeker/timid, one hopes the bastard gets things done in his sneaky way after all.
You're missing a teeny-tiny little issue that was a major part of him getting elected. ;)

[Michael]

You're missing a teeny-tiny little issue that was a major part of him getting elected. ;)

Really? I recall Obama standing on several campaign issues - I definitely don't recall Obama running on immigration reform as a campaign issue though. :shrug:

He might have, I just don't pay much attention to that issue. If you think the Senate is disfunctional on healthcare, you ain't seen them on immigration! :lol:

[Zarquon]

No.

Correct. We are working very hard to see immigration next on the docket.

You're missing a teeny-tiny little issue that was a major part of him getting elected. ;)
Immigration! dunno how I forgot that one, but its definitely at the bottom of that list nationally, though up there for me personally.

[Michael]

Immigration! dunno how I forgot that one, but its definitely at the bottom of that list nationally, though up there for me personally.
Yes, the politics on the immigration issue are just as ugly as the politics on healthcare.

Both involve taxpayers giving a public benefit to 'brown people' and that's not politically popular in the USA (that's an understatement).

And just to make it doubly difficult, in both cases, the prime beneficiaries are not politically active or regular voters.

[Donkey]

Really? I recall Obama standing on several campaign issues - I definitely don't recall Obama running on immigration reform as a campaign issue though. :shrug:

He might have, I just don't pay much attention to that issue. If you think the Senate is disfunctional on healthcare, you ain't seen them on immigration! :lol:
He didn't run on it as a campaign issue against McCain, but he did make a promise to the Latino community that immigration reform would be a priority in his first year in office, and hispanics voted significantly for Obama.

(Also, if the Democrats deliver on real immigration reform, because it will be mostly partisan, Latinos will be a lock for Democrats for decades, like African Americans now.)

[Michael]

He didn't run on it as a campaign issue against McCain, but he did make a promise to the Latino community that immigration reform would be a priority in his first year in office, and hispanics voted significantly for Obama.
Non-whites voted for Obama in overwhelming numbers (using the American definition that Latinos are non-white).

I think Obama sold the Latino community a falsehood since immigration reform was never on the table as a 'first year in office' priority. Nothing particularly unusual there - the political campaigns are well known for such 'falsehoods'.

(Also, if the Democrats deliver on real immigration reform, because it will be mostly partisan, Latinos will be a lock for Democrats for decades, like African Americans now.)
That would be true, but I believe that Latinos are already mostly a lock for the Democrats regardless - given hard-core animosity against Latinos, immigration reform and brown people generally in the Republican party.

And as I noted above, I smell a really nasty political fight over immigration policy so I can't imagine that Obama would want to push for it. Sure a large faction of the Democratic party supports immigration reform, but there is also a strong 'protectionist-unionist' faction (i.e. Michigan/Indiana/Illinois) that won't like it one bit. And fanatical Republican opposition is guarenteed. That's not exactly the profile of the kind of issue Obama or the Democrats are going to want to push right now...

I'm not pissing on immigration policy/reform, I'm just pointing out that you have a serious uphill battle if you want Congress to seriously address the issue any time soon.

(P.S. Don't forget that one of the reasons that blacks in the USA are generally politically powerless is because the Democratic party has a lock on their votes)

[Zarquon]

I'm not pissing on immigration policy/reform, I'm just pointing out that you have a serious uphill battle if you want Congress to seriously address the issue any time soon.

They'll introduce the bill next year, and pass it in 2011 after the election. Or pass it before the election as well; Obama might yet show some resolve, and the issues are coming up, though only one-at-a-time.

[Donkey]

I'm somewhat more optimistic, but we shall see. :)

[Michael]

Time for some necessary healthcare anti-spin (since the Democrats are engaging in heavy propaganda spin trying to sell this ugly package).

This healthcare bill does NOT provide coverage for 30 million Americans who presently lack coverage. That is a lie.

The healthcare bill basically just orders those 30 million Americans to go out there and buy some healthcare insurance with their own money. Some subsidies may be available to some of those people to assist with some of the cost, but that's it. If they can't afford private market insurance, that's just too bad - they will be designated criminally libel and fined.

That is NOT universal healthcare coverage - not even close.

[Zarquon]

Senate Passes Health Care Overhaul Bill

The Senate voted Thursday to reinvent the nation's health
care system, passing a bill to guarantee health insurance for
all Americans and rein in health costs as proposed by
President Obama.

The vote, on the 25th straight day of debate on the
legislation, brings Democrats a step closer to a goal they
have pursued for decades. It clears the way for negotiations
with the House, which passed a broadly similar bill last
month by a vote of 220 to 215.
Source (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/25/health/policy/25health.html?_r=1&nl=us&emc=politicsemailema1)
Of to the House.

[Michael]

Your source lies.

"...passing a bill to guarantee health insurance for all Americans" is a lie.

Fact is, the bill doesn't actually do that. The bill orders all Americans to buy private insurance. Big difference.

It is bad enough that the Democrats sold out so much on this policy - but it is definitely annoying when they play Orwellian word games to try and cover that up.

This bill does not bring universal healthcare to the USA. That was the original and defining goal of that policy initiative going back for half a century. Still will be for the next half century it seems.

[The Drunk Guy]

Your source lies.

"...passing a bill to guarantee health insurance for all Americans" is a lie.

Fact is, the bill doesn't actually do that. The bill orders all Americans to buy private insurance. Big difference.

It is bad enough that the Democrats sold out so much on this policy - but it is definitely annoying when they play Orwellian word games to try and cover that up.

This bill does not bring universal healthcare to the USA. That was the original and defining goal of that policy initiative going back for half a century. Still will be for the next half century it seems.
Reminds me of the ending to one of my favorite Sublime songs...

Let it burn, wanna let it burn,
wanna let it burn, wanna wanna let it burn

Riots on the streets of Miami,
oh, Riots on the streets of Chicago,
oh, on the streets of Long Beach,
mmm, and San Francisco (Boise Idaho),
Riots on the streets of Kansas City
(Salt Lake, Hunnington Beach, CA),
Tuscalusa Alabama (Arcada Compton Mischigan),
Cleveland Ohio,
Fountain Valley (Texas, Barstow - Let's do this every year),
Paramount, Victorville (Twice a Year),
Eugene OR, Eureka CA (Let it burn, let it burn),
Hesperia (Oh, ya let it burn, wont'cha wont'cha let it burn),
Santa Barbara, Nevada, (let it burn)
Phoenix Arizona,
San Diego, Lakeland Florida, (let it burn)
fuckin... 29 Palms (wontcha let it burn)

[Michael]

Looks like the issue that won't die is rising again...

Rumor has it that the White House is going to actually write a healthcare refrom bill and submit it to Congress - that might, or might not, have a public option. This bill might, or might not, be pushed through Congress using the Budget Reconcilliation rules.

It seems impossible to figure out what is the plan here until it gets formally announced - possibly at the 'healthcare summit' they are planning for next week.

I've practically given up caring about this issue one way or another (since it doesn't really affect me directly at all). This issue just frames everything I hate most about US politics - especially the way blatant and stupid lies and/or aggressive disinformation campaigns are repeated broadcast by the media and rarely challenged or examined by that same media. The mass media just seems to provide a free advertising service to the most blatantly dishonest peddlers of misinformation and they do it day after day, week after week, without question. What is really annoying is the way this is applied so selectively on just the most important issues of the day (the buildup to the Iraq War was another similar example of media malfesiance). And to top it off, watching the Democrats stumble around shooting themselves in the foot isn't pleasant to watch when one places any value on public policy serving public needs.

[The Drunk Girl]

I received this in an email from my cousin today.

Wow. 37,323 people joined you this past week in telling Congress that Health Care Reform Can’t Wait.

The incredible response inspired us to set a new goal: get to 50,000 signatures by this time next week.

With enough signatures we can pressure lawmakers from both political parties to do the right thing and act now on meaningful health care reform. Will you be the one to help get us there? Reach out to your friends and family to tell them about the petition:

www.acscan.org/signatures (https://stuowa.eku.edu/owa/redir.aspx?C=8645ee3ebdf84965941a2152463006fc&URL=http%3a%2f%2faction.acscan.org%2fsite%2fR%3fi% 3dX2p3P9TE8LW30jdJDLB0XA..)

As the health care debate continues in Washington, people like you and me -- whose lives have been impacted by cancer and other diseases -- haven’t lost hope.

We’ve fought bigger battles, against time and disease where hope has been our best weapon. And this is one fight where we come to the table with our greatest strengths: our voices, our perseverance and our determination.

Help us put momentum back on our side. With every new signature, you bring us one step closer to making sure no American will ever have to decide between saving their life and their life savings. Tell your friends, family, colleagues, and neighbors to join the fight for reform:

www.acscan.org/signatures (https://stuowa.eku.edu/owa/redir.aspx?C=8645ee3ebdf84965941a2152463006fc&URL=http%3a%2f%2faction.acscan.org%2fsite%2fR%3fi% 3dBb5muFtlbuxlZccad-x8Gg..)

As people whose lives have been touched by cancer and other diseases, our most difficult struggles have led to our greatest strengths. You and I know what it means to fight with determination, and we won’t give up on meaningful health care reform.

Thanks for your support,

Erin O'Neill
ACS CAN

[Michael]

Wow. I can only imagine what it must be like to be a 'cancer survivor' and then having to face the future with zero chance of healthcare insurance.

[Lily]

The House has passed the Health Care Reform bill and Pres. Obama is expected to sign it into law sometime today. In addition, the House also passed the Reconciliation Act, the bill that "fixes" the original Senate version of the Health Care Reform bill. Both bills were passed with zero votes from Republicans.

The Reconciliation Act bill nows goes to the Senate for a vote. This vote is a straight up and down vote, with only a 51-vote majority needed to pass. Many Democrat Senators have "promised" in a letter to pass this bill without changes. We'll see. If they do change anything, the bill must go back again to the House. Of course, Republicans in the Senate are gearing up for all kinds of tricky challenges and delaying tactics, as they know they don't have the votes to kill the bill.

This is a down and dirty analysis of the Reconciliation bill: Analysis (http://www.rules.house.gov/111_hr4872_secbysec.html)

This is the actual text (http://docs.house.gov/rules/hr4872/111_hr4872_amndsub.pdf) of the bill.

[Michael]

Its about damn time! :lol:

Congratulations to the Democratic party in avoiding 'epic fail' mode.

I think the bill/reform sucks, but it is marginally better than the status quo.

The problem is, this reform failed to achieve the primary goal of the reform movement in the first place. The USA still does not have a universal healthcare program. Because of this, you can be sure that this issue will return again and again for more fixes.

And as far as legislative accomplishments go, this one is entirely underwhelming. I can't celebrate a law that forces people to buy private insurance that they can't afford in the first place. :shrug:

[Americano]

It's going to be messy. Several states are threatening lawsuits against mandatory health care and John McCain is screaming repeal at the polls.

[Michael]

It's going to be messy. Several states are threatening lawsuits against mandatory health care and John McCain is screaming repeal at the polls.
Repeal is doomed.

Once the bill is passed all the bullshit they've been pumping out there evaporates and all you have left is the actual policy - not some undefined fear of some imaginary 'screw-you' policy.

Polls have repeatedly shown that 50-70% of the US public thinks that this bill will force them to give up their existing healthcare insurance and be forced to buy it from the government (or something like that). This phantom fear will disappear as soon as people realized that isn't happening.

Once people realize that the sky isn't falling and there are no 'death panels' coming to take granny away, some of the actual benefits of the program may start to attract some support as some people really will benefit from this.

[Lily]

Repeal is doomed.

Once the bill is passed all the bullshit they've been pumping out there evaporates and all you have left is the actual policy - not some undefined fear of some imaginary 'screw-you' policy.

Polls have repeatedly shown that 50-70% of the US public thinks that this bill will force them to give up their existing healthcare insurance and be forced to buy it from the government (or something like that). This phantom fear will disappear as soon as people realized that isn't happening.

Once people realize that the sky isn't falling and there are no 'death panels' coming to take granny away, some of the actual benefits of the program may start to attract some support as some people really will benefit from this.


Agreed, but "repeal and replace" seems to be the war cry of the Republicans going forward. As some of these immediate benefits begin to kick in, i.e., seniors getting a $250 rebate to cover the donout hole in the Medicare drug benefit, the cash in hand is going to outweigh anything else. I'd love to see the Republicans try to explain to seniors how they'll be better off without that money.

[Americano]

Repeal is doomed.

Once the bill is passed all the bullshit they've been pumping out there evaporates and all you have left is the actual policy - not some undefined fear of some imaginary 'screw-you' policy.

Polls have repeatedly shown that 50-70% of the US public thinks that this bill will force them to give up their existing healthcare insurance and be forced to buy it from the government (or something like that). This phantom fear will disappear as soon as people realized that isn't happening.

Once people realize that the sky isn't falling and there are no 'death panels' coming to take granny away, some of the actual benefits of the program may start to attract some support as some people really will benefit from this.

Agreed. McCain is just making noise as he fears losing his seat and states filing lawsuits will find their very important shares of federal spending under close scrutiny.

[Michael]

Agreed. McCain is just making noise as he fears losing his seat and states filing lawsuits will find their very important shares of federal spending under close scrutiny.
If the Teaparty set succeeds at only one thing - let it be a primary victory against McCain! That would indeed be sweet to see 'two-tongue' McCain swept out of the Senate.

The US Senate has way too many self-entitled rich white guys who believe their Senate seat belongs to them by some kind of 'right'. I like to see that bubble popped as often as possible.

[Americano]

If the Teaparty set succeeds at only one thing - let it be a primary victory against McCain! That would indeed be sweet to see 'two-tongue' McCain swept out of the Senate.

The US Senate has way too many self-entitled rich white guys who believe their Senate seat belongs to them by some kind of 'right'. I like to see that bubble popped as often as possible.

Unfortunately those changes seldom occur in the bible belt. On that subject, I noticed Governor Mark Sanford (R-SC) cut a check to resolve his ethics charges.

[Lily]

Oh holy hell. lmao! The Republicans are out for blood! Go to www.GOP.com and see where the redirect takes you. Unbelievable! :rofl:

[Americano]

Oh holy hell. lmao! The Republicans are out for blood! Go to www.GOP.com (http://www.GOP.com) and see where the redirect takes you. Unbelievable! :rofl:

Too much.

Trying to financially capitalize on death panel believers?

[Zarquon]

Its about damn time! :lol:

Congratulations to the Democratic party in avoiding 'epic fail' mode.

I think the bill/reform sucks, but it is marginally better than the status quo.

The problem is, this reform failed to achieve the primary goal of the reform movement in the first place. The USA still does not have a universal healthcare program. Because of this, you can be sure that this issue will return again and again for more fixes.

And as far as legislative accomplishments go, this one is entirely underwhelming. I can't celebrate a law that forces people to buy private insurance that they can't afford in the first place. :shrug:
Given that a law has been passed/the status-quo has been altered/first step has been taken, it will be easier to improve it in the future in a step-by-step way:sneaky: or maybe undo it:erm:

[Americano]

Given that a law has been passed/the status-quo has been altered/first step has been taken, it will be easier to improve it in the future in a step-by-step way:sneaky: or maybe undo it:erm:

So many political deals have been cut to pass it in the present mangled form I don't think repeal is a viable possibility and improvement is inevitable. Insurers are happy, there are benefits for the elderly (a huge voting block), benefits for the disadvantaged (becoming larger each day) and current administration has achieved change worthy of historical notation.

The GOP is real unhappy.

[Michael]

Given that a law has been passed/the status-quo has been altered/first step has been taken, it will be easier to improve it in the future in a step-by-step way:sneaky: or maybe undo it:erm:

The only thing more difficult to do in Congress than enact new social policy legislation - is repealing or reducing previously enacted social policy.

Congress is highly disfunctional. Lots of people apparently like it that way.

[Michael]

For anyone wondering what's in the final bill, here's a decent summary from the LA Times...

http://www.latimes.com/media/graphic/2010-03/52868964.jpg

Source (http://www.latimes.com/features/health/la-na-healthcare-passage22-2010mar22-g,0,7818440.graphic)

[Donkey]

And Republicans' in Congress capacity to be petulant children never ceases to impress.

[Michael]

Actually... that $17 billion in revenues (10-year projection) from the fines against those who don't buy insurance is a bit disturbing, but I suppose the US just has ginormous numbers for everything. :shrug:

Overall, with all the details laid out like that, it really is hard to get a handle on the reason a hundred million Americans are so freaked out by this policy. The benefits do look decent enough and the tax increase 'cost' does look quite reasonably modest.

I suppose it would have been entirely irresponsible for the media to publish this kind of information before today... :ummm:

Speaking of which, I did note that the graphic posted above specifically mentions that 'protests from labor unions' caused one provision to be pushed back from 2013 to 2018. Not a word about any political deals for any other political stakeholder involved. Shows you where the Hearst corporation stands, even when trying to do good journalism, they have to play some politics. ;)

[Lily]

For anyone wondering what's in the final bill, here's a decent summary from the LA Times...



Source (http://www.latimes.com/features/health/la-na-healthcare-passage22-2010mar22-g,0,7818440.graphic)

Thanks for posting that, Michael. The bill is pretty difficult to slog through.

I was listening to someone on NPR a few months ago. I wish I could remember his name, but he has been studying health care delivery systems around the world and believes that universal care/single payer system is the way to go. He also stated that if Congress passed this health care bill it would be the start of a movement toward that end. He didn't believe the U.S. could make the leap from its traditional system straight to universal coverage, that we had to get there in increments. I hope he's right. I don't know if I'll be around when that happens, but one day, I truly believe the U.S. will have a universal health care system.

[The Drunk Guy]

Actually... that $17 billion in revenues (10-year projection) from the fines against those who don't buy insurance is a bit disturbing, but I suppose the US just has ginormous numbers for everything. :shrug:

Overall, with all the details laid out like that, it really is hard to get a handle on the reason a hundred million Americans are so freaked out by this policy. The benefits do look decent enough and the tax increase 'cost' does look quite reasonably modest.
For the income bracket $21k, I would be paying $1365 for insurance if it wasn't offered at work. Well, I will be paying $401 for insurance through my job. Sounds to me like a good excuse for insurance to raise everyone's rates.:shrug:

[Michael]

Thanks for posting that, Michael. The bill is pretty difficult to slog through.

I was listening to someone on NPR a few months ago. I wish I could remember his name, but he has been studying health care delivery systems around the world and believes that universal care/single payer system is the way to go. He also stated that if Congress passed this health care bill it would be the start of a movement toward that end. He didn't believe the U.S. could make the leap from its traditional system straight to universal coverage, that we had to get there in increments. I hope he's right. I don't know if I'll be around when that happens, but one day, I truly believe the U.S. will have a universal health care system.
Yes, all the 'experts' who really study the data always come out for 'single-payer' systems.

It may be counter-intuitive, but these universal systems reduce overall healthcare costs by making preventative and early diagnosis much more common and available to all - this massively decreases the need for catastrophic medical operations which cost way more money.

The net result is that single-payer/universal systems are quite efficient in comparison with the US type system (where routine medical procedures are often skipped due to costs, leading to higher cost-treatments later on).

Comparative healthcare data shows this with type II diabetes, which is often treated at an earlier stage outside the USA, leading to way lower mortality rates from type II diabetes than is common in USA.

[SMadsen]

Oh holy hell. lmao! The Republicans are out for blood! Go to www.GOP.com (http://www.GOP.com) and see where the redirect takes you. Unbelievable! :rofl:
Dang, what is that?! Is this made by adult people? Seriously?

[Donkey]

In the interest of giving credit where credit is due, I think more than maybe anyone (i.e. Obama and Reid), Nancy Pelosi went balls to the walls to scrounge and scrabble the votes together to pass this one.

[Michael]

In the interest of giving credit where credit is due, I think more than maybe anyone (i.e. Obama and Reid), Nancy Pelosi went balls to the walls to scrounge and scrabble the votes together to pass this one.
Agreed.

If I were to grade the 'job performance' of all the key players in this issue, only Pelosi deserves an A+. Her careful planning, composure and organizational skills were evident at every step of the process.

Reid gets a 'gentleman's C' for his lack-lustre efforts. Strictly mediocre is the only adjective that I can think would apply to Reid. For the most part, Reid seemed to be some bit player, not a leader.

Rahm Emmanuel gets a F for his wrong strategies and his ego-pounding media games. For the whole of the last twelve months, Rahm Emmanuel consistently gave bad counsel on this issue. In the beginning phase, Emmanuel counseled a limited approach and may have been the driving force of the "let Congress do it" strategy. Both of these strategies turned out to be 'bad advice' at best. When the policy was most in danger and 'on the ropes' (ie. the last two months) Rahm counseled to go small and quick. As it turned out, 'go big or go home' was the winning strategy.

And in the midst of the most intense (blogosphere) criticisms of Rahm for his many strategic/tactical failures, he cashes in on his favors around Washington to get a half-dozen 'puff-pieces' published in the big mainstream media to defend his honor (and his job). I think that this episode is particularly revealing - that if/when 'push comes to shove', Rahm is going to be concerned to defend Rahm, not Obama. That's not the kind of guy Obama needs to have around in an important position.

As for Obama himself, I'll give him a 'middling' B. I'll certainly give Obama an "A for effort" for his political push on the issue for the last two-three months when Congress was ready to give up on it. Clearly Obama pushed the ball to the finish line when it was in danger and that's no mean feat, but his whole political future was on the line - his whole presidency was about to go down the tubes if he failed to deliver healthcare policy reform, so its hardly much credit to the man to say that he fought well to stay alive! That's a rather low bar for judging Presidents I should think. Clinton (for example) fought back against way longer odds.

I hedge Obama's grade because of the opening phase when Obama pre-emptively surrendered on the 'single-payer' model and cut sweet-heart deals with some healthcare industry players to 'buy them off' for nothing since these same groups just funded their opposition through front groups instead. These were really stupid moves that amounted to Obama shooting himself in BOTH feet before the game even began. Thus, B 'at best' is all I can credit Obama here with and 90% of that comes from success. :shrug:

Please note that I don't believe 'single-payer' was ever a realistic goal for healthcare reform and most of the serious activist types who have been pushing for it all along knew this. But it was a powerful bargaining chip that was taken off the table in return for ZERO. This was a major strategic and tactical error of epic proportions.

As many analysts have pointed out, Congress has a bias towards 'centerism'. This is a hollow/flexible term that is defined as the middle ground between any two policies on the table. By putting forth the most moderate reform policy as an 'opening bid' the Democrats were doomed for trouble since whatever policy they put forward was going to be, 'by definition', the most leftwing policy. The 'invisible rules' of Congressional centerism thus required opposition and a push towards the right to 'balance' the policy.

Regardless of the Republican obsession with "no!", this negotiating tactic would have been very important to satisfy the Democratic party centerists (the only real centerists in the Senate are all Democrats - exception is Leiberman who is independent ex-Democrat). If they started with an actual 'leftwing' policy proposal (like single-payer) then moving the 'center' with a policy similar to the end result, that would have been a whole lot easier to move through Congress. Democrats didn't do this because Obama ruled this strategy off the table - that was a bad move.

Give the US media an F for their blatant bias. Their contributions were generally pathetic bordering on malignant.

Give the Republicans an A+ for truly extraordinary and nearly successful efforts to derail a popular public policy (Democrats won two successive elections with it front and center as their number one priority policy) and a minority position in both Houses of Congress!

And we must give the Tea Party set a B for the 'B-movie' quality entertainment they've provided! :lol:

[Lily]

Joe Biden gets an A for saying "fucking" with a mic open, thus entering the F bomb into the record on one of the most historic days in recent American history.

Joe, Joe, Joe...:rofl:

[Donkey]

Joe Biden gets an A for saying "fucking" with a mic open, thus entering the F bomb into the record on one of the most historic days in recent American history.

Joe, Joe, Joe...:rofl:
I like the way the Whitehouse is handling it too.

I'm hesitant to give the Republicans an A+, or really any grade. They were sort of facing a pass-fail grading system (in a quite literal sense! a fail is a pass, a pass is a fail!). They earned themselves a fair amount of political capital, but I'm not convinced that it will pay off like they hope. In the end they lost.

[The Drunk Guy]

Joe Biden gets an A for saying "fucking" with a mic open, thus entering the F bomb into the record on one of the most historic days in recent American history.

Joe, Joe, Joe...:rofl:
This (http://www.zazzle.com/hcr_big_fing_deal_tshirt-235071564353624757) is awesome. I want one.

[Donkey]

Screencapped (Thanks Noath at USPO) from Sarah Palin's PAC site.

Anybody see a problem?

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b145/camilosmurf/sarahpac_0.jpg

[Americano]

"You Betcha"

She's supposedly demanding $1-million per episode from Fox.

[Lily]

Screencapped (Thanks Noath at USPO) from Sarah Palin's PAC site.

Anybody see a problem?



Seriously? Crosshairs?

[Lily]

And to go along with the crosshairs, this is on Palin's twitter:

Commonsense Conservatives & lovers of America: "Don't Retreat, Instead - RELOAD!" Pls see my Facebook page. 12:31 PM Mar 23rd (http://twitter.com/SarahPalinUSA/status/10935548053)via OpenBeak (http://www.orangatame.com/products/openbeak/)

http://twitter.com/SarahPalinUSA

[The Drunk Guy]

You say you wanna revolution....well, you know....

[Michael]

Screencapped (Thanks Noath at USPO) from Sarah Palin's PAC site.

Anybody see a problem?
:eek:

This is getting scary. First we have Homeland Security announce that they are seeing a notable rise in threat-levels from rightwing extremists, then we start seeing actual 'rightwing' terrorism (assassination of Tiller for example) and now we have Republicans fanning the flames and actual violence against members of Congress? This is not going to turn out well at all.

This is the path to fascism that Italy and Germany followed - rising rightwing reactionary violence justfied by a perceived threat of leftwing ascendency.

[Michael]

Btw, the Affordable Healthcare Act is now law. Congress finished all of its hoop-jumping, needle-threading, dotting i's and crossing t's. It is signed into law now. :)

[Donkey]

Seriously? Crosshairs?
It gets better:

The part of the facebook note that was posted with that graphic:

We’ll aim for these races and many others. This is just the first salvo in a fight to elect people across the nation who will bring common sense to Washington. Please go to sarahpac.com (http://www.facebook.com/note_redirect.php?note_id=373854973434&h=0a871bc9c16f2015991b52b0f2210c92&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sarahpacdonate.com%2Ffb) and join me in the fight.

[Lily]

And the latest is that Palin is campaigning for John McCain in Arizona. What the FUCK is going on? :ummm: