Posted on 08/30/2009 4:31:29 AM PDT by Kaslin
Never has an administration who had more firepower at their disposal, been set to so totally fail in the next six to eight weeks. It is nearly a foregone conclusion. It is nearly unavoidable. And it defies all logic given the sizable majority the administration has in both houses of Congress.
Since I was the first pundit to predict Obama's presidency (Dec 2006) it behooves me to tell you the course I believe the next few weeks will take and effectively halt the radical transformation that the left appeared unstoppable with only months ago.
1. Health Care's long and painful death.
Barring the existing possibility that the Democrats cram a reform bill down the throats of actively protesting Americans through an ultra-partisan process that would shut out conservatives and Republicans from even being allowed to contribute to the discussion, health care reform is dead. It actually died a good while back when the President decided to pivot and create a new issue that no one had been discussing--health insurance reform. The American people will want to know why we should spend $4 billion to cover everyone in America "efficiently," when we already do so with inefficiencies like people using the emergency room as their general practitioner for $2.5 billion. Deep thinkers on the issue want to know why the President hasn't entertained one item of tort reform--protecting his friends, the trial lawyers--yet is willing to claim that doctors are eager to lop off feet, tonsils, and foreskin just to make a buck.
2. Cap & Trade will be the largest tax increase in American history.
With the 2010 election cycle just around the corner, campaign ads are not far off from being drafted. With Cap & Trade still sitting in legislative limbo, with the President's own advisor--Warren Buffet--now opposing it openly on media, with the 9.12 project in the works in which the largest gathering of anti-tax Americans from the left, right, and middle will be coming to Washington DC on September 12, and with blue dogs getting absolutely hammered in their home districts supporting it, the chance of single-party ram through victory on the matter is not wise. Cap & Trade, if passed, will contribute to unemployment, Wall Street stop and starts, and ultimately reduced treasury revenues. It would serve as the single largest tax increase on the average American in all of American history. Even President Obama admitted as much, predicting that electric bill prices, in his words, would, "skyrocket." Those that have looked at the specifics tell us that the average utility bill in America will go from $167 to $307 per month, per family.
3. Unemployment to remain high.
Now several Washington organizations from left and right, and one of note consisting of both--the Congressional Budget Office, predicts that unemployment will not shrink from the predicted "Obama high" of 8%. Instead, nearly without fail, economists are predicting unemployment at or over 10% for up to the next 24 months. That is nearly 250% the increase in unemployment under Bush for nearly the duration of his two-term presidency. If people were working, higher taxes and possible new health care entitlements could be considered, but without them working it is political suicide for Democrats to even think of it.
4. Obama's integrity tarnished in August.
Not a great deal has been made of the whoppers that the President has been spewing while the Federal Government has been in recess, but it is worth noting that many more people than I had previously realized have notice the President "exaggerating" badly in his talks on health care. For instance confusing he actual $500 physicians get to amputate a foot as opposed to the $50,000 that he claimed they got. He has shown an utter disregard for the reputation of those he talks about, the "facts" he uses to make his argument, and is highly overly optimistic about the results of his policies. Long story short, at the beginning of the summer Americans mostly trusted him, his passion index was at +10, he heads into the fall at -14.
5. A $3 trillion dollar budget.
New spending for this and that sure added up. And that brings me to number 6.
6. A coming middle class tax hike.
They will hem and haw. There will be an official, and ever arrogant Robert Gibbs explanation from the White House Press room as to why they must to do this to be "good stewards" and to be a "responsible administration" that, "pays as it goes." But the truth is, in order to pay for everything they've promised and budgeted for, a tax is looming for small businesses and working families that President Obama promised would never come. And as an aside, he was going to break that promise all along. Because the minute the "Bush tax relief" runs out in 2010, middle class taxes would be going up in an "Obama administration." Hence fundamentally Obama's "not a single dime" pledge on the campaign trail was bollocks start to finish.
Of course the President, the Democrats, the left, and Congressional leadership could surprise me. They could show up in September and endorse the Coburn health care bill in the U.S. Senate and swipe the credit for it. They could show up next week and fight with all their might to not allow the tax rates to skyrocket in 2010. They could decide to scrap Cap & Trade and re-think the use of public money for true job-based economic stimulation.
But I'm not holding my breath, and I'd advise you against it as well.
They've awakened the American worker, the American small-business owner, and the American voter.
All three of which are now wondering aloud, "What on earth have we done?"
It would be better for America to be taken to the brink by these people so that the USA will never vote for a Maxist revolutionary again. However I fear that if they get to the brink they won’t hesitate in taking you all with them!
Mel
“A good portion of the American people are completely taken over by marketing.”
While at the same time for attacking and denouncing America for being a bunch of consumer-driven, selfish sheep.
The selling of communism in this country has been both the greatest propaganda and Capitalist success story so far in the 21st century.
They are now given the front rows at these meetings as well as a priority to fill the meetings, while Conservative activists and those who oppose the plan are rejected or made to stay outside. And NOTHING is being said by the media about this underhanded propaganda.
They are also given planed signs and posters that clearly resemble a DNC election campaign. Then there is the money. Many of these “supporters” are paid to be there. The money comes from funds from Soros, ACORN and it's countless shadow agencies and was surely funded by the recent “Porkulus” Bill due to all the buses and paid “Community Organizers” that are disrupting our voices.
So, I am not so confident that we will stop them. They are on a mission and will not settle for being defeated. They will likely cram this through without a Conservative or Republican vote in the Legislature by underhanded measures in Committee or a loop-hole in the Constitution. Reid & Pelosi herself said that there WILL be Health Care & Cap & Trade Legislation in place before the year is out. “We can be sure of that fact.”
Oh no. I had almost forgotten McLame. UGGHHHH! Please Arizona get rid of that idiot.
McCain was just trying to be nice and that was a big mistake
I must agree. I have thought all along his mission is to destroy Capitalism from within.
” I wish I were this sanguine. “
Did I give the impression that I’m sanguine??
Au contraire — I’m scared sh!tless...
Whether it’s the scenario that you outline, or the prospect of our nation being rudderless in a dangerous world, no good comes of this.....
Yes, but we were in a recession under Bush. The economy is recovering now.
Either /bitter, angry sarc or:
/loony left DU/DailyKos/HuffPo talking points
"What on earth have we done?"
FR has been wondering that for a LONG time - what on earth did you do to our beloved country, Zero voters? Or more properly, what were you thinking?
Forget Pubbies running against Pelosi, some Dems have already started it. Parker Griffin from Huntsville is now on record saying Madam Botox needs to be replaced.
And while hovering at the brink, they will then be able to claim, “Well, if you’d let us do what we wanted to do, we could have bridged that gap to justice and prosperity for all,” which sets them up for their next cyclic push to the left in a decade.
Yes, it may be better to go full bore and take that swan dive and hope the phoenix emerges from the ashes.
Two comments here. First, I’ve just about considered CSPAN and it’s learning curve for the public to be absolute worthless in nature. There are folks who spend twelve hours a day....watching over the political soap opera played out on the network...and keep wanting to discuss everything as if it were “Days of our Lives”.
Second...I don’t see Cap & Trade being brought up again this year. As for the health care debate...it’s one step away from being carved up. Half the democrat representative felt pain when doing the townhall thing and would just prefer some health care-Lite package which was fifty pages, readable in an hour or two....and had one or two pluses for the public. For some, 2010 and it’s election cycle will be the toughest they’ve had in their career...and they really aren’t happy about this.
And I’ll add this...two or three Democratic senators have burned virtually every bridge they’ve crossed this year. 2010 will be a harsh reality as they try to remember why they burned each bridge as they crossed.
There cannot be “state primacy” in any state that takes Federal money that can be cut off. Montana may be able to refuse Federal money but I can’t see any other state even talking about doing that. Free money from Washington is the irresistible love potion, even when that free money costs two dollars to be spent by the State and local governments for every dollar from Washington on projects that were unwanted in the first place.
“Obama used infomercials to get elected and he’s still doing them.”
I’ve never bought anything advertised on an informational, they turn me off, I can’t stand them, in fact I mute them or change channels.
I guess that’s why I can’t understand what people see in obama, his speaking to me is repulsive, just like an informatial!
Exactly.
I am very active in our TEA Party protests, write and call my elected leaders, attend all rallies and townhalls, am going to Washington on 9/12, but many of my friends are not concerned....do nothing...and wonder why I am so involved. They are ignorant of what is going on in our community, much less in the state or national area and don’t even try to find out.
Just as there are millions like me, there must be millions more like them.
We are being driven full steam ahead into the iceberg so a few may have control of the only lifeboats giving them absolute power.
Forget 2010, this is exactly why they are pushing this now, so feverishly. They HAVE to get it into law so that they can change it and manipulate it into it’s original form through the Committee process.
That us why it is so critical to stop this in it’s tracks. Because once it gets passed, they will do what ever they want with it without the public even knowing what is being done.
Dead on the money. We have millions of people who, when confronted with someone who advocates sanity and speaks the wisdom of the founding fathers, immediately identify him as an idiot. To win their confidence one must talk like an utter fool, babbling nonsense that would have gotten one thrown out of a skid row bar a few years back. People who keep reelecting the likes of Barney Frank and Nancy Pelosi and others too numerous to mention are not in contact with reality. The cream is not rising to the top, the scum is rising to the top.
Don't be surprised if this administration and the liberal leadership in congress decide on a kamikaze move to just ram everything through because it may be another 80 years before they have a majority like this again.
Does the wounded animal favor their survival or their cause more?
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