-
Obama’s Far Left Hand
May 15, 2013 | 133 comments
-
The Left’s Captive Mind
May 8, 2013 | 85 comments
-
A Sportscaster Comes Out As Christian
May 1, 2013 | 291 comments
-
The Price of Obama’s Islamophilia
April 24, 2013 | 196 comments
-
The Perverse Logic of the Left
April 17, 2013 | 138 comments
Political Hay
Bribes, Buffoons, and Obamacare
Yet another week of transcendent politics.
British journalist Malcolm Muggeridge, during his travels in India, heard many stories about people on the “edge of destitution.” In his memoirs, Muggeridge recalled an anecdote told to him about a poor farmer who was asked if he hated the government or the money-lender more. “After some thought the farmer replied that he hated the government more, because, whereas it was to the money-lender’s interest to keep him just alive so that he could go on paying off his debt, the government didn’t care whether he lived or died,” Muggeridge wrote.
The American people seem to look upon Obamacare in a similar way: While they may not like health insurance companies, they dislike the federal government even more.
This week Obama delivered yet another speech casting health care companies as the devil and the federal government as the savior. But the American people aren’t ready to swallow his sophomoric socialism, and for good reason: the assumption underlying it — that remote bureaucrats and politicians, many of whom won’t even be around by the time Obamacare is implemented, worry more about their welfare than health care companies do — is thoroughly unconvincing.
If anything, bitter experience has shown Americans that the federal government manages to be as indifferent as the market but without any of its efficiency or responsiveness. As politicians and bureaucrats demonstrate on a weekly basis, the market has no monopoly on heartlessness and dishonesty.
“Stop lying about my record,” Bob Dole once said to George H.W. Bush. Health care company executives could say the same to Obama. Who is he to lecture them on fairness and honesty? He can’t even give a straight answer about how his plan will use tax dollars to abort unborn children. Compared to the slipperiness and corruption of his administration, many health care companies look straightforward and squeaky clean.
“Was it secretary of the Navy?” interviewer Larry Kane asked Congressman Joe Sestak after he said that the White House had dangled a job before him in the hopes that he would leave the Democratic primary in Pennsylvania, a race the White House wants Arlen Specter to win. Sestak declined to answer, but the former Navy admiral acknowledged the offer of a federal job.
On Tuesday, Obama’s press secretary, Robert Gibbs, continued to evade this matter while rising to the easier, though still embarrassing, challenge of Eric Massa’s wobbly charges. Perhaps the White House should have offered Massa the Secretary of Navy slot to keep him out of the way. He certainly seems ready to implement his version of post-Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policies.
As he explained to an aghast Glenn Beck, his transition from “salty” naval culture to the expectations of political life has been bumpy. Massa cracked open his naval yearbook to show Beck old photos of what he described as a Caligula-level orgy in which he had participated. Apparently, Massa was hoping to adduce the photos as some sort of baffling defense of once-government-approved horseplay that had habituated him to obscene hijinks with staff. Beck should have asked him what naval yearbooks will look like after Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell falls.
Capitol Hill Democrats naturally disowned Massa, and the same liberal media which earlier in the year had interviewed him respectfully about overturning allegedly repressive policies in the military declared him a crackpot and creep. A party and media that defended Bill Clinton against Kathleen Willey and usually shows considerable flexibility and sympathy when it comes to the vagaries of homosexual culture was in no mood to forgive Massa with health care on the line, even if he does have “recurring cancer.” Once an honored and regular guest on MSNBC, he was now all leftists agreed a blowhard and buffoon of epic proportions.
The White House was fortunate in this regard. Massa is easily dismissed. But the farce, in which Obama’s chief of staff made a guest appearance, probably did a little damage nonetheless. It’s one more Democratic debacle that exposes the supposedly new and transcendent politics of Obama as tiresomely old, ribald, and familiar.
About the Author
George Neumayr, a contributing editor to The American Spectator, is co-author, with Phyllis Schlafly, of the new book, No Higher Power: Obama’s War on Religious Freedom.
Letter to the Editor View all comments (74) | Leave a comment
More Articles by George Neumayr
More Articles From Political Hay
http://spectator.org/archives/2010/03/11/bribes-buffoons-and-obamacare
Follow us:
ADVERTISEMENT
SPONSORED LINKS
FLASHBACK TO: 1995
-
Pope Culture
A man of faith in a godless age is hitting Americans where it hurts.
-
Why the GOP Does Not, Like, Totally Suck
Mr. and Mrs. American Spectator Reader, let P.J. O’Rourke talk sense to your kids.
-
Dames at Sea
-
In the Absence of Guns
In Britain, defending your property can get you life.
-
The Metaphysical Martini
-
Counting the Costs of Clintonism
The debacle of this president’s administration is both a cause and a symptom of the decline of American values. Unless Congress impeaches him, that decline will go on unchecked. An eminent jurist surveys the damage and assesses the chances for the recovery of our culture.
-
Chuck McHagel
It won’t take long for conservatives to scratch this presidential wannabe off their 2008 scorecard.
-
The Legacy of Old John and Mother Fresh-Roasted
-
It’s the Best Time of the Year
The American Christmas, like the songs that celebrate it, makes room for everybody under the rainbow. Is that why so many people seem to be hostile to it?
-
The Bush Crack-Up
Was the President done in by the economy, or by the politics of the economy?
Clip of the Day
ADVERTISEMENT
stephanie| 3.11.10 @ 6:31AM
Gag me. This guy is a freak and a huge embarrassment to the DNC not to mention Glenn Beck. Watching him for 3 mins, it was plain to see he was full of it.
Ret. Marine| 3.11.10 @ 6:56AM
I have to agree with this, Glenn showed unusual kindness to this fraud by not dog'n him to explain, so what's new? This was very disappointing to watch a great waste of time for Glenn, no less.
Deborah D | 3.11.10 @ 7:26AM
Hahaha -- perish the thought. And, please, get that thought out of my head! :)
Pingback| 3.11.10 @ 2:14PM
Why is it that American women are so averse to dating Australian men? links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:
Pingback| 3.11.10 @ 2:48PM
The American Spectator : Bribes, Buffoons, and Obamacare capital university links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:
Pingback| 3.11.10 @ 3:28PM
The American Spectator : Bribes, Buffoons, and Obamacare American Me links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:
Eric Cartman| 3.11.10 @ 4:37PM
What angry pothead took down my post?
Eric Cartman| 3.11.10 @ 2:22PM
Well, there goes my heebies, but I still got the jeebies.
Kitty| 3.11.10 @ 7:31AM
I live 4 miles from Massa's home, so I've been very interested in this story.
I'm glad Beck had Massa on for the full hour because he exposed himself for everyone to see. We will never again wonder about this guy.
The question I now want answered is how did this guy even get nominated in the first place?
And for the record, this area is not conservative and hasn't been for a long time. This is the home of retired Rep. Amo Houghton (RINO) who hosted a fund raiser for Hillary in his home.
...
Louis Jenkins| 3.11.10 @ 9:10AM
Massa is just a symptom of the DNC's disease. Congress Critters Gone Wild.
Rahm didn't even offer to wash Massa's back. If he had I'm sure they would have reached an agreement. I've heard of deals being made in smoke filled rooms, but never deals being forced in steam filled showers unless it involved Mafia types. Hmmm... maybe the question has just been answered. The Pretender n Chief is the Godfather, and Rahm is the 'mechanic'.
cuban pete| 3.11.10 @ 11:18AM
Perhaps Rahm is a buffer.
"Oh yeah, a buffer-the family had a lot of buffers"
Willi Cici
Kitty| 3.11.10 @ 11:25AM
Oh, God, Rahm, the naked buffer? My EYES! My EYS!
...
Diane| 3.12.10 @ 1:35PM
Well, he's a real hottie! I'd love to see him in the nude!
Eric Cartman| 3.11.10 @ 2:15PM
Um, you guy can stop reminiscing any time now. PLEASE!
Ret AF Lt Col| 3.11.10 @ 9:38AM
Couldn't ya'll wait until you pulled into Subic Bay or Busan and hit the bars there or in Olongopo?
FTM| 3.12.10 @ 4:21AM
Watch it!
Thank God for the boomer Navy.
Dan Hirsch| 3.11.10 @ 9:43AM
We do owe Glenn Beck thanks for simply letting Mr. Massa talk at length, letting everyone see his distorted thinking clearly.
Hey Glenn, could you get Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, or Barack Obama on alone for an hour and let them talk? Please! Please! This is is what we really need.
In God we trust.
Grzmlyk| 3.11.10 @ 9:49AM
Why is it every time I see Massa I think, "Keith Olbermann?"
Two ends of the same turd.
Personally, I think they should go on a camping holiday together. You know, to share notes on how they serve their fellow man. Or men, as the case may be.
cuban pete| 3.11.10 @ 12:09PM
Another aphoristic contribution from Mr.G.
I must admit Grzmlyk every time I see your name I think of the great Temple basketball star of the late 40's and early 50's Bill Mlkvy-"The Owl without a vowel".
Grzmlyk| 3.11.10 @ 1:24PM
Thanks, Cuban Pete:
I was rendered vowelless in a tragic grammatical accident in my youth - I was trapped beneath a run-on sentence that began innocently enough, with a subjunctive clause, but ended in a hopelessly split infinitive.
I was left with a perpetually dangling participle.
Looks like SPO101 below has somehow eluded his captors. Grab the butterfly nets, everyone, a naked fool runs among us!
:-)
cuban pete| 3.11.10 @ 2:13PM
At least you never end a sentence with a preposition that I can think of.
All the best
Grzmlyk| 3.11.10 @ 2:48PM
Touche!
Steve Reems | 3.11.10 @ 9:51AM
Massa + Glenn Beck = naked tickle fight
SPO101 | 3.11.10 @ 10:33AM
Rep. Kennedy was RIGHT about the news media! This Massa story is EVERYWHERE!
I blame the news media the most for NOT living up to their public service, 4th Estate obligations to provide responsible journalism and legitimate investigative reporting on the vital issues of our day. I DON’T CARE TO KNOW ABOUT THE LATEST CELEBRITY WORSHIP GOSSIP or sensational murder case/trial… GIVE ME SOMETHING I CAN USE TO PROBLEM SOLVE.
It’s because of you news SELL-OUTS that right-wing fanatical MORONS are STILL able to drive public policy. Does ANYONE believe that the Glenn Beck/Sarah Palin/Rush Limbaugh GROUPIES would have ANY political clout if you news media HO’s weren’t providing these extremist nutcases with undo attention?
Did you provide national coverage to Left-wing protest movements? I hardly saw a news story about the 10’s of 1000’s who gathered to protest the war in Iraq or all the LIES, waste, fraud, abuse, incompetence, scandal, corruption, reckless economics, arms dealing, war profiteering, Constitutional violations and a Corporate Crime Wave of EPIC PROPORTIONS.
With a side of GOVERNMENT welfare for the rich… Did you so called fiscal conservatives do a #*~/’n thing while the scheming silver spoons privatized profits and socialized loses?
Has ANYONE ever tried to have a reasonable DEBATE with a Dittohead? You’d get more content going to the zoo and talking to the monkeys.
Did Andrea Mitchell or any of the highly paid national news anchors let the public KNOW about how Alan Greenspan was promoting FRAUD on Wall St? NO! Did you go to Florida during the 2000 presidential election to make sure ALL the votes were counted? NO! Did you COWARDS find out where all those missing BILLIONS of dollars and 175,000 weapons disappeared to in Iraq? NO!
Did you provide the Tea Baggers and anti-health Care reform Conservatives with the legitimate information they needed so they wouldn’t come off looking like a bunch of holier-than-thou mental deficient’s?
Even though Republicans in Congress are now giving Americans the middle finger… HAVE YOU EVER DONE A STORY ON WHY these brainwashed idiots keep voting for Republican Party, silver spoon, con artists that want to turn freedom into a delicate concept and turn the USA into a Corporate owned, slave labor, Police State OR Communist China? HELL NO!
AND WHAT ABOUT THAT DISTURBING Supreme court decision giving MORE POWER TO MULTI-NATIONAL CORPORATIONS TO INFLUENCE OUR ELECTORAL PROCESS? What happen to THAT story?
consciousmc.blogspot.com
Eric Cartman| 3.11.10 @ 10:43AM
You spilt you bong, ahole. What a douche! Turn your romin noodles off before they burn and put out your incense before you go to the food stamp office. You might burn down your USDA apartment. What a tool.
oof oof| 3.11.10 @ 12:35PM
Me thinks someone dropped something "funny" in his gruel and dirt soup.
oof oof
Lullaby's, Legends and Lies| 3.11.10 @ 12:22PM
Nice website you got there SPO101, I lasted about ten seconds, before I figured out, that you're a complete loser. Cut and pasting off your site? Very original!! And about that dream of yours, to become a Rap Artist? You just keep rapping, it should be any day now, when the record company comes calling on you. It's obvious, you're a very talented man. You might just be the next Buck and a half!!
stephanie| 3.11.10 @ 4:51PM
Good Lord, what are smoking?!!! Poor soul..
Oldefarte| 3.11.10 @ 11:56AM
They are all SLEEZY scumbags, and hopefully, the American public are now smart/educated enough to realize their previous mistake of 11/4/08 and to begin removing them in November!!!!!
Northern Rebel| 3.11.10 @ 12:42PM
SPO101:
Do you live in a bizarro world? The media gives undo attention to "extremist nuts", like Beck and Palin?
I admit, I'm listening to Rush while writing this, so I guess I'm a "dittohead".
My experience is, debating a socialist-progressive only takes 90 seconds, and then they begin name calling, because they have no salient argument.
I don't go to the Daily Kos, and I don't seminar call Socialist liberal talk shows. (actually, that's because there are no successful ones.)
I'm guessing that you live on one of the coasts, so you hardly ever meet a real American. The fact is, the vast majority of America is constitutionally conservative in the way they live their lives.
The media and the socialist-progressive politicians manage to peal off a portion of them with lies and propaganda, and that's how thugs like "President" Anti-Christ occasionally get elected.
Once we realize what we've done, we almost always dispatch them after one term, something I'm certain will happen to Rham's boss. It's now just a matter of limiting the damage someone of his dubious ilk can accomplish.
You sir, are the extremist, and it pisses you off that normal Americans don't share your distructive ideas.
I do get a kick out of seeing you getting angry because the media is not carrying your baggage far enough. It's like my friend GRZMLYK said earlier:
You truly are two ends of the same turd!
Anthony| 3.11.10 @ 2:14PM
The utterly corrupt Democrats, led by Pelosi, knew of this guy's proclivities. However, Democrats have different sets of rules. depending on the situation, which are as follows:
A. If you are an R, you are taken down as soon as possible, or, in the case of Foley, when the Rs can't put up another candidate, hence another seat for the Ds.
B. If you are a D, but not loyal, or not willing to vote the right way, you are treated like an R. See A or Mr. Massa.
C. If you are a loyal leftist corrupt troll of a D, you are protected forever, see Charles.Rangle
Can we now ALL agree that The Ds are hopelessly corrupt, and need to be removed from office until Hell freezes over?
WilliamInWien| 3.11.10 @ 4:03PM
SPO101, Simple Question: Why would Andrea Mitchell "rat out" Alan Greenspan? Was there pillow talk? Curious, for sure!
JP| 3.11.10 @ 4:55PM
You know, this farce could very well continue throughout 2010 -right up to election day in November. The Slaughter Option may be a trial balloon now. But, what if Madame Speaker cannot gin up the 216 votes needed to pass ObamaCare? Will the President shift gears and attempt to get Senator Reid to pass the House version? What if the President instead gives Speaker Pelosi another 6-8 weeks to get the necessary votes? In that case, anything could happen -including the Slaughter Option (which entails the House passing ObamaCare without a floor vote). Could the President then declare ObamaCare Law even without HIS signature? Don't discount even the most ridiculous actions. It is apparent that our President has put his entire political fortunes on this rotten piece of legislation. To me anyway, it looks that he will stop all legislative processes until he gets his way.
In the meantime, he and his party are eroding whatever support and goodwill they have with the electorate. If this thing does continue past Easter and into early Summer, not only will the Democrats lose big in November -they will get buried. The Dems could very well lose every contested Senate race, as well as over 100 House seats. And the President is up for re-election in 2012, and the Senate Dems must defend over 20 seats. At some point, the President will lose support of his own party. I'm thinking it will come about after the November Mid-terms. He will be a lameduck, but with 2 years to waste.
chris pedersen| 3.11.10 @ 9:03PM
MAN WHORE ?
stmichrick| 3.11.10 @ 9:43PM
Methinks these Democrat pols have brought us back to the bait shop/trailer park days of the Clinton Era.
J.C.Eaton| 3.12.10 @ 12:01AM
Spo-Bro, There are good meth clinics all over your area of this fair land, many with scholarships. Please try for one.
Supra Skytop | 3.12.10 @ 2:47AM
Great articles and it's so helpful. I want to add your blog into my rrs reader but i can't find the rrs address. Would you please send your address to my email? Thanks a lot!
Pingback| 3.14.10 @ 3:10PM
Super Fatloss Tricks | links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:
Pingback| 3.14.10 @ 11:36PM
An Effective Cleansing Regimen for Your Skin | xForce Articles | Skin Care Beauty Wis links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:
ghdmanufactoryoutlet | 4.4.10 @ 4:14AM
gsfg
sunglass | 4.4.10 @ 4:17AM
azsdg
paulsmithoutlet | 4.4.10 @ 4:26AM
gfg
burberryoutlet | 4.4.10 @ 4:28AM
fjhj
Pingback| 5.9.10 @ 9:58PM
Obscure martial arts movie title? | chinese martial arts links to this page. Here’s an excerpt: