Saturday, February 27, 2010

Pass the frakin’ health care bill already!

A set of heavy-hitter economists who disagree about secondary matters on the health care bill are nevertheless unanimous. They want the health care bill passed, they want it passed by majority vote (i.e., by the reconciliation process) and they want it passed now!!! Jes' git 'er done fer gawsh sakes!

The above-cited piece is also a very welcome sight to see because the economists grasp what misses so many media people, that Republicans simply don't support doing anything. This was a very clear lesson from the Blair House meeting. It's not at all surprising that Rupert Murdoch properties like Fox News and the Wall Street Journal were oblivious to that message, but it's irritating to see CNN be so clueless and unhelpful to their readers and viewers. Not surprisingly, right-wing blogger Jonah Goldberg complained about President Obama getting visibly tired and snappish towards what Goldberg hears described as mere "talking points," but it's interesting that Goldberg never describes what these "talking points" were. My suspicion  is that the "Let's start over with a blank sheet of paper" one was one that particularly irritated Obama.

Update: A new poll shows that a problem that was apparent during Ronald Reagan's 1980 campaign for President is still very much with us. The Republican budget-cutters say the Federal Budget is too large and must be cut. "Okay, what precisely do ya wanna cut?" "Um, well, erm, uh, something!" Foreign aid, a perennial favorite, still makes up less than 1% of the budget and goes very heavily towards Israel (And Egypt, which in turn serves Israeli interests) anyway, Welfare (Which Clinton cut very heavily) and interestingly, the "War on Terror," which I guess is seen as a way to pay off foreign countries. Nothing else comes in at over 10% approval.

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