Reaganite Peggy Noonan calls Palin "Horrifying"

Former Reagan speechwriter Peggy Noonan, who had to smooth over relationships after being caught on a live mike last fall calling the Palin VP choice "political bullshit", can apparently now say exactly what she feels.

And it's not good. Remember, this is a speechwriter for Ronald Reagan saying this. Not a Democrat, not a liberal. Reagan's speechwriter.

If Peggy Noonan can't take her seriously, why does anyone who calls themselves a Republican?

In television interviews she was out of her depth in a shallow pool. She was limited in her ability to explain and defend her positions, and sometimes in knowing them. She couldn't say what she read because she didn't read anything. She was utterly unconcerned by all this and seemed in fact rather proud of it: It was evidence of her authenticity. She experienced criticism as both partisan and cruel because she could see no truth in any of it. She wasn't thoughtful enough to know she wasn't thoughtful enough. Her presentation up to the end has been scattered, illogical, manipulative and self-referential to the point of self-reverence. "I'm not wired that way," "I'm not a quitter," "I'm standing up for our values." I'm, I'm, I'm.

In another age it might not have been terrible, but here and now it was actually rather horrifying.

Asshat Palin a habitual liar

Sarah Palin, in her "fighting, not quitting" speech, blamed the media and her enemies for launching frivolous ethics complaints that caused Alaskans to spend millions of dollars that could have gone to teachers and cops and firefighters.

Turns out that was a lie too. She arrived at her number by adding up the salaries of Alaska lawyers that would have been paid no matter what they worked on. In other words, that money was never going to be spent on babies and lambs and bunnies and rainbows.

Steve Benen -
But there's new evidence to suggest the argument is just factually wrong. Greg Sargent reported that the governor's own office conceded yesterday that money used to respond to the ethics charges are part of fixed costs that would have gone to the same lawyers, whether the charges were filed it or not. The funds wouldn't have to go schools, police, or transportation, as Palin claimed. The $1.9 million "was arrived at by adding up attorney hours spent on fending off complaints -- based on the fixed salaries of lawyers in the governor's office and the Department of Law. The money would have gone to the lawyers no matter what they were doing."

One of her more glaring flaws is her complete comfort with telling lies and half-truths, and then getting disjointed when they're not just gobbled down whole and accepted as gospel.

Go.

This is why Sarah Palin is an unqualified asshat

When the “I am not a quitter. I am a fighter" was asked how she would handle the scrutiny of the White House, given that the scrutiny of Anchorage has chased her out of government, the “I am not a quitter. I am a fighter" responded:

"I think on a national level your department of law there in the White House would look at some of the things that we've been charged with and automatically throw them out." — Sarah Palin

The Department of Law? In the White House?

Really?

People wonder how Al Franken got to the Senate when the real question is: how is it that this sportscaster who needed 5 colleges to get through got so close to becoming Vice-President of the United States?

She's inventing new parts of government out of whole cloth. What's worse is that 20% of the electorate sits there and shakes their heads along with her. "Aaats right Sarah, don't let them governmentals be's telling you what ta do".

Stuart Saves the Senate

Senator Al Franken

Health care: Harry Reid grows a pair, tells Baucus to STFU, Obama gets the message

(Rollcall)
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) on Tuesday ordered Finance Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) to drop a proposal to tax health benefits and stop chasing Republican votes on a massive health care reform bill.

Reid, whose leadership is considered crucial if President Barack Obama is to deliver on his promise of enacting health care reform this year, offered the directive to Baucus through an intermediary after consulting with Senate Democratic leaders during Tuesday morning’s regularly scheduled leadership meeting. Baucus was meeting with Finance ranking member Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) Tuesday afternoon to relay the information.

It's about time that progressives stepped up and stopped the nonsense that some democrats are trying to get away with on health care. When 76% of the country wants health care with a public option, and a supermajority exists in the Senate, then it's time to throw out bipartisanship. Especially when bipartisanship is only going to lead to a watered-down bill that puts more money in the hands of insurance and pharmaceutical companies.

On the White House end, Rahm Emanual signaled that there was some support for inserting a "trigger". This means that there would only be a public option if the insurance/pharma coalition of the greedy didn't meet targets.

On Monday, Mr. Emanuel said the trigger mechanism would also accomplish the White House's goals. Under this scenario, a public plan would kick in under certain circumstances when competition was judged to be lacking. Exactly what circumstances would trigger the option would have to be worked out.

This is a horrible idea. Pushing a [public option 10 years down the road dooms this health care initiative. This is literally a once-in-several-lifetimes opportunity. Ten years from now there will not be the will, either institutionally or publicly, to get this done.

The White House was warned yesterday to stop playing around.

(Washington Monthly)
Progressive Caucus Co-Chairwoman Lynn Woolsey (D-Calif.) warned Emanuel that he would lose the caucus' votes if the White House compromised on the issue and included a "trigger" that could delay a public insurance plan indefinitely. The trigger idea is backed by conservative Democrats but is anathema to liberals.

"We have compromised enough, and we are not going to compromise on any kind of trigger game," Woolsey said she told Emanuel. "People clapped all over the place. We mean it, and not just progressives."

House Energy and Commerce Chairman Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) said he was reassured by Emanuel. "He doesn't stand by that trigger," Waxman said. "He said the president and his administration and he are for a public plan as one of the options."

So then....

Politico reports that the President appeared to walk back Emanual's message, saying...

"I am pleased by the progress we're making on health care reform and still believe, as I've said before, that one of the best ways to bring down costs, provide more choices, and assure quality is a public option that will force the insurance companies to compete and keep them honest. I look forward to a final product that achieves these very important goals."

It appears that the pressure that the President has been decrying is actually working.

It's a shame when Democrats have to be hounded and pressured into doing Democratic things.

Bullshit Mr. President. And fuck you, BTW

In a pre-holiday call with half a dozen top House and Senate Democrats, Obama expressed his concern over advertisements and online campaigns targeting moderate Democrats, whom they criticize for not being fully devoted to "true" health-care reform.

"We shouldn't be focusing resources on each other," Obama opined in the call, according to three sources who participated in or listened to the conversation. "We ought to be focused on winning this debate."

Specifically, Obama said he is hoping left-leaning organizations that worked on his behalf in the presidential campaign will now rally support for "advancing legislation" that fulfills his goal of expanding coverage, controlling rising costs and modernizing the health system.

Obama wants "the left" to turn down the vitriol? Wrong answer, sir.

Without the pressure from the left on "moderate Democrats", we won't get health care, we'll get a watered-down bill that continues the current broken system and pads the pockets of the insurance companies.

My suggestion to Democrats who don't like the pressure is to listen to your constituents. 72% of them want the public option. Do your goddamned jobs and deliver.

I'm so disappointed in Obama on this one.

Palin clarifies

"I am not a quitter. I am a fighter" - Sarah Palin

"So I've decided to quit and to stop fighting," she didn't add, but for logic's sake probably should have.

Let's clear the air here. In all of the post-analysis, there's been a thread running that "millions of people agree with her", and a secondary notion that these people are "real Americans" (cue Mika here).

Number one: millions of people might agree with her, but that doesn't mean she, or they, are qualified to govern. It doesn't make the content of her thoughts more correct for having people agree with them. Read the subheading of this blog: The right to be heard does not equal the right to be taken seriously.

Number two: so because I don't live in Rednecktown or Methville, I'm not a real American? Because I think Sarah Palin is an undereducated hack, a naive buffoon, a bit unstable and quite dangerous in leadership roles I'm somehow not a real American? Because I think she's a doofus who can't speak articulately who is being propped up because she's hot makes me less a citizen of this nation?

Number three: if she's still the GOP's leading candidate after that massacre of the English language she calls a speech, then the Republicans truly are fucked.

Grassley's health care solution

(Think Progress)
During a townhall in Waukon, IA Tuesday, Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) was asked by a constituent of his: “Why is your insurance so much cheaper than my insurance and so better than my insurance?”

When Grassley struggled to explain the details of his own health care plan, the elderly man followed up, “Okay, so how come I can’t have the same thing you have?”

Grassley said, “You can. Just go work for the federal government.”

Grassley has been at the forefront of railing against Obama’s health care plan, declaring, “We need to make sure that there’s no public option.”

...unless you're Sen. Grassley.

Shuster rules

David Shuster shoves the amount of health care lobbying money being thrown around right in the face of Sen. Thomas Carper (D-DE).

FYI, the health insurance and pharmaceutical lobbies are spending $1.4 million a day to fight the public option. Read that number over until it hits home.

But, they're French....

After all, every other advanced country offers universal coverage, while spending much less on health care than we do. For example, the French health care system covers everyone, offers excellent care and costs barely more than half as much per person as our system. - Paul Krugman

But.... but.... they're French. What can they possibly know. They probably think it's good because it covers croissant-ectomies and stitches after your mistress' other lover's husband beat you with a VHS tape of Jerry Lewis' funniest moments.

Krugman should know Americans will never be swayed by this argument.

But does that really matter? In America, concepts like "less expensive" don't stand a chance against the terrifying notion of "French." It's horribly sad and ridiculous that Americans are more willing to spend twice as much on healthcare simply to avoid anything that's the slightest bit French. We're smart!

Likewise, rednecks will voluntarily pay twice as much for gasoline just to avoid driving a small car.

In my most pessimistic hours, I can't help to think that it's this arrogant, hillbilly defiance that will ultimately doom America to irrelevance and failure. - Bob Cesca