The Other McCain

"One should either write ruthlessly what one believes to be the truth, or else shut up." — Arthur Koestler

After ObamaCare

Posted on | December 18, 2013 | 47 Comments

Guest Blog by Dana from Ohio

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 (aka Obamacare or the ACA) is proving to be difficult to implement. Can it be fixed?

It was difficult legislation to comprehend and difficult legislation to pass. It passed even though a majority of the U.S. was against it. It has endured court challenges and is still facing a few. It’s the court case that has yet to be filed that may stop this “train wreck.”

Active court cases focus on the funding of subsidies for health plans purchased on the federal exchange versus the state exchanges. The legislation set up subsidies for plans purchased through the state-based exchanges but made no provisions for plans acquired through the federal exchange. The real challenge will be when the individual mandate kicks in. Once the individual mandate is imposed legal standing to challenge it can be established.

The Obama administration had to go back on calling the individual mandate a penalty. It argued before the Supreme Court that it was a tax and not a penalty. The legislation held up because the individual mandate was deemed constitutional as a tax. But what kind of tax is it going to be? It’s not a sales tax, an excise tax nor an income tax. It’s a tax on…. nothing. It’s a tax for not doing as we’re told; a tax on bad behavior. It’s a tax on just being a citizen of this country. How can such a “tax” stand?

The ACA is barely standing under its own weight. The individual mandate will bury it.

The question before the nation is not “Can we fix Obamacare?” but rather “What are we going to do after Obamacare?”

 


Category: Health Care

Harvard Genius Caught in Stupid Hoax

Posted on | December 18, 2013 | 19 Comments

The elitist theory that Harvard students are the smartest people on the planet continues to be contradicted by reality:

A Harvard student has been charged in connection with Monday’s bomb threats which shut down four Harvard buildings and canceled finals for many students.
The U.S. Attorney’s office says Eldo Kim, 20, of Cambridge, emailed several bomb threats to offices associated with Harvard University, including the Harvard University Police Department and the Harvard Crimson, the student-run daily newspaper. . . .
According to the complaint, two officials of Harvard University, and the president of the Harvard Crimson, received identical anonymous email messages bearing a “subject” line that read “bombs placed around campus.” . . .
In the email, Kim allegedly wrote: “shrapnel bombs placed in science center, sever hall, emerson hall, thayer hall, 2/4. guess correctly. be quick for they will go off soon.”
Kim was scheduled to take a final exam at 9 a.m. in Emerson Hall. According to investigators, when he heard the alarms go off, “he knew his plan had worked.”

His “plan had worked”? Well, assuming that his plan was to get himself arrested on federal felony charges . . .

The threats drew authorities from the FBI; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; the United States Secret Service; the Harvard University Police Department; the Cambridge Police Department; the Boston Police Department; and the Massachusetts State Police. . . .
The maximum penalties under the bomb hoax statute, are five years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine.

Any common criminal could have explained to Kim that his plan was a bad idea, but they’re not “smart” enough to go to Harvard.

Via Memeorandum.

 

Category: Crime, Education

Hillary Clinton: Guilty! Guilty! Guilty!

Posted on | December 18, 2013 | 24 Comments

If you’re old enough to remember Watergate, you remember that line — “GUILTY! GUILTY! GUILTY!” — from the “Doonesbury” cartoon strip about the accusations against Nixon’s Attorney General John Mitchell. And considering that former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton once worked as a junior aide to the House Judiciary Committee during the Watergate investigations, I thought that line would be appropriate to this news from Egypt:

The Egyptian Attorney General, Hisham Barakat, alleges that Clinton collaborated with the Muslim Brotherhood.
World Net Daily (WND) reports that Clinton has been named in a criminal complaint with Naglaa Mahmoud, the wife of ousted Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi, to incite domestic insurrections in Egypt.
The charges say that Clinton and Mahmoud conspired to topple Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. He’s the Egyptian general who has been commander in chief of the Egyptian armed forces, and the minister of defense, since Aug. 12, 2012.
Researcher Walid Shoebat reported on his blog that criminal charges have indeed been filed against Clinton and Morsi’s wife. Shoebat speaks fluent Arabic and is a former Palestinian Liberation Organization operative. He says the news of the charges were reported in Arabic, by credible sources, which he translated.
WND says, “Shoebat translated the transcript from an Egyptian Mehwar TV channel news video in which television reporter Nasr Qaffas explains on camera details of an interview Turkey’s Anatolia news agency conducted with Naglaa Mahmoud.”
The transcripts from the Mehwar TV news video is said to include comments by Naglaa Mahmoud which implicate Huma Abedin, the wife of former Democratic Congressman Anthony Weiner.  . . .
According to Anatolia Press, Mahmoud said, “I have between my fingers, a treasure trove of secrets from the White House and Mrs. Clinton fears my wrath. I will not speak about Huma Abedin.”

One hesitates, in such circumstances, to leap to conclusions based on a single report that cites sources of unknown reliability. 

“It would be a disservice to Mrs. Clinton and her character to prejudge the woman, but everything known to date could lead one to conclude she’s guilty! That’s guilty! GUILTY, GUILTY, GUILTY!!”

 


Category: Egypt, Hillary Clinton

Sen. McCain And Intellectual Integrity: Let His Carcass Caucus With Democrats

Posted on | December 18, 2013 | 25 Comments

by Smitty

Breitbart has the video of a certain grumpy old man, far past his sell-by date, pretending to lecture others about “intellectual integrity”. Enough. The old duffer has been in office for decades, while the integrity of the American government itself has spiraled down like an A-4 Skyhawk hit by Commies over enemy territory arriving at the Healthcare.gov crash.

And yet this Ryan-Murray budget debacle funds ObamaCare, while backstabbing the veterans that have been the backbone of Republican Party support:

Ahead of the final vote, Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., tried unsuccessfully to use a parliamentary tactic to force a vote on the amendment, which he wrote to undo the cuts for military retirees.
A provision in the already House-passed bill would cut retirement benefits for military retirees by $6 billion over 10 years.
Sessions wanted to instead eliminate an estimated $4.2 billion in annual spending by reining in an IRS credit that illegal immigrants have claimed.
He and fellow senators argued the bill unfairly sticks veterans and other military retirees with the cost of new spending.

Precisely whom do you think you’re fooling, Senator McCain? Fox echoes your point on the Senate floor in the Breitbart clip about avoiding another shutdown:

The Republican-led House passed the bill last week in an effort to avoid another stalemate leading to a potential government shutdown, like the one in October that polls showed was largely unpopular with voters.

The unpopularity has very much to do with the perception that Congress, as a whole, is just a pack of liars.

The GOP is supposed to be the adults in the room, John Sidney, but this budget deal increases spending for the next two years. That’s like vowing to quit cheating on your wife in the future, and referring to your new commitment as “fidelity”, while on your way to the strip club. “To really do what we want, we’re going to have to win elections,” said Rep. Paul Ryan.

What would also help the GOP win elections would be to purge the deadwood, e.g. YOU, Senator McCain, to clear the way for some conservative candidates.  An actual reform platform, articulated by fresh, uncompromising faces of integrity: that would have voters saying “Maybe the Republicans aren’t a lying pack of swine, after all.”  The indifferent majority, too disgusted with the spectacle of you selling out time and again (Amnesty? Do we hear amnesty?), might be motivated to show up at the ballot box and return the GOP to power.

So either snuggle up with Harry Reid, Chuck Schumer and the boys, or just retire, but please relieve stop torturing the Republican Party with your presence. And take your fatuous daughter with you.

Category: Andrew Breitbart, Budget, Red State, Republicans

LIVE AT FIVE: 12.18.13

Posted on | December 18, 2013 | 2 Comments

— compiled by Wombat-socho


TOP NEWS
Diplomatic Row Between India, US Escalates

Devyani Khobragade

India outraged by vice-consul’s strip search, imprisonment with drug offenders


Russia Offers Ukraine Financial Lifeline
Moscow hands Kiev $15 billion in loans, steep gas discount


Pope Francis Shares His Birthday Breakfast With The Homeless
The Supreme Pontiff celebrated his 77th birthday yesterday



POLITICS
Homeland Security IG Resigns Under Ethics Cloud

Charles Edwards changes offices

Promptly hired for different job within DHS

Democrats Urge Courts To Clear NSA Phone Snooping

Head Of Minnesota Health Exchanges Quits

Senate Promises To Fix Military Retirement Cut

Senator Coburn’s Wastebook: Extravagant Spending Amidst Claims The Cupboard Is Bare

Congressman Frank Wolf  (R-VA) To Retire; Also, Jim Matheson (D-UT) Stepping Down



THE ECONOMY, STUPID
Asian Crude Ticks Up Ahead Of US Stockpile Report: NYMEX $97.41, Brent $108.56
Herbalife’s Clean Audit Won’t Deter Ackman’s Pyramid Claims
ADM To Move Headquarters To Chicago
Gold Shakes Off Fed Fears To Post Gains
Christmas Shopping Hits Homestretch
AMC Entertainment IPO Raises $332 Million
Meg Whitman Gets A Raise: HP Hikes CEO’s Salary From $1 To $1.5 Million
Google, HP Recall Chromebook 11’s Original Charger
Now, Just Wink To Click Photos With Google Glass
Facebook Plans To Roll Out Video Advertising
YouTube Launches On Roku 3
Tech Giants Invest In Internet Infrastructure



SPORTS
Portland Blazing Along With Best Record In NBA

Portland forward LaMarcus Aldridge goes one on one with the Mavs’ Dirk Nowitzki

Offseason moves pay off as dark horse squad goes 22-4

O’s Sign Closer Grant Balfour

Kings’ Rookie Goalie Blanks Oilers For Third Shutout In Five Games

Warriors Rout Pelicans 104-93


Wild Snap Canucks’ Win Streak With Shootout

Japanese Star In Demand – But Also In Limbo

Sharks Score Early & Often, Hang On To Beat Blues For Season Series Sweep

Obama Names Gay Athletes To Sochi Delegation, Omits Politicians

Nats Extend Triple-A Deal With Syracuse



FAMOUS FOR BEING FAMOUS
John Mayer & Katy Perry Premiere “Who You Love” Video

All this…and a mechanical bull?

Video features real couples riding the bull


Warner Brothers Sets “Gilligan’s Island” As Josh Gad Vehicle

Justin Bieber Says He’s Retiring, But Is He?


Kelly Rowland Gets Engaged On Skype

Bruce Willis Expecting Fifth Child

Michael Jordan’s Expecting Twins

Disney Tackling Jesse Owens Story With “Olympus Has Fallen” Director

Village Voice Recounts R. Kelly’s Glory Days Of Raping High School Sophomores



FOREIGNERS
Rajan Surprises Yet Again As RBI Leaves Rates Unchanged
Burma Opium Production Rises Again
UN Estimates Hundreds Dead In Wake Of South Sudan Coup Attempt
Merkel’s New Cabinet Includes First Female Defense Minister
Former Thai PM Elected To Lead Opposition Democrat Party
US Sending $25 Million In New Typhoon Aid To Philippines
Foreign Office Catches Flak Over UK Doctor’s Death In Syrian Jail
Graft Probe Intensifies Turkey’s Political Rivalry
UK Women Get Six Years, Eight Months Jail Sentence From Peru For Being Drug Mules
Ukraine Opposition Demands Details On Agreement With Russia



BLOGS & STUFF
Dead Republican Party: Odds And Ends
Doug Powers: Dueling Headlines, “War On Fox News Is Over” Edition
Twitchy: Tolerance! Whiners Unfollow Mr. T After Tweet About School Gun Violence And Prayer
Sister Toldjah: #Obamacare – If We Bought Coffee The Way We Now Buy Healthcare
Chicks On The Right: People Are Offended By NORAD Tracking Santa Now Because People Need Stuff To Bitch About
Moe Lane: Tweet Of The Day, Microsoft To Take Over Healthcare.gov Edition
Camille Paglia: It’s A Man’s World, And It Always Will Be
American Power: Obama Hijacks NSA Technology Meeting To Fix #Obamacare
American Thinker: How Obama Ran Down The Nuclear Doomsday Clock
The Necropolitan Sentinel: Second Day Of Dickens – Most Fun Villain? Mr. Quilp
Don Surber: Daily Scoreboard, December 17
Jammie Wearing Fools: If Obama Had A Son, He Could Look Like This Punk Arrested For Seven “Knockout” Assaults
JustOneMinute: David Brooks Versus The Thought Leaders
Pat Dollard: Texas Becomes Ground Zero For Obamacare Navigator Problems
Protein Wisdom: Twelve Republican Senators Vote To Advance Budget Bill That Boosts Spending
Shot In The Dark: Chanting Points Memo – That Humungous Surplus!
The Jawa Report: Sandcrawler PSA – Men Need To Be Needed
The Lonely Conservative: How The EPA Will Kill Jobs And Hike Your Energy Bills
This Ain’t Hell: Army War College May Remove Confederate Images
Megan McArdle: Is Obamacare Really An Improvement On The Status Quo?


Kindle Countdown Deals: Limited time discount on Kindle-exclusive books

Category: Live at Five

Haters Gonna Hate, Deniers Gonna Deny

Posted on | December 17, 2013 | 36 Comments

Rush Limbaugh did a brilliant riff on Chris Cillizza’s claim that only “hate” can cause people to vote Republican:

The Democrats always win the generic ballot, except when they don’t — and when they don’t, it causes an earthquake in Washington, and this has caused an earthquake. Just a couple of months ago the Democrats were winning big in the congressional ballot right after the government shutdown. So everything the Democrats and the media believe was borne out by their poll. That is: Every American loves the government. They can’t get through the day without the government.
When the government gets shut down, people get depressed and scared and panicked and are afraid to leave home, and then they blame the Republicans for it, and then the Democrats and the media celebrate. “Mission accomplished!” But two months later, the Republicans are cleaning the Democrats’ clock in the generic ballot. I mean, Charlie Cook, the dean of political analysts, says he has never seen this gigantic a shift in the generic ballot in such a short period of time.
Never.
He has never seen anything like it. So how do they explain it? What could cause such a massive reversal in just two short months? The obvious conclusion is… HATE. Hate of government. Hate of Washington. Hate of Democrats. The fact that the Republicans are leading in the generic ballot, meaning more people prefer Republicans at this point in time when the poll is taken, must mean that hate is alive and well. . . .

Read the whole thing, because it really is brilliant. Speaking of brilliant, advocates of anthropogenic global warming theory came up with a brilliant way to win the debate: Silence opponents.

See, this is how science works: You assemble a consensus of “experts” who agree with your theory, and then you conspire to prevent anyone who disagrees with you from getting any government grants or journal publications or academic positions. Then, if necessary, you conceal any data that doesn’t conform to your theory and, once you’re done with that, you proclaim “The Science Is Settled” and begin censoring public forums so that the truth of your theory can never be criticized by anyone anywhere.

See also, Lysenkoism.

Oh, by the way: The Environmental Protection Agency’s top climate change expert pleaded guilty to fraud. Might be kinda relevant.

 


Category: Global Warming, Polls

Obama: Less Popular Than Syphilis

Posted on | December 17, 2013 | 37 Comments

“Obama: Anatomy of a World Leader,” by Alex Gray (detail)

OK, maybe the headline is exaggerating a bit, but Obama’s poll numbers have definitely cratered in the past ten weeks. These two headlines were an interesting contrast of how the polls get spun:

Obama’s Current Approval Rating
Is The Ugliest Since Nixon
— Business Insider

A Drop in Opposition to Obamacare
Helps Stabilize a Struggling Presidency
— ABC News

ABC offers the “glass half-full” interpretation, viewing the dead-cat bounce as good news for the President, although we don’t actually know whether the situation is “stabilizing,” because future events could make things even worse for the White House.

Show of hands: Who remembers ABC News doing this kind of upside spin for George W. Bush during his second term? Anybody?

No, of course not. Whether or not the ABC interpretation is accurate, it takes a lot of digging in the poll numbers lately to find any encouraging news for Obama. Yet ABC’s Gary Langer was willing to do that kind of digging, because . . . Yea, Democrats! Go team!

It’s as simple as that, really. The media reports poll data according to their own hopes and expectations, and what they want is the same thing Democrats want, i.e., for this to be a short-term decline in the President’s numbers as a result of the problems related to the HealthCare.gov website, not the policy per se. The media and the Democrats (but I repeat myself) are not prepared to accept the possibility that the President’s program is actually unpopular. ObamaCare simply can’t fail, from that partisan perspective, and so the reality of its failure must be explained away as a matter of misperception.

For the past five years, we’ve seen this blatant pro-Obama spin so often, in so many different contexts, that I fear we’ve begun taking it for granted, as if it is normal for journalists to engage in this kind of partisan rah-rah routine. And the stark contrast between the media’s reverential awe toward their idol and Obama’s sinking polls is a phenomenon that the media can only explain by saying that the people must be wrong!

 

 


Category: Health Care, Media Bias, Polls

‘We’re Still Kinda Stunned’

Posted on | December 17, 2013 | 34 Comments

Y’know, I really do mean to get back to blogging about some actual politics today, but I keep getting distracted. Like, I was over at AOSHQ reading Ace’s very insightful commentary on the Senate budget vote — Gabriel Malor is such a squish, am I right? — and was prepared to blog about it when I saw this sidebar headline:

Man Wins Sex With Hookers
But Dies Hours Before Prize

The 86-year-old winner of Howard Stern’s “I Want to Get My Grandpa Laid” contest was sadly unable to claim his prize after choking to death on a piece of steak just hours before he was scheduled to have a threesome with two high-class hookers.
“The guy was so full of life,” Johnny Orris’s grandson Ed told the New York Daily News.
It was Ed who entered Grandpa Johnny in the Bad Grandpa tie-in contest, hoping to give the lonely, horny widower one last hurrah.
“He was ecstatic,” said Ed. “He’d been that way ever since our trip to the Stern show.”
The deed was set to be done at the world famous Moonlite BunnyRanch in Mound House, Nevada.
To get his strength up for what he said would be the “Super Bowl of Sex,” Grandpa Johnny treated himself to a steak dinner at Harveys Lake Tahoe resort the night before the big game.
It would be his last meal.
After just a couple of bites of prime rib, Grandpa Johnny started choking.
“It was unbelievable,” Ed recalled. “The paramedics worked on him for 30 minutes. We’re still kinda stunned.”

It’s almost as if God was giving you a hint, eh?

 

Category: Sex
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