You see things; and you say, Why? But I dream things that never were; and I say Why not?
George Bernard Shaw
Silhouettes' Tuesday Night Performance
America's Got Talent
I mentioned this performance in yesterday's post. Amazing!
Congressman West (R-FL) Is My Hero
Wasserman-Schultz Wins My Second Nomination
THUMBS UP!
The crass, unprofessional, uncivil DNC chair Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman-Schultz (R-FL) decided to channel her inner Alan Grayson, earning her second nomination this year for my tongue-in-cheek Jackass of the Year 2011, tying Anthony Weiner for that "honor":
Should we expect a shameless demagogue like Wasserman-Schultz, who was one of the chief promoters of ObamaCare, which is "funded" using $500B in Medicare savings (cuts in reimbursement, e.g., "Under Section 3401, Congress reduces Medicare payment updates for hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, home health agencies, and hospice care centers..."), which was also counted to shore up unfunded Medicare liabilities, i.e., double-counting (having your cake and eating it, too), to be honest about the fact that the very fact of ObamaCare constitutes perhaps the single greatest threat to the sustainability of Medicare, and that honorable Congressmen like Allen West are willing to confront the fact that the program is underfunded and we must address that core issue if there's going to be a future Medicare program?
I think one of the most unethical thing in the world is to do what Ms. Wasserman Schultz is, in fact, doing: lending a false sense of security that Medicare in its current form is sustainable in the long term. Do you remember Enron? When you see $50T in unfunded entitlement liabilities and realize we have a $14.5T federal debt but federal revenues of just over $2T a year, never mind the fact that Medicare/Medicaid reimbursements cover about 80% of market costs, how dare Wasserman Schultz open her mouth and criticize Congressman West for being the grown-up in the room?
This was not the first In fact, she launches her unprovoked personal assault behind his back (I guess you have to blame her parents for raising her that way and teaching her how to be a lady). It's bad enough I have to listen to this boorish, pathetic excuse of a woman constantly interrupt and talk over other guests and moderators on television interviews like Sunday talk soup; it is high time somebody finally stood up to her bullying tactics (because heaven knows her mother hasn't been washing her mouth out with soap) and gave her a taste of her own medicine:
Subject: "Unprofessional and Inappropriate Sophomoric Behavior from Wasserman Schultz"To be honest, I personally would have toned it down somewhat because it comes across as overly aggressive and disproportionate to Wasserman Schultz' business-as-usual dishonorable rhetoric; she probably can't exercise self-control--how she would brought up was the fault of her incompetent parents. She doesn't know how to act like a professional lady, to treat people she disagrees with with respect, to extend the same courtesy she has been extended to express her own flawed opinion unfettered, etc. Search this blog; I've probably noted Wasserman Schultz' boorish behavior on at least half a dozen times. This pushback is long overdue, and this in part is why I am less critical of Congressman West, not to mention the fact that this is not Wasserman Schultz' first unilateral personal attack on Colonel West.
Message (excerpt): "You are the most vile, unprofessional, and despicable member of the US House of Representatives...If you have something to say to me, stop being a coward and say it to my face."
I'm also not sure it is particularly useful to let Wasserman Schultz know her know her tactics are getting under his skin, and I'm more used to seeing military veterans exercise steely self-control.
I will say that the 5 Democratic Congresswomen on FNC pulling out the victim card over West's reaction to Wasserman-Schultz' personal attacks can blow it out their ears. Since when have these hypocrites spoken up over Wasserman-Schultz' repeated unprovoked boorish behavior? Are we to assume women politicians are "more equal" than male politicians? Where is the hypocrite Barack Obama on rebuking Wasserman-Schultz's uncivil tone? Remember the post-partisan, change-in-Washington rhetoric? Not only has Obama failed to support civility in politics, it's highly unlikely Wasserman-Schultz could have been named DNC Chair without Obama's tacit approval.
Political Potpourri
Gallup today put Obama at a 42% approval rating with a net disapproval at 6%. All recent polls I've seen have the President in net disapproval range with a high of 47% approval. More importantly, we are beginning (via RCP) to see Romney gain on Obama: a tie in Pennsylvania, small leads in North Carolina, Florida, Michigan, and New Hampshire, and just today two polls putting Romney at a tie or a 1-point lead with Obama nationwide.
I wish to comment on recent polls (e.g., here) which suggest to a certain extent Obama's faux-centrist rhetoric on the debt limit and class warfare rhetoric is to a modest extent working, but there are a few things to point out. First, there is a consistent pattern in most polls I've seen, e.g., people condemn Congressmen in general for the status quo, but they think their own Congressman is fine. It's not unexpected they could believe that taxes will have to be raised but they are already paying their fair share and so let somebody else ("the rich") pick up the load. No doubt if you pointed out that the Dems increased domestic spending 20-30% during the last Congress and then asked whether they approved of raising taxes to pay off last Congress' excesses, they would probably say 'no', that you need to rollback the spending.
Clearly the President is not credible on the budget--in fact, not a single senator, including all of the Democratic majority, voted for the President's budget. He is not showing leadership--he's basically posturing as Referee-in-Chief, condescendingly lecturing them over the bickering and slow process in coming to a solution. But the fact of the matter is that he knows if he proposed a legitimate proposal on his own, it's DEAD ON ARRIVAL, no better than his laughable budget. The fact of the matter Obama is not a referee--the funding of all of his programs gained last Congress is at stake. He has a vested interest in maintaining the status quo in spending. Almost everything he's said during this crisis is pushing tax increases, not funding cuts.
In fact, Obama's approval ratings are continuing to trend down, indicating Obama's handling of the debt crisis isn't helping. What's happening on the Republican side? First of all, there is uncertainty, and Obama is milking uncertainty over things like social secruity payments. Second, some Tea Party elements are playing chicken with default, and the Senate Democrats and Obama are implying they are standing firm because they believe a default will hurt the GOP more than the Democrats, and to a certain extent, I think that's true. I've mentioned this in an earlier post this week: the best strategy is to ink the best deal under current circumstances and then elect a Republican-controlled Senate and White House next year.
Some hardline positions (e.g., Rand Paul, Michele Bachmann) are bordering on political malpractice--and I'm far more of a fiscal hawk than any one of these people. Push this too hard, and you throw the next election to Obama and the rest of the Democrats. You need to win the war, not this battle.
Political Humor
"Republicans are no longer allowed to say that people are rich. You have to refer to them as 'job creator'. You can't even use the word 'rich'. You have to say, 'This chocolate cake is so moist and job creator.'" –Jon Stewart
[The job creator chocolate cake is served with top 2% earner milk.]
"President Obama said he turns 50 this week, but he actually doesn’t turn 50 until Aug. 4. This means that even he hasn’t seen his birth certificate." - Jay Leno
[AARP told Obama that he now qualifies for the early-birthday discount, 5% off any cake served before 5PM.]
Musical Interlude: My Favorite Groups
ELO, "I'm Alive"
