Obama on ObamaCare: Can you smell the bipartisan consensus?
posted at 2:00 pm on October 10, 2009 by Allahpundit
If he can convince himself that the Taliban’s no longer an enemy, it figures that he’d think a 34/47 split on ObamaCare in the latest poll (and 42/47 across a spectrum) represents “consensus.” Although, in fairness, this isn’t an assessment based on polls: The chief evidence of Republican support, starting here at around 1:20, comes from the much-despised governor of the fiscal catastrophe known as California, the RINO-turned-independent mayor of New York, 85-year-old Bob Dole, and Bill Frist, whose most recent comment on ObamaCare is that he wouldn’t vote for the Baucus plan. And Frist isn’t the only one whose support for reform is more nuanced than The One’s letting on. Over to you, Tapper:
But as Republican aides in the Senate point out, the devil — as always — is in the details.
On Fox News Channel’s “Your World With Neil Cavuto” on Oct. 9, Dole said Republicans are “not going to buy on to all the excise taxes that Sen. Baucus put on the bill. It’s going to drive insurance companies out of business. We believe in the private sector.”…
Thompson said in a statement with former House Majority Leader Dick Gephardt, D-Mo., “Failure to reach an agreement on health reform this year is not an acceptable option.”
They added: “Clearly, there are some issues that remain troublesome and unresolved in the Senate Finance Committee’s bill, but there are opportunities to debate these issues further as Congress moves in both Houses toward enactment of health reform this session. Differences in approach among committees in the Senate and House should not obscure the fact that there is also substantial common ground and compatible provisions between the Senate Finance Committee bill, the Senate HELP reform bill and H.R. 3200 in the House of Representatives.”
And Schwarzenegger has said, “The House originally proposed fully funding the expansion with federal dollars, but due to cost concerns, members decided to shift a portion of these expansion costs to states. I will be clear on this particular proposal: If Congress thinks the Medicaid expansion is too expensive for the federal government, it is absolutely unaffordable for states. Proposals in the Senate envision passing on more than $8 billion in new costs to California annually – crowding out other priority or constitutionally required state spending and presenting a false choice for all of us. I cannot and will not support federal health care reform proposals that impose billions of dollars in new costs on California each year.”
If only there was some way to foster bipartisanship by incorporating conservative ideas into the reform plan. Too bad conservatives don’t have any ideas anymore, huh?









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If Obama says Republicans are behind Obamacare, then Republicans are behind Obamacare. If Obama says the sky is purple, then the sky is freakin’ PURPLE, capiche? Racists, all of you. Just wait until Obama wins American Idol before the new season even starts. That’ll drive you racists nuts!
(Do I need to include a sarc tag, or is teh crazy obvious enough?)
aero on October 10, 2009 at 5:40 PM
UFOs are real.
The Bipartisan Consensus is swamp gas.
ajacksonian on October 10, 2009 at 5:45 PM
Nuance…….LMAO
elclynn on October 10, 2009 at 5:54 PM
I smell something, but consensus it ain’t.
NoFanofLibs on October 10, 2009 at 6:00 PM
I love the smell of desperation flop sweat in the morning.
Dhuka on October 10, 2009 at 6:13 PM
Yeah! How about it? How about we go with the “fact” that Allahpundit doesn’t exist? We read stuff that’s “written” by him, but how do we know that to be true? Has anyone ever seen this man or even heard his voice?
As far as we know Allahpundit might be Michelle’s alter ego. So how about it?
RMR on October 10, 2009 at 6:26 PM
Dude, given the events of the past several days and several months, yeah, you need a /sarc tag. The stuff that’s really happening is so crazy, it’s going to put places like The Onion out of business, you just can’t make crazy like this stuff up anymore. I mean, Obama winning the Nobel Appeasement Prize? It’s no longer satire, we’re living in a satirical farce.
AZfederalist on October 10, 2009 at 7:06 PM
Not to worry, they’ve figured out where to get $450 billion a year. The Army will have five brigades; the Marines one; the Navy will have 50 ships, no aircraft carriers or submarines; the Air Force will have 100 aircraft, zero first line fighters, mostly executive aircraft for shuttling around the elites. Mark my words, the Defense Department is on the block.
johnsteele on October 10, 2009 at 7:09 PM
FoxNews ran a “Bipartisan” commercial that has been produced with Governor Arnold, Bill Frist and Bob Dole. The latter two better act and act fast. The first one is like a resident standing on a pile of smoldering ashes and lecturing everyone about fire insurance.
Marcus on October 10, 2009 at 7:14 PM
Con?
Census?
Put them togather…that’s ACORN!
profitsbeard on October 10, 2009 at 7:16 PM
All my senses tell me ObamaCare is a huge con
ya2daup on October 10, 2009 at 7:31 PM
Republicans actually took the time and effort to write and submit bills: it’s called leadership
The Precedent took no time or effort to write and submit even one bill: it’s called failure to lead
But damn! Doesn’t he love to campaign and listen to his bad self?
ya2daup on October 10, 2009 at 7:44 PM
This is so predictable its sad. This is right out of Rahm’s playbook. Find a couple RINOs that agree with you, and either
(a) declare there is a consensus, or
(b) try to paint the opposition that still does not agree with you as fringe extremists, or
(c) both
Yawn.
Joe Caps on October 10, 2009 at 8:00 PM
Do the liberals really think that if they start saying that health care reform is gaining momentum it will really change people’s minds enough that it will gain momentum in reality?
Are they really that dumb?
I think I just answered my own question.
Joe Caps on October 10, 2009 at 8:09 PM
Just because the consensus is imaginary doesn’t mean it’s not real.
ray on October 10, 2009 at 8:23 PM
I smell something…OMG…I’ve been Hitlered!
Army Brat on October 10, 2009 at 8:24 PM
Senator / Congressman, you vote for Obamacare, there are millions of voters out here, and when we get done with you, there won’t be nothin’ left but a greasy spot. You pass Obamacare if you got the nerve.
…channeling Jack Crabb, Little Big Man
ya2daup on October 10, 2009 at 8:24 PM
THERE IS NO BIPARTISANSHIP CONSENSUS!!!!!!!!!!!!
IT DIED ON JANUARY 20TH,at he hands of LIBERALS!!
Its another Perception/Deception ploy by Team Lefty!!
canopfor on October 10, 2009 at 8:50 PM
Liberals can brag all they want about so-called
Republican support,
as long as the Liberal Leadership,signs it,and the
entire monstrosity is owend by the DNC,
that way,it becomes a never-ending,financial nightmare
in cost over-runs,and a beautiful boondoggle that the
Left remembers,and pays dearly for in ever election that
reminds voters going to their election booths!!
canopfor on October 10, 2009 at 9:25 PM
Shhhhh. Smell somethin’?
Blacksmith8 on October 10, 2009 at 9:38 PM
Go ahead congressFOOLS do it. I dare you.
FREEDOM!
Blacksmith8 on October 10, 2009 at 9:46 PM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BwxJ46HWXbA
njpat on October 10, 2009 at 9:55 PM
British NHS success story of the day:
Sick Iraq war veteran dies after being given smoker’s cancerous lungs in transplant
The NHS routinely uses smokers lungs in transplants…is this normal?
Sharke on October 10, 2009 at 10:32 PM
Whether you like it or not!
jukin on October 10, 2009 at 11:31 PM
When we smell that smell here in the Midwest, our womenfolk make us scrape it off our shoes before we can come into the house.
…but we don’t call it ‘bipartisanship’…
….(although what we DO call it does begin with ‘b’ and the last four letters do rhyme with ‘ship’)…
landlines on October 11, 2009 at 12:00 AM
So many of us realize Obama lies every time his lips move, and many times chalk it up to his being a politician – albeit a very low one.
I may be still somewhat idealistic, but when did it become acceptable for a sitting President to lie constantly, with impunity, in every possible setting, to every possible citizen, including during joint sessions of Congress?
I know Joe Wilson stood bravely, but I think this constant, unbelievable lying is a huge story unto itself.
A President is a politician, yes. But of a singular nature, with powers which must be wielded wisely, and with honesty when addressing his fellow Americans.
President Obama insults and degrades the office, his fellow Americans and America herself by his incredible string of lies which must by now number in the thousands, and rising hourly. Even more disgusting, he calls people who tell the truth about his lies, liars.
I believe this is a momentous story, and should be HAMMERED home, without just the usual, “oh, just another lie”.
NO! He is the PRESIDENT; he can’t behave in a manner befitting or deserving of the office, and he must go!
tigerlily on October 11, 2009 at 12:11 AM
Clinton started it. The leftists acused Bush of it for 8 years even though he never did. So in leftist, fascist world it’s now completely legitimate as long as it attains a leftist, fascist agenda. It’s the liberal way. Third grade mentality and all that.
Griz on October 11, 2009 at 12:32 AM
But, what he lies about, which is everything, pales in light of the fact that, always and everywhere, HE LIES.
Clinton was bad, but Obama’s lies trump Clinton’s times 10.
He must be “called out”, (unacceptable “Presidential” thug-talk addressed to US citizens)not so much about what he has lied about – but the fact that he is lying, AGAIN, and that is outrageous and unacceptable for one who holds the highest office in the land.
Rules for Radicals says make the other side live up to their own rules. Well, the Office of President has it’s own very unique rules, unlike any other in history around the world. And the first rule is: The President does not lie to fellow Americans. We have to start questioning why the President lies so often… start talking about character deficiancies and so on…
tigerlily on October 11, 2009 at 1:01 AM
Agreed.
Griz on October 11, 2009 at 3:03 AM
The new “Pull my finger!”
jdkchem on October 11, 2009 at 4:34 AM
He must have one heck of a nose!
OldEnglish on October 11, 2009 at 4:34 AM
THIS JUST IN:
OBAMA HAS BEEN PICKED, BY GOD, TO REPLACE GOD, EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY.
IN THE COMING DAYS, ALL REFERENCES IN THE BIBLE PERTAINING TO “GOD” WILL BE SCRUBBED AND REPLACED WITH “OBAMA”.
HE HAS ALSO BEEN GIVEN CREDIT FOR THE CREATION OF THE HEAVENS AND EARTH.
Cleveland Steamer on October 11, 2009 at 8:35 AM
All I hear from Dems and the MSM is how out of touch republicans are with the country. So why does Obama want any GOP support? The Dems run the whole show in DC, the GOP is out of touch and racist.
So why not go it alone?
angryed on October 11, 2009 at 8:37 AM
All I hear from Dems and the MSM is how out of touch republicans are with the country. So why does Obama want any GOP support? The Dems run the whole show in DC, the GOP is out of touch and racist.
So why not go it alone?
Because when it goes bad, and it will, they want someone else to blame
Noelie on October 11, 2009 at 8:44 AM
The last time I was in D.C. the streets smelled like urine; With the degenerates, like Bawney Fwank, in Congress, I can imagine the buildings that compose the Senate of the U.S. smell like a urinal that’s never been flushed; But, this is the attraction for people like Bawney Fwank; It’s love potion for them.
Cybergeezer on October 11, 2009 at 11:54 AM
But, G.W. and his descendants are responsible for the “Big Bang”; They relied on intel from Colin Powell’s descendants.
Cybergeezer on October 11, 2009 at 11:58 AM
Tort reform is a start. I wouldn’t end it there, though.
Open up the markets. Regulate interstate commerce by actually making it regular, so that I can get health insurance anywhere in the nation from anyone I choose.
Let me choose my insurance (if any), choose my doctor (if any), and choose which procedures I have done (if any). You would see the problems in the insurance industry melt away like the Wicked Witch in The Wizard of Oz.
gryphon202 on October 11, 2009 at 12:41 PM
It is a “consensus”.
Consensus does not mean everybody agrees, not even close. A “Consensus” is an understanding, it does not end debate.
Our elections are an example of “Consensus”. At the end of the election, we have a winner, but not “everyone” agrees we have the best person so the debate goes on.
If Obama says a 34/47 is a “Consensus”, then hold him to it, ObamaCare lost, and move on.
DSchoen on October 11, 2009 at 3:19 PM
I called a contractor doing some minor brick work at my house. I said I didn’t think he would take a 3 day break without finishing the job.
He said (and we all heard it before) “you want it done right or do you want it done fast?” Indisputable wisdom.
Let’s have health care reform fast!
obleo on October 11, 2009 at 6:04 PM
Obama is such a spin doctor that if somebody pissed on him he would call it a refreshing bi-partisan “shower”.
MaiDee on October 12, 2009 at 1:59 PM
Indeed…Obama…”It’s raining…and it’s warm!”
Army Brat on October 12, 2009 at 3:59 PM
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