WSJ: Democrats Are Abusing Power By Ramming Through Obamacare
Posted by Jim Hoft on Wednesday, March 3, 2010, 5:31 AM
Democrats are about to embark upon an undemocratic disservice to the American people by ramming their unpopular nationalized health care bill through the Senate and Congress. Today, Barack Obama will announce that democrats will use the nuclear option to takeover the health care industry.
The Wall Street Journal reported on this historic abuse of power, via Drudge:
A string of electoral defeats and the great unpopularity of ObamaCare can’t stop Democrats from their self-appointed rendezvous with liberal destiny—ramming a bill through Congress on a narrow partisan vote. What we are about to witness is an extraordinary abuse of traditional Senate rules to pass a bill merely because they think it’s good for the rest of us, and because they fear their chance to build a European welfare state may never come again.
***
The vehicle is “reconciliation,” a parliamentary process that fast-tracks budget measures and was created in 1974 as a deficit-reduction tool. Limited to 20 hours of debate, reconciliation bills need a mere 50 votes in the Senate, with the Vice President as tie-breaker, thus circumventing the filibuster. Both Democrats and Republicans have frequently used reconciliation on budget bills, so Democrats are now claiming that using it to pass ObamaCare is no big deal.Yet this shortcut has never been used for anything approaching the enormity of a national health-care entitlement. Democrats are only resorting to it now because their plan is in so much political trouble—within their own party, and even more among the general public—and because they’ve failed to make their case through persuasion.
“They know that this will take courage,” Nancy Pelosi said in an interview over the weekend, speaking of the Members she’ll try to strong-arm. “It took courage to pass Social Security. It took courage to pass Medicare,” the Speaker continued. “But the American people need it, why are we here? We’re not here just to self-perpetuate our service in Congress.”
Leave aside the irony of invoking “the American people” on behalf of a bill that consistently has been 10 to 15 points underwater in every poll since the fall, and is getting more unpopular by the day, particularly among independents. As Maine Republican Olympia Snowe pointed out in a speech last December, Social Security passed when Democrats controlled both Congress and the White House, yet 64% of Senate Republicans and 79% of the House GOP voted for it. More than half of the Senate Republican caucus voted for Medicare in 1965. Historically, major social legislation has always been bipartisan, because it reflects a durable political consensus.
Reconciliation is the last mathematical gasp for ObamaCare because Democrats can’t sell their policy to Senator Snowe, any other Republican, or even dozens of Democrats. This raw exercise of political power is of a piece with the copious corruption and bribery—such as the Cornhusker kickbacks and special tax benefits for union members—that liberals had to use to get even this far.
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Published May 24, 2012 at 8:46 pm - 78 Comments
Betsy Ross commented:
Good-bye America…it’s been a great 234 year run…
or…maybe not…there are too many people here that love this country too much to give up…I don’t want to give up….too many people have fought and died for OUR freedom…and I, for one, want to carry the torch of Liberty and Freedom for the next generation…
Sorry, dems, you won’t prevail…
God Bless the Greatest Nation on Earth…
The United States of America
Rosemary Woodhouse commented:
The American people “need it” Nancy? We do not “need” it. We do not WANT it.
This is tyranny.
Rosemary Woodhouse commented:
Agreed, Betsy!
olm commented:
I give up, go for it Dems. You are sealing your own fate.
I’m really starting to believe that they think they are in power forever. But look at Rangel you idiots. He thought he was invincible too.
Bruce commented:
As if i needed another reason to buy an AR-15.
Though, prices on AK clones are dropping considerably. I saw an underfolder with 3 mags going for $419.99 the other day.
Dems go nuclear, I buy ‘em both.
Sojourner commented:
betsy ross/#1.. well said.
aprilnovember811 commented:
WE WILL OFFICIALLY BE LIVING UNDER TYRANNY IF THIS HAPPENS, AND WE MUST PREPARE TO REVERSE IT, AND PUNISH ALL WHO PARTICIPATE IN THIS ATTACK ON THE PEOPLE AND LIBERTY. WE WILL NOT STAND FOR THIS!
WHERE’S THE BIRTH CERTIFICATE BARRY?
PD Quig commented:
The GOP should vow to slow Senate business to a crawl–a la Bunning–no more unanimous consents, hundreds of amendments to every bill, etc. AND the GOP should vow to slow roll and/or repeal ObamaCare if back in the majority in 2010.
This is war and the American people are on the right side.
avery commented:
If they get Health care through,they will force Cap and Tax through,Amnesty for illegal before the 2010 election then it want matter they will have a Dictator ship.
Ladue Pundit commented:
How many times were the Republicans denied a simple up or down vote on much lesser things?
Obama and the Dems will unleash a tsunami across this nation with their tyrannical, diabolical plot.
Betsy Ross-great post. Our forefathers did not fight and die for this.
Militant Conservative commented:
I’ll gladly pledge my life, fortune and my sacred honor. We patriots will come after the tyrants.
Hope is coming via the SCOTUS later this month folks. Anthony Scalia has taken up the BC issue. IF he is found ineligible then ALL bills sign by the NOTUS are void. powder is dry
pamlinson commented:
We need a PLAN to cut them off at the knees. I would like to hear what others think our action should be. We need to cut off their piggy bank supply in the form of a unamious tax revolt for one. Millions of citizens marching in the street and on Washington isn’t enough. This is the PEOPLE’S country and we need to claim it!
Militant Conservative commented:
Defunding the left is good but the American people are going to give most of Washington thier pink slip.
People are beyond mad, thier constantly stirred up every day by the liar in the WH. He does not know when to sit down and shut up. He will do for the Republican party what Clinton did just bigger.
RebeccaH commented:
The Democratic Party is a dead dog.
pamlinson commented:
We can’t afford to wait. Obama will terrorize America in the time he has left.
down with dems commented:
Reconciliation = Revolution
Karen commented:
This is all about money—not healthcare. The US government is bankrupt. Tax revenues are way down (due to the fact that the Obama administration is killing off the middle class) and they need this tax to kick in as soon as possible to get some new revenue to steal from us and spend foolishly elsewhere. If this was about healthcare, healthcare would start immediately, not in 2013. This is about stealing more of our money (those who have any left, that is!)
Aitch748 commented:
If the Dems are doing this because they expect to just get another job after the election, then we need to find out what jobs they get and go hound them every chance we get. Hell, we need to find out where they sleep at night and hound them there too.
Civilized tactics don’t work on these people anymore.
jonyjoe101 commented:
The only way to repeal this obamacare is to prove that “Barry” is an illegal alien.
His father was “British” , that makes Barry a “british subject”, Dual citizens aren’t allowed to be president.
They should have took care of this before the election, now we are stuck fixing all these problems.
Radegunda commented:
Karen, I think you are right to a great extent. It’s difficult to believe that improving health care–quality or accessibility–is a high priority of the Dems. They want the new taxes first. But they also definitely want to turn health care into something that’s entirely controlled by government.