Saturday, September 17, 2011
What Mattered This Week?
You know, there was a lot of churning this week, but I'm not sure what I have for this item. I guess the reauthorizations that went through mattered, more or less...we're still waiting to see what happens with appropriations extensions. Lots of talk around the jobs bill, but I'm not sure there's anything there. The Republicans debated, but nothing really happened with WH 2012, either. I'm stumped. What am I missing? What do you think mattered this week?
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Same as the last few weeks... it's all Europe... all the time.
ReplyDeleteAnd Bernanke about to sneak through some more support to the ECB, expanding the Fed's balance sheet to support the zombie banks in Euroland. We'll see whether that works itself heavy into the R presidential primary.
I think the most important thing for 2012 right now continues to be the large numbers of undecided or "unhappy with the choices" voters that consistently show up in polls for the GOP primary. This group is interesting not only because they make the primary itself entirely unpredictable, but because they might be a wild card for the general election. Obviously, nearly all of these undecided voters will wind up voting for the GOP nominee. There are, however, events that could change this. Many people talk of a third party candicacy this year. Those GOP undecided voters could be the most likely audience for such a candidate. Second, are the undecideds in the primary a sign of a possible enthusiasm problem for the GOP in 2012? I think it might be. I continue to think that Romney needs to win this thing fast (once it gets going, of course). This primary is not a party building exercise, especially with Perry in the race. I think the longer the primary goes on, the more unhappy republicans will be with their nominee and the larger that wild care will become.
ReplyDeleteThis is still a really tough election for Obama, but the idelogical incoherence, policy nihilism, and utter lack of ethics of his opposition party have become so bad that even that party is having problems.
BLITZER: But he doesn’t have that. He doesn’t have it, and he needs intensive care for six months. Who pays?
ReplyDeletePAUL: That’s what freedom is all about, taking your own risks. This whole idea that you have to prepare and take care of everybody –
(APPLAUSE)
BLITZER: But Congressman, are you saying that society should just let him die?
(Members of Crowd from Tea Party Debate: Yeah! Yeahhh!!)
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
I think this matters as it comes on the heels of heavy applause for Rick Perry's execution record. Once is an aberration, twice is a coincidence.. but if there's a third time? This is the sort of thing that can be put into a format where a casual voter will quickly be able to understand who these Republican candidates are.
I'd say that the movement forward on the CR was big, especially the apparent agreement on a medium term (November 18) date. That strikes me as indication that everyone is reasonably serious about actually getting it done; it's long enough that final action on an omnibus is plausible, but it also arrives before the supercommittee recs, which means it can be chaptered before any total freakouts occur.
ReplyDeletemg
Unsure on this: is that new patent law a big deal? I read a few stories, but they were poorly written, along the lines of "some people say it's good, and some say it's bad" without anybody who actually knows and isn't biased weighing in.
ReplyDeleteHeck, the stories I've read haven't even said what the changes actually are!
Hundreds of people are protesting on Wall Street today. Perhaps not as interesting to the media because no one is wearing a tricorn hat or rallying to preserve the status quo but I get the sense that events such as this will be increasingly difficult for the Establishment to ignore.
ReplyDeleteJS: It only sounded like two or three very sick people cheering in the audience. There's definitely a lot of resentment against the poor on the right, but you didn't get any of that from *Paul's* response (which you omit).
ReplyDeleteWhen I was watching the debate I was a little surprised when the audience cheered, but I was more surprised that when answering the question Perry didn't say something along the lines of "I don't celebrate death, but I believe X".
ReplyDeleteI think Ron Paul indicated that, but I think it's funny that after decades of being the leading libertarian he still hasn't figured out a response for those types of questions.
Actually, Paul's response was dead on, it just isn't a hardcore lefty response. You lefties should stop relying on the NY Times as your sole source of information, as it's turning into a bunch of barking moonbats:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=46236
Includes video of the full exchange and reactions.
Anonymous, thanks for posting that, here’s the video:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b4Am2bWQRNw
Here’s what Paul actually said and received applause for (my transcript). I daresay his values are as progressive as any Democrat’s:
I practiced medicine before we had Medicaid, in the early 1960s when I got out of medical school. I practiced at Santa Rosa Hospital in San Antonio… And the Churches took care of them -- we NEVER turned anybody away from the hospital. And we’ve given up on this whole concept that we might take care of ourselves through responsibility for ourselves -- our neighbors, or churches would do it … this whole idea…. That’s the reason the cost is so high. The cost is so high because they dump it on the government, it becomes a bureaucracy, it becomes a special interest, it kowtows to the insurance companies and then the drug companies. And on top of that you have the inflation -- the inflation devalues the dollar. We have lack of competition -- there’s no competition in medicine. Everybody’s protected by licensing -- we should actually legalize alternative healthcare, allow people to practice what they want.
Yes, if only we didn't regulate doctors, everything would be okay . . . just like the derivatives market.
ReplyDeleteI want a free market medical system where if my doctor can't cure me or kills me through incompetence I am free to take my custom elsewhere.
ReplyDeleteScott: Yes, because mainstream medicine is infallible and the DC regulators never get it wrong. Got it ;)
ReplyDeleteWhile I may not go as far as Ron Paul... doctors have long used government to keep their numbers artificially low and their salaries artificially high. Don't kid yourself -- regulations often promote economic interests above the general welfare.
Couves: I omitted Paul's response because it's the supporters I was talking about - the supporters' responses that will register with casual voters. The people who cheered for Perry's executions, the people who cried out "Yeah! (let the bastard die)". As I said, two is not yet a trend, but we're just about there.
ReplyDeleteIf Perry feels the need to distance himself (even slightly) the next day, I think that speaks volumes about the bad optics I'm suggesting.
Also, too - if those were "two or three sick people", I didn't hear any of the candidates.. or anyone else in the audience trying to pushback against that sentiment.
Anonymous, I watched the entire debate when it aired (and I don't read the NYT). Yeah, he said a bunch of stuff about personal responsibility and community, and maybe those people would step up their help in a libertarian world, but it wouldn't catch everyone. The answer to the moderator's question is that yes, that person would die if he or his loved ones couldn't afford the care.
ReplyDeleteAnd that's the natural consequence of the kind of personal responsibility he's promoting. tbh I would prefer that he acknowledge that the person would die. Instead he beat around the bush. I just think it's funny that he did because he must get these kinds of questions all the time and you'd think he'd have a decent sounding answer formulated by now.
And even though I'd never vote for him I do respect him because he's always stood by his principals, but in this case and in one other point in the debate (also involving government assistance) he wavered which I wasn't expecting.
No, Paul described the world in which he practiced, and that this "let them die" nonsense that the Left is shrieking wasn't a part of that world.
ReplyDeleteI'm amused that you fantasized your own version of what he said.
Yes, his response isn't a hardcore Left response, but neither is it the one you're fantasizing here, either. And that fantasy is in line with the NY Times moonbats.
This blinkering is resulting in electoral blowouts, fyi, speaking of plain political blogging.
The New York race mattered in that it said something to the Democrats -- be scared, and to the Republicans -- you might get away with nominating someone you wouldn't consider ordinarily. This means that both sides may move in opposite directions (the Democratic conclusion might not be that they need to move more right but that their base needs to be more enthusiastic). Obama may choose more confrontation and the Republicans may err more towards their base. That improves Obama's reelection prospects and/or increases the divisiveness of the next presidency.
ReplyDeleteI think the Bill Daley articles matter in that they say something about someone well thought of by the press and suggests that the Emanuel years might have been years in which the president was well served by his chief of staff.
And the momentum the White House had from the jobs bill has dissipated, mostly.
Ok, fine, so the hospitals never turn anyone away, which means that THEY are the ones who pay for his care, and in turn they jack up the prices for everyone else so that they don't go bankrupt.
ReplyDeleteSomewhere down the line someone has to pay for his care or he dies. I think he's overrating how universally people are willing to cover other people's expensive mistakes, which is where most of the anger over today's system comes from.
I live in Detroit where as you know, there are poor sections. Many of them can't afford insurance. All of their friends, family, community, church, are poor top to bottom. The most common attitude towards them from people outside those areas, and from the country in general, is resentment (this is the only reason we don't have universal coverage already, because ~my~ money will go to "THEM"). I don't think some good citizen is going to show up and write checks for tens of thousands of dollars for people in the hood.
“Somewhere down the line someone has to pay for his care or he dies. I think he's overrating how universally people are willing to cover other people's expensive mistakes, which is where most of the anger over today's system comes from.”
ReplyDeleteI disagree. People are angry with today’s system because the poor get automatic benefits from government. Some people work hard and pay for everything while others scam the system, so the thinking goes. The fact that some people are in genuine need gets overlooked. I don’t think many people feel this way towards voluntary charity and that’s what Paul’s system is based on.
Ron Paul is really good on this -- when he speaks in front of social conservatives, he tells them that churches have a constitutional right to help even illegal immigrants, but that the government should not do this. No one really disagrees about this.
I live in Detroit where as you know, there are poor sections. Many of them can't afford insurance. All of their friends, family, community, church, are poor top to bottom. The most common attitude towards them from people outside those areas, and from the country in general, is resentment (this is the only reason we don't have universal coverage already, because ~my~ money will go to "THEM"). I don't think some good citizen is going to show up and write checks for tens of thousands of dollars for people in the hood.
ReplyDelete.
Good, then if you live in Detroit, you know that the people of Michigan pay for the Detroit Medical Center, run by my old classmate Mike Duggan. The people here in Michigan are ALREADY writing the checks you're claiming they won't be writing, in other words, via Medicaid.
You need to get out in the real world, and find out what's going on. You're fantasizing your own version of reality, whether it's health care in Detroit, or Ron Paul's statements at that debate.