Just wait. Just wait a little while. Watch how this unfolds. Watch how the perception of Ted Cruz’s performance changes. It was a tour de force. How can anyone be sure of that? Easy.
The mindless invective rained upon him tells you all you need to know. The little people (you know, those of us who elect the politicians who then think we work for them) were electrified by Cruz’s “filibuster.”
WASHINGTON — Following the epic, 21-hour speech by Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, supporting the defunding of Obamacare, either voters made so many calls to establishment Republicans that their phone lines melted, or those GOP leaders took their phones off the hook.
Even in this age of digital wizardry and limitless voicemail, callers could not get through at all to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.
A message said the senator was experiencing a high volume of calls and directed members of the public to call back later or visit his website.
It was the same story with the man who was the face of the GOP in the 2008 elections, former GOP presidential candidate Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz.
His phone was off the hook, too. Callers got a message stating his voicemail box was full.
The Arizona senator apparently had other matters on his mind during the Cruz speech, tweeting, “Final episode of #Broadchurch tonight – one of the most entertaining shows on TV right now.”
That prompted conservative commentator Michelle Malkin to tweet, “Meanwhile, McCain is tweeting about a TV show. See the problem here, America?”
The garbage heaped upon Cruz was almost unimaginable.
Cruz was called a “fraud” encouraging “governmental terrorism.” Cruz has been called a “whacko bird.”
And this was from Republicans.
The media was absolutely vicious and there could not have been a starker contrast between the coverage of Cruz and that of the Abortion Barbie:
Sen. Ted Cruz has been speaking on the Senate floor for almost 19 hours, as of this post. The talk is not technically a filibuster — he can’t actually block the Senate from going about its business — but symbolically, it’s more or less the same thing. The point is to show one’s opposition to something through a demonstration of physical will.
Which is why you can forgive conservatives for being upset with the mainstream media’s coverage of the Cruz affair. When a Democrat like Texas state Sen. Wendy Davis filibusters against abortion restrictions, she is elevated to hero status, her tennis shoes become totems. When Cruz grandstands against Obamacare, he is a laughingstock in the eyes of many journalists on Twitter, an “embarrassment” in the eyes of The New York Times editorial board.
“Gee I wonder why NYT and WaPo and everyone else gave ecstatic coverage to Wendy Davis but not to Ted Cruz. I just can’t make sense of it!” John Podhoretz, the conservative columnist, tweeted on Wednesday morning.
Yes, the difference between filibustering and grandstanding plays a part. Equally important is the fact that Cruz’s theatrics are frustrating members of his own party. But, part of the disparity in coverage is due to the fact that the mainstream media, generally speaking, don’t admire Cruz the way they admired Davis — or rather, they admire him only insofar as he makes for tragicomic theater, whereas they admired her on the merits.
Cruz is portrayed in the media as “aimless and self-destructive” (NYT ed board), elitist (GQ) and likely guided more by presidential aspirations than principles (CNN). Josh Marshall, the editor and publisher of Talking Points Memo, had no qualms about coming right out and calling Cruz, his former Princeton colleague, an “arrogant jerk” — and worse.
These portrayals may be accurate or inaccuarate — Cruz certainly has an elitist strain and he certainly has political ambitions. But that’s not the point: The point is that the coverage of Cruz has been critical, and in some cases unforgiving, from the outset. At least initially, Davis wasn’t viewed through a critical lens at all. Her willingness to stand for 11 hours was evidence of the American dream in action. Period.
GOP Representative Peter King looked around and discovered that he was on the wrong planet:
Rep. Peter King, who has pulled no punches in criticizing Ted Cruz, said Thursday that supporters of the Texas senator have been bombarding his office with “vile” phone calls.
The New York Republican has called Cruz a fraud for his calls to defund Obamacare, and said the senator’s campaign this summer to get the House to pass a government funding bill that defunds the health care law led to some offensive phone calls to King’s office.
“The vehemence of the phone calls coming into the office. I don’t care, people can call me whatever they want … I haven’t heard such vile, profane, obscene language,” King said on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” on Thursday.
And there’s more blowback. Mark Levin referred to John McCain as a ‘useful idiot for the Democrats’.
Cruz did fire up a lot of people, but he did more than that. He obliterated Dick Durbin:
In the last hour, even as he said he grew “weary” as his time arguing against ObamaCare was coming to a close, he found himself in a debate with the able and smart Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin on the Congress’s generous health-care plan.
Durbin complained that Cruz wanted to deny health care to the uninsured; did he not, Durbin asked, enjoy the benefits of the generous congressional health-care package himself?
Cruz said he wouldn’t answer Durbin until Durbin first replied to three questions Cruz had posed. Durbin, with an “a-ha” gesture, responded by saying it was clear Cruz was simply refusing to answer his embarrassing question.
He’d walked into Cruz’s trap. For then Cruz said, no, Senator, I’m eligible for the congressional plan — but I’m not enrolled in it.
Durbin thought he had Cruz cornered by bringing up his reliance on the absurdly generous health package for Congress. But since Cruz doesn’t rely on it, Durbin humiliated himself in what was supposed to be his gotcha moment.
Despite his marathon of speaking and standing and arguing, after nearly a day on his feet, Cruz — there is no other term for it — squashed Durbin like a bug.
The best democrats had to offer in response? Dr. Seuss wouldn’t approve.
The more noise democrats make, the more Cruz struck at their hearts.
The Cruz faction in the Senate, and its allies in the House (whose leadership is now up for grabs) must now press their advantage. The louder the Democrats squawk, the more they are wounded; the one thing they’ve long feared is a direct assault on their core beliefs as translated into actions, and the deleterious effects of Obamacare, just now being felt by the population, are the most vivid proof of the failure of Progressivism that conservatives could wish for.
And it would be best that conservatives ridded themselves of the democrats’ favorite Republicans:
After his disgraceful attacks on Cruz, including his reach-across-the-aisle, dog-in-the-manger response today, this should be the end of Senator John McCain as a voice of influence in the Republican party. Ditto his mini-me, Senator Lindsey Graham. Indeed, the entire Old Guard of business-as-usual “comity” fans passeth. When you care more about what the other side thinks, it’s probably time either to switch teams or step down.
It was a Tour de Force for Cruz. The ripples from his effort continue to spread and will be felt for a long time. Obamacare is a train wreck unfolding in slow motion right before our eyes.
DrJohn has been a health care professional for more than 30 years. In addition to clinical practice he has done extensive research and has published widely with over 70 original articles and abstracts in the peer-reviewed literature. DrJohn is well known in his field and has lectured on every continent except for Antarctica. He has been married to the same wonderful lady for over 30 years and has three kids- two sons, both of whom are attorneys and one daughter on her way into the field of education.
DrJohn was brought up with the concept that one can do well if one is prepared to work hard but nothing in life is guaranteed.
Except for liberals being foolish.
Contact your representatives by e-mail, letter, phone or fax. Wait for the response. From my senator I learned that congress and staffers have to enter exchanges.(what planet is she on?)
From jay carney I learned that he has employer- funded insurance and so we can have that too.
From Obama I learned that my premiums will not go up and from a blog I learned that theLittle Sisters of the Poor are suing because the convent that provides health care to the poor and homeless elderly, now needs to provide free abortions and birth control to the elderly nuns in the convent.
I’ve learned so much lately that my head might explode.
Beware Cruze control and for grins contact your representative, and you too will receive a letter full of non sequesters.
Only in America!
@Greg: The resources on federal lands, btw, belong collectively to the American people, including those yet unborn—not to those who would like to exploit them as widely and rapidly as possible to make a quick buck.
@This one:
Given your warped grasp of reality, I will try, though this will likely be an exercise in futility using facts on a leftist:
1. Unemployment above 7% for the entire Obama regime, even with BLS cooking the numbers via use of U3 instead of U6 unemployment numbers. (Destroying the economy and the middle class.) His average unemployment numbers are above 8% since he occupied the Oval Office. Total number of Americans in the workforce dropped to 1973 levels, despite higher population of working age individuals.
2. Highest number of Americans in our history – greater than the entire population of Spain, over 44 million people – on food stamps. (Destroying the economy and the middle class.)
3. Making a fool of the US in his Syrian dabbling. Supporting the jihadist Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, even after the population of Egypt overwhelmingly supported the military coup that took Morsi et al out of power there. Failing to support the Iranian people uprising against the mullahs, and now engaging in humiliating diplomatic discussions with the Iranian theocratic thugs. Putin’s overwhelming diplomatic victory over Obama with regard to Syria. Obama’s unilateral decision shutting down the ABM shield system in eastern Europe. (Weakening US military and prestige around the world)
4. Obamacare causing hundreds of companies to cut employee hours or drop employee health insurance benefits. Obamacare raising health care insurance premiums well above what they had been despite lying to everyone by insisting premiums would DROP by $2500/yr. Obama lying about being able to keep your doctor and insurance plans if you liked them. (Destroying the medical system in the US).
5. Adding over $6 Trillion to the US Debt, going from $10.8 trillion when he assumed control to the almost $17 trillion in debt we now have due to his horrible handling of the economy with his marxist-based policies. Percentage-wise, Obama has increased the total US debt by roughly 56% in his 5 years as president. (Destroying the US economy)
6. If a government shutdown occurs because of Obama’s refusal to allow his signature evil to be overturned, social security checks will still be delivered…mail will still be delivered…foodstamp checks will still be delivered…TSA agents will still get paid for airport security…but active duty military personnel will not be paid despite being deployed into combat theaters. (Weakening military morale and destroying the US military.)
That is just off the top of my head while I wait to go to a C-section this morning. I am sure your leftist blinders will not allow you to accept these valid criticisms of Obama’s anti-American policies, because the most important thing to leftists is marching towards your progressive dystopia, regardless of the misery, evil and inhumanity inherent in your twisted ideology. Enslavement to the state, to a leftist, is the highest of their demented pseudo-virtues.
@Greg:
Greg, you are utterly clueless. If you were in the military during Vietnam, as you claimed, then certainly you are old enough to remember the horrible economic situation Reagan inherited from Carter (another clueless leftist). You remember the high unemployment? The outrageous interest rates? The ungodly inflation rates? Reagan came in and lowered taxes, stimulated the economy and let the American economic engine run as it is supposed to do. Within 2 years he completely turned the economy around into the longest economic post-war economic boom in our history. This was in spite of the democrat controlled congress breaking their agreement to cut spending. Reagan brought in MORE money to the government by lowering taxes because the economy revved up – but as is typical of leftists – the dems in congress increased spending even more than what Reagan’s tax cuts brought in.
Obama’s marxist-leaning economic policies have resulted in the highest unemployment average of any US president, the highest total number and the highest percentage of Americans on food stamps and welfare, and a roughly 56% increase in the national debt during his 5 incompetent years. The negative impact of obamacare is only going to exacerbate the horrible economic situation.
If businesses cut health care coverage, either directly or via converting to part-time without benefits employees, that means more people unable to pay for the higher cost of obamacare exchange insurance. As more people “qualify” for taxpayer funded subsidies of the more expensive obamacare insurance, the costs of obamacare shoot up even more.
Do you even understand when HHS puts out a bogus statement that “Obamacare premium costs are 16% lower than expected you have to read the report to see how the government played that particular shell game. That 16% decline is derived by comparing what the government predicted the obamacare costs would be in 2016 to what is being rolled out as the cost is 2014. Do you have enough integrity to admit the blatant dishonesty in that method? Obamacare supporters might have a leg to stand on if the projected obamacare premium costs for 2014 were less than what people (or their employers) were paying in 2010 before obamacare was rammed down our throats by the democrats, but that is not the case.
What sense would it make for a business owner to cut his employee health coverage if the obamacare premium costs were going to be lower than what he was already paying for health coverage?. That makes absolutely no sense, and you know it. If the costs of obamacare premiums were going to be the same as pre-obamacare premiums, it would still make no sense for business owners to cut their employee coverage. Those kinds of benefits are recruiting tools to help businesses attract the best potential hires. The ONLY sensical explanation for the reaction of businesses in cutting employee health benefits is that obamacare makes continuing such coverage completely cost-prohibitive.
Obamacare, if the purpose was to offer affordable health insurance to people who did not have it, is a complete failure, and could not have turned out any other way. However, if obamacare was designed purposefully to fail so badly that the poorly educated and ill-informed would support imposition of the socialist takeover of medical care in this country, then it seems to be functioning exceedingly well.
@Greg:
You on the left have no credibility to make such a complaint after the gross disrespect you heaped upon Reagan and Bush. Your hypocrisy knows absolutely no bounds. I remind you once again of St. Hillary’s proclamation: “Dissent is patriotic” – with the apparent Gregorian clarification of “except when a leftist is in charge…”
As far as foreign policy is concerned, simply because conservatives don’t agree with what Obama and his incompetent ilk have been doing does not mean we have no coherent foreign policy positions. Wanting something done about Syria does not mean supporting any crazy, irresponsible idea that Obama spews out in a moment of trying to look like he has a clue about foreign policy.
The foreign policy judgment of our narcisisstic-buffoon-in-chief (who thought it appropriate to give a gift to the titular head of our strongest ally in the form of an iPod containing nothing but the droning speeches of the narcisisst) has never been demonstrated to be more sophisticated than that of a tranparently manipulative 4 year old.
When ObamaCare first opens, as many as all the ”Occupiers” will sign on.
The fact that none of these people will be paying a penny will be glossed over by Obama-sympathetic media.
All we will hear will be the ”large” raw number joining up.
But it won’t only be Leftist Occupiers…..
About 46.4 percent of U.S. households didn’t pay federal income taxes in 2011.
Nearly half of all Americans don’t pay federal income taxes.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/ezra-klein/files/2012/09/pay-no-taxes-heritage.jpeg
Not all are non-working elderly: About 30 percent of workers had a negative income tax in 2011, thanks to the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), which gives them a big refund.
So, this ObamaCare might ”look good on paper,” at first blush.
But so did our employment recovery when Obama hired/fired/re-hired/re-fired so many thousands of US Census workers!
So did car sales during ”cash for clunkers.”
So did his 1st time home buyers’ deals.
So did the ”shovel-ready jobs” in connection with the stimulus.
So did all the green jobs that cost millions per job each.
So did Obama’s 2010 promise to double US exports within 5 years.
Mirages.
All of these were mirages.
So will be any good news on ObamaCare sign-ups.
@Richard Wheeler: Richard, I guess you’re just trying to be funny, but you are exactly the kind of person I love doing business with. You buy a house for 200,000 and sell it for 125,000 and think you made a profit. No wonder you love Obama so, he sells that kind of crap all day long.
@Redteam: Please learn to comprehend simple numbers. I said R.E. UP 25% in last 24 months–that’s 2 years for Navy men. If you bought it in o6 for $200,00 and sold it in 2013 for $125,00 you lost $75,00o. If you bought it in 2011 for $100,000 and sold it in late 2013 for $125,ooo you made $25,000–25%. VERY simple math. Can we move on?
Semper Fi
Had fun today. Called my senators offices and asked them to show solidarity with Marylanders by joining the exchanges.
Don’t complain. Do a Cruz – control. Do something.
@Greg:
Actually it is going to last longer than that. The known proven reserves of crude oil is over 1000 years at the present/and estimated increase of use. Those numbers are based on 2010 reserves, and as we all know, many more reserves have been found in the US alone since those numbers. The new oil found in the upper US and West Texas alone will make the US completely self sufficient. There is no reason to even discuss natural gas. Even back in the 1970’s reserves were over 1000 years, and that was before fracking was thought of. The state of Louisiana alone, has enough natural gas for the entire US for many, many years. There is no shortage of energy resources.
What a crock. The unborn is not entitled to anything until after they are born. Where do you come up with that stuff. Try to will your estate to someone unborn.
What a vivid imagination. If a business has to count an employee as full time if they work 30 hours and that employee is going to cost the employer many hundreds(thousands) of dollars, guess what; those hours are going to be cut. You can ‘blame’ it on who ever you wish, but it is a direct result of the law.
OK, who has been held accountable for the death of the ambassador in BenGhazi?
That should obviously be true with so many more security violations taking place, they should have more to prosecute.
@Ditto: Ditto,
Very true, I know one person (very well off) that made a trip to Florida and bought quite a few of the empty new condominiums that were available for pennies on the dollar. They are already increasing in value, but nothing like they will when Obama gets out of office.
@Richard Wheeler: You must have learned your math under the techniques of the liberal teachers unions techniques. But they don’t let you keep score so that’s why you don’t understand that 125,000 is less than 200,000. Just think, if the Dims had let you keep score you would have learned that if you got 4 goals and the other team only got 3, that you won. I don’t care how many times you run through the calculations, if you bought a house for 200k and sell it for 125k, you DID NOT make a profit.
@Richard Wheeler:
Richard, I take strong objection to you attempting to slam military persons of any branch of service. It only brings dishonor to you. I know you have implied you are proud of your military service and I find no reason to doubt that you are, but I don’t think that the US Marine Corps taught you that persons serving in the US Navy, US Army or US Air Force were some kind of lesser quality military persons. I don’t care if you criticize me personally, but leave the US Navy out of it.
Richard, if your basement gets 3 feet of water in it, and you remove 1 foot of it, you are still in trouble.
@Redteam: Not to worry. My criticism of you is personal. Last time. I agree if you bought a home for 200,000 and sold it for 125,000 you lost money.
EXIT QUESTION If you bought a home for 100,000 in 2011 and sold it for 125,000 in 2013 did you make 25% or not? Take your time. I’ve got things to do.
@Richard Wheeler:
There is hope for you after all.
The other aspect is this. If a house value was EVER 200,000 and it is now at 125,000 then it can not be said that the value of that real estate is UP. It can be said that the value has become to increase, but that it is still down. Once it exceeds 200K, then it can be said that it’s value is ‘up’. Which school did you say you attended? Did they teach math classes there? Why didn’t you attend?
@Redteam:
RW, like John Murtha, proves that not ALL Marines are honorable.
@Redteam: “become to increase”? Is it possible you simply misunderstand? We are talking about 2 different investments. One at 200,ooo in 2006. The 2nd, by a different investor, 5 years later at 1oo.ooo. It may or may not be the same property.
Same calculations can be used in determining profit or loss in equities.
Tired o5–See you’re still spitting.
Here is a fairly thorough economic analysis of the effect of obamacare on health insurance premiums:
http://www.forbes.com/sites/theapothecary/2013/09/25/double-down-obamacare-will-increase-avg-individual-market-insurance-premiums-by-99-for-men-62-for-women/?partner=yahootix.
Some excerpts –
Based on a Manhattan Institute analysis of the HHS numbers, Obamacare will increase underlying insurance rates for younger men by an average of 97 to 99 percent, and for younger women by an average of 55 to 62 percent. Worst off is North Carolina, which will see individual-market rates triple for women, and quadruple for men.
With regard to the HHS report claiming a 16% lower than expected cost of obamacare premiums:
“Premiums nationwide will also be around 16 percent lower than originally expected,” HHS cheerfully announces in its press release. But that’s a ruse. HHS compared what the Congressional Budget Office projected rates might look like—in 2016—to its own findings. Neither of those numbers tells you the stat that really matters: how much rates will go up next year, under Obamacare, relative to this year, prior to the law taking effect. Former Congressional Budget Office director Douglas Holtz-Eakin agrees. “There are literally no comparisons to current rates. That is, HHS has chosen to dodge the question of whose rates are going up, and how much. Instead they try to distract with a comparison to a hypothetical number that has nothing to do with the actual experience of real people.”
With regard to the leftist glorification of subsidies for some people:
Middle-class Americans face the double-whammy of higher insurance premiums, and higher taxes to pay for other people’s subsidies. However, it is important to understand how subsidies will impact the decisions by Americans as to whether or not to participate in the exchanges…. Here’s the bottom line: most people with average incomes will pay more under Obamacare for individually-purchased insurance than they did before.
And a concise assessment of the despicable nature of obamacare lies regarding the costs after the behemoth is fully enacted:
For months, we’ve heard about how Obamacare’s trillions in health care subsidies were going to save America from rate shock. It’s not true. If you shop for coverage on your own, you’re likely to see your rates go up, even after accounting for the impact of pre-existing conditions, even after accounting for the impact of subsidies. The Obama administration knows this, which is why its 15-page report makes no mention of premiums for insurance available on today’s market. Silence, they say, speaks louder than words. HHS’ silence on the difference between Obamacare’s insurance premiums and those available today tell you everything you need to know. Rates are going higher. And if you’re healthy, or you’re young, the Obama administration expects you to do your duty and pay up.
This mad, evil, grotesque leftist failure will greatly harm the economy and the medical system in this country. As soon as Reid, Pelosi, Obama, Schumer, Sebelius, Boxer, Feinstein, Murray, Durbin, and the rest of the marxist cabal start screaming for single payor, we need to begin the tar and feathering of every single politician who supports such garbage.
America was not able to become the greatest country in the history of the world by enacting socialist insanity. It is long past time to dump the progressives on the ashbin of history, get back to our national heritage, and be the beacon of freedom for the rest of humanity to try to emulate. We can start by getting rid of the RINOs.
And from a CBS News report (shocking…I know) http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505144_162-57604782/study-insurance-costs-to-soar-under-obamacare/
Here is a pertinent clip:
The Department of Health and Human Services put out a press release this week forecasting that Obamacare premiums would be 16 percent less than projected. However, the projected costs were estimates that attempted to project the cost of a policy in 2016. Consumers are receiving the real costs in notices from their insurers now only a few weeks before the law is set to go into effect. For healthy consumers who have existing policies, many of the premium hikes are proving massive.
Additionally, the promise that you could keep your old policy, if you liked it, has proved illusory. My insurer, Kaiser Permanente, informed me in a glossy booklet that “At midnight on December 31, we will discontinue your current plan because it will not meet the requirements of the Affordable Care Act.” My premium, the letter added, would go from $209 a month to $348, a 66.5 percent increase that will cost $1,668 annually.
What made my plan too substandard to survive under Obamacare? It did not provide maternity benefits. I’m 53 years old. I figure pregnancy would require an act of God. (Incidentally, maternity benefits will be covered on men’s policies too. Let’s hope medical science comes a long way so you guys can use those benefits.) My policy also did not cover substance abuse treatments or psychiatric care.
So again, allowing leftist bureaucrats with absolutely no concept of how health insurance works write up the requirements for government controlled insurance is a horrible mistake that will inherently increase costs. A 53 year old woman does not need maternity coverage. Neither does any man. But government control mandates that you be obligated to pay for medical coverage that you do not want nor need.
Obamacare delenda est
@Redteam, #61:
A thousand years of petroleum reserves? That’s totally absurd. It’s so absurd that it’s completely off the map of routine right-wing absurdity.
Those who presently have temporary custody of the nation and its resources are morally responsible for what they leave behind for coming generations of Americans. Anyone who doesn’t grasp that simple principle has no business holding public office.
I’m not really sure how your position squares with the notion that the unborn are persons with God-given rights from the moment of conception. Moral nor logical consistency don’t seem to be among the right’s strong points.
It’s not imagination. Tax breaks and credits defer the costs of Obamacare for 96% of all employers. Those are precisely the employers that republicans have worked hard at frightening, however, because they’re the most numerous, and consequently represent the most votes.
We’ll find out if this is accurate or not, because Obamacare is the law of the land. It is going into full effect, and will be in effect by the next presidential election. At which point republicans will either be vindicated, or will look like idiots because their predictions of catastrophic consequences will be proven incorrect.
No one has been apprehended and punished. It would be better if someone were. What do you suggest? That we invade Libya and do a house-to-house search? Things sometimes go wrong. The results can be tragic and can’t be undone. Unfortunately, that’s one of the harsh realities of the world that we live in. Some people want to blame everything that goes wrong on their political enemies. That’s childish, but it gets results if you’re making the pitch to a childish audience.
I don’t believe fostering contempt for the nation’s federal government and its agencies and institutions is a patriotic act. It has allowed irresponsible people to justify behavior that isn’t in the national interest.
@Pete. #56:
There have always been disrespectful jackasses on both sides of any political divide, but we hear much more from them these days because the standards for courtesy, decorum, and polite behavior and expression have dramatically declined. I don’t think that’s specific to either the right or the left. Both have been guilty. That doesn’t mean that most on either side have been guilty. It’s just that the internet has given every obnoxious little twit on the planet a soap box and a megaphone.
That said, this is the first time I recall American elected officials demonizing an American president, or openly challenging a president’s every foreign policy decision on significant international events while those events were still in the process of unfolding. Romney’s highly public comments on decisions made by U.S. personnel at the Cairo embassy while the situation was still highly volatile were way over the line, in my opinion. I considered his comments totally irresponsible.
@Greg:
Since you seem to think there is a finite amount of oil in the world, perhaps you would like to tell us when Nature ceased production? I mean, there is a designated natural process by which the earth creates fossil fuels, and you seem to believe that at some point, Nature just decided to cease that process.
So, tell us when that happened?
You know, the most amazing thing about you progressives is your ability to have memories that are only convenient to you. How convenient for you to forget things like:
“In 2004, Democrats delivered a “Chorus Of Boos” during Bush’s Bush’s State Of The Union when he called for renewal of the Patriot Act., according to the Washington Times.
In 2005, Dems howled, hissed and shouted “No!” when Bush pushed for Social Security reform in the SOU: “Foreshadowing the contentiousness of the coming debate, Democrats broke decorum and booed twice,” according to the National Journal.
At the time, CNN’s Bill Schneider remarked, “It was unusual. I had never heard it at least at that level before. The Democrats clearly were booing, heckling, saying no when the president talked about the crisis in Social Security.”
Also this from Harry Reid in 2004:
“MR. RUSSERT: When the president talked about Yucca Mountain and moving the nation’s nuclear waste there, you were very, very, very strong in your words. You said, “President Bush is a liar. He betrayed Nevada and he betrayed the country.”
Is that rhetoric appropriate?
SEN. REID: I don’t know if that rhetoric is appropriate. That’s how I feel, and that’s how I felt.
or this:
WASHINGTON — President Bush has been a “total failure” in everything from the economy to the war to energy policy, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Thursday. In an interview on CNN, the California Democrat was asked to respond to video of the president criticizing the Democratic-led Congress for heading into the final 26 days of the legislative session without having passed a single government spending bill.
Pelosi shot back in unusually personal terms.
“You know, God bless him, bless his heart, president of the United States, a total failure, losing all credibility with the American people on the economy, on the war, on energy, you name the subject,” Pelosi replied.
You want more, Greggie? Never before, and not since, has a president been so demonized by the opposition party as George W. Bush was. Can you link to any protests, like the ones CodePinko conducted, that showed placards of a beheaded Obama? CodePinko carried placards of a beheaded Bush, and I don’t remember you being bothered about that?
How about the recent comments by leftists calling Republicans “the Taliban; anarchists, terrorists, Nazi-like” and on and on and on.
You OFA trolls are really funny. Your stupidity is exceeded only by your dishonesty.
retire05
yes without a doubt now after they accuse TED CRUZ OF BEING A TERRORIST
NOT SO LONG AGO NOW,
THE DEMOCRATS are afraid of OBAMA ‘s TANTRUMS,
and ALSO AFRAID OF THE UNIONS WHO ARE IN HIS POCKET,
HE OWE THEM HIS JOB, AND HE COULD NOT CARE LESS ABOUT THE DEMOCRATS, even less of CONGRESS,
@Richard Wheeler:
No we’re not. We have consistently been talking about a property that was once 200K and is now 125K. There is no way that it can be said that the value of that property is up. It can be said that it is not as low as it once was, but then the fact that it is still below what it once was means that the overall value is still down. Actually, I would think the average person would understand that even if he had not attended a math class.
Actually, it doesn’t even matter if you are talking about two different properties. If RE values went down by 60%, then both of the properties went down, and if RE values went up 25%, then both would have gone up by 25%. So, even if you are talking two different properties, the math is done the same way and the RE value is now equally on both of them.
Anchors aweigh!
@Greg:
You obviously are not capable of looking at and deciphering tables. The numbers are readily available. Just a footnote here, I was an engineer in the Energy Field back in 1975 and at that time, the known reserves of natural gas was over a thousand years and crude oil was over 300 years. Those numbers have increased steadily and took a major jump within the last 5 years. I’m sorry you are so un-informed in such an interesting topic.
So let me get this straight, you feel as if we don’t have the right to consume the oil that we own in the earth? You feel as if it belongs to someone in the future? You should have not taken that exit to La La Land.
You wouldn’t understand that, would you. God given rights does not include the right to millions of gallons of gasoline and a Corvette to drive. God given rights deal with life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. It does not include future rights to something you own unless they earn enough money to buy it from you and even then if you don’t want to sell it, you are not required to. Yes, I do understand liberals think they are entitled to everything free, that is earned by others hard work and is taken from them and given to the free loaders. That’s what Libs do.
Sorry Greg, but you don’t even have a basic understanding of Obamacare so it’s not worth my time trying to tell you, you wouldn’t understand anyhow.
I see you agree completely with me on that.
So when our leaders are guilty of treason, you don’t feel as if they should be held accountable. And are you saying that when George Bush was in office you didn’t foster any contempt and thought everything he did was hunky dory. Yeah, sure.
@Greg:
So let’s be sure we’re clear here, Greg. Back in 1860, when Abe got elected president and slavery was the law of the land and Abe wanted to do away with slavery and the Dimocrats wanted to keep it, you feel as if since it was a settled issue that the Dimocrats should have just gone along with the president and abolish slavery or do you think that they didn’t do that, that they actually might have spoken out against what the president wanted? I’m fairly sure you don’t think the Dimocrats spoke out against the president back then. La La Land must not have an exit.
@retire05:
I don’t know Retire05, I think they both rank right up there.
@Redteam: Lets try this .Investor #1 buys one share of IBM for 200 in 2006 It goes down to 100 a share in 2o11 and back up to 125 by Sept. 2913.We agree he is down $75 0r 37.5%.
Investor #2 buys one share of IBM in 2011 at 100 and holds it at its Sept 2013 value of 125. He has made $25 up 25%. R,E or Equities–
@Redteam:
You have to understand that people like Greggie can only parrot what they are told. Their Bibles are DailyKos and HuffingtonPost. Anything that comes from the mouth of idiots like Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid is gospel.
I have long suspected that Greggie is a paid OFA troll.
And of course, his greatest talent is sticking his foot in his mouth. Ask the fool a question, and he runs like a scared rabbit, screaming all the way about how it’s not important that he is running away, but how it is only important about how fast he can run.
@retire05: Your assessment of Greg is absolutely correct. As a resident of La La Land, he has redefined the standards, downward. I do recall that he, along with RW and Mata declared they were leaving, but some of those have returned. Maybe there’s a reason.
@Richard Wheeler:
Okay, now that you admit you are wrong about Real Estate, you want to switch to stocks.
But just so you understand, If the high for IBM stock is 200 and at any point it is less than 200, it can not be said that the stock is ‘up’ compared to what it had been in the past. You must not have visited whentostopdiggin.com
@Greg: #72
“Those who presently have temporary custody of the nation and its resources are morally responsible for what they leave behind for coming generations of Americans. Anyone who doesn’t grasp that simple principle has no business holding public office.”
Here, you and I are in agreement.
We have an obligation to future generations to leave this nation in as good a condition as we can. That includes their safety, security, and ability to maximize their potential.
It does not include teaching them that they have a right to anything that must be provided by taking something away from someone else.
While everyone has a right to be as successful as they can, and we, as a nation, provide many things to people who cannot provide them for themselves, such as roads, schools, and yes, healthcare, none of those things are rights. They are gifts.
All of those things are paid for by other people, the taxpayers. Willingly, because we recognize that monies must be spent to promote the general welfare.
But the money must be spent wisely, not just thrown at a problem.
For the sake of future generations, we must use the resources that we have now while rationally seeking out other alternatives for future use.
Throwing money at, or government mandates forcing the use of, immature technologies does not work. Alternative technologies are becoming more efficient every year, but they are not yet economically competitive with petroleum. Somewhere down the road, they will be, however, and at that point they will be adopted willingly, without disrupting the economy.
For the government to force those technologies on us before they are ready is expensive, wasteful and disruptive.
Pouring money into Solyndra and it’s companions did nothing but further enrichen the 1%, at the expense of the taxpayer.
Established energy companies and other groups are investing in alternative energies, and will eventually succeed in bringing them to market without government help. We have the resources today to more than meet our needs until other technology is available. We can wait.
Yes, Greg, we have an obligation to prepare this nation for the use of coming generations. We also have an obligation to future generations to prepare them to use the benefits of this nation as wisely as possible. That includes teaching them to be as independent and self-sufficient as possible. We are doing them no favors by teaching them to be dependent on government for their basic needs.
To repeat, no one has a right to anything which must be paid for by another. The only acceptable cost for rights is the cost of protecting them, not the cost of providing them.
Petercat
you said it like a PRESIDENT WOULD AND SHOULD
all that’s missing is the: MY FELLOW AMERICANS, I COME TO YOU TO DEMAND YOU
TO SUPPORT MY NEW DECISION ON THIS AND I AM SEEKING YOUR IDEAS ON THE
BEST WAY TO LAUNCH IT, YES THAT IS HOW TO GET TO THE MOON,
I WILL WAIT FOR ALL AMERICANS INPUT, BEFORE THE PROJECT IS PUT IN PLACE, WE ARE PROJECTING IN ONE YEAR, MAY GOD BE WITH AMERICA TO MAKE IT A SUCCESS,
THANK YOU FROM YOUR SERVING PRESIDENT OF THIS GREAT NATION,
@ilovebeeswarzone: #86
Yes, Bees, you’ve got it.
The only surefire way that the government can drive technology is when it needs it for it’s own use, not by forcing it upon others.
Our space program provided so many great things that I hardly know where to begin. We, as a people, certainly got more benefit from spending the relatively small amount of money on the space program than we have gained from all of the massive spending on harmful anti-poverty programs in our history!
@Redteam: Glad we agree R.E purchased 24 months ago is UP approx 25%, while R.E .purchased in 2006 is DOWN approx 37%. KISS.
Can we also agree S&P 500 currently trading at 1691 is UP over 80% since Jan 2009?
@Richard Wheeler:
Don’t believe I agree with that. If that same real estate is down compared to 6 years ago, then it’s not UP, it’s still down from it’s high. I don’t care what real estate is selling for, I’m not in the market for any, but I learned a long time ago that if I sell something for less than I paid for it, I probably didn’t ‘make’ a profit on it.
No, I have not looked at the numbers, so I would have to reserve an opinion.
In general, the stock market is unrelated to real estate values. Real estate values are tied more to interest rates and the general economy. The stock market is more like a casino, where bets and wagering are taking place. If you feel as if you can buy a stock for $10 and sell it immediately for $11, you are not doing a lot of time studying the real estate market and you don’t really care if real estate is UP or DOWN.
RW, I just reviewed the charts and it does appear that you can say the S&P 500 is up 11% since 2000. So that’s a little less than 1% per year for the last 13 years.
@Redteam: It’s amazing how hind sight allows us to pick and chose. It’s always 20/20 lol.
BTW Both R.E. and equities are closely tied to interest rate moves.
RW, further analysis of the S&P indicate that with the news of Obama’s election at the end of 08 the S&P dropped to a level, 683, it had not seen since Clinton’s re-election in 96. It has since seen some rebound.
I’m sure you’d agree with this analysis since it fits right in with what you’ve been saying. Anything is up as long as it’s above it’s lowest ever.
@Richard Wheeler:
I agree that RE is, but equites are not. If you buy a stock with the anticipation of selling it 1 second later, do you think anyone looks at the current interest rate prior to executing that buy and sell. No way.
@Greg:
Then you do not know your history, or are engaging in selective memory. In addition to all the references provided of the gross disrespect towards Bush by Pelosi and other democrats, let me add to your deficient remembrance. Reagan was regularly pilloried by the likes of Biden, Kennedy, and every other leftist politician, while he was engaging in nuclear treaty negotiations with Gorbachev, particularly at Reykjavik. The democrat politicians accused Reagan of being crazy, wanting to start a nuclear war, and despite Reagan beating the USSR at those negotiations, continued to snidely comment on him being senile or sleeping through policy meetings. When Bush was president we had sitting members of Congress going over to Iraq and meeting with Saddam showing incredible disrespect to a sitting president. Members of the screaming marxist nutjobs known as Code Pink were given access to presidential speeches by leftist members of congress, for the sole purpose of embarrasing a republican president. Hillary’s “Dissent is patriotic” speech was highly disrespectful to a sitting president in a time of war.
So you’ll have to understand that your leftist crocodile tears over your hero being criticized for his total incompetency on the military, on economics, and foreign policy are viewed as nothing more than the hyperpartisan propaganda that is the underlying component of all leftist admonitions towards conservatives needing to be “more civilized and respectful”. When leftist thugs are doing their damnable best to destroy my country, the time for civility has ended.
Obama, Hillary, Susan Rice et al LIED THROUGH THEIR TEETH about Benghazi, Greg. We had military forces in Egypt and in Italy that could have reached Benghazi in time to save people. The rapid reaction force in Tripoli was on the freaking tarmac waiting for authorization to go in but were told three times to stand down. Frankly, Romney should have been much more vociferous in his criticism of Obama and Hillary over this absolute incompetency and the subsequent despicable cover-up. The eyewitnesses are being hidden from the congressional investigation effort on this, which everyone knows damn well would be THE shrieking, never-ending headline if Obama were a republican trying to get away with this cover-up.
@Pete:
Pete, you may be giving Greg too much credit. You imply he has a memory. I’d suggest his memory has long been replaced by liberal indoctrination/propaganda. This is a malady that seems to be selective in targeting liberals/progressives/socialists. (that is redundant as they are all really the same thing)
In addition to other responses that were possible in BenGhasi, if there was a 6th fleet carrier at sea they could have had aircraft overhead within about 1 hour.
With all Whiner Harry Reid had to say about how the Republicans were wasting time when there is an imminent government shutdown, you would think he would be sitting there holding his breath waiting for the House response so the Senate could act on it and prevent a shutdown, but NNOOOOOO, what is he doing? He’s off playing golf until Monday afternoon while the House bill sits on his desk waiting for him to take it back to the Senate. The House bill has been back to the Senate since Saturday evening and here Reid is, off galivanting around with the Senate on vacation until Monday afternoon. He’s not real concerned about all those military people that are not gonna be getting their pay checks Tuesday, is he?
Call a spade a spade.
Redteam
yes THEY DEMOCRAT WILL FOLLOW OBAMA AND HE WILL SHUT DOWN THE GOVERNMENT
it’s not the GOPS who keep repeating they will not shut down the GOVERNMENT, AND OBAMA
prefer to accuse the REPUBLICANS of shuting it down.
while the DEMOCRAT party used the worse name calling
ever heard in the GOVERNMENT, shame on them,
for attacking those who seek to get rid of a monstruous obama care
BUT OBAMA WILL NOT NEGOTIATE AND he will be the only one
to shut THE GOVERNMENT, he hold the responsibility if he does it,
@Redteam:
Democrats have never cared about the military, except when they need a political photo op, like that slimey Clinton walking in front of troops who clearly were not comfortable being used in such a manner. I remember the armies of democrat lawyers trying to disqualify all the military absentee ballots in Florida in 2000. I remember Clinton ordering all those naval vessels in Florida out to sea the day or two before the 2000 election on surprise naval maneuvers, to lessen the conservative vote numbers. I still remember generals having to tell us not to be disrespectful when Clinton came to Germany to make a speech in front of us. Funny how the generals never had to tell us to be respectful when Reagan, Bush or W came to speak to us. I remember being in Afghanistan in March of 2011, watching the young faces of the soldiers in my unit being told that they would still be expected to do their jobs even if the government shut down and military pay was stopped. (Obama refused to allow military pay to be exempted from a government shutdown, even while soldiers were engaged in war.)
I consider it an honor that Ronaldus Magnus was president when I enlisted in 1984. I am disgusted by the fact that a leftist like Obama’s signature is on my retirement certificate. I suppose it could have been even worse….to have had Hillary’s would have been despicable.
Pete
yes and did we heard any burst of outrage when the AFGHANS
who where trained by the MILITARY, START TO SHOOT THEM IN THE BACK,
WHEN THE EIDS WHERE EXPLODED ALL OVER ,KILLING OR WOUNDING THE MILITARY
FOR THE REST OF THEIR LIVES, we never heard that publicly, while KARZEI WAS ACCUSING THE MILITARY OF OVER KILLING THE ENEMIES, MAKING THE MILITARY UNDER RESTRAINT
IN A WARZONE, WE DID NOT HEAR THAT EITHER, AND WE DID HEAR LATE THAT THE MILITARY WHERE SEQUESTRE GOING WITHOUT NIGHT FOOD FOR THE ONE ON GUARD, AND GOING WITHOUT MEDECINE, AND BEING TOLD TO HIDE THEIR CHRISTIANITY,
CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT AND RIGHT ON THE WARZONE,
@Pete: yes, there is a world of difference in the attitude toward the military of the Republicans and Dimocrats. The Dims act as if they are something to be tolerated and just a tool to be used, such as delaying their pay when the Repubs want to give a message. The Repubs never threaten to cut off paychecks for the military. I had the privilege of enlisting and serving under Pres/Gen Dwight Eisenhower.
@Pete:
Ironic, isn’t it, that the one man who so tried to rain dishonor down upon his fellow soldiers, is now Secretary of State. This is the same clown that said our military should never be sent into theater without the approval of the U.N.
Anyone who thinks that Democrats give a tinker’s damn about our military is unwilling to look at the actions of the Democrats. People like RW will never comment on others like John Murtha (may his soul rot in Hell) that blatantly accused the Haditha Marines of crimes they were found innocent of. And in spite of things like the follow article, RW will continue to support the left. I guess some things are just unexplainable.
Just last night I listened to some Democrat fool take to the floor of the House and slam Republicans for wanting to make military pay a separate budget item, claiming that does no good when it doesn’t provide them with the materials they need. Guess she forgot about hot meals for those going into the belly of the beast.
You got that? Even though you may not return from patrol, The Won doesn’t think you deserve three hots while he eats wagyu steaks and requires 90 people to care for his every need in the White House residence.