Sunday Open Thread [5.20.12]
Politico notes it took just 30 minutes for conservatives “to jump all over Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) and his leadership team after the GOP’s game plan for dealing with President Barack Obama’s health care law leaked to the media.”
You see, Boehner wanted to somehow pass a bill that preserved the popular parts of the bill, like the bans on lifetime limits and yearly limits and the provisions bannings exclusions based on preexisting conditions, and the part of the bill allowing college students to stay on their parent’s plan until the age of 25. Boehner and his likeminded Republicans are too stupid to realize that will send premiums skyrocketing 1,000% a year, because without the mandate of universal coverage, and without the provision that requires insurance companies to devote 80% of their profits to patient care, the insurance companies will pass on their costs to us.
But the teabagger caucus wants to scrap everything.
And since Boehner is no leader and has no self respect or principals, he quickly reversed course and joined them, making it clear that Republicans intend to kill the whole law, including the parts Americans like, want, and have come to expect.
Oh boy, here we go again:
Speaker John Boehner Insists on Tying Debt Limit Increase to Spending Cuts
Boehner starts a little elbow-jostling to get in position for the campaign:
And Nancy Pelosi steps in with a response from the Democratic wing of the Democratic party:
No word yet on Obama tying debt limit increases to raising taxes on the rich. There’s the veto threat that would give us a win.
But I don’t think anybody really wants to touch any of this until after the election.
Come on Mr. President, 226 days until expiration of the Bush tax cuts. Every day the most important thing you can do is not sign tax cuts for the rich. You can do it! Take it one day at a time.
I’d love to wake up on New Year’s Day with Clinton-era tax rates and a big smirk on Obama’s face.
I agree puck- but id also like to wake up on new years day with Obama as president NOT mittens
“I agree puck- but id also like to wake up on new years day with Obama as president NOT mittens”
As long as you aren’t saying that giving in to Boehner will somehow help with that, then we are in agreement.
Obama will e president on new years day no matter what…. its jan 21 we have to be concerned about
What would be even better is waking up on January 22nd and having neither Obama or Mittens in the White House. We should also not raise the debt limit at all.
Best title for Obama’s post Potus book:
“The Lyin King”
@puck- this time we r in complete agreement
@ben- i so love you- u r so right. And so funny! Good one
@ will- do you have a job? Unless ur r retired which i know u r not where do u get this time for verbal diharreah. Wont imodium help? Id like to c u try being president
great joke rockland! Not quite as inspired as “Obama been Lyin'” but more cleaver than “Get a brain morans”
This is funny: Christie and Booker. Christie might have a job waiting for him at SNL next time their fat guy croaks.
“Dealing with our deficit and our debt would help create more economic growth in the United States,”
False!
Correct, X gets the square and the win. Thanks for playing DC Squares!
Sorry X, it’s a trick question; the answer is “It depends.” It depends on how you deal with the deficit and the debt.
When Boehner says “deal with the deficit” he means cut the safety net.
When I say “deal with the deficit” I mean raise taxes on the rich, and the only achievable way to do that is to let the Bush tax cuts expire.
Who the hell knows what Obama means when he says “deal with the deficit.” Something about a Grand Deal, I fear.
I favor a Petit Deal – minor spending cuts plus a middle-class-only tax cut extension, backed up by a veto threat on any deal that includes tax cuts for the rich. Republicans can take the Petit Deal, or leave it and enjoy full expiration of the Bush tax cuts.
I favor Obama announcing that in order to avoid hitting the debt limit, he is sending all troops home from Afghanistan starting now and finishing by Christmas, then letting all the tax cuts expire. Then eliminate the filibuster if we keep the senate.. Then we can start negotiating a deal regarding the deficit.
Aoine, thanks for your endorsement, but I’m neither old enough nor interested enough to run for president.
I agree 100% that we should avoid hitting the limit by bringing troops home, but not just from Afghanistan. From everywhere. Then we should completely restructure our tax code so it isn’t a hodgepodge of corporate subsidies and regulatory loopholes. Still shouldn’t raise the limit.
Retiring our debt and closing the deficit WOULD help the economy, as banks would no longer lend exclusively to the US Treasury and they’d be more inclined to invest in their communities. Our debt at this point isn’t a redistribution of wealth, but a redistribution of credit, which has a similarly distorting effect on the economic decisions of others.
I do work, but I MAKE time for this verbal diarrhea. Sometimes you just have to make the extra effort. I do it all for you, Aoine.
Actually on second thought, putting any tax bill on the floor provides too much opportunity for mischief and bad deals. I prefer Obama just do nothing on taxes, and just keep his pen in his pocket with a bigger and bigger smile each day until New Year’s Day.
And automatic spending cuts are also due at the end of the year, so no action needed there either.
The only way to win is not to play.
Could the News Journal get any more in love with Jeff Christopher? That was some nausea educing coverage this morning.
@Jason: I read it the opposite way — letting the hayseeds talk so everyone could see they’re batshit crazy.
Maybe. But there is a lot of Christopher craziness left out of that front pager. The stuff he told Hatewatch about the Sheriff’s ability to ignore state laws that he finds unconstitutional, for example.
That would have been a good place to mention stuff like that.
Maybe the NJ thought Quickdraw McDraw needed equal time.