HEALTH CARE REFORM/OTHER POLITICAL STUFF UPDATE DEPT:
Well, ObamaCare is almost certainly passed. Democrats think they can sell it.
What Republicans and conservatives have to do now is to keep the focus on this legislation, and to especially point out to people the problems that crop up with it, as they certainly will--the bureaucracy, that is, the red tape, the cost overruns, the fact that this thing certainly will not result in the deficit savings that its sponsors predict, that it will cost far more than its sponsors predict. And we can unify around a simple idea: repeal. And while that will undoubtedly not come easily or soon, still it will give Republicans and conservatives a chance to prove that liberal entitlement programs are not inevitable and, once passed, are not set in stone. Let's get to work...
Conservative writer Peter Wehner has some good analysis today:
“In the short term Obama will get a boost, because the narrative is that he came back from the dead and got done what no president has managed to do in 70 years,” said Peter Wehner, who was a political adviser to President Bush. “But once people discover that their Medicare taxes are going up, that there are deeper cuts in Medicare Advantage, that there are court challenges to many provisions, and that the process of getting it passed created a portrait of corruption, it won’t sit well.”
Philip Klein at the American Spectator also has excellent advice for conservatives and the way forward:
" If Obamacare is fully enacted, then conservatives should make sure that Democrats are held accountable for the problems with the health care system. The rising premiums should be blamed on the burdensome regulations that force individuals to purchase the amount of insurance that the federal government dictates they must have, rather than the type that they freely choose. The out of control health care spending should be blamed on the reality that when the government is picking up the tab for something, people tend to spend more. The crushing deficits we'll be facing should be blamed on the accounting tricks Democrats used to hide the true cost of their proposals. When Americans have to undergo long wait times in doctors offices, when individuals have to file their tax returns each year and present proof of government-approved insurance or pay more taxes, when the private sector has to digest a raft of new taxes and mandates, they'll be more open to hearing conservative alternatives. Keep in mind that this will all be happening within the broader context of the entitlement crisis, with Social Security and Medicare running deficits, and further reinforcing the unaffordable cost of massive government."
Certainly no sign it's sitting well with anyone much right now, even after passage; a CNN poll out today shows only 39% of respondents support the health care plan; 59% oppose. Good luck, Dems!!
NCAA HOOPS UPDATE:
Women's hoops--Notre Dame advances to the 2nd round of the women's tournament, beating Cleveland State as expected, 86-58. Key stat: the Notre Dame bench tallies 44 of the team's 86 points, over half. Now the Irish must beat #10 seed Vermont to get to the sweet 16. Don't you dare take any team lightly, ND (I suspect Coach McGraw will see to it that they don't)...
Men's hoops: Michigan State 85, Maryland 83: wow, how sometimes do the Spartans do it? This is now a team seriously bothered by injuries, especially with point guard Kalin Lucas likely out for the rest of the tournament with a torn Achilles. And yet they found a way to win this game, on Korey Lucious' last-second shot. Key stat? To me, it was Durrell Summers coming into his own and scoring 26 points from the wing. MSU will need more of that against Northern Iowa...
