Amid the whipping and driving Speaker Pelosi and Majority Leader Hoyer are orchestrating in their attempt to get a simple majority in their own party to deem the Senate version of ObamaCare passed, some Democrats are venting their frustration at President Obama.
And several House members interviewed by POLITICO said Obama should once again postpone the departure for his looming trip to Australia, Indonesia and Guam, already moved from Friday to Sunday. While creating a natural deadline for eleventh-hour health care talks, that's once again becoming a problem as Obama tries to sell reluctant members of his party on the reform legislation."For the first time in eight months, the president is finally getting his hands dirty, and now he's going to hop on the plane? Please," said a Democratic congressman, requesting anonymity.
Key swing voter Representative Jason Altmire (D-PA), who has already received three phone calls from the President, observed what is going to be a prevalent theme in the 2010 midterm elections:
"When people come up to me, there is a decided anti-health-reform view," Altmire said, referring to the conversations he has with people at fairs, restaurants and church festivals in his Pittsburgh-area district. "The calls to my office have been pretty negative, and it's gaining momentum every day. I'm giving everybody a chance to be heard, but if my district's not on board with this, I'm not going to be able to vote for this."
A preview of this venting by the electorate was prominantly displayed tonight in the President's interview with Fox News Bret Baier. Having just watched Baier's interview on Fox with the President I can't recall a time when a president was so defensive and ineffective when he was pressed on issues about what was in a bill that will become the hallmark of his presidency. Obama could not answer many of the questions (such as the myth that there will be Medicare savings) and that does not bode well for him as the most contentious election season in recent memeory looms. Finally a major news anchor took off the gloves and pressed the president for answers, even interrupting him when the president attempted to fillibuster the process. Transcript here.
Of the many fascinating aspects of the debate about ObamaCare probably the most informative point is that people are seeing that this Presidency is standing on feet of clay. Barack Obama cannot and will not benefit from a vigorous election season that focuses on specific issues. Ironically, he will remain in office as his party loses majorities perhaps in both the House and Senate.
UPDATE:
Comments (33)
Baier nailed his ass to the... (Below threshold)1. Posted by Marc | March 17, 2010 7:11 PM | Score: 11 (13 votes cast)
Baier nailed his ass to the wall.
1. Posted by Marc | March 17, 2010 7:11 PM |
Score: 11 (13 votes cast)
Posted on March 17, 2010 19:11
2. Posted by GarandFan | March 17, 2010 7:21 PM | Score: 10 (10 votes cast)
Anyone taking bets Barry WON'T get his ass on the plane Sunday? If past practice is any indication, Barry's getting out of town!
2. Posted by GarandFan | March 17, 2010 7:21 PM |
Score: 10 (10 votes cast)
Posted on March 17, 2010 19:21
3. Posted by Dr Carlo Lombardi | March 17, 2010 7:23 PM | Score: 12 (12 votes cast)
"I don't spend a lot of time worrying about what the rules are."
Ahh,Barackie's immortal,granite-engraved words to live by.
3. Posted by Dr Carlo Lombardi | March 17, 2010 7:23 PM |
Score: 12 (12 votes cast)
Posted on March 17, 2010 19:23
4. Posted by GarandFan | March 17, 2010 7:25 PM | Score: 16 (16 votes cast)
I can imagine that Barry is back in the oval office screaming his head of right about now, demanding to know what IDIOT suggested that he go on Fox. If he thought he was going to smooze anyone, he was sadly mistaken. But his performance was about par for an empty suit.
4. Posted by GarandFan | March 17, 2010 7:25 PM |
Score: 16 (16 votes cast)
Posted on March 17, 2010 19:25
5. Posted by "It's hard to be green" Steve | March 17, 2010 7:28 PM | Score: 11 (11 votes cast)
I was too busy staring at the Obama poster on the ceiling above my bed ,but I'm sure my adored one was totally awesome and showed those wingers at Faux News the awesomeness of Hope and Chains.
5. Posted by "It's hard to be green" Steve | March 17, 2010 7:28 PM |
Score: 11 (11 votes cast)
Posted on March 17, 2010 19:28
6. Posted by Boots | March 17, 2010 7:30 PM | Score: 17 (17 votes cast)
Every day I wake up, hoping to find out that Obama has decided to resign.
Still hoping..........
6. Posted by Boots | March 17, 2010 7:30 PM |
Score: 17 (17 votes cast)
Posted on March 17, 2010 19:30
7. Posted by Marc | March 17, 2010 7:34 PM | Score: 14 (16 votes cast)
Notice two glaring things, 1. he's maintaining his stance for the bill being online 5 days before any vote - if true his indo/aussie trip is out the window or vote will be pushed back for more bribes/arm twisting - and 2. Bair laid waste to his assertion he knew what was in the bill.
Empty suit Extraordinaire!
7. Posted by Marc | March 17, 2010 7:34 PM |
Score: 14 (16 votes cast)
Posted on March 17, 2010 19:34
8. Posted by Marc | March 17, 2010 7:35 PM | Score: 16 (18 votes cast)
Boots, maybe we can "deem" him resigned.
8. Posted by Marc | March 17, 2010 7:35 PM |
Score: 16 (18 votes cast)
Posted on March 17, 2010 19:35
9. Posted by epador | March 17, 2010 7:50 PM | Score: 6 (6 votes cast)
The question is not whether he'll get on the plane, or when, but if he'll come back from his childhood home or not.
9. Posted by epador | March 17, 2010 7:50 PM |
Score: 6 (6 votes cast)
Posted on March 17, 2010 19:50
10. Posted by WildWillie | March 17, 2010 7:50 PM | Score: 13 (15 votes cast)
What an absolute empty inexperienced lackey. He is so FOR the bill yet does not know the bill. Brett did an absolutely wonderful job here and is to be commended. He had the chance to show Obama how he really is. Empty. ww
10. Posted by WildWillie | March 17, 2010 7:50 PM |
Score: 13 (15 votes cast)
Posted on March 17, 2010 19:50
11. Posted by Jay Guevara | March 17, 2010 7:56 PM | Score: 4 (4 votes cast)
"For the first time in eight months, the president is finally getting his hands dirty, and now he's going to hop on the plane?
Cut a brother some slack - he's going back to Indonesia for homecoming!
11. Posted by Jay Guevara | March 17, 2010 7:56 PM |
Score: 4 (4 votes cast)
Posted on March 17, 2010 19:56
12. Posted by PJ | March 17, 2010 7:58 PM | Score: 5 (5 votes cast)
The trouble with Obama resigning is that we'd then be stuck with Biden and then Pelosi! I think Biden is his life insurance policy.
"Boots, maybe we can "deem" him resigned"
Love that!
12. Posted by PJ | March 17, 2010 7:58 PM |
Score: 5 (5 votes cast)
Posted on March 17, 2010 19:58
13. Posted by Tsar Nicholas II | March 17, 2010 8:01 PM | Score: 4 (4 votes cast)
Maybe Nancy will polish up her Botox and, like the Teleprompter, agree to an interview on Fox. Then again, maybe not.
13. Posted by Tsar Nicholas II | March 17, 2010 8:01 PM |
Score: 4 (4 votes cast)
Posted on March 17, 2010 20:01
14. Posted by jim m | March 17, 2010 8:08 PM | Score: 9 (9 votes cast)
"He is so FOR the bill yet does not know the bill."
He knows all he needs to know about the bill: it will give the government direct control over 18% of the economy. It will give government officials superior treatment over the unwashed masses so he can't be affected. It will give the government vast influence over the public by giving it the power to dispense favors in the form of health care. It means forced unionization of healthcare workers (that we already know is in the bill) and hence more money for the dems and their union thugs.
It's about control. He'll control who gets well and who doesn't. Who gets treated and who waits.
It's about money. Union dues are just another tax on the stupid worker as far as the dems are concerned. The budget is a house of cards and the only way to keep he game going is to keep expanding the amount of money in play.
In the French Revolution the Directory found it necessary to keep the royalist military in the field which meant at war. Later as Napoleon rose to power it became necessary to keep the nation at war in order to keep plunder flowing in to fund the government and the military. Ever larger campaigns became necessary to keep the regime afloat. This is the same. In order to keep the kleptocracy going the dems need to annex more and more territory to feed it. Napoleon took land, gold and art. The dems are taking jobs, GDP and money.
14. Posted by jim m | March 17, 2010 8:08 PM |
Score: 9 (9 votes cast)
Posted on March 17, 2010 20:08
15. Posted by clearmind | March 17, 2010 8:30 PM | Score: 7 (7 votes cast)
Barry to the mirror: thank goodness we had my hair died so I could look so good! Don't you think I looked good?
Now to have the surgery to pin my ears back. Is Brett a plastic surgeon? Must be, he trimmed my ears back today.
You have to understand it doesn't make any difference what I'm saying. It's me and everyone wants to see ME!
Now, Brett, today i will not answer any questions about the health care legislation because i have no idea what's in the Bill. Let's talk about Tiger Woods: he plays golf doesn't he?
15. Posted by clearmind | March 17, 2010 8:30 PM |
Score: 7 (7 votes cast)
Posted on March 17, 2010 20:30
16. Posted by Falze | March 17, 2010 9:06 PM | Score: 5 (5 votes cast)
You now have a proposal from me that will be in legislation
Ummmm...I thought it was the Senate bill they were going to "pass", Barry. You didn't show up with anything until a few weeks ago and that has nothing to do with what's in the House or Senate at the moment. Cripes, he lies in the very first answer.
16. Posted by Falze | March 17, 2010 9:06 PM |
Score: 5 (5 votes cast)
Posted on March 17, 2010 21:06
17. Posted by Falze | March 17, 2010 9:16 PM | Score: 6 (6 votes cast)
the final provisions are going to be posted for many days before this thing passes
Hmmm...well, it's Wednesday, we haven't seen any provisions yet...and he wants a vote by this weekend. I guess he'll be firing up the time machine to get it "posted for many days", eh?
17. Posted by Falze | March 17, 2010 9:16 PM |
Score: 6 (6 votes cast)
Posted on March 17, 2010 21:16
18. Posted by 914 | March 17, 2010 9:45 PM | Score: 4 (4 votes cast)
You cant recall abiding by the constituition or sitting in Jebadiahs church either doofus.
Use the demon tactic and reap your just reward ole' juggears..
By the way, Hawaii went thru an earthquake? So did the rest of us jacwipe, what the hell are you jiving about?
18. Posted by 914 | March 17, 2010 9:45 PM |
Score: 4 (4 votes cast)
Posted on March 17, 2010 21:45
19. Posted by GarandFan | March 17, 2010 9:50 PM | Score: 2 (2 votes cast)
"I think Biden is his life insurance policy."
Damned straight!
He's a socialist fool, but not stupid.
19. Posted by GarandFan | March 17, 2010 9:50 PM |
Score: 2 (2 votes cast)
Posted on March 17, 2010 21:50
20. Posted by 914 | March 17, 2010 9:54 PM | Score: 4 (4 votes cast)
Why is he wearing that damned purple lipstick again? Is that a symptom of lying 24/7?
20. Posted by 914 | March 17, 2010 9:54 PM |
Score: 4 (4 votes cast)
Posted on March 17, 2010 21:54
21. Posted by Jeff | March 17, 2010 9:56 PM | Score: 5 (5 votes cast)
That interview was Obama's Waterloo ... just reading the transcript you can hear him getting schooled time and again ...
I can't watch him without getting very irritated so I have to go by the transcript.
That is the model for all future debates/interviews with Obama ... cut off the filibuster and you derail his train of thought ...
21. Posted by Jeff | March 17, 2010 9:56 PM |
Score: 5 (5 votes cast)
Posted on March 17, 2010 21:56
22. Posted by Falze | March 17, 2010 10:04 PM | Score: 4 (4 votes cast)
I remember watching the new host of Meet the Press destroy Christine Romer by simply asking her the same question about 3 times in a row, by the 3rd time she started blathering on with talking points instead of asking the question he just gave a look that made it clear that everyone knew she refused to answer (because the answer would be devastating if answered honestly). Seems like Barry deserves the same treatment. "That's nice, Mr. President, but getting back to my question..." and repeat.
22. Posted by Falze | March 17, 2010 10:04 PM |
Score: 4 (4 votes cast)
Posted on March 17, 2010 22:04
23. Posted by Falze | March 17, 2010 10:05 PM | Score: 2 (2 votes cast)
sigh..."answering"...not "asking"...time for bed.
23. Posted by Falze | March 17, 2010 10:05 PM |
Score: 2 (2 votes cast)
Posted on March 17, 2010 22:05
24. Posted by Houston | March 18, 2010 3:05 AM | Score: 6 (6 votes cast)
I have never in my life despised someone so much. I hated Clinton for wagging his finger in my face and bitching about being caught, but this guy takes the cake.
The lies never end.
I honestly think we would be better off with Biden because at least people know he's an idiot so he won't be able to push crap through.
Congratulations America. I watched in disbelief as the World Trade Center fell, now I watch in disbelief as our Republic falls.
May God have mercy on us all.
24. Posted by Houston | March 18, 2010 3:05 AM |
Score: 6 (6 votes cast)
Posted on March 18, 2010 03:05
25. Posted by Falze | March 18, 2010 6:51 AM | Score: 5 (5 votes cast)
Wow, look how furiously the press is going to spin this disastrous appearance - this is a current headline:
Obama chides Fox News anchor for interrupting interview
Interesting choice considering how many lies he told and how many promises he made that will not be kept in one interview.
25. Posted by Falze | March 18, 2010 6:51 AM |
Score: 5 (5 votes cast)
Posted on March 18, 2010 06:51
26. Posted by Hank | March 18, 2010 9:30 AM | Score: 2 (2 votes cast)
As with Jeff, I had to read the transcript as I cannot stand to listen to him anymore.
This stood out.
"No, we will -- by the time the vote has taken place, not only I will know what's in it, you'll know what's in it"
"This notion that this has been not transparent, that people don't know what's in the bill, everybody knows what's in the bill."
However, my favorite is this whopper.
"We know that this is going to reduce the deficit by over a trillion dollars."
26. Posted by Hank | March 18, 2010 9:30 AM |
Score: 2 (2 votes cast)
Posted on March 18, 2010 09:30
27. Posted by Brian Richard Allen
| March 18, 2010 9:40 AM | Score: 3 (3 votes cast)
What kind of an arrogant narcissist presumes that the governments and heads of state of the world's most populous Moslem state and of America's only remaining real friend and ally have nothing better to do than to stick around wherever the Hell the anointed one and his apparatchiks might maybe will show up God alone knows when for a state visit from the pretender to what presently passes for the American "presidency?"
And to think we once believed the time the recidivist, treasonous, lying, looting, thieving, mass-murdering, co-serial-rapist Billy-Bubbah Blythes ("Cli'tons") kept the king of Norway waiting at the once white House's door demonstrated the actions and activities of a political couple whose conduct plunged to the very depths of narcissistic common, vulgar and rude conduct.
This Mussolini-modeled modified-Marxist murtadd-Muslim manifestation of evil has to go!
27. Posted by Brian Richard Allen
| March 18, 2010 9:40 AM |
Score: 3 (3 votes cast)
Posted on March 18, 2010 09:40
28. Posted by Cheney W. Halliburton | March 18, 2010 11:32 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Falze, re your #16 and #17: the President lives on Planet O, where the unicorns really do poop rainbows, and the sky is cotton-candy pink.
28. Posted by Cheney W. Halliburton | March 18, 2010 11:32 AM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on March 18, 2010 11:32
29. Posted by Falze | March 18, 2010 12:57 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Yeah, but he was giving his interview with FoxNews which resides in the real world...he must need to recalibrate his teleprompters.
29. Posted by Falze | March 18, 2010 12:57 PM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on March 18, 2010 12:57
30. Posted by Wayne | March 18, 2010 1:05 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
The way Fox News was talking about the interview beforehand. I thought Fox was going to fold and show "how nice" they could be since the White House shut them out. They didn't and I take my hat off to them for asking him tough news question just like they do to everyone else instead of softball ones that the MSM ask him.
30. Posted by Wayne | March 18, 2010 1:05 PM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on March 18, 2010 13:05
31. Posted by Jay Guevara | March 18, 2010 2:28 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
"We know that this is going to reduce the deficit by over a trillion dollars."
And if it doesn't, we get to string up liberals, right?
31. Posted by Jay Guevara | March 18, 2010 2:28 PM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on March 18, 2010 14:28
32. Posted by Falze | March 18, 2010 3:02 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Headline now reads: Obama tangles with Fox host. Never seen that one before, which means that no other "reporters" have dared question anything he says...or wanted to...which is worse.
32. Posted by Falze | March 18, 2010 3:02 PM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on March 18, 2010 15:02
33. Posted by Brian Richard Allen
| March 18, 2010 4:54 PM | Score: 1 (1 votes cast)
"I think Biden is his life insurance policy."
Just as the world's former Most Dangerous Dullard, Al-Fredo Gore-leone, was the recidivist, treasonous, lying, looting, thieving, mass-murdering, co-serial-rapiost, Billy Bubbah Blythes. ("Cli'tons")
Perhaps one of the best measures of any man is the caliber of those with whom he surrounds himself. And by that measure every "Democratic" "administration" of the past hundred-odd years has been either accidental -- or headed by an at best second-rate man.
The dhimmis foist upon us the likes of the moronic Gore and idiotic Biden while a Republican chooses a Richard Cheney and even a ratbag RINO runs with United States of America's President and Armed-Forces Commander-In-Chief-Elect, Sarah Louise Ronald Wilson Reagan Heath Palin!
PALIN/BOLTON/2012!
33. Posted by Brian Richard Allen
| March 18, 2010 4:54 PM |
Score: 1 (1 votes cast)
Posted on March 18, 2010 16:54