I have been trying to understand what President Obama was trying to accomplish when, only days after he promised the American people in the well of congress he would never allow illegal aliens to feed at the bottomless trough of tax payer subsidized health care, he came out and openly admitted he would solve the conundrum by making the illegal workers legal under the law! Which of course provides these people access to services they probably did not pay into, and basically makes the case to the nation he is a creative and bold liar.

President Obama said this week that his health care plan won’t cover illegal immigrants, but argued that’s all the more reason to legalize them and ensure they eventually do get coverage

He also staked out a position that anyone in the country legally should be covered – a major break with the 1996 welfare reform bill, which limited most federal public assistance programs only to citizens and longtime immigrants.

…

Mr. Obama added, “If anything, this debate underscores the necessity of passing comprehensive immigration reform and resolving the issue of 12 million undocumented people living and working in this country once and for all.”

I am a big supporter of comprehensive immigration reform and understand that for the long time illegals who have knitted themselves into our society and neighborhoods they will be on a path to citizenship at some point (starting at the back of the line). I support them paying back taxes (with interest) so that they earn the benefits of this society they will reap.

In just about all cases this tax repayment burden is plenty of punishment for their years of working without permission (a paper crime, like not licensing your car). It will take many a decade to make amends. That is why I break with the Amnesty Hypochondriacs on the right who think punishments more suitable for felons should apply. Not going to happen, is the wrong punishment for the crime and their petty need for vengeance on a ‘group’ of people is why the GOP lost power last two elections (forget the wars, that was what the liberals thought caused the downfall, and we all know how smart they are).

Anyway I realize immigration and health care are coupled under the liberal policy mix (you have to look at the aggregate policy mix to determine what is foolish and what is reasonable). Under the idea individuals must be responsible for their own general welfare, the immigration issues is not coupled with health care reform. But the liberals, wishing to take over everything we do and think, cannot avoid the coupling. I am not surprise, it should have been obvious.

But why push the immigration aspect now? And why be so bluntly open on the shell game? Did anyone tell the President he is supposed to hide the pea as he moves the shells around and distracts the viewers?

This makes no sense from a disciplined group of people who managed their campaign message, timing and events so well last year. What has caused the White House to stumble so badly so often after such a good show last year? Combine this latest faux pas with the outburst of blunt reality that came with the President’s comment about government rationed health care will be like the US Post Office is to UPS and Fedex, and you can see a strange dynamic coming out.

Both times the President let a little honest sneak out. Both times he let slip the reality. In my opinion, both times the real Barack Obama slipped out from under the idiot handlers in DC.

One thing both President Obama and Governor Palin have in common is their lack of inexperience in DC (Palin was still the broader experienced of the two, executive-wise). It is not just the lack of detailed knowledge that can be a problem when you get to DC, it is also a lack of experience sifting the idiotic political experts from the good political experts. Many cling-ons in DC are out for themselves, and it is all about themselves. So they tend to try and shape the politician into what they think the right answer is (poll-tested of course).

The smart and successful politician keep these ‘political experts’ around for the mechanics of getting the message out, getting people mobilized and for testing the pulse of America. You never give these cling-ons control of the message content or policy approach. But sometimes newbies come in, as Palin did for a while, and get overwhelmed by the handlers. As was seen in Palin’ case it was a disaster – she’s best left on her own. She has the gifts, no handlers needed.

Obama seems to be suffering from a similar dysfunction, plus the added pressure of the liberals in Congress who are pulling his young presidency apart with their competing, mad agendas. When Obama unveiled his little shell game scheme on immigrants, he was of course in front of a Latino, pro-immigrant audience. He had to take back the promise from the prior night. But I don’t think he could just shine them on with lofty BS, like the other Dems do. I think there was no greasy words available to cover up the overarching policy mix. So he went with blunt honesty. I bet those handlers went nuts.

If long term illegal immigrants (no short termers, no felons) are allowed to make amends in some manner and become legal residents, of course they would be eligible for some government services. In the President’s mind it was obvious what would be the combined outcome – so he said it.

The problem was not admitting this, it was the BS he spewed on prime time to the country in front of Congress, when he made a false statement to all America. He should have said no dime of health care will go to illegal aliens, until after we make the eligible to be here.

The Obama health care plan is pretty much dead. It is too toxic to too many large constituents (seniors, families of seniors, conservatives, independents, moderate dems, etc) to succeed. If the dems are stupid enough to push it past the Senate it will (a) end up in the courts on endless challenges and (b) be rescinded when the GOP takes over Congress in 2010. And they will get Congress in 2010 if the Dems push their government rationed health care plans.

Let me divert for a moment to point folks towards this damning assessment of 201o by the venerable Charlie Cook:

I am becoming convinced, based on this and other research, that although many independent voters are disappointed in specific things that Obama has done, they still hope that he will do well and believe that he might. To be sure, red America has already given Obama the thumbs down. And blue America just wishes he would be more liberal. But it’s purple America, the independents who voted for Democrats in the 2006 midterm election by an 18-point margin, that makes the biggest difference right now. Most House Democrats live in blue America and show little awareness that their party has a problem. However, the Democrats’ majority is built on a layer of 54 seats that the party picked up in 2006 and 2008 that are largely in purple — or even red — America. Democrats ought to keep in mind that 84 of their current House members represent districts won by President Bush in 2004 or John McCain in 2008.

A whopping 48 of those Democrats — eight more than the size of their party’s majority — are from districts that voted for both Bush and McCain. That America is very different from the Democratic base in blue America, and it sees many major issues very differently.

I think the dems are 90% there already. Most polls out now are for adults or voters, not likely voters. And the most likely voters of all voters in mid-term elections are the seniors, who have rejected this liberal experiment completely. Combine that with months and months of unemployment coming and Cook’s next comment is spot on:

… the cumulative impact of Democratic missteps has reached a critical mass, with Obama receiving some damage and with Democrats in Congress and the Democratic Party receiving much more.

Right now there is a video circulating showing Obama admitting a lot about his health care vision early in the campaign. He admits it is going to be expensive and there will need to be lots of taxes raised. He admits government uses Medicare/Medicaid payments to push the cost of the programs onto the private sector, which is WHY we pay so much for our insurance premiums. The government is not paying its share so we get stuck with it in our premiums and treatment costs. Here’s the video.

Yes, there are lots of “Gotcha!” lines in the video, but the surprising thing to see is the old Obama candor on display. He is simply laying out the benefits and challenges that make these issues tough. He is not trying to mislead as he did in front of Congress last week. He is not spewing one line BS – like the bill will not add a dime to the deficit, or you can have endless amounts of care, or nothing requires you to change your insurance (whoppers all).

I think the democrats have created their coming disaster on many fronts. They have been pushing naive liberal fantasy policies; therefore, they are demonstrating a frightening ignorance of the real world. They have assumed Americans are pathetically stupid, which means they don’t think they have to make a valid argument for their cause, they just take the lazy way out and spin a yarn. Bad policies, failed policies (stimulus bill) and stupid messages have left them sputtering ‘racists’ at the growing numbers of opposition. They failed, and we are the racists for noting it. Pathetic.

But I think they also over managed their savior and leader. I think they have tried to make Obama into something he wasn’t, and that is so obvious it is painful. Obama seems to want to go back to his candor mode, but the political industrial complex will not let him.

I don’t think the President has the confidence to start cleaning house and making this his presidency. For too long it has been their presidency, their time. He has been trying to placate confused and angry mobs that form his party’s far left factions. Their time, not his.

I don’t think he has the will, and probably doesn’t have the respect on issues, to pull them under control. He has been crippled by his message handlers. Call it “Revenge of the Teleprompter”. When he stopped being in charge of the message he stopped being effective. He has lost control of his party, and they are imploding.

Tags: 2010, Health Care, Lies