Unlike those times when the Republicans were in the majority and played by the rules, these feckless Dems look for new ways to obfuscate and delay, or to rush to pass laws and steamroll their opponents.
But then for the last generation or so the Democrat party has been opportunistic. As an example, they dragged their feet most dishonorably during the legislative battles over the Racial Equality Act of 1964. Once the law passed (through the Herculean efforts of the Party of Lincoln) Dems not only got on the bandwagon, they took over the reins. They did this through fear-mongering, shoving through federal legislation that would prove to infantilize the black minority by “protecting” them against the rich, country club Republicans. By such means they secured the black vote and have owned it ever since. The Republicans never saw it coming.
Up until that point, most self-respecting black people were conservative and Republican. Socially, they’re still conservatives, but they trust the federal government to take care of them and they do not trust local government to be color-blind, even when blacks are the local government. See Detroit and Washington, D.C. for prime examples of how this operates.
Such is my preface for the latest pettiness of the Dems in the 111th Congress. The Republicans have created a most entertaining (and scary) chart of what will happen in this country under ObamaCare. A picture being worth a thousand words from a gasbag, the Republican members of Congress wish to send this informative chart to their constituents, using their franking privileges to do so [click on image for larger .pdf version]
From Roll Call:
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Democrats are preventing Republican House Members from sending their constituents a mailing that is critical of the majority’s health care reform plan, blocking the mailing by alleging that it is inaccurate.
House Republicans are crying foul and claiming that the Democrats are using their majority to prevent GOP Members from communicating with their constituents.
The dispute centers on a chart created by Rep. Kevin Brady (R-Texas) and Republican staff of the Joint Economic Committee to illustrate the organization of the Democratic health care plan.
At first glance, Brady’s chart resembles a board game: a colorful collection of shapes and images with a web of lines connecting them.
But a closer look at the image reveals a complicated menagerie of government offices and programs that Republicans say will be created if the leading Democratic health care plan becomes law.
In a memo sent Monday to Republicans on the House franking commission, Democrats argue that sending the chart to constituents as official mail would violate House rules because the information is misleading.
[…]
The dispute over Brady’s chart is being reviewed by the franking commission, which must approve any mail before it can be sent. No decision had been made on the matter by press time.
Brady adamantly denied that the chart was misleading and said Democrats are simply threatened by the content of the graphic.
“I think their review was laughable,” Brady said. “It’s … downright false in most of the cases. The chart depicts their health care plan as their committees developed it.”
“The chart reveals how their health care bureaucracy works, and people are frightened by it,” he added. “So this is their effort to try and discredit” the chart.
Republican Members have made 20 requests to mail a version of the chart to their constituents and have been told that the requests are being delayed while the commission reviews allegations that the chart is misleading.
“Hiding the truth about wildly unpopular policies is a Democrat specialty,” said one GOP aide. “I’d like to see the flow chart on how Speaker [Nancy] Pelosi plans on implementing the open and transparent government she keeps promising everyone.”
“We have initiated discussions with the minority to try and resolve current differences and are operating in good faith to achieve that goal,” said Kyle Anderson, a spokesman for House Administration Chairman Robert Brady (D-Pa.). The committee has oversight of the commission.
Rep. Dan Lungren (R-Calif.), ranking member of the committee and a member of the franking commission, said through a spokeswoman that he is also aware of the situation and is working with the members of the franking commission to resolve the differences, but he added that he believed Democrats on the commission were overreaching.
That chart is a transparent illustration of what will become of us under the socialist medical care the Dems have planned for the rest of us. Remember, none of these rules will apply to Congress, who will continue to have the very best medical care and coverage in the country. This one is for us hoi polloi; it will not affect any Congressman’s health benefits.
No wonder they want to shroud the truth in preparation to burying it…and us.
This situation demonstrates a weakness in the Republican Party. The Dems are masters of propaganda, always have been. The Republicans, above all that and not wanting to get their skirts muddied, have been slow to catch on to any technology and use it to their advantage.
You could see this in the elections in 1960. Kennedy's team had the concept of appearances well in hand, despite the reality of Bobby's thuggish attacks. You could see it in the last election as McCain proved to be a technophobe.
We can see it in operation in this case: the Republicans have created a wonderful image, a great illustration of the future. And what do they do? Bury it in a .pdf that is hell to scrape out and pass around in emails, or put up on Facebook pages.
Get a clue, you guys in the Republican National Committee. Quit mumbling "me, too" and strike out on your own for a change. Those lines you see when you look in the mirror are the tire tracks of Dem steamrollers.
For a good look at a state Republican who has mastered the medium, see the Pubs’ candidate for governor of Virginia. McDonnell is leading a good race, keeping his opponent on the defensive. For example, he’s a good debater and his voice has that generic Eastern seaboard accent. His opponent, a country boy from the rural southwestern part of the state, is not going to go over well with the urban Democrats in Northern Virginia. When Mr. Deeds opens his mouth and they hear that country twang, northern Virginians will turn off. Thus, Mr. McDonnell has challenged him to ten debates. Mr. Deeds is desperate to limit their face-offs to three.
In fact, McDonnell looks so good that he has attracted the endorsement of Virginia’s only black billionaire, who also happens to be a Democrat. Sheila Johnson is crossing party lines to support Mr. McDonnell.
The deep and wide Democrat coffers will do little good against the likes of Ms. Johnson. Makes you wonder: will Obie show up in Virginia to campaign for Deeds? Should be interesting. One thing is for sure: if he does, it won’t be in rural areas.
2 comments:
Interesting how the assault on health care in America runs parallel with the assault on health care in Britain.
thll-
While looking at some ObamaCare You Tube videos, I ran across Obi Wan Kenobe's very own family doctor, who was touting the wonders of the British health care system and thinks we need to get moving on that for every American...
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