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Health care reform reaches the Senate floor for debate

Posted by The Proud Ex-Democrat on Sunday, November 22, 2009 2:25:46 PM

Harry Reid and the Democrats needed 60 votes last night to bring healthcare reform to the floor for debate and amendment, and they got exactly that, 60.
 
It is an unfortunate setback for those of us who have argued vigorously for real reform that is centered on patients and health and not this dishonest government power grab. 
 
If this annoys you and you have not called or emailed the short list of persuadable Senators, do so today, right now.  Politely indicate your opposition to a big government takeover and your support for real reform.  As other strategies emerge on how to make your voice heard I will post them here.
 
 
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The latest to oppose ObamaCare: The Dean of Harvard Medical School

Posted by The Proud Ex-Democrat on Thursday, November 19, 2009 12:12:13 PM

In an op/ed in The Wall Street Journal, the Dean of Harvard Medical school weighs in on health care reform.  The short summary:  It's a fraud.
 
A key quote:
 
"And as controversy heads toward a conclusion in Washington, it appears that the people who favor the legislation are engaged in collective denial."
 
And another:
 
"In discussions with dozens of health-care leaders and economists, I find near unanimity of opinion that, whatever its shape, the final legislation that will emerge from Congress will markedly accelerate national health-care spending rather than restrain it. Likewise, nearly all agree that the legislation would do little or nothing to improve quality or change health-care's dysfunctional delivery system."
 
And one more:
 
"Worse, currently proposed federal legislation would undermine any potential for real innovation in insurance and the provision of care. It would do so by overregulating the health-care system in the service of special interests such as insurance companies, hospitals, professional organizations and pharmaceutical companies, rather than the patients who should be our primary concern."
 
Read the whole thing right here.  Very important.
 
 
 
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Another way to contribute

Posted by The Proud Ex-Democrat on Monday, November 16, 2009 10:10:36 AM

The Monday after the House voted to pass health care reform, Hugh Hewitt wrote a column where he called on the National Republican Campaign Committee to set up a segregated fund to target the re-election of Democrats who voted for PelosiCare and were running in districts that lean Republican (as indicated by John McCain winning those districts in 2008).  The NRCC has been totally flat-footed, not even putting up a discussion board on this dangerous result in the House.  Their inability to take advantage of this vote, and the resulting anger in the electorate is a serious opportunity lost.  They could've raised millions in the days after the vote that would come in handy in those key races in 2010.  Dennis Prager has been known to say there are two political parties in American, the dangerous (The Democrats) and the stupid (The Republicans) and this is one more example of Republican stupidity.
 
 
TalkPAC is a political action committee set up by center/right talk radio to lobby and raise money to prevent the re-imposition of the fairness doctrine. They have since expanded as a lobbying and fundraising center for those of us who are fans of talkradio and the values it expounds.  Being set up as a legally registered PAC they can collect contributions, and they have agreed to set up the type of separate fund Hugh has been calling for.
 
If you want to contribute you can do so here.  Any amount, from $5 to$10 all the way up to thousands is welcome (there is a limit, so if your thinking thousands you should check first and find out what it is).  This is simple one-stop shopping for those of us who want to send a few bucks to try to defeat those who vote for this dishonest attack on our freedom posing as health care reform.  They will divide the funds equally against those who are the most vulnerable, so we don't have to spend our time trying to follow a couple dozen races scattered around the country.
 
I'll be sending them some money this week.  I invite you to do the same.
 
Whoa!  
 
IMPORTANT UPDATE - Reverse the Vote!!
 
Even politicians can stop and get it right occasionally.  Hugh had Congressman Pete Sessions, who is chairman of the NRCC, on his radio show the Tuesday after I put up this post.  Congressman Sessions said basically that Hugh had been right all along and they have put up a website exactly like what he called for.  It is:
 
http://reversethevote.org/dems.html.

On this site the NRCC is targeting the 24 most vulnerable Democrats who voted for PelosiCare.  I recognise many of these names, as I sent most of them emails asking them to vote NO.  I actually tried to send all of them emails, but some do not accept correspondence from outside their districts. 
 
If you've already donated at TalkPAC, that is great.  I will be supporting both to the extent I can. 
 
 
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Another way to be involved

Posted by The Proud Ex-Democrat on Saturday, November 14, 2009 1:55:25 PM

Another way to be involved in the debate on health care reform is to show up. 
 
Docs4patientcareorg is a grass roots organization of doctors that has sprung up to promote real reform and oppose the giant government power grab that is ObamaCare.  They are doing remarkable work considering they started from nothing 5 months ago.  Check out their list of the 20 big lies about the health care reform debate on their home page and click on "Prescription for Health Care Reform " for a great statement of principles on what reform should really consist of.
 
The Docs are sponsoring some rallies around the country next Saturday, November 21, to call further attention to the great flaws in the bills being proposed in Congress and the better solutions that are out there.  For our Southern California readers one of these rallies will be at the Westwood Federal Building.  Rally locations in other parts of the country are on the website.
 
Just like with emailing Senators, etc. this provides another way to "just be a little more involved."  Just showing up is great, or maybe contact organizers and see if they can use some help.
 
 
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Senate version of health care reform may come to the floor next week

Posted by The Proud Ex-Democrat on Saturday, November 14, 2009 12:50:52 PM

In a bit of a surprise, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid seems ready to try and bring health care reform to the floor in the next week.  As recently as last week, it looked like the Senate might not vote on HCR until the new year.  It appears the White House is really putting on the pressure to bring the bill up for a vote.  The Democrats want to pass health care reform as soon as possible, therefore putting as much time as they can between passage and the 2010 mid-term elections.  They seem to be hoping this will allow them to avoid running on the fact that they voted for this turkey.
  
To open debate on a bill, Senator Reid must secure a cloture vote.  Cloture requires 60 votes.  Including Independent Joe Lieberman, the Democrats have a 60-40 advantage in the Senate.  Lieberman says he is opposed to a plan that spends this much or has a public option, but it's unclear if he would oppose opening debate.  There are a few other Democratic Senators that are from purple to deep red states and are in iffy positions for re-election in 2010.  Those Senators are listed here.  If all 40 Republicans vote against opening debate, we only need to get one of these Democrats to vote no to short-circuit their plan.  These Democrats need to be reminded early and often that they are going against a strong wave of public opinion if they support ObamaCare.  If Reid can't get that vote to open debate soon he'll likely decide not to bother (he's in a tough re-election fight too). 
 
So if you really want to defeat this gigantic government power-grab disguised as health care reform, call or email these Senators and tell them to vote against cloture.  Tell them you will contribute to their opponents if they vote yes and mean it!!  That means if debate really opens then really contribute to their Republican opponents when the primaries are over.  It doesn't have to be a lot, $5 to $10 is fine, but you need to not make empty threats.  I will post more here on ways to do that, but right now it's important to make those calls and send those emails.  They really do make a difference.
 
Now's the time folks.  Ever since we got a chance to see that President Obama was really going to govern as an ideological leftist, my philosophy has been that everybody needs to find ways to do a little more than they have done before to defeat his agenda.  If you were real involved in the McCain campaign, you need to get out there again.  If you've never been active, do a little something.  This approach was why I started this blog and why last week I spent 3 nights sending about 50 emails to Blue Dog Democrats urging them to vote against Pelosi's bill in the House.  I'll be calling and emailing all these Senators.  I hope you will too.
  
 
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The "Public Option"...no option at all

Posted by The Proud Ex-Democrat on Saturday, November 14, 2009 11:47:33 AM

At the heart of all the voluminous discussion of health care reform is the so-called Public Option.  So-called because my read of it is it will not be an option for most, because most Americans don't own their health insurance.  As I've written before, my lovely wife's boss owns our policy and he will decide if we end up on government insurance or not.  This is the essence of why it's so disingenuous for the President and his people to keep saying, "If you like your insurance, you'll be able to keep it."
 
 
Key quote: "The promise of the public plan is a mirage. Its political brilliance is to use free-market rhetoric (more "choice" and "competition") to expand government power. "
 
 
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The first battle is lost, but it's a long war

Posted by The Proud Ex-Democrat on Thursday, November 12, 2009 1:51:08 AM

Last Saturday night the Democrats in House of Representatives approved their so-called health care reform bill.  So-called because it will "reform" health care by destroying it and a large chunk of the economy along with it. 
 
What a perfect example of why I'm an EX-Democrat!
 
But take heart, there are still many opportunities to defeat this monstrosity.  The next will be in the Senate.  Stay tuned for updates of what you can do on that front.
 
 
Please read Hugh's column, then email Representative Pete Sessions, Chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee, and urge him to read it and implement this great idea.
 
 
 
 
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And I thought 45 was bad

Posted by The Proud Ex-Democrat on Friday, November 06, 2009 1:09:48 AM

In a post on health care reform a couple months ago, I quoted news reports that said the Democrat's proposal would create somewhere around 40 to 45 new federal agencies.  I pointed out at that time that if the federal government actually stuck to just doing the things the Constitution says it should do, and nothing else, we wouldn't need 45 agencies to run the whole shootin' match.
 
Well it turns out I, and those news reports I quoted, were wrong.  Or at least premature.
 
As this post from John Hinderaker at Powerline shows, the actual number of boards, agencies and the like that are either created or expanded by PelosiCare is actually 111.  That's right, 111.  Check out the list and don't miss the video from Congressman Mike Pence.
 
It's like the Democrats are saying they're going to start 111 new Departments of Motor Vehicles, and then let those people run your life by deciding everything about your health care.
 
If this thought scares you, this post over at Hugh Hewitt's website includes all the moderate Democrats that might be swayed by a last minute email or phone call.  I've been firing off emails to these people for most of the last two days.  Give it a try.  Citizen involvement is fun.  And vital.
 
 
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The Wall Street Journal gets in the last word

Posted by The Proud Ex-Democrat on Friday, November 06, 2009 12:11:31 AM

Throughout the debate on health care reform, the best analysis by far has come from The Wall Street Journal.  They have broken down each succesive bill and proposal, reviewing the massive costs and the massive loss of liberty the Democrat's plans would inflict on the nation.
 
In this article from last Monday, the editors of the WSJ sum up the toll Nancy Pelosi's bill will impose on the country and it's economy.  It is not a pretty picture.
 
In this case especially I'd be interested in your thoughts, especially if you disagree.  If so, please email us using the link on the right side of the page, just below the words, "About Me".

Well-reasoned, insightful comments and challenges will be posted. Thank you.
 
 
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Krauthammer takes dead aim

Posted by The Proud Ex-Democrat on Thursday, November 05, 2009 10:46:19 PM

Last week Washington Post columnist Charles Krauthammer sat down for a long interview with the German news magazine, Der Spiegel. 
 
Lets just say Charles did not pull any punches. 
 
A sample exchange:

SPIEGEL: Maybe Europeans want to just see a different America, one they can admire again.

Krauthammer: Admire? Look at Obama's speech at the UN General Assembly: "No one nation can or should try to dominate another nation." Take the first half of that sentence: No nation can dominate another. There is no eight year old who would say that -- it's so absurd. And the second half? That is adolescent utopianism. Obama talks in platitudes, but offers a vision to the world of America diminished or constrained, and willing to share leadership in a way that no other presidency and no other great power would. Could you imagine if the Russians were hegemonic, or the Chinese, or the Germans -- that they would speak like this?

Krauthammer proceeds though the whole interview to break down, with his usual fine wit and flawless logic,  why Barack Obama is exactly what we thought he would be going into the 2008 elections:  An inexperienced lightweight who would be badly over his head as President.

The whole interview is here.
 
UPDATE: Krauthammer's column from today, which reemphasizes some points from the Der Spiegel interview and blends in some very cogent analysis of last Tuesday's election wins by Republicans in Virginia and New Jersey.
 
 
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Cool Poll

Posted by The Proud Ex-Democrat on Sunday, October 25, 2009 2:15:04 PM

And I mean literally.  In this new poll, the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press found belief in man-made global warming is plummeting. 
 
This is a welcome development.  And we expect the trend away from belief in warming to continue.  As we wrote here, the earth has been in a cooling trend for about 10 years now, and recent measurements that show cooling in the oceans suggest that this trend is likely to continue for 30-40 years.
 
Most Americans are finding it harder to believe in global warming in the face of more and more record low temperatures and increased record snow falls.  A triumph of common sense over hyped-up junk science.  The poll did not show reduced support for the cap-and-trade tax policies that would result in huge increases in energy prices.  We expect that as belief in warming continues to disintegrate, the support for cap-and-tax will fall with it.
 
 
 
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Reflections on President Obama's Nobel Peace Prize

Posted by The Proud Ex-Democrat on Saturday, October 17, 2009 11:19:32 AM
 
It is our custom here at the Proud Ex-Democrat to wait a little after events happen to write about them.  This gives me a chance to think about what said event may or may not mean, and I've found my best thoughts are usually not my first thoughts.  It also gives the best commentators out there a chance to well, comment, and for me to see if there are any of their ideas I wish to share with you. 
 
President Obama receiving the Nobel Peace Prize brought out the best in several of my favorite writers and thinkers.  Which is interesting, since I personally have zero respect for the Nobel Peace Prize.  Zip.  Nada.  An award that used to be given to remarkable individuals like Nelson Mandela and Mother Teresa is now regularly given to the ridiculous (Al Gore), the Anti-Semitic (Jimmy Carter), or the outright evil terrorist thug (Yasser Arafat). 
 
George Will, speaking on This Week with George Stephanopoulos, said it best.  Giving this award to President Obama would cost the Nobel Committee it's reputation for seriousness, he said, if the committee had any such reputation in the first place. 

Since the nominations closed on February 1, The President is receiving this award essentially for what he did in his first 11 days.  I doubt even the very best of our chief executives know where all the West Wing restrooms are after 11 days.  The prize is a joke.
 
But as I said earlier, there is a substantial upside in that the giving of this award generated so much terrific commentary.
 
Dennis Prager wrote this very insightful column, in which he breaks down what the award tells us about the attitudes of the Nobel Committee towards America.  In it he refers to this op/ed in Time Magazine, where writer David Von Drehle suggests a novel Nobel winner, one you might not expect.
 
Peggy Noonan, writing here in the Wall street Journal, shares her thoughts on how the Nobel Committee could redeem itself, and some suggestions on what Mr. Obama should say in his acceptance speech.
 
And finally, my favorite.  Thomas Friedman, writing here in the New York Times, also weighing in on what Mr. Obama's acceptance speech could be.  Tom Friedman is a man of the left.  And he is also one of the best in the business on foreign policy.  I agree with his proposed speech completely.
 
 
As always if you wish to comment please email us using the link on the right side of the page, just below the words, "About Me".

Well-reasoned, insightful comments and challenges will be posted. Thank you.
 
 
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BBC Report: What happened to global warming?

Posted by The Proud Ex-Democrat on Thursday, October 15, 2009 2:00:24 AM

BBC climate correspondent Paul Hudson was a leading advocate of the idea of man-made global warming.  Now Mr. Hudson checks in with this article, where he begins to come to grips with what many of us know: there is no conclusive proof of this theory.  And it is just a theory.
 
There is no "consensus" among the science community about the earth getting warmer or not.  This must be particularly disconcerting to the alarmists, since two years ago there was at least agreement that it was getting warmer.  Now nearly 10 years of steady cooling and they're not even sure of that much.  There is also the added complication of there being no consensus that human activity significantly impacts climate.  Remember the activists who are selling this are the ones who worked to have CO2 classified as a pollutant.  A naturally occurring gas that is essential to life is a pollutant?  It's astounding that anybody would take such an obviously absurd assertion seriously. 
 
Let's be clear: I am not saying there is no such thing as man-made global warming. I'm saying I don't know.  And neither does anyone else.  If they say they know they are making statement of faith, very much like a statement of belief in a religion.  That's what global warming has become today, a secular religion.
 
And until it is proven to my satisfaction,  I am unlikely to sign on to turning the economy of the western world upside down to "stop" it. 
   
UPDATE: The London Daily Mail, not wanting to outdone, weighs in with this piece.  More examples, more evidence.  More bad news for the global warming crowd.
 
 
 
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Health care reform: the "Greatest Hits"

Posted by The Proud Ex-Democrat on Sunday, October 11, 2009 6:47:24 PM
 
I've written a lot here on the subject of heath care/health insurance reform.  I think it is time to go back and link my favorites on the subject. 
 
Only articles here, no book length treatments or websites that require lots of looking around.  I have linked to both of those in abundance and will do so again in the future.  But what I want to do here is link up short, solution oriented pieces that won't overwhelm my busy readers.  If you have questions about where to go to get more long-form information, email us!
 
That said, these articles contain, in my opinion, the best suggestions on how to improve the system:
 
The front page of the Docs for Patient Care website has a great list of key points that should/must be included in any reform.
 
John Cochrane, writing here in the Wall Street Journal, talks about how to bring the innovation that has brought down prices and improved quality in industries like telecommunications and computers to bear on health care.  He specifically talks about ways to bring creative new solutions to the problem of insuring people with pre-existing conditions.
 
Charles Krauthammer, in this piece in the Washington Post, focuses on two key elements of any effective changes to the system: Tort reform and portability.
 
The Cato Institutes's Michael Cannon has this piece in Investors Business Daily on how the market functions best when the individual's health care is not controlled by an insurance company bureaucrat, or a government bureaucrat, but by the individual him or herself, in consultation with their doctor. 
 
That's it for now.  Look for other articles on health care reform as I find them.
 
As always if you wish to comment please email us using the link on the right side of the page, just below the words, "About Me".

Well-reasoned, insightful comments and challenges will be posted. Thank you.
 
 
 
 
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Crunch time on health care reform

Posted by The Proud Ex-Democrat on Sunday, October 11, 2009 10:16:48 AM

OK folk's, it's crunch time.  The United States Senate is likely to vote this week on some version of health care reform.  What will exactly be in the bill is not known, but a few things are.
 
As I wrote in this previous post, It looks like the Democrats are going to try and push this bill through without giving us a chance to read it, comment on it, or really do anything to make our voices heard on the subject.  Just like with the stimulus bill, they're going to try and ram it through in the dark of night.
 
My post talks about a group of Senators who have written Majority Leader Harry Reid and asked him to have the bill up on the Internet for at  least 72 hours before a vote.  Hugh Hewitt makes the very important point here that the letter is a bit disingenuous, since under Senate rules, pretty much all of these senators would need to vote to cut off debate to reach the required 60 votes.  Any one, or certainly two, of them voting against cloture can stop the process, and they should.
 
There are many things to be concerned about in the bills being considered.  Just a few of these are:
 
--Massive cuts in Medicare without thoughtful reform to clean up the huge levels of fraud in the system.
 
--A public option that would likely lead to many of us irreversibly losing our private health insurance plans. 
 
--A lack of meaningful malpractice insurance reform. 
 
--A lack of provisions to increase patient choice and restore the doctor/patient relationship to the center of health care where it belongs.
 
Everyone who's been paying attention realizes that the health care system of the US needs serious reform, but we are tinkering with one-seventh of our economy.  Congress needs to slow down and give this the thoughtfulness and care it deserves. 
 
So it's time to get in the game.  In this post, Hugh gives the names, phone numbers and email addresses of the key group of Senators.  Shoot them an email and tell them we want this done carefully and out in the open.  That we want to read the bill and while they're at it they should read it too.  And that since 85% of Americans like their health care, we don't want the whole system up-ended to fix a problem with the other 15%.
 
 
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