Journal pudge's Journal: Obama: "It's Got Raisins In It ... You Like Raisins" 11
To most people, it's obvious that the White House line -- that people should like the health insurance bill because it has something in it that they like -- is idiotic.
It's entirely intuitive that just because you like one thing, doesn't mean you'll like something else that happens to include it. I've drawn the analogy that just because a bill that kills cute puppies cuts taxes, doesn't mean people who like low taxes will also like the puppy-killing bill.
George Will, on Sunday, used the analogy that he likes sauerkraut and ice cream, but doesn't like sauerkraut ice cream. I think that analogy isn't bad, but the point would be made better if he didn't like sauerkraut (as I don't): it's not that we like individual mandates and tort reform, but just not together; it's that we don't like individual mandates at all, and they end up ruining anything they're mixed with.
Will's analogy prompted a friend to quote: "It's got raisins in it. You like raisins." If you don't know what that refers to, watch this clip.
Mr. President, we see your health insurance plan as a big pile of green goo that comes alive after you've given it to us, and no amount of raisins is going to make us like it. The more we look at your plan, the less well we feel, and we'd really like to be excused.
This serves as both a perfect analogy to the White House line on their health insurance reform bill, and a chance to encourage people to see Better Off Dead again, or for the first time.
Oh and while I am talking about movies and the health insurance bill, recently, pundit Torie Clark compared the film Ishtar to the health insurance bill, saying "they spent millions and millions and millions of dollars on it you heard so much about it and when people actually started seeing it they said that this is terrible."
But it's not true. People who actually saw Ishtar -- except for people in "the business," including professional critics -- pretty much liked it. If you haven't seen it, you should. It's quite funny, though harder to find than Better Off Dead.
Cross-posted on <pudge/*>.
Bummer... (Score:1)
I was kinda hoping to see your thoughts on the "Slaughter Rule" and Obama's apparent endorsement of the tactic. And as I understand it, the absolute contrariness to the constitution. Your usual penchant for all things constitutional had me hoping you would discuss this issue.
Of the couple small business owners I chat with I haven't seen one swayed at all by any of Obama's arguments, raisins or no.
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The Slaughter Rule is interesting. The Constitution never says that the House has to vote on a bill, let alone get a majority, to pass legislation. All it says is that the House has to pass the bill, and if House rules allow it to simply declare a bill as passed without a direct vote, then it's not unconstitutional. The only question is whether the House rules allow it, IMO.
That is, I think people focusing on whether or not the bill is passing the House are off-base: the House makes up its own rules for
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The Constitution never says that the House has to vote on a bill, let alone get a majority, to pass legislation. All it says is that the House has to pass the bill, and if House rules allow it to simply declare a bill as passed without a direct vote, then it's not unconstitutional.
Excuse me, but this sounds stupendously asinine. To suggest that "pass" in this context is some nebulous term that could mean almost anything other than what it obviously does is fscked. Let's take your mindless, loosy-goosy view
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Excuse me, but this sounds stupendously asinine. To suggest that "pass" in this context is some nebulous term that could mean almost anything other than what it obviously does is fscked.
Um. How do you know what it "obviously" means?
Let's take your mindless ...
Yeah whatever.
When you have an actual point let me know.
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Dang you are thinnest skinned person on Slashdot. That's why you have so many detractors -- I espouse here mostly as you do (politically), but I'm not ridiculed anywhere near as much. How about be a man and face the issue that I brought up, rather than slink away feeling sorry for your precious frail ego. There needn't be any ego involved, just what's right and what's wrong. Tell me how I'm wrong, I will listen. Or just say oops, right, that didn't make much sense. Or you didn't mean it in that way, and cor
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Dang you are thinnest skinned person on Slashdot.
False. Indeed, I have very thick skin, but a very low tolerance for stupidity.
I said what is factually true. If you don't like it, fine. But I am not going to bother explaining to you the plain words of the Constitution, if you're acting like a jackass.
individual mandate (Score:2)
I'm curious to know why the GOP hasn't made more of an issue out of the individual mandate during this debate? I've seen it mentioned here and there but they seem to be focusing more on the other deplorable aspects of the bill. I would cheer if I saw someone respond to Obama's criticism of the insurance industry by asking him why he wants to mandate that everyone do business with them.
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I've heard it talked about a lot, but at the end of the day, the main push is on the more "practical" problems of the bill, since people against mandates are against the bill anyway ...
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the main push is on the more "practical" problems of the bill, since people against mandates are against the bill anyway ...
I guess I don't get that. Even the Democrats polls show that a sizable majority of Americans hate the individual mandate. It seems to me that the perfect response to Obama's populist rhetoric against the insurance industry would be pointing out the fact that he thinks you should be mandated to do business with them.
Do you think Pelosi will find the votes to pass this thing? They keep moving the vote out but it seems to me that it's only a matter of time before they threaten and/or bribe enough of the fe
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Even the Democrats polls show that a sizable majority of Americans hate the individual mandate. It seems to me that the perfect response to Obama's populist rhetoric against the insurance industry would be pointing out the fact that he thinks you should be mandated to do business with them.
But people who would be swayed by that are ALREADY against the bill.
Do you think Pelosi will find the votes to pass this thing?
I was leaning toward yes, but after this [politico.com], I dunno. It shows clearly that the Democrats are intentionally playing a shell game to hide the fact that they are planning to increase the deficit with their health insurance reforms, by pulling the "doc fix" out of this bill and passing it separately later.
Lots of Dems are voting for it because it "lowers the deficit," but this shows clearly that's an intentional lie, and it will hurt them if the
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It shows clearly that the Democrats are intentionally playing a shell game to hide the fact that they are planning to increase the deficit with their health insurance reforms
It's not a very good shell game. They lost David Brooks some time ago. He was one of the few "conservative" writers that was at open to the health care legislation. He recently came out against it because they gutted all of the cost/spending controls. If they can't sell this to him and the moderates in their own party......
I'm hoping it goes down in flames. I have little influence over it though. My congressman [house.gov] is a member of the "Progressive Caucus" and doesn't care what I think about the legislatio