(2010-03-04) — In an effort to break through bipartisan opposition and public discontent with his latest health insurance reform proposal, President Barack Obama today called on the Senate to “take a final, straight up-or-down vote on the U.S. Constitution.”
“The real obstacle to approval of my health care reform plan is this ancient charter of negative liberties that says what the states and the federal government can’t do to you,” President Obama said, while standing among a group of physicians dressed in white lab coats and fellow constitutional scholars in white powdered wigs.
While the president didn’t use the word ‘reconciliation’ — a parliamentary maneuver allowing majority party leaders to pass bills without tiresome and time-consuming debate — he made his intentions clear.
“The Constitution deserves the same kind of up-or-down vote that the Bush tax cuts received,” Mr. Obama said. “Once we break free from the essential constraints that were placed by the Founding Fathers in the Constitution, we’ll have no problem passing this historic health reform legislation.”
The president assured members of Congress that, “the American people expect us to lead”, and that few would miss the nation’s governing charter when it’s gone.
“It’s not like they have time to read the Constitution or the Declaration anyway,” he added, “what with all the great new shows on TV, and funny stuff on YouTube, Facebook and Twitter.”
26 responses so far ↓
1 JamesonLewis3rd // Mar 4, 2010 at 1:38 pm
That's it! BHO is the anthropomorphic embodiment of satire! He's a walking mockery!
God Bless America!
2 boberin // Mar 4, 2010 at 2:30 pm
Don't forget the "funny stuff" on Scrappleface!
3 EdistoJoe // Mar 4, 2010 at 2:31 pm
The KING has spoken! "Up or down vote", so lets do it now! Time for debate is over! Oh…
wait a miniute…. I need to head off on one more taxpayer funded cross country trip to rally support for this proposal. We all like a leader who is so sure of himself.
4 ChileSerrano // Mar 4, 2010 at 3:20 pm
Has anybody actually read this document ? ! ? ? The people who are pushing this "Constitution" crap are clearly a bunch of gun-toting religious nuts! Who want to just keep on yapping and stirring up dissension whenever and wherever the spirit moves them. It's awful!
These extremists must be stopped!
5 boberin // Mar 4, 2010 at 3:30 pm
It's really nothing to worry about. The Dems couldn't pass legislation if they controlled 100% of the gummint.
6 Srappleface: Obama Urges Straight Up Or Down Vote On The U.S. Constitution « Tarpon's Swamp // Mar 4, 2010 at 11:37 am
[...] How dumb are the hopey changers? We’re about to find out. [...]
7 EdistoJoe // Mar 4, 2010 at 3:37 pm
Oh yeah right….next you'll be calling then Nazi's!
8 JamesonLewis3rd // Mar 4, 2010 at 4:02 pm
Unless the House passes the Senate version of the bill, as-is, first, Reconciliation is impossible.
BHO can perform all of the kabuki he wants, he will never be Tsar.
9 ChileSerrano // Mar 4, 2010 at 4:56 pm
JL3 : Actually, I suspect that the real plan is for Barack to appoint himself the Tsar Czar, whereupon he will simply begin to rule by decree.
Barack the Unbearable …
10 ChileSerrano // Mar 4, 2010 at 5:01 pm
JL3 : Well, of course he can never become Tsar through kabuki. Kabuki is Japanese. Tsar is Russian. QED.
Actually, I suspect that the real plan is for Barack to appoint himself the Tsar Czar, whereupon he will simply begin to rule by decree.
Barack the Unbearable …
11 JamesonLewis3rd // Mar 4, 2010 at 5:38 pm
Okay. I know that but check this out:
Tsar is Russian for Caesar and Caesar is Latin for Emperor.
FWIW
12 ChileSerrano // Mar 4, 2010 at 7:12 pm
Ah, but Emperor derives from the Latin imperator (military commander), which stems from imperare (to command), which is essentially the same as decree (to issue a command), which is basically where I ended up, so …
I think we are saying pretty much the same thing. You say to-may-to. I say to-mah-to. BHO say, "JUMP!" We say, "Woof! Woof!!"
Or something like that …
13 boberin // Mar 4, 2010 at 8:06 pm
Just curious if anyone here ever looked at a hospital or doctor bill and the insurance statement that comes with it (assuming you are blessed with insurance)?
i get bills/statements for routine testing (and occasionally more serious/extensive services) and I always marvel at the actual bill vs. what the insurance company pays/the provider accepts.
Just a wild "for instance"…I get some routine tests and a bill for $145.00…and then I get the insurance statement saying that they paid the provider $23.50 and that I owe nothing.
Seems to me that something is out of whack…big time. If the provider would accept from me what they accept from the insurance company then I could easily fund my own health "insurance" by not paying the insurance company $300/month…plus my employers considerable contribution… granted, i'd still need catastrophic coverage/major medical but…I would NOT need day to day insurance.
Thoughts?
14 ChileSerrano // Mar 4, 2010 at 8:30 pm
bob : In this particular instance, I actually have a Barack Obama quote that kind of expresses the way I feel. You see, I find most politicians repulsive to one degree or another. I find their incessant blah-blah about "the issues" repulsive. I find their cheap shots about each other repulsive. But what I probably would say is the most repulsive of all is hearing about their sex lives. And I mean - hearing anything about that topic. Way too much info …
Anyway, here's the Obama quote, FWIW …
“I don’t want the folks who created the mess to do a lot of talking. I want them just to get out of the way so we can clean up the mess. I don’t mind cleaning up after them, but don’t do a lot of talking.” ~ Barack Obama, at a rally for State Senator Creigh Deeds, Tysons Corner, Virginia, August 6, 2009
15 boberin // Mar 4, 2010 at 8:46 pm
I hear ya…and I agree. But why does it happen sooo often that those that protest/rail against this or that (often homosexuality) are merely trying to convince themselves (rarely sucessfully) that THEY are not affected. Wouldn't a more prudent option be to just stay nearly mum on the subject…if one were leaning that way?
I've never met a person that is secure in their sexuality that rails long and loud about "abberations"…very odd.
16 boberin // Mar 4, 2010 at 5:52 pm
Will this sort of thing ever stop?
Anti-Gay Calif. Politician Cited for DUI-After Leaving Gay Bar
The louder the protest….
17 camojack // Mar 4, 2010 at 11:39 pm
“Once we break free from the essential constraints that were placed by the Founding Fathers in the Constitution, we’ll have no problem passing this historic health reform legislation.”
Actually, they do "break free" of the aforementioned restraints. Quite often.
It's been awhile, kind of like how often I post things on my blog. OK, not so much. But I'm glad it wasn't something to the effect of:
"Satirist Leaves ScrappleFace to Spend More Time with (fill in the blank)."
Just sayin'…
18 onlineanalyst // Mar 5, 2010 at 2:52 am
Yes, we have missed you around the campus, Scott.
Great satire here by the Maestro…and so sad in many ways. How many Americans realized the liberties and personal relations we will lose if ObamaScare passes.
19 onlineanalyst // Mar 5, 2010 at 3:11 am
Boberin: I think that if most of us had our druthers we would prefer to have insurance coverage for catastrophic illness or accident, major surgeries, and perhaps expensive testing procedures. Those who need medication for chronic illness might want to add prescription insurance.
If we paid for this insurance out of pocket with the ability to claim a tax deduction, most of us would be happy. Divorcing health insurance from employment salary would be great if the employee then were able to choose from a variety of plans across state lines
Health savings accounts would be great, too. People would be a little choosier about the need to see a physician for minor, self-limiting illnesses
20 onlineanalyst // Mar 5, 2010 at 3:13 am
If we paid the health provider directly for office visits or innoculations, the price would probably go down. Remember that once a doctor accepts insurance, he has to employ staff to tackle all of that nuisance paper work. Thus, the cost of treatment goes up because the employee of the doctor is usually paid more than a salary- all of those goodies deducted from the gross.
Health costs would diminish if we eliminated third payer (insurance companies) because people would know the true cost of their treatment. Once those layers of bureaucracy intervene, the cost escalates. Is there a need for insurance? Yes, but mostly for catastrophic or chronic situations.
A single-payer insurance program administered through the government (a horrid choice) would divorce patients from the cost of the service and drive up demand when we don't have health-care personnel to handle the overload on the system. Care would be rationed and determined by a faceless board. Your relation with your doctor regarding your health care and options would be gone.
21 JamesonLewis3rd // Mar 5, 2010 at 12:38 pm
Krauthammer.
Boehner.
22 Hawkeye_R // Mar 5, 2010 at 1:11 pm
For all practical purposes the Constitution is already dead. Barack Obama is not a "natural born citizen" because his father was a Kenyan and British subject. Congress has been passing unconstitutional laws for years and nobody takes them to SCOTUS to see if they're constitutional or not… so they stay on the books. The feds keep taking more and more of our hard-earned tax dollars. And government tyranny just gets stronger every day. Argghhhh! (:X)
23 justcauz // Mar 7, 2010 at 3:19 am
This has been a "plan " since early in the 1990's. Mainly Republican.The Dems hate it.One of my family members was given a fund ($2,500) ,before taxes that could only be used for doctor bills and medicine.This was done by her employer,who then paid for catastrophic coverage.At the end of the year any unused money could be rolled over for the next year. It is a great idea . It allowed her to ask for and compare prices and costs of procedures,so she could shop around for the best use of the money. Of course one would not shop around in an emergency ,but eventurally prices would come down. I doubt if my doctor could tell me how much it costs for him to check my Blood Pressure.
24 Cold Fury » Hope and Laughter // Mar 17, 2010 at 6:33 pm
[...] Obama Urges Straight Up-or-Down Vote on Constitution [...]
25 Sheboom // Mar 25, 2010 at 3:37 am
Sheesh Hawkeyeball. I thought Obama's father was a Ukrainian and a Russian subject
26 conserve_a_tip // Apr 13, 2010 at 1:21 pm
Constitution? What Constitution. We dun need no stinkin' Constitution - unless you talkin' 'bout some kinda morning stroll…..
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