I don't know what it will take to turn the Democrats away from the abyss. After a year of non-stop debate, Americans hate health care reform more than ever with the latest Fox News poll showing a 20% gap (!). The approval rating for Congress couldn't buy a six-pack of beer. And Obama's approval rating has now tipped into the red.
James Taranto sees it too: "Dems pushing ObamaCare look increasingly desperate and creepy"
And the Atlantic's economic columnist Megan McArdle finds nothing good in the CBO report yet despairs that it won't matter:
Ultimately, this rests on the question: are we really going to cut Medicare? If we're not, this gargantuan new entitlement is going to end up costing us about $200 billion a year next decade, which even in government terms is an awful lot of money. There are offsetting taxes, but they're either trivial or likely to be unpopular--look forward to a 4% rent increase when your landlord has to stump over the same amount for the new tax on rents. Then look forward to repeal of same.Who cares? Barack wants his legacy.
I think this is a fiscal disaster waiting to happen. But no one on the other side cares, so I'm not sure how much point there is in saying that any more.
Extra - Hennessey untangles this mess.
More - Maggie's Farm on the real score.
And this - David Brooks: "In my view, this is no longer about health care. It's just Democrats wanting to pass a bill, any bill, and shredding anything they have in order to get it done."
Finally - Critical Condition: "Obamacare will break the bank, not cut the deficit."
6 comments:
From:
Yo, CBO! What's taking so long?
To:
Who believes that stupid old CBO anyway?
In 49 hours!
"Ultimately, this rests on the question: are we really going to cut Medicare?"
If we don't cut Medicare, it won't make a whit of difference whether this bill passes or not. The additional costs will be a mere blip in the ocean of cash being paid for retired baby-boomers' health care. Since the Republicans are now on record as opposing Medicare cuts, who are you going to vote for, Eric?
$200 billion a year out of the American economy. What a disaster.
An electoral disaster... for the GOP. This November's immediate results will be fluid for 4 or 5 reasons, but the Democrats are going to be dining out on this bill for decades of Novembers to come. That assessment may be the only thing Bill Kristol has gotten right in the last 20 years.
And that historic likelihood is what truly terrifies Republicans - not their incredibly sudden love of balanced budgets. Why, we may end up taking Ronald Reagan off the 50-dollar bill and replacing him with Obama.
"Likelihood"? Oh Dave, Dave, Dave.
I'm looking forward to the electoral disaster this November.
An excellent idea. Get your happiness when and while you can.
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