The Liberal Echo Chamber That Gave Us Obamacare

There's an interesting article in the NY Times (yes, the Times...hard to believe) on where the liberal let went wrong in designing Obamacare and why it's likely that part or all of it will be struck down this week.  Here's part of it:

Congress held no hearing on the plan’s constitutionality until nearly a year after it was signed into law. Representative Nancy Pelosi, then the House speaker, scoffed when a reporter asked what part of the Constitution empowered Congress to force Americans to buy health insurance. “Are you serious?” she asked with disdain. “Are you serious?”

Opponents of the health plan were indeed serious, and so was the Supreme Court, which devoted more time to hearing the case than to any other in decades. A White House that had assumed any challenge would fail now fears that a centerpiece of Mr. Obama’s presidency may be partly or completely overturned on a theory that it gave little credence. The miscalculation left the administration on the defensive as its legal strategy evolved over the last two years.

“It led to some people taking it too lightly,” said a Congressional lawyer who like others involved in drafting the law declined to be identified before the ruling. “It shouldn’t strike anybody as a close call,” the lawyer added, but “given where we are now, do I wish we had focused even more on this? I guess I would say yes.”

Looking back, Democrats said they had had every reason for confidence, given decades of Supreme Court precedents affirming Congress’s authority to regulate interstate commerce, and lawyers who defended the law said they had always taken the challenge seriously even if politicians had not. But they underestimated the chances that conservative judges might, in this view, radically reinterpret or discard those precedents.

Adversaries said the law’s proponents had been too attentive to liberal academics who shaped public discussion. “There’s very little diversity in the legal academy among law professors,” said Randy E. Barnett, a Georgetown University law professor and a leading thinker behind the challenge. “So they’re in an echo chamber listening to people who agree with them.”

We'll find out who was right sometime this week, either Monday or Thursday (I'm betting it will be Thursday). I don't see the mandate surviving (I'm predicting 6-3 against) and I'm hoping they'll just kill the whole thing since there was no severability clause and without the mandate the law would collapse of its own weight anyway. 5-4 on that one.

Religious Quote of the Day

From one of the countries top "Cafeteria Catholics" - pick and chooose what you like and don't like from the religious buffet:

"I do my religion on Sundays, in church, and I try to go other days of the week; I don't do it at this press conference," Pelosi said curtly as a reporter asked about her view of the church position on contraception.

She may "do church" on Sunday, but she apparently doesn't listen.

Faith of Convenience

It must be nice to be a Catholic like Nancy Pelosi, John Kerry, or pretty much any of the Kennedys, because their faith can justify just about anything:

CNSNews.com) — House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said Thursday that her Catholic faith “compels” her to “be against discrimination of any kind” and thus for same-sex marriage.

A reporter asked Pelosi: “Many of the people that are opposed to gay marriage cite their religion as the reason why they’re opposed. You’re a Catholic that supports gay marriage. Do you believe that religion and the idea that you can support gay marriage can be separated? And how do you grapple with the idea that you support gay marriage as a Catholic?”

Pelosi responded: “My religion has, compels me — and I love it for it — to be against discrimination of any kind in our country, and I consider this a form of discrimination. I think it’s unconstitutional on top of that. ”

She uses the same twisted logic to justify abortion. Too bad most Catholic bishops are too gutless to call them on it.

Fourweird! #Forward

H/t Jay:

And a bonus:

Education Cartoon of the Day

Facts are tricky things:

Pelosi 3.19

Not, that's not a book, chapter and verse of some twisted new age Bible, but a reminder of a day when Democrats found gas prices intolerable.

However, if gas prices rise nearly $1.50 more and a Democrat is in the White House, all is well.

Political Cartoon of the Day

A shrine to the ignorant:

Nancy Pelosi: Uh, Never Mind, I Don't Really Know Anything

After suggesting she had some hidden insight into Newt Gingrich that would keep him from being elected, San Fran Nan is backing down:

Rep. Nancy Pelosi's office on Wednesday said the minority leader doesn't have any dirt on Newt Gingrich.

Pelosi has suggested in two interviews that she knows something that could prevent Gingrich from becoming president, but her office said the California Democrat doesn't have any secrets about Gingrich, who has shot to the top of national Republican polls after winning the South Carolina primary.

"The 'something' Leader Pelosi knows is that Newt Gingrich will not be President of the United States. She made that clear last night," Pelosi spokesman Drew Hammill said in a statement.

"Leader Pelosi previously made a reference to the extensive amount of information that is in the public record, including the comprehensive committee report with which the public may not be fully aware," Hammill said.

Either Pelosi was slapped down because she really does have some information and the Dems didn't want her telegraphing her hand, or this was just another effort to remain relevant in this year's election. My guess is the second one is more likely.

Newt to Nancy: Put Up Or Shut Up

Be careful what you wish for, Newt:

Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich responded to House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, California Democrat, who said on Wednesday night on CNN's John King that Mr. Gingrich would never become President of the United States.

"There is something I know. The Republicans, if they choose to nominate him that's their prerogative," said Congresswoman Pelosi. "I don't even think that's going to happen."

Mr. Gingrich appeared on The Washington Times affiliated radio program "America's Morning News" and forcefully responded to Rep. Pelosi.

"There's almost a level of hysteria about the prospect of somebody who really wants to change Washington," said Mr. Gingrich to host John McCaslin.

"I have a simple challenge for Speaker Pelosi...you know, put up or shut up. I mean, I have no idea what she's talking about. I don't think she has any idea what she's talking about, but bring it on," he said.

"My life has been looked at by lots of people and I've been around a long time. And I just think that when you are a left-wing Democrat, the prospect of a Gingrich presidency is really sort of like a nightmare," Mr. Gingrich added.

To some Republicans the prospect of a Gingrich presidency is sort of a nightmare.

I don't think Pelosi has anything of any substance because if she did she wouldn't telegraph her hand this way. She'd hold it until it was the most useful in October and then spring it when Gingrich has little time to respond.

I think she's worried what Gingrich would do to Obama in a campaign and is trying not so subtly to scare people away from Gingrich so Obama can run against Romney. That would seem to be consistent with what other prominent Democrats have said and done during the GOP campaign.

Is Nancy Pelosi Looking For a Way Out?

Morning Jolt has the info:

Nancy, Help Us Help You!

Who knew? A lot of us share the same dream with Nancy Pelosi!

Alexandra Pelosi, daughter of House Minority Leader and former Speaker Nancy Pelosi, told Big Government this week that her mother wants to leave Congress-and that she remains in Washington only at the behest of her campaign donors. 

During a telephone interview, Ms. Pelosi -- speaking from a friend's home in New York City -- described her mother's predicament:

She would retire right now, if the donors she has didn't want her to stay so badly. They know she wants to leave, though. They think she's destined for the wilderness. She has very few days left. She's 71, she wants to have a life, she's done. It's obligation, that's all I'm saying.

The Anchoress:

I hate to sound presumptuous, but Madam Speaker, on behalf of many, may I say let-not-your-heart-be-troubled about relieving yourself of obligations you have more than met. Besides, if you stay much longer in congress, someone in power, somewhere -- or perhaps maybe even someone in the mainstream press -- may finally be inclined to launch some sort of investigation into your extremely profitable tenure in Congress.

If you feel you must go, please don't remain -- burdened and unhappy -- for our sakes. As Dr. Seuss said to Marvin K. Mooney, "just go, go, go, please do, do do."

The Lonely Conservative: "Aw, poor Nancy and her heavy burden. Her choosing to stay in 'public service' has nothing to do with her own personal enrichment, I'm sure."

Sister Toldjah chuckles:

You gotta love the spin coming from Pelosi's Congressional camp. First, while it was indeed a "right-wing blog" that published the remarks, but the former House Speaker's own DAUGHTER made the remarks, not the blog. Secondly, who said anything about Rep. Pelosi "announcing" at Breitbart's site that she was retiring? Not even Alexandra Pelosi herself treats her comments as any type of "official announcement of retirement" or anything of the sort.

Ms. Pelosi did say in a follow-up text to Big Government that she has not talked to her mother about any of this. Presumably this came after an angry phone call from Mama P, chiding her daughter for letting slip a family secret that is not so secret to her political opposition and that is the fact that Pelosi is indeed beholden to her campaign donors --  and very happily so (more here).

What I found particularly interesting about the Big Government piece is that Pelosi's daughter refers to her in conversation as "Nancy Pelosi", not "mom" or "my mother". Sounds like there's more than a little dysfunction going on there.

Several pundits have predicted that should the GOP hang on to the majority in the House, and especially if Obama loses, Pelosi will retire. There won't be a spot in the limelight for a Dem Minority Leader and a GOP president. She could still get on TV as long as Obama was running things, but without the ability to have any significant impact that gets her attention, she'll probably prefer to just stay home with the grandkids...or go on some more $10,000 a night vacations like she's on now.

Pelosi: I've Got Dirt on Newt But I Won't Release It Yet

Of course she does:

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) is holding back some information on Republican Newt Gingrich that could detract from his presidential campaign, according to a report published Monday.

“One of these days we’ll have a conversation about Newt Gingrich,” Pelosi told Talking Points Memo. “When the time is right. … I know a lot about him. I served on the investigative committee that investigated him, four of us locked in a room in an undisclosed location for a year. A thousand pages of his stuff."

Gingrich, who served as Speaker of the House, worked with Pelosi in Congress from 1987 to 1999. Pelosi also served on the ethics committee that investigated Gingrich for tax cheating and campaign finance violations in the late ’90s.

Gingrich reacted to Pelosi's comments by thanking her for an "early Christmas gift."

He also said Pelosi would be violating House rules and abusing the ethics process if she disclosed anything from the ethics investigation.

Pelosi probably knows that she can't release info from an ethics investigation without placing herself in legal peril. However, she can put this word out now to prompt more scrutiny from the press and place doubts in the minds of the GOP voters.

UPDATE: Nancy is backpedaling.

Political Cartoon of the Day

From the OC Register:

Political Headline of the Day

From SFGate.com: Pelosi aide:

'60 Minutes' report a 'right-wing smear'

Yeah, those crazy right-wingers at 60 Minutes.  I think I remember seeing Steve Kroft at several Tea Party rallies.

Political Video of the Day

In case you missed it, here's the 60 Minutes report on corruption in Congress, including an ambush interview of Nancy Pelosi.

Pelosi Invested Heavily in VISA While Thwarting Credit Card Reform Legislation

From Brietbart:

Former Speaker of the House–and current Minority Leader–Nancy Pelosi apparently bought $1 million to $5 million of Visa stock in one of the most sought-after and profitable initial public offerings (IPO) in American history, thwarted serious credit card reform for two years, and then watched her investment skyrocket 203%.


The revelation appears in Throw Them All Out, the new book by investigative journalist and Breitbart editor Peter Schweizer, which was the focus of 60 Minutes on CBS this evening, and which is featured in this week’s issue of Newsweek.

Schweizer’s investigation of Pelosi and other members of Congress–from both parties–raises a critical question: should it be legal for lawmakers to buy stocks in companies directly affected by their legislative efforts?

There's more at the link, and if you're interested in the book, the link is in the box.

Post Reporter Offers a Harrowing Tale of a Night at #OccupyWallStreet

You gotta read this.  And as you do, keep in mind that both President Obama and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi have expressed approval for this protest.

Political Headline of the Day

From Drudge:

'60 MINUTES' Ambushes -- Nancy Pelosi?

She was reportedly surprised based on a slight wiggle in her left eyebrow. Given her frozen Botoxed face, that was quite a reaction.

Political Quote of the Day

You can't read this and then tell me the Democrats are concerned about jobs:

“Do you think it’s right that Boeing has to close down that plant in South Carolina because it’s non union?” asked CNBC host Maria Bartiromo.

“Yes.” Pelosi replied.

Dems care about unions and Dem special interest groups. They care nothing about average Americans who just want a good job to support their families, the kinds of jobs the Boeing plant in South Carolina will provide.

Obama Risks Another $1 Billion in Your Tax Dollars on Solar Energy Companies

How soon until these guys go bust? He apparently didn't learn anything from Solyndra.

The Energy Department on Wednesday approved two loan guarantees worth more than $1 billion for solar energy projects in Nevada and Arizona, two days before the expiration date of a program that has become a rallying cry for Republican critics of the Obama administration's green energy program.


Energy Secretary Steven Chu said the department has completed a $737 million loan guarantee to Tonopah Solar Energy for a 110 megawatt solar tower on federal land near Tonopah, Nev., and a $337 million guarantee for Mesquite Solar 1 to develop a 150 megawatt solar plant near Phoenix.


The loans were approved under the same program that paid for a $528 million loan to Solyndra Inc., a California solar panel maker that went bankrupt after receiving the money and laid off 1,100 workers. Solyndra is under investigation by the FBI and is the focal point of House hearings on the program.

Oh, and one of the honchos at Tonopah Solar Energy just happens to be Nancy Pelosi's brother-in-law. I'm sure that had nothing to do with the loan.

Oh, and this:

Steve Mitchell and Argonaut Private Equity might have a chance to recoup some of their losses in the Solyndra debacle now that the Department of Energy has given a $737 million dollar loan guarantee to a company backed by Argonaut that also lists Mitchell among its board of directors. Mitchell served on the Solyndra LLC Board of Directors.

Yeah, this is gonna turn out really well.

Pelosi: Pass the Bill The President Hasn't Written, Submitted or Scored Yet!

And do it in one piece!

Pass President Barack Obama’s jobs plan in pieces? House Democrats say no.


Democratic leaders in the lower chamber said they were determined that Obama’s yet-to-be-written jobs legislation be considered in one sweeping bill, instead of picking the package apart to pass pieces that both Democrats and Republicans could agree on.


“He introduced it as one bill,” House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said Friday, raising one finger for emphasis.

Note: The president hasn't introduced anything yet (holding up my hand in the form of a zero for emphasis).  And I wonder which one finger Pelosi was raising to America?

“It doesn’t mean that every piece of what the president was saying, that everybody was saying ‘oh my gosh, I’m so glad about that,’” she said during her weekly press conference. “But this is, again, a compromise.”


Of course, Pelosi no longer sets the House schedule, and House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) said following Obama’s speech Thursday that Republican leaders will peel off the most passable items in the measure – such as free-trade agreements and relief for small businesses.


On Friday, House Democrats took issue with the piecemeal method.

I'll let you in on a little secret - the Democrats know this bill can't pass in one piece and they're fine with that. They don't want a solution, they want the issue. They want to be able to beat up Republicans for the next year for not passing Obama's bill that would have SAVED AMERICA!  If the bill passed and the economy continued to stagger despite billions given to Dem constituencies (which is the overall plan), the Dems would be on the hook for the results.  If there's no bill and the economy staggers, it's the GOP's fault for not SAVING AMERICA!