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-- The Republican Future
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From my point of view, the problem for the Republican party is that they have lost all credibility.
Twenty years of claiming to be fiscally responsible on the one hand and racking up a mountain of debt does more than indicate that their substantive policies are flawed, it indicates that they cannot be trusted to actually pursue the economic policies that they claim to support.
Even if a Republican candidate claimed that they would pursue exactly the policies that I prefer, I would hesitate to support their candidacy because I simply don't believe them about what they purport to stand for.
To be honest I think that their best bet is to split into two parties, then try to dump the blame for all of their past misdeeds on one of them (preferably which ever one contains all of the religious whackjobs).
Re: Re: Re: The Republican Future
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| Originally posted by Lebezniatnikov Did you read the article? Almost everything you say here is off. First of all, I haven't always voted Democrat - that was a huge assumption on your part. I've always voted Dem in Presidential elections, yes, but a vote against George W. Bush hardly counts as being partisan. Hell, I worked on Capitol Hill for a Republican, not a Democrat. Second, what conservative principles does Palin adhere to? I'm very curious on this one - it seems to me she just spouts off nonsense that she thinks people want to hear. As the article notes (and these are quotes, so author "bias" is more or less irrelevant): |
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| So independent polling groups constitute "Democrats", or just me? Honestly, this defense is pretty weak. Politics always necessitates an appraisal of the strengths and weaknesses of the opposition. You think Republicans didn't constantly read polling data on Democrats in 2001? |
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| Who has been giving advice? Seriously, do you read threads or articles before you post? |
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| I love how you always use Bill Clinton to defend your allegations of liberal bias... as if that makes any sense! |
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| Look, I worked on the McCain campaign. Palin had her shortcomings, but she also brought some incredible strengths to the campaign. And perhaps the McCain staffers who continue to trash the governor are deflecting attention away from how remarkably screwed up and dysfunctional the operation was even before the Palin pick. What I don�t understand is this: Why would anyone hire a bunch of campaign staffers after watching how viciously they are attacking their former employer? |
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| She won't be avoiding the press? Are you of the opinion that she hasn't thusfar then? The book deal is hardly a problem - the problem, as pointed out in the article, is that her spokeswoman, Meg Whitman, is already using the upcoming book as a reason for Palin to decline interview invitations - "Gov. Palin will be discussing those issues substantively in her book." |
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| Wow. |
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| Such as Steve Schmidt and Mark Salter? Not to mention all the quoted people who used to work for Palin during campaigns and political offices held in Alaska. Keep wishing it away. |
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| Health care has fairly overwhelming public approval. You're probably referring solely to the stimulus here, which makes some sense since a lot of people are probably fooled by conservative claims of "socialism." |
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| So you see no problem with moderates like Sanford and Pawlenty fade away and radicals like Palin, Paul, and Limbaugh rise in legitimacy? You actually believe the party should continue to move to the right? I've mentioned before that I'm completely non-plussed by your interpretation of the McCain campaign. Acting like a Democrat, to you, is not acting like a Democrat to anyone else. |
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| Jesus Christ, who is "they"? Is this another media conspiracy? Is Purdum being funded by Nancy Pelosi now? |
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| Oh, just shut it. Hillary Clinton? |
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![]() So in your ultimate opinion, she's a raw talent viable for consideration in future elections as a "true" conservative? This is what Clovis was talking about - truly frightening. |
Re: Re: Re: Re: The Republican Future
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| Originally posted by The17sss And we all know you worked for a Republican on Capitol Hill... you wear that like a badge of honor all the time as if it makes you more bipartisan. |

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What a crock of propoganda. Are you referring to the CBS/NYT poll that said 72% of Americans were in favor of universal health care? Beacuse if you are, read the fine print and you'll see that of the 73% of respondents who said they voted in 2008 only 34% voted for McCain and 66% for Obama. The actual vote was 48% McCain. http://documents.nytimes.com/latest...l-on-health#p=7 In reality, no more than 62% of eligible voters cast ballots last year. Accordingly, the poll has sampled a lot of adults who were ineligible to vote or, as often happens, respondents lied about voting. In such cases, the lie tends to skew in favor of the winner. http://www.mlive.com/us-politics/in...nout_didnt.html |
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| Of those willing to pay higher taxes, only 43% would be willing to pay as much as $500 a year more in taxes. That means fewer than 25% of a sample largely skewed towards liberals are willing to pay an amount far less than what Obamacare may actually require. http://documents.nytimes.com/latest...l-on-health#p=5 |
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So now you want to side with Bill Clinton's assessment of that Purdum smear piece from last year about Hillary? lol |
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| No that is not my "ultimate opinion"... at all. I don't see her that way, like other newbies that have a bright political future. All I'm saying is, IF she wants to make a more legitimate play in the future, her only hope is to have more time as a governor and possibly senator where she can produce tangible results instead of rhetoric. |
Re: Re: Re: Re: The Republican Future
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| Originally posted by The17sss What a crock of propoganda. Are you referring to the CBS/NYT poll that said 72% of Americans were in favor of universal health care? Beacuse if you are, read the fine print and you'll see that of the 73% of respondents who said they voted in 2008 only 34% voted for McCain and 66% for Obama. The actual vote was 48% McCain. http://documents.nytimes.com/latest...l-on-health#p=7 In reality, no more than 62% of eligible voters cast ballots last year. Accordingly, the poll has sampled a lot of adults who were ineligible to vote or, as often happens, respondents lied about voting. In such cases, the lie tends to skew in favor of the winner. http://www.mlive.com/us-politics/in...nout_didnt.html In this poll, the sample identified as 27% liberal, 37% moderate, and 29% conservative. In contrast, the 3 week ago Gallup Poll showed Americans identify as 21% liberal, 35% moderate, and 40% conservative. http://www.gallup.com/poll/120857/C...ical-Group.aspx PLUS, The same poll published more information about this very sample, showing that 16% was temporarily out of work, and another 10% was not in the market for work... wonder if those 26% out of work will lean towards wanting free health care. The sample of people was also never asked about support in the event they were to be dumped into the public plan by their employers. The number who trust the president to make the right decisions on healthcare policy is almost exactly what it was in 1993... the number who trust Congress has actually declined. Both are below 40% in trust. http://documents.nytimes.com/latest...l-on-health#p=2 Finally, the number who would be willing to pay higher taxes to fund Obamacare (57%) is lower than in 1993. http://documents.nytimes.com/latest...l-on-health#p=4 Of those willing to pay higher taxes, only 43% would be willing to pay as much as $500 a year more in taxes. That means fewer than 25% of a sample largely skewed towards liberals are willing to pay an amount far less than what Obamacare may actually require. http://documents.nytimes.com/latest...l-on-health#p=5 |
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As Slate�s Christopher Beam explained last week, the disparity between last fall�s actual vote tallies and the results reported by NYT/CBS yesterday comes down to respondents being too embarrassed to admit that they didn�t vote:
Further as Beam explains, �Retroactive vote reporting tends to be a proxy for popularity. � In a 2006 NYT poll, more people said they voted for John Kerry in 2004 than voted for Bush.� If Powerline wanted a more reliable indicator of who was in the NYT/CBS sample, they could have looked at the proportion of respondents that identified themselves as liberal (27 percent) and compared that to the proportion that identified themselves as conservative (29 percent). Likewise, Powerline could have noted that the sample was 24 percent Republican and 38 percent Democrat � a fairly normal party identification advantage for Democrats at the moment. To buttress their claim that the NYT/CBS poll was inaccurate, Powerline linked to a recent Rasmussen poll that found comparatively little support for the creation of a public health insurance option, with just 41 percent of Americans supporting such a move. But as Nate Silver documented last week, it is the Rasmussen poll � not the NYT/CBS poll � that falls outside typical levels of support for a public health insurance found in other recent surveys: ![]() http://thinkprogress.org/2009/06/22/cornyn-powerline/ |
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: The Republican Future
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| Originally posted by MisterOpus1 The current system cannot sustain, period. And the solution that the GOP has offered, Christ, have they even offered a viable solution yet? |
Public health plan could save money faster: policy group
Wed Jun 24, 2009 8:00am EDT
By Susan Heavey
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A nationwide health insurance exchange that includes a Medicare-like government option could save $1.8 trillion more than if only private plans are offered, a prominent private U.S. health policy group said on Wednesday.
Federal spending on health-related costs would still rise from 2010 to 2020, but they would be less with a plan that pays doctors and hospital rates similar to the Medicare program for the elderly and disabled, according to a report by the Commonwealth Fund.
The New York-based health policy research group compared possible savings a health insurance exchange could bring under three different scenarios. One would include a Medicare-like plan along with private insurance. Another would instead offer a government-run plan with rates somewhat higher than Medicare. The final one would be private insurance with no government plan at all.
Such an exchange would offer a central point for consumers to shop for and compare health plans.
An exchange that instead offered a plan with rates slightly higher than Medicare but below current private plan rates would save nearly $800 billion over one with only private options, according to the Commonwealth Fund's analysis.
"Offering a public plan choice and the design of this choice makes a difference in the pace of change," said Cathy Schoen, the group's senior vice president.
Whether Democrats' plan to revamp the U.S. health care system and provide coverage to the roughly 46 million uninsured Americans includes a government-run insurance plan is a major sticking point as Congress finalizes its proposal.
Supporters say such an option would offer Americans an affordable alternative. Most people with health insurance in the United Stated get it through their employer or the government. But those who do not have coverage through work and do not qualify for Medicare or the Medicare program for the poor can face a tough time buying a policy.
The Commonwealth fund echoed those sentiments, saying private plans could lower premiums as more people seek insurance and that lower administrative costs with the government-run options may force private plans to streamline.
"It would provide a strong incentive for private plans to innovate and compete," Schoen told reporters.
Opponents say a cheaper, government plan will make it impossible for private plans to compete and may drive some out of business. It could also encourage employers to drop coverage and make employees buy a government-backed plan, they say.
Overall, an exchange with a Medicare-like plan will save nearly $3 trillion through 2020, saving consumers up to $2,200 per household, Commonwealth found. About $2 trillion of that would come after about five to six years, it said.
In comparison, an exchange including a government plan with higher rates would save $1.97 trillion and a private plan-only exchange would save almost $1.2 trillion. Both options would save a household $1,600.
Still, an exchange won't keep health costs from rising, the report added.
The increase in federal budget costs from 2010 to 2020 with the Medicare-like public plan would be $112 billion, it found. That is compared to $232 billion under the public plan with somewhat higher rates and $360 billion under a private plan-only exchange.
All three options would help insure nearly all Americans, it said, with the number of uninsured dropping to about 4 million people by 2012.
The group's analysis assumed other changes would also be made to the U.S. healthcare market. These include payment reforms to the Medicare program, an expansion of existing government coverage and new regulations that would require insurers to cover a wider range of consumers.
Hospitals and doctors would also see their revenues grow with any of the three exchanges but at a slower rate, the report said.
http://www.reuters.com/article/emai...E55N0SJ20090624
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: The Republican Future
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| Originally posted by The17sss who can seriously believe a full government takeover of the system would be cheaper and better quality? It can't be. |
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: The Republican Future
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| Originally posted by pkcRAISTLIN and yet nations all over the world manage to do this, mine included. |
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: The Republican Future
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| Originally posted by pkcRAISTLIN and yet nations all over the world manage to do this, mine included. |
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| Originally posted by Lebezniatnikov Public health plan could save money faster: policy group Wed Jun 24, 2009 8:00am EDT |
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| There are two things people most want to know from these proposals. One, how many uninsured will be covered? Two, what will it cost the nation in one year and in ten years? HSI estimates, like CBO�s recent results, find there is no free lunch to expand health insurance coverage. Our early assessment of the Senate Finance committee proposal shows a 74% reduction in the uninsured with a 10 year cost of $2.7 trillion using public option plan modeled after the Massachusetts Connector. We also modeled an FEHBP version of the public plan and got a cost of over $1.3 trillion, but with a 30% reduction in the uninsured. |
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| CBO scored the Kennedy Bill last week at approximately a 30% reduction for 1 trillion over ten years. Using the ARCOLA model, we found nearly everyone would be covered if all elements of the Kennedy bill were enacted at a ten year cost of 4 trillion. That 4 trillion estimate over 10 years assumes a public option plan with Bronze, Silver and Gold levels in the proposed insurance exchange with a subsidy for premium support that is income-adjusted and calibrated for assistance at the Silver level. The Silver level is equivalent of PPO plan with medium levels of generosity, something with 15% coinsurance rate, manageable copays and average level of access to physicians and hospitals. We accounted for the public plan being reimbursed at 10% above Medicare reimbursement, which is also 10% below commercial insurance premiums. |
Re: Re: Re: Re: The Republican Future
And now Palin has resigned as governor of Alaska.
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| Okay, we're getting our first indication of what happened. It seems like a colossal sulk on Palin's part, or perhaps better to say an effort on her part to ingeniously combine anti-liberal media bias agitation with Christianist politics by portraying herself as having been crucified by the liberal media. Said Palin, according to a reporter at the press conference, "You are naive if you don't see a full-court press on the national level, picking apart a good point guard." |
Well, so much for the whole quitting thing hurting her GOP primary chances...
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| WASHINGTON � Sarah Palin's bombshell that she is resigning as Alaska governor actually has boosted her a bit among Republicans, a nationwide USA TODAY/Gallup Poll finds, though it also has dented her standing among Democrats and independents. Two-thirds of Republicans want Palin, the party's vice presidential nominee in 2008, to be "a major national political figure" in the future. Three-fourths of Democrats hope she won't be. Independents by 55%-34% would prefer she leave the national stage. The findings underscore how polarized opinions of Palin were even before Friday's surprise announcement. Seven in 10 polled say their views weren't affected by her decision. Among those whose opinions shifted, Democrats by a 4-1 ratio and independents by 2-to-1 view her less favorably. Republicans are somewhat inclined to see her more favorably. ... When it comes to a potential presidential run, the USA TODAY Poll displays Palin's strength in the Republican base and weakness among swing voters, who traditionally decide national elections. Republicans by 71%-27% say they'd be likely to vote for her if she ran for president in 2012, while independents by 51%-44% would not. |
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