• Mitt Romney,  Obamacare,  President 2012,  RomneyCare

    President 2012: The Problem With RomneyCare

    August 25, 2011 /

    Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney delivers his annual State of the Commonwealth, January 18, 2006. Massachusetts lawmakers overwhelmingly approved an ambitious health-care bill on Tuesday that would make it the first U.S. state to require nearly all residents to be insured or face penalties

    I was reading a tweet from Washington Examiner’s Phil Klein about cleaning out his old G-Mail box and discovering an old Google Chat about Mitt Romney and RomneyCare. Then, I remembered I had written a post many years ago (April 5, 2006 to be precise) criticizing Romney and his Massachusett’s health care plan.

    Here is the old post     (some of the links are bad) and it rings true today as it did then.

    ++++++

    ASSociated Press: Clinton Praises Romney Health Care Plan

    A Massachusetts plan that blends the Democratic goal of universal health care with the Republican philosophy of personal responsibility could be a model for politicians nationwide — and a presidential launching pad for its chief sponsor, GOP Gov. Mitt Romney.

    The proposal, approved Tuesday by Massachusetts’ Democratic-led Legislature, won Romney cautious praise from Democrats, including a longtime champion of health care overhaul: Sen.
    Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York.

    “To come up with a bipartisan plan in this polarized environment is commendable,” said the former first lady, who led President Clinton’s failed health care campaign.

    She embraced the Massachusetts measure’s most striking aspect ” requiring people to purchase health insurance ” but questioned Romney’s plans to eliminate a fee on companies that do not provide health insurance for employees.

    “That would unravel the plan,” Clinton said.

    Of course, the LEFT and Clinton like this compulsory state sponsored plan – they want national universal care and this is a step toward their goal.

    Hugh Hewitt calls this bill a “Home Run” for Governor Mitt Romney.

    Flap says Hugh Hewitt has it WRONG.

    Romney STRIKES OUT with this proposal.

    Romney’s health care plan is another socialistic attempt to nationalize medicine. Why would ANY conservative support this fiasco?

    Sally C. Pipes over at National Review has Unhealthy in Massachusetts, The Romney plan doesn’t cut it.

    READ IT ALL.

    As for Hillary……she will have to debate health care with Rudy Giuliani in the 2008 Presidential debates not a light weight (who has decided to NOT run for re-election) like Mitt Romney.

    Mitt Romney has a RomneyCare problem which will likely be exploited by Michele Bachmann and Rick Perry. If he gets by them, then he will have to convince the American people that Sally Pipes is wrong and that ObamaCare is different than RomneyCare.

  • Michele Bachmann,  Mitt Romney,  Rick Perry

    President 2012 GOP Florida Poll Watch: Romney 51% Vs. Obama 43% Or Perry 46% Vs. Obama 45%

    August 25, 2011 /

    The 2008 Presidential Electoral College Results

    According to the latest Sachs/Masson-Dixon Florida Poll.

    A new Sachs/Mason-Dixon Florida Poll finds Barack Obama trailing Mitt Romney in America’s biggest battleground and in a dead heat with Texas Gov. Rick Perry among Republicans.

    “Unlike 2008, if the election were held today, President Obama would face a stiffer headwind to hold onto Florida and its 29 electoral votes against a top-tier Republican challenger – and that could cost him reelection,” said Ron Sachs, President of Ron Sachs Communications. “Judging by the poll, President Obama’s success in 2008 will be more difficult to duplicate in 2012. The Presidency will go to the candidate with the message that resonates with Florida’s unique and diverse population and the resources to ensure that message is received by voters across the state.”

    Among the findings of the August Sachs/Mason-Dixon Florida Poll:

    • 51 percent of Floridians would vote for Governor Romney compared to 43 percent for President Obama;
    • In a hypothetical matchup with Texas Governor Rick Perry, Perry leads with 46 percent to Obama’s 45 percent
    • President Obama leads Congresswoman Michele Bachmann 46 percent to 44 percent
    • 41 percent of Floridians approve of President Obama’s job performance while 56 percent disapprove. Fifty five percent of independents disapprove

    The GOP Presidential field is looking good in Florida. If they can avoid a messy primary election, then it looks likely for a 29 vote pick up in the Electoral College.

    Here is the primary breakdown:

    • Mitt Romney   28%
    • Rick Perry   21%
    • Michelle Bachman  13%
    • Herman Cain   7%
    • Newt Gingrich  5%
    • Ron Paul   4%
    • Rick Santorum  2%
    • Jon Huntsman    –
    • Someone else 3%
    • Undecided 17%
  • Amazon Tax,  Internet Sales Taxes

    California Legislators Push New Internet Sales Tax Bill to Thwart Amazon.com Referendum

    August 25, 2011 /

    What games the Democrats in the California Legislature play to impose or collect new taxes.

    A group of California legislators plans to pass a new online sales tax bill in a move to thwart tax opponent Amazon.com.

    Lawmakers today used a “gut-and-amend” procedure that takes an existing bill and substitutes an online sales tax measure. The bill passed the Senate Appropriations Committee today.

    In late June, Gov. Jerry Brown signed a bill requiring Amazon and other online retailers to begin collecting sales tax on California transactions. The bill passed on a regular, majority vote. Amazon has refused to collect the tax and launched a referendum to have it overturned.

    But Larry Levin, a spokesman for Sen. Loni Hancock, D-Oakland, said the new legislation would be different. It would pass on a two-thirds supermajority and would carry an “urgency” clause. That means it can’t be subject to ballot referendum, Levin said.

    I would urge my fellow Republicans in the California Legislature to BLOCK this tax increase on California taxpayers and allow the referendum process sort out the law.

  • Michele Bachmann,  Mitt Romney,  Polling,  President 2012,  Rick Perry

    President 2012 GOP Iowa Poll Watch: Perry 24% Bachmann 22% Romney 19%

    August 25, 2011 /

    According to the latest Magellan Strategies Poll.

    Magellan Strategies today released the results of an autodial survey of 676 likely 2012 Iowa Republican Presidential Caucus voters.  The survey finds Rick Perry leading Michele Bachmann by 2 points, a statistical tie.  Among all voters, Rick Perry has 24%, Michele Bachmann has 22% and Mitt Romney is a close third with 19%.  The rest of the Republican field rounds out with Ron Paul with 9%, Herman Cain with 6%, Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich with 4%, “Other Candidate” with 3%, Jon Huntsman with 1%, and 8% undecided.

    A pretty close race in Iowa.

    The CW was Iowa = a Michele Bachmann win.

    Looks like Rick Perry will be playing there and may force Romney into a third position.

  • GOP,  President 2012

    President 2012: GOP Primary Election Calendar Still NOT Set

    August 25, 2011 /

    Good Grief.

    The GOP POLS are ready – well almost ready, but the states who are all maneuvering for position to attract Republican campaign cash to their states from the campaigns are not ready.

    RNC sanctioned scenario:

    • Iowa – February 6th
    • New Hampshire –  February 14th
    • Nevada – February 18
    • South Carolina – February 28th
    • Super Tuesday – March 6 (Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Massachusetts,Vermont)

    Or…..

    States like Arizona and Florida — risking losing half their delegates and other penalties — set their primaries early, pushing Iowa, New Hampshire, and other states into January or earlier.

    What to watch:

    • Arizona and Governor Jan Brewer who must announce her state’s primary 150 days in advance has until September 2 to set a January 31, 2012 primary date.
    • Florida has until October 1 to announce their date. The RNC’s deadline for a state changing its primary or caucus date is October 1.

    Mitt Romney will want an early Florida primary to give him momentum going into Super Tuesday. Rick Perry will like the schedule as it is certainly set, since it is front loaded with Southern states where he polls the best.

    But, is the field even set?

  • Pinboard Links

    Flap’s Links and Comments for August 25th on 08:58

    August 25, 2011 /

    These are my links for August 25th from 08:58 to 09:02:

    • Texas Railroad Commission urges AG to challenge EPA cross-state pollution rule – The Texas Railroad Commission is asking Attorney General Greg Abbott to "bring a prompt legal action" to delay implementation of a new Environmental Protection Agency rule that state officials say would jeopardize electric reliability in the state.

      Luminant, the Dallas-based power generator, maintains that the planned Jan. 1 implementation of the Cross-State Air Pollution Rule, designed to curb air pollution from power plants, would force it to mothball some operations and would significantly lower revenue as a result of reduced electricity generation and wholesale power sales.

      The biggest impact is expected to be at Luminant plants in East Texas that burn lignite coal, which the company also mines in the region.

      The Railroad Commission, in a letter to Abbott dated Tuesday, said the rule "will have serious adverse economic consequences for Texas without demonstrable environmental and health benefits."

      The commission said the rule "threatens the viability of the Texas lignite mining industry, its jobs and associated economic activity" and "many coal-fired power plants may be forced to limit or shut down operations" as a result of the regulation.

      The commission noted that it regulates the surface mining of lignite coal.

      "About 45 percent of the electric power generated in Texas comes from coal, and almost 40 percent of that coal is Texas lignite, which provides Texans with jobs and a low-cost fuel," the commission said in the letter.

      The "potential loss of lignite for power significantly threatens electric reliability in Texas" and is needed "to keep the lights on," the commission added. The chairwoman of the Public Utility Commission and officials who run the state's power grid have expressed similar concerns.

      EPA officials could not immediately be reached for comment.

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      Read it all

      But, the Feds don;t care. It is the environment and to hell with Texas and Texas business.

    • EPA’s Looming Blackouts – Energy: It won't matter which light bulbs we use as the administration's implementation of cross-state pollution rules shuts down coal plants across the country. Where will the jobs be when the lights go out?

      It's called the Cross-State Pollution Rule, announced last month, and its implementation over the next 18 months will likely result in the loss of a fifth of the nation's electricity-generating capacity.

      The result will be likely power shortages, skyrocketing rates and inevitable brownouts and rolling blackouts.

      Based on Bush-era EPA proposals that the federal courts threw out in 2008, this latest example of legislation is designed to usurp state powers to regulate their in-state emissions by making it a federal issue on the grounds pollution crosses state lines.

      The rule requires coal companies in 27 states to slash emissions of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide by 73% and 54%, respectively, from 2005 levels by 2014. "Just because wind and weather will carry air pollution away from its source at a local power plant doesn't mean that pollution is no longer that plant's responsibility," says Environmental Protection Agency Chief Lisa Jackson.

      The targets are states such as Texas that not only resist federal encroachment on their powers but dare to try to balance environmental quality. The EPA claims huge health gains as its justification, but those claims are in doubt. Poverty and joblessness, which this and other EPA rules will create, carry their own health risks.

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      Read it all

  • Pinboard Links

    Flap’s Links and Comments for August 24th through August 25th

    August 25, 2011 /

    These are my links for August 24th through August 25th:

  • Twitter

    @Flap Twitter Updates for 2011-08-25

    August 25, 2011 /

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