• Pinboard Links

    Flap’s Links and Comments for April 14th on 15:29

    These are my links for April 14th from 15:29 to 17:54:

    • Mitt Romney Picks Up Florida Rep. Connie Mack Endorsement – Mitt Romney has picked up another important Florida endorsement as he continues to build his network in the crucial primary state ahead of his probable run for president. U.S. Rep. Connie Mack IV has said that he will support the former Massachusetts governor because of his economic background and leadership.

      "We need true leadership in the White House with someone who is uniquely qualified to grow the economy and create the quality jobs that Americans deserve and need, " Mack told the St. Petersburg Times.

      Mack, who supported Romney in 2008, is a popular Republican congressman in southern Florida, and was expected to run for U.S. Senate but decided against it in a surprising move last month.

      Former Chairman of the Republican Party of Florida and powerful state Senator John Thrasher also said last month that he would also support a Romney 2012 candidacy.

      "If Governor Romney decides to run for president in 2012, I will absolutely be supporting him and helping him in Florida," Thrasher told FOX in March." He would be a great GOP nominee." 

      ======

      Romney has had a good week in Florida. He has led in two polls and now these endorsements.

    • As California economy stumbles, Medi-Cal costs climb – In California’s state Capitol, they call it counter-cyclical, a mundane term used to describe the volatile rollercoaster effect of a bad economy on government-run social programs. As the economy and tax revenues decline, demand for many state-run programs increases, putting more stress on the budget just when it can handle it least.

      The grand daddy of all counter-cyclical programs: Medi-Cal, the state and federal program that provides health care for the poor.

      “In California, the primary catalyst of growth in the Medi-Cal program in recent years has been the economic downturn,” said Anthony Cava of the Department of Health Care Services, which manages the Medi-Cal program.

      Medi-Cal is California’s version of the nationally implemented Medicaid program and it provides more than 7.7 million low-income families, children, and elderly, and disabled Californians will health care and other vital human resources. Costs for the program are split by the federal and state governments, with a total price tag of about $53 billion this year.

      =======

      Not too shocking.

      And, they will grow astronomically under ObamaCare.

      But, what businesses will be left in California to pay the tab for everyone, including the millions of illegal immigrants?

  • Pinboard Links

    Flap’s Links and Comments for April 13th on 14:02

    These are my links for April 13th from 14:02 to 14:05:

    • The president speaks, says very little about America’s debt issues – As I and many others expected, Obama today gave a speech about nothing much at all — if you don’t count attacking the only viable debt-reduction plan out there. He didn’t endorse the Simpson-Bowles plan. He did not propose a Social Security fix. He did not provide an alternative to top-down rationing of Medicare. One wonders how the White House thinks this helps the president.

      It was rather embarrassing in what it did offer: negotiations with Joe Biden, more defense cuts and taxes on the rich. How utterly trite.

      =======

      Read it all

    • Mitt Romney says President Obama deficit plan ‘too little, too late’ – Expected Republican presidential contender Mitt Romney immediately pounced on President Obama’s deficit-cutting proposal, saying it didn’t go far enough and relied too heavily on tax increases.

      “President Obama’s proposals are too little, too late,” Romney said in a statement released minutes after Obama today finished his speech outlining his plan. “Instead of supporting spending cuts that lead to real deficit reduction and true reform of Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security, the President dug deep into his liberal playbook for ‘solutions’ highlighted by higher taxes.”

      Obama proposed a menu of options to reduce the deficit, including cuts in defense spending, an overhaul of the tax system, and an end to Bush-era tax cuts for wealthier Americans. The plan would lower the deficit by about $4 trillion over a dozen years.

      Obama’s proposal comes in response to a House Republican plan that would cut $5.8 trillion in spending over the next decade. That plan would allow the Bush tax cuts — now set to expire in 2012 — to be extended indefinitely, and Republicans have opposed any proposal to end the tax break.

      "With over 20 million people who are unemployed or who have stopped looking for work, the last thing we should be doing is raising taxes on job-creators, entrepreneurs, and small business owners across America,” Romney said in his statement.

      =======

      Tax and Spend

  • Pinboard Links

    Flap’s Links and Comments for April 11th on 12:16

    These are my links for April 11th from 12:16 to 12:23:

    • The 9th Circuit strikes down Arizona’s immigration law – I examine the concurring opinion in some detail for two reasons. First, preemption doctrine requires a close reading of the statute and analysis of its purpose. Objections to a state statute cannot be brushed off because the federal government is “not doing its job.” That may be true, but this is a political and not a legal argument. Second, if immigration exclusionists think they are going to get a more satisfactory analysis from judges than the one rendered by Judge Noonan they are, I would suggest, kidding themselves. Noonan’s decision made Swiss cheese of the state’s law, an indication of how difficult it is to skirt the federal government’s dominance in the field of foreign policy and border control.

      A final observation: Conservatives are making a principled argument regarding Obamacare on the Constitution’s commerce clause in support of the federal system of government. That same structure that limits federal power also limits state power. They should be faithful to the words and intent of the Constitution in both situations.

      ======

      If Americans are serious about illegal immigration here are the remedies:

      1. Enforce existing immigration laws, including enhanced employer's raids.

      2. Pass and implement E-Verify for employment.

      3. Secure the southern border with Mexico.

      The states should forget about Arizona type laws and Americans should hold their poltician's feet to the fire on the above 3.

    • What Tim Pawlenty’s hiring of Nick Ayers means? – Chris Cillizza reports that presidential contender Tim Pawlenty has hired the former executive director of the Republican Governors Association as his campaign manager.

      Pawlenty has been courting Nick Ayers for months. I am told by those involved in the process that Ayers, who served alongside Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour at the RGA, was waiting for Barbour, the candidate with whom he is closest, to make up his mind on whether to run. Now that Ayers has accepted a spot with Pawlenty, the chances of a Barbour presidential race have plunged. It may also be that Barbour’s extremely rocky start, overshadowed by his views on race, persuaded Ayers not to join him.

      =======

      Probably not much.

      Tim Pawlenty may be a nice guy and all but is not very exciting. I would say about as exciting as Romney but without the personal fortune.

      If the GOP is going to throw a "Bob Dole" type candidate out there it will be Romney and not Pawlenty.

      Pawlenty for VP would really bore the GOP base.

  • Pinboard Links

    Flap’s Links and Comments for April 4th on 11:17

    These are my links for April 4th from 11:17 to 12:41:

    • Verizon: Full Steam Ahead on Net Neutrality Lawsuit – Will Re-File Lawsuit – It's full steam ahead for Verizon's judicial challenge to the FCC's controversial network neutrality rules – despite a procedural hiccup on Monday. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit tossed out the company's legal challenge because Verizon jumped the gun by submitting it too early.

      A Verizon spokesman blamed the dismissal on the FCC, which he said was unclear about when an appeal should be filed. He confirmed that the telecom giant plans to resubmit its suit, but this time it will wait until the commission publishes its new Internet rules in the federal register next month.

      In December, the agency's three Democrats adopted net neutrality safeguards designed to bar Internet providers from blocking or degrading online competitors. Proponents say the move was necessary to protect the Internet from being controlled by major corporations, while critics – including many Republicans – dismiss the action as unecessary government overreach.

      ====

      As I said the first time.

    • Net neutrality rules spared — for now – Although a D.C. appeals court has just thrown out Verizon's lawsuit against the new net neutrality rules, it's worth noting that the suit has not been thrown out for any reason relating to the substance of the case.  National Journal reports:

      A D.C. court of appeals has thrown out Verizon’s challenge to recent net neutrality rules, saying the company filed the lawsuit prematurely.

      Verizon launched the legal challenge before the rules, which were enacted in December, were filed in the Federal Registry.

      =====

      So, the litigation will be refiled undoubtedly.

    • Smearing Rep. Paul Ryan’s Medicare Plans – Liberals are already lining up to attack Rep. Paul Ryan's budget proposal, even though it won't be released until Tuesday.

      But before getting to that, it's worth clarifying a misunderstanding about what he's actually going to propose with regard to Medicare.

      Despite press accounts to the contrary, Ryan made clear on Fox News Sunday that his proposal would not include the idea of converting Medicare into a system in which beneficiaries would receive vouchers for the purchase of private insurance, which was included in his "Roadmap" plan. "That's not what we're proposing," Ryan said. "Our reforms are along the line of what I proposed with Alice Rivlin, the Democrat from the Clinton administration in the fiscal commission, which is a premium support system. That's very different from a voucher. Premium support is exactly the system I as a member of Congress and all federal employees have. It works like the Medicare prescription drug benefit, similar to Medicare Advantage today, which means Medicare puts a list of plans out there that compete against each other for your business, and seniors pick the plan of their choosing, and then Medicare subsidizes that plan. It doesn't go to the person, into the marketplace. It goes to the plan. More for the poor, more for people who get sick, and we don't give as much money to people who are wealthy."(…)

      It's also important to note that Medicare as we know it won't be around for future generations anyway, because it's financially unsustainable. So the real policy debate we need to having is whether we want to move in the liberal direction, which relies on higher taxes and more centrally-imposed cost controls, or a more free market approach in which taxes are kept low and health care costs are contained by creating a real consumer-driven market for health care. That debate is beyond the scope of this post, but the important point is that Medicare won't survive in its current form no matter what.

      ======

      Exactly, correct.

      Reform now or a more disastrous result in the future.

    • Flap’s Dentistry Blog: The Pros and Cons of Wisdom Teeth Extractions – The Pros and Cons of Wisdom Teeth Extractions
    • President 2012: George W. Bush announces running for fourth term – From CBS News:

      Attorney General Eric Holder today will announce that self-proclaimed Sept. 11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammad will be tried in a military commission, CBS News has learned. A source says the commission will be held at the Guantanamo Bay prison.

      Trying Mohammed in a civilian court and closing the Guantanamo prison were once some of the Obama administration's top priorities, but political realities have hamstrung both goals.

      This coincides perfectly with Obama's re-election announcement.

      ======

      Yeah, real change you can believe in —> to win the future.

    • Poll Watch: 31% Approve of Republicans, 32% Approve of Democrats in Congress | Flap’s Blog – FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog – Poll Watch: 31% Approve of Republicans, 32% Approve of Democrats in Congress #tcot #catcot
    • Mitt Romney’s ongoing health-care travail – Right Turn – The Washington Post – President 2012: Mitt Romney’s ongoing health-care travail
    • President 2012: Mitt Romney’s ongoing health-care travail – All-but-declared GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney shot back at President Barack Obama [Saturday] for his increasingly frequent words of praise for the health-care reform law Romney put in place as governor of Massachusetts.

      “He does me the great favor of saying that I was the inspiration for his plan,” Romney said at a speech in Las Vegas. “If that’s the case, why didn’t you call me? Why didn’t you ask what was wrong? Why didn’t you ask if this was an experiment, what worked and what didn’t?”

      Actually, the president did one better. He consulted with the expert who designed Romney’s Massachusetts plan, MIT professor Jon Gruber.

      What is bizarre, however, is Romney’s reference to costs. His plan did nothing to contain costs, a goal that Gruber said was not part of the plan. So is Romney confessing that his own plan would “bankrupt” his state?

      I asked a Romney spokesperson:

      1. The president did consult with the chief adviser to then-Gov. Romney. What could Romney have told the president that Jon Gruber did not?

      2. What were the things that “didn’t work”? That “did work”?

      3. Which category is the individual mandate in?

      ======

      Read it all and yes, Mitt Romney has a hard time defending RomneyCare against President Obama.

  • Pinboard Links

    Flap’s Links and Comments for March 29th on 10:02

    These are my links for March 29th from 10:02 to 10:28:

    • EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: RomneyCare author Jonathan Gruber – Right Turn – The Washington Post – Jennifer Rubin: RomneyCare author Jonathan Gruber
    • Jennifer Rubin: RomneyCare author Jonathan Gruber – In short, Gruber is the most powerful voice (and the most dangerous one for the Romney campaign) for three fundamental points: 1) Romney championed the individual mandate, overriding concerns about personal freedom; 2) the plan today is pretty much the same as what Romney signed into law; and 3) without it in all likelihood we wouldn’t have ObamaCare today. That might sound like a reason for Democrats to vote for him, but in a Republican presidential primary all of that may be the death knell of the Romney candidacy.

      =====

      A good interview by Jennifer Rubin that pretty much spells the end of Romney's distancing from his Massachusett's Health Care Plan – RomneyCare.

      He owns it and as a ObamaCare precursor he has lots of explaining to do – as I wrote about at the time it passed.

  • Pinboard Links

    Flap’s Links and Comments for March 25th on 06:38

    These are my links for March 25th from 06:38 to 06:55:

    • President 2012: Scapegoating Mitch Daniels – Over the past year, Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels has been a case study in how not to seek the Republican presidential nomination — if indeed that is his intention.
      Despite having a generally conservative governing record, in the run-up to a possible candidacy, Daniels has managed to alienate all parts of the GOP’s so-called “three-legged” stool. He has rattled economic conservatives by floating the possibility of a VAT tax, unnerved national security hawks by talking about defense cuts and seeming indifferent about foreign policy, and angered values voters by calling for a “truce” on social issues while the country confronts the national emergency of our fiscal crisis.
      It’s the latter comments that have drawn the most heat, giving his potential rivals an easy opening at conservative events to say that yes, social issues are a priority.
      But while Daniels has become a popular target for social conservatives who understandably don’t want to see their issues downplayed, the reality is that Daniels’ crime was to say explicitly what most of the other potential candidates are saying and doing implicitly — that is, emphasizing the importance of economic and fiscal issues over moral matters.

      =======

      Read it all.

    • Sen. Jim DeMint’s Defense of RomneyCare is Ignorant…And Dangerous – Jennifer Rubin alerts me to these disturbing comments Sen. Jim DeMint made to the Hill in defense of RomneyCare:
      “One of the reasons I endorsed Romney [in 2008] is his attempts to make private health insurance available at affordable prices,” said Sen. Jim DeMint (S.C.), a GOP kingmaker.
      DeMint blames Democrats in the Massachusetts State Legislature for adding many of the features to Romney’s plan that many on the right decry.
      “It just depends on how he plays it. For me, I think he started with some good ideas that were essentially hijacked by the Democrat Legislature,” DeMint said.
      To start with, blaming everything on the Democratic legislature is simply not an accurate account of what happened. Romney helped craft the basic architecture of the health care plan, and pursued it even though he knew that he was working with an overwhelming Democratic legislature who he knew would override his symbolic line-item vetoes of parts of his bill. He signed the bill with Ted Kennedy at his side, and did so knowing he wasn't seeking reelection and that it would almost certainly fall on a Democratic governor to implement it….

      ======

      Read it all

      Sen. Jim DeMint is turning out to be just another POL.

    • President 2012: Tea party leader says he’d endorse Mitch Daniels – Gov. Mitch Daniels: the tea party pick for president?

      That could happen, former House Majority Leader Dick Armey, R-Texas, said Thursday.

      Armey, now the leader of the tea party group FreedomWorks, was in Indiana to begin a three-day campaign-training seminar his group is conducting along with the Indiana-based tea party group America ReFocused.

      He met with Daniels privately before a Statehouse ceremony honoring the governor with a "legislative entrepreneur award" and told reporters he encouraged Daniels to "think about the service he could do for this nation as president."

      =====

      Some on the right are scapegoating Mitch Daniels but Dick Armey knows Daniels is a credible conservative office holder with a track record.

  • Pinboard Links

    Flap’s Links and Comments for March 17th on 15:02

    These are my links for March 17th from 15:02 to 15:07:

    • DeMint walks back his Romney support — after the right attacks him – (“Is DeMint going to risk his Tea Party status for ROMNEY??”) Very shortly thereafter, a DeMint aide contacted The Hill to walk back DeMint’s comments, claiming DeMint “never considered backing Romney again unless he admits that his Massachusetts health-care plan was a colossal mistake.” That’s a flip-flop worthy of, well, Mitt Romney.

      The answer to Right Turn’s question is: No, DeMint is not going to throw away his standing with the Tea Party to give Romney cover for a plan that is an anathema to the base. The problem for Romney now is: If DeMint won’t let him get away with defending RomneyCare with spurious arguments, who will?

      ======

      Well, nobody I know.

    • Willie Sutton Never Met a Payroll or How the GOP Can Make Federal Budget Arguments – “Hey, look over there! There are some really expensive programs over there!” Mike Kinsley criticizes one of the most annoying liberal arguments against cutting the fat in government–the Willie Sutton argument, or “Why bother to cut the fat in these agencies and programs when the really big budget busters are entitlements like Medicare and Social Security”:

      It’s also true, but unconvincing, that the whole budget debate is focusing on the smallest part of federal spending — discretionary spending — and ignoring the big bucks, which are in inexorably rising health care costs. Given all past experience, a perfectly adequate reaction to the Obama administration’s claims that health care reform will save the government money is, “I’ll believe it when I see it.” But that is no reason not to show more discipline on smaller matters. Every little bit helps.

      You’d think a good GOP  budget-cutting argument would be: “They’re talking about cutting Social Security and Medicare costs to control the deficit, but it would be wrong to cut even a dollar from someone’s Social Security checks or Medicare to pay for unnecessary bureaucrats in Washington.”

      =======

      Well, argued.

  • Pinboard Links

    Flap’s Links and Comments for March 16th on 09:36

    These are my links for March 16th from 09:36 to 09:56:

    • President 2012: 5 reasons why Mitch Daniels should run for president – For months now, as Gov. Mitch Daniels has taken up residency on the op-ed pages of the Wall Street Journal and collected gobs of frequent-flyer miles during his many visits to D.C., Indiana political observers have debated at length the question of whether he will run for president in 2012.

      But here's a better question: Should he run for president?

      Today, less than a year before the Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primaries, let's discuss the five most compelling reasons for Daniels to make a run for the White House. (On Friday, we'll discuss the five reasons he should not.)

      =========

      Read it all

    • Mitch Daniels worse than Romney on health care? – So much for Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels being the last, best hope for fiscal conservatives in 2012.

      Daniels was my choice for the 2012 Republican nomination until I heard an interview RealClearPolitics.com dug up from his days as political director for the Reagan White House. Imagine the individual mandate morphed with the public option, and that's what Daniels supported in 1987.

      When Robert Novak, famed journalist and cohost of "Evans and Novak" on CNN, asked Daniels if federal health insurance for catastrophic illnesses should be a GOP agenda item, he replied, "I sure do, and I'm glad you asked."

      If Gov. Mitt Romney should lose his credentials as a fiscal conservative for instituting an individual mandate and an insurance program to cover the poor in Massachusetts, Daniels ought to lose his credentials for trying to nationalize health insurance.

      Short stature and a receding hairline aren't Daniels' only obstacles to the nomination. He must explain how someone who supports free-market economics could ever be in favor of socialized insurance.

      For a guy who, in March 2010, criticized Obamacare in the Wall Street Journal by saying, "We better start adjusting to our new status as good Europeans," his stance in 1987 sounds pretty European.

      But maybe, like Romney on many issues, Daniels has had a change of heart on health care. In his piece for the Journal, he advocates for a host of conservative reforms that "[s]hift to a system that allows individuals – not businesses – to buy health insurance tax free."

      ======

      Read it all.

      Mitch Daniels is slow out of the gate and appears not to be gearing up for a Presidential run anyway.