Children Health Insurance Program hyperbole
The President vetoed the Children’s Health Insurance Program legislation from Congress today – he said he would, didn’t he? But the Democrat Congress sent it to him anyway. The President even offered to negotiate with the Democrats over the bill – they refused. From the Wall Street Journal;
Democrats “made their political point” by sending Mr. Bush a bill they knew he would veto, said White House spokeswoman Dana Perino. “What the President said is, look, send me the bill, I will veto it, and then we will get about the business of trying to find some common ground and reach an agreement on a way forward.”
House Republicans were virtually locked out of the discussion over the bill, and the White House was actually locked out.
House Republicans complained that they were left out of the negotiations on the legislation, and they and the White House said the veto will open a chance to revisit the specific provisions.Â
It was a tax increase – pure and simple. And Democrats were immobile on funding the health insurance of people who could afford it – the President said he’d go for funding on families who made less than 200% of the poverty rate, while Democrats insisted on 300%. So Democrats were in for funding an entitlement program – for people who didn’t need assistance. Um, an entitlement program for the wealthiest Americans, if you will.
Dana Perino went on (Washington Post);
She added: “I think the president is willing to talk to anybody about how we continue to move forward on this program, with the focus being on how do you get back to the original intent, making sure that the neediest children get taken care of first.”
That makes perfect sense – but no one ever accused Democrats of having much sense. They wanted an issue – like I’ve said countless times in these pages, Democrats aren’t in the business of solving problems, they’re in the business of sustaining issues. The WSJ makes my point;
Groups affiliated with Democratic causes plan to drive that message home in coming days. MoveOn.org, along with labor groups, plan rallies in more than 200 congressional districts Thursday, to urge action on the legislation. The groups’ message was clear in the headline of a press release from Americans United for Change shortly after the veto: “Bush Shafts Kids.”
No, actually, Democrats shafted the neediest kids by sending a bloated bill to the President – just like they shafted the troops when they sent the same bloated Defense bill to him three times.
Speaking of bloated, Ted Kennedy chimes in with his own brand of strawman logic;
“Today we learned that the same president who is willing to throw away a half trillion dollars in Iraq is unwilling to spend a small fraction of that amount to bring health care to American children,” said Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.).
“The Congress has done its job, passing a bipartisan bill that meets a critical need without adding a penny to the federal deficit. The president has broken his promise to America’s children.”
No, Jabba the Kennedy, Democrats have broken a promise to be bi-partisan. When I wrote to my Senators Cardin and Mikulski about CHIP, Cardin didn’t bother to respond, Mikulski responded that it was for the children…blah, blah, blah. Mikulski even told me that if I didn’t like the tobacco tax, I should quit smoking. Well, suppose I did – suppose we all did. How would your health insurance program get funded then? Suppose we all cut our habit in half? How would your program get funded? Shortsighted morons that you are.Â
Powerline says “Well Done, Mr. President” and I echo that sentiment.
A quick perusal of Technorati gives me headlines like “Dear Mr. President: Private Medicine means no medicine if you’re poor” (read that: if government doesn’t do it, it won’t get done for me) and “God told him to spend the money on killing children not helping them” (read that: those God-worshippers love war and hate children) and “THEY NEED YOUR HELP!” (all caps and an exclamation point meaning they didn’t need help this morning, but as soon as the President vetoed the bill, they did need your help). Here’s a really good one; “The President and Jesus; two differing views on children“. Apparently Jesus wouldn’t have vetoed the CHIP – although I don’t remember any mandate in the New Testiment for government-funded health insurance for people that make 300% of the poverty rate.
Like Newsbusters’ Julia Seymour says; “When the story’s got children, who needs facts?”
