Democratic leaders in Washington plan to spend the next week doing what they all but refused to do in the 2010 midterm elections: mount a vigorous defense of President Obama’s health care legislation.
The “all fronts” plan is a response to the decision by the new House speaker, John A. Boehner, to schedule a vote next Wednesday on a complete repeal of the health care law that Mr. Obama signed last March.
Senior Democratic officials said their effort would be managed by a rapid response operation modeled after the ones Mr. Obama used in his presidential campaign. That team will monitor Republican claims, send out fact-checks and deploy a team of surrogates to get their views on television.
Hmm. Democrats' dizzying program of lies, half-truths, intimidation, and demagoguery wasn't nearly enough to win the public's support the first time around -- but this "rapid response" operation should do the trick. Stand by for more gag orders and threats.
Obamacare is a panacea, America. Avert your eyes from stories like this, and fall in line (or, more accurately, stand in line):
Another big California health insurer has stunned individual policyholders with huge rate increases — this time it's Blue Shield of California seeking cumulative hikes of as much as 59% for tens of thousands of customers March 1.
San Francisco-based Blue Shield said the increases were the result of fast-rising healthcare costs and other expenses resulting from new healthcare laws.
"We raise rates only when absolutely necessary to pay the accelerating cost of medical care for our members," the nonprofit insurer told customers last month.
Step 1: Costly mandates and burdensome regulatory schemes dramatically increase the cost of doing business for private insurers, leading to increased premiums.
Step 2: The federal government vows to punish companies for trying to stay in business.
Step 3: Lawsuits fly.
Step 4: Democrats, citing higher premiums and greedy insurers, insist that a public option is essential.
Step 5: Hello, single payer healthcare. It's been the plan all along.
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