The Fundamental Transformation of the Nation by Monica Crowley

Last night on "The O'Reilly Factor," I recalled how Barack Obama spoke in 2008 about the "fundamental transformation of the nation." After five years of his presidency, we see the enormous success he's had in achieving it. The objective was always to move America away from a nation built on individual liberty and economic freedom and toward a government welfare and dependency state. Socialism, communism, statism, leftism....in the end it doesn't matter what you call it, because what matters is what's being carried out....and its consequences.

Radical wealth redistribution, class warfare, socialized medicine, the atomization of American society, divisive identity politics, the war on success, the loss of our Triple A credit rating, the retrenchment of U.S. power abroad, the gutting of our military, the erosion of our international credibility.... It's all being done deliberately by Obama and the Left in order to "fundamentally transform" this country into just another crippled dependency state.

After five years of evidence, people are still wondering aloud why Obama doesn't negotiate, why he doesn't compromise, why he doesn't handle things the way, say, Bill Clinton did.

Wake the BLEEP up! (And by the way, my book laid all of this out and more. Please see the top of this website for how to order the paperback edition of "What The (Bleep) Just Happened?" It's all there...and way ahead of its time.)

Unlike Clinton, who was a pragmatist, Obama is a pure ideologue. Why do you think he hasn't negotiated with Republicans? A) Because he doesn't really have to, given that the Left in Congress and the media protects and advances his interests at every turn and because the GOP is so spineless, and B) because he's a total ideologue who will NEVER give ANYTHING on his way to "fundamentally transforming the nation."

Via: MonicaMemo

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DEMS PUSH TO TAKE UP AMNESTY, SAY BOEHNER WILL CAVE

On Thursday, President Obama took to the White House podium to triumphantly announce the end of the government shutdown. In doing so, he proclaimed that he wanted to push forward with other legislative priorities, including a budget, immigration reform, and the long-stalled pork-laden farm bill.

“[I]n the coming days and weeks, we should sit down and pursue a balanced approach to a responsible budget, a budget that grows our economy faster and shrinks our long-term deficits further,” Obama stated. Historically, “balanced” has been code for tax increases.

Obama then pushed on to immigration reform: “Number two. We should finish the job of fixing our broken immigration system.” Naturally, he blamed the Republican House for stalling his preferred immigration bill.

Finally, Obama called for the farm bill to be passed: “Number three. We should pass a farm bill, one that American farmers and ranchers can depend on, one that protects vulnerable children and adults in times of need, one that gives rural communities opportunities to grow and the long-term certainty that they deserve.” And, disingenuously, he called for negotiations.

Via: Breitbart

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Tech Expert to NBC Reporter on Obamacare Roll-Out: Without Changes, ‘This Project is Doomed’

In a report which aired on MSNBC on Thursday, NBC News reporter Tom Costello examined the software which users access in order to sign up for health insurance exchanges under the Affordable Care Act. The report was highly critical of the software on Healthcare.gov. Without significant changes, one expert said, the future of the ACA exchanges was in doubt.

Costello began by noting that some estimates, including a study performed by Millward Brown Digital, note that less than one percent of visitors to Healthcare.gov were able to purchase insurance.

“Amateur hour,” said software programing company owner Luke Chung. “It looks like it was created by someone who’s never delivered commercial software before.”

“Programming experts say a lot of work needs to be done,” Costello reported.

“If they don’t change management, this project is doomed,” Chung concluded. “Because we’ve already seen what the existing management considers ready for shipping. And it’s not.”

RELATED: Analysis: 0.4% of All HealthCare.Gov Visitors Enrolled in First Week

In a follow up conversation with MSNBC anchor Thomas Roberts and Washington Post reporter Juliet Eilperin, they noted that insurance exchanges on the state level appear to be functioning but the federal version of that system has not functioned as expected.

“So how is the White House supposed to respond to this?” Roberts asked. “Because is the onus supposed to be on the state or the federal government taking responsibility for it, or is this a purposeful way to make it look so messy so that there has to be something more done?”

Eilperin said that this was a question for the administration. She again noted that the government has not released statistics about how many insurance shoppers have been able to sign up for the exchanges.

Via: Mediaite.com

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Administration Blows Its Credibility With Disastrous Obamacare Rollout

Whitehouse.govThe Obama administration doesn’t want to talk about Obamacare. At a press briefing on Tuesday, White House Press Secretary Jay Carney dodged questionsabout the ongoing failure of the law’s federally-run health insurance portal, Healthcare.gov, which after two weeks is still practically impenetrable to all but the most dedicated users. 

Carney refused to say when the exchange might be working, and directed reporters' questions to the agencies in charge of the project. “Those are all questions for HHS and CMS,” he said, referring to the Department of Health and Human Services and the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

But the head of HHS isn’t saying much. Following a disastrous interview with Jon Stewart on The Daily Showlast week, HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius has avoidedmost media inquiries. The head of CMS, Marylyn Tavenner, is staying mum too. She refused to answer questions New York Times reporters posed about the performance of the exchanges.

That’s hardly a shock. What could either of them say? The federal exchange system simply does not work. And the administration has run out of excuses. Even President Obama—who initially excused the exchange problems as being typical of a large technology rollout—has begun to talk more frankly about the system’s flaws. "The website that was supposed to do this all in a seamless way has had way more glitches than I think are acceptable," he said on Tuesday.

Via: Reason

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Former official: Admin refused to bring in outside help for ObamaCare website for fear GOP would subpoena them; Update: Ten-year-old technology? Update: No improvement in week two; Update: Wasn’t tested until days before launch?

Via Lachlan Markay and Ace, who calls it “Nixonian.” This is the rare Hot Air item that might actually make liberals angrier at the White House than conservatives. If you’d staked your party’s credibility on realizing the utopian dream of universal health care only to have Obama deliver this fartburger, you’d be furious. Why anyone on either side still wants Sebelius in charge, I have no idea.

Facing such intense opposition from congressional Republicans, the administration was in a bunker mentality as it built the enrollment system, one former administration official said. Officials feared that if they called on outsiders to help with the technical details of how to run a commerce website, those companies could be subpoenaed by Hill Republicans, the former aide said. So the task fell to trusted campaign tech experts.

Very important to understand: Between this and the fact that HHS deliberately hid the price of insurance behind a reg wall on Healthcare.gov to reduce “rate shock,” the grand takeaway about the website’s failure is that O and his team made it much worse than it needed to be because they were terrified of transparency. And the reason they were terrified of transparency, both in the case of hiding the cost of the premiums from web users and hiding the site’s architectural problems from contractors who might be hauled before Congress, is because they know they’ve delivered a bad product. Put the premiums on the front page and the public, expecting “affordable care,” would recoil at the truth. Put the contractors at the witness table before Issa’s committee and the public, expecting that the government would “fix” health care, would recoil upon discovering that they can’t even build a website with three years’ lead time.

I don’t know what’s more amazing, that they’d place their own political comfort above creating a smoother user experience for the uninsured or that they somehow didn’t realize that a botched rollout on October 1 would be far more embarrassing than contractors talking to Republicans under oath. Or … would it? What was HHS so worried that outside contractors would tell the GOP that they preferred to risk total chaos on the exchanges during launch month instead?

Via: Hot Air

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OBAMA NOMINATING JOHNSON TO HEAD HOMELAND SECURITY

President Barack Obama has chosen former Pentagon lawyer Jeh (jay) Johnson as the new secretary of the Homeland Security Department.

Obama plans to announce Johnson's nomination Friday. He must be confirmed by the Senate before taking over the post most recently held by Janet Napolitano (neh-pahl-ih-TAN'-oh). Napolitano stepped down in August to become president of the University of California system.

A senior administration official on Thursday confirmed Johnson's selection, first reported by The Daily Beast. The official said Obama chose Johnson because of his experience as a national security leader.

The official was not authorized to speak about the nomination on the record and spoke on condition of anonymity. 

Via: Breitbart

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HHS Spent $56 Million on Conferences in 2012

Kathleen Sebelius discusses Obamacare in Texas / AP

BY: Elizabeth Harrington
October 17, 2013 11:00 am

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) spent over $56 million on 135 conferences in one year, ranging from Head Start meetings to diversity seminars.

According to the agency’s report on conferences for fiscal year 2012, HHS spent an average of $415,784 per event.

Four conferences were devoted to the Head Start program, including the “1st National Birth to Five Leadership Institute,” a three-day conference held at the Washington Hilton for $836,521. The conference taught participants how to become Head Start leaders.

A “Head Start Research Conference” held at the Grand Hyatt in Washington, D.C., cost $1,130,000.

HHS’s Office of Refugee Resettlement hosted a $350,000 conference at the Crystal Gateway Marriott in Arlington, Va., entitled, “Transforming Hope into a Brighter Future.”

“The purpose of this meeting was to consult with various stakeholder groups to support vulnerable populations in becoming self-sufficient in the United States,” a description of the event said.

Two conferences were held on “health care in rural America” in Washington, D.C. within two months, for a total of $319,467.

Another event focused on how to “diversify the nursing workforce,” at a cost of $151,200. The “Nursing 3D: Workforce Diversity, Health Disparities, Social Determinants of Health” event was held at the North Bethesda Marriott in Maryland.

“The purpose of the summit was to convene experts, thought leaders, and key workforce diversity stakeholders to identify the full range of academic and health system factors, as well as the social, economic, and environmental determinants that influence our ability to diversify the nursing workforce,” HHS said.

Via: WFB

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McConnell: No More Shutdowns Over Obamacare

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell made it clear on Thursday that repealing Obamacare would never be used by Republicans again to bring the federal government to a halt.

“One of my favorite old Kentucky sayings is there’s no education in the second kick of a mule," the Kentucky Republican told The Hill. "The first kick of a mule was when we shut the government down in the mid-1990s — and the second kick was over the last 16 days.

“There is no education in the second kick of a mule," McConnell added. "There will not be a government shutdown."

The Obamacare strategy was pushed by several young Republicans in the House and Senate backed by the tea party — including freshman Sen. Ted Cruz, who spoke against the healthcare plan for more than 21 hours on the Senate floor last month — which led to a 16-day partial shutdown of the government and jeopardized the nation's credit authority.

“I think we have fully now acquainted our new members with what a losing strategy that is,” McConnell told the Hill. 

The Obamacare strategy was pushed by several young congressional Republicans backed by the tea party — including freshman Sen. Ted Cruz, who spoke against the healthcare plan for more than 21 hours on the Senate floor last month — which led to a 16-day partial shutdown of the government and jeopardized the nation's borrowing authority.

“I think we have fully now acquainted our new members with what a losing strategy that is,” McConnell told the Hill. 

The federal government reopened on Thursday after a battle-scarred Congress approved a bipartisan measure to end the shutdown and avert the possibility of an economy-jarring default on U.S. obligations.

Via: Newsmax

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It Depends on What the Meaning of 'Settled Law' Is by Ann Coulter

No major legislation has ever been passed like Obamacare -- and I'm using the word "passed" pretty loosely. 

It became law without both houses ever voting on the same bill. (Say, is the Constitution considered "settled law"?) Not one Republican voted for it -- and a lot of Democrats immediately wished they hadn't. 

Historically, big laws have been enacted with large, bipartisan majorities. In 1935, President Roosevelt enacted Social Security with a 372-33 vote in the House and 77-6 in the Senate. 

In 1965, Medicare passed in the Senate 70-24 and the House 307-116, with the vast majority of Democrats supporting this Ponzi scheme and Republicans roughly split. 

Reagan's magnificent tax cuts in 1981 -- which Democrats now denounce as if they'd been appalled at the time -- passed with a vote of 89-11 in the Senate and even 323-107 in the hostile Democratic House. 

Even Bill Clinton's signature legislative achievement -- Midnight Basketball for the Homeless -- received more bipartisan support than Obamacare. 

Via: TownHall

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White House: Refuses To Answer If Anyone Will Be Held Accountable For Botched Obamacare Rollout

NOBODY WILL EVER BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE IN THIS ADMINISTRATION!!!!   PERIOD!!!!

White House Press Secretary Jay Carney refused to answer whether anyone in the administration or in the companies contracted to build the Obamacare online exchanges would be held accountable for the rocky rollout of the President’s healthcare law.

In answer to the question from Fox News’ Chief White House Correspondent Ed Henry, Carney said questions over contracted companies should be referred to the Department of Health and Human Services, and that the President knew the website needed improvement. When Henry asked if no one was to be held accountable then, Carney could only respond:

“Again the accountability the President seeks right now is the accountability that comes from making the system better, from improving the process for consumers, fixing the problems that have arisen, and making sure that millions of Americans – for whom this program was created – are getting the benefits that it provides.”

Via: WFB

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Biden Offers Federal Workers Handshakes, Hugs, and Kisses

Vice President Joe Biden offered returning federal workers handshakes, hugs, and kisses -- and muffins, too -- this morning at the EPA headquarters in Washington, D.C. 

Via the pool report:

As pool awaited the VP, EPA administrator Gina McCarthy hopped – literally, hopped – as she entered the building and then headed to greet him at a back entrance far from pooler’s view. 

Pool first spotted VP at about 9:17 am, rounding the corner from the back entrance, finding a cluster of workers who caught wind of his visit. He carried a few containers of “Coffee Cake Bites” – apparently $5 each per the sticker, and “Baked from scratch” with no trans fats.

“I brought some muffins!” the VP said as he arrived at the security desk, placing the muffins down. And, seeing a sign on the desk that read that “All visitors must be escorted at all times,” VP announced: “I’d like to be escorted!”

TV pooler quickly asked the VP, “Are you happy with how the deal played out?” He answered: “I’m happy it’s ended. It was unnecessary to begin with. I’m happy it’s ended.”

He then immediately began shaking hands with employees, lined up out the entrance. The usual Biden stuff – some handshakes, some hugs, some kisses. Told some he was sorry they had to miss work and “had to go through all that.” There were occasional bursts of applause as more people arrived and found the VP there.

Via: Weekly Standard
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Matthews Questions Orrin Hatch’s Patriotism Because He Called Obamacare a ‘Bill’

BY: Washington Free Beacon Staff
October 17, 2013 12:28 pm

MSNBC host Chris Matthews said Sen. Orrin Hatch’s (R., Utah) reference to Obamacare as a “bill” was an intentional slight meant to “disrespect” the law and President Obama Thursday on MSNBC Live.

Matthews openly wondered how Hatch or any other Republican could consider themselves a “patriot” when they disrespect the president by opposing his policies.

“The patriot,” Matthews said, “is the person who accepts the law. The patriot is the one who believes in compromise, who believes in government”:

THOMAS ROBERTS: It’s weird Orrin Hatch — with Chuck Todd, he kept calling it a bill. He kept referring to Obamacare as a bill.

CHRIS MATTHEWS: You know why? He wants to disrespect it. Disrespect for institutions, for the election of a president, for the American voter who elected him is a real problem and why they can call themselves patriots as they do that is highly inconsistent. The patriot is the person who accepts the law and the patriot is the one who believes in compromise, who believes in government.

Via: WFB

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Obamacare: The New Vietnam

It was the law.

And liberals were determined to sabotage that law.

To hold America hostage — in the middle of a war no less — until the law was repealed. Until the war was stopped.

To do it, they used the Three C’s.

Civil Disobedience.

The Culture.

The Congress.

Let’s start with the law the Left was determined to overturn.

That would be the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, passed by Congress on August 10,1964 at the request of a popular president, Lyndon B. Johnson. The resolution authorized the president “to take all necessary steps, including the use of armed force, to assist any member or protocol state of the Southeast Asia Collective Defense Treaty requesting assistance in defense of its freedom.”

The vote? 416-0 in the House. And in the Senate? The resolution passed by a margin of 88-2.

The Vietnam War, already quietly humming along with some 16,000 U.S. advisers deployed, was now on. Big Time. And to say the least, the votes in Congress to stop the Vietnam War weren’t there.

Via: The Spectator

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Developing Obamacare's Health Care Exchanges Has Cost More Than Apple's Original iPhone Comment Now Follow Comments

This is a stunning number from Farhad Manjoo over at the Wall Street Journal. The development cost of the health care exchanges necessary under the ACA (aka Obamacare) is larger than the development cost of the original iPhone at Apple. Indeed, by some estimates it might be four times the cost:

If users found a few bugs in their iPads, she argued, most wouldn’t consider them a complete disaster. Instead, they’d recognize that technology is complicated, that errors are common, and they’d wait for an update. Apple Inc., she added, has “a few more resources” than her department, so “hopefully [citizens will] give us the same slack they give Apple.”

That argument is as clueless as it is misleading. While it’s true that Apple is fantastically wealthy, its product-development costs aren’t necessarily greater than those of the federal government. As Fred Vogelstein reports in his coming book, Apple spent about $150 million developing the iPhone. The health-insurance exchange—which, let’s remember, is merely a website meant to connect citizens to insurance companies, something quite a bit less complex than Apple’s groundbreaking miniature computer—so far has cost at least $360 million, and possibly as much as $600 million.

That’s a pretty bad indictment of the way those health care exchanges have been built: the most egregious problems being with the Federal one that covers the 36 states that did not decide to build their own. After all, the iPhone was not just a new product category, it was also a new operating system and a new paradigm for how to do computing. One would expect this to cost rather more than what is, at root, just a website calling on a few databases. But apparently not so it’s worth trying to work out what went wrong here. Manjoo gives us one reason here:

Today, any company looking to work with the government must navigate an obstacle course of niggling, outdated regulations and arbitrary-seeming requirements. For instance, your technology must be Y2K-compliant just to get in the door. The process locks out all but a tiny handful of full-time contractors—companies who also happen to be big federal lobbyists.

Via: Forbes
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[Video] Surprises tucked in Senate bill

The legislation released by the Senate late Wednesday to reopen the government contains several surprises. 

The bill includes extra funds to fix flooded roads in Colorado, a $3 million appropriation for a civil liberties oversight board and a one-time payment to the widow of Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.), who died over the summer.

It also includes an increase in authorization for spending on construction on the lower Ohio River in Illinois and Kentucky. The bill increases it to $2.918 billion.

The Senate Conservatives Fund quickly called that language the "Kentucky Kickback," and said Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) secured that as the price of his support for the bill. Taxpayers for Common Sense says the bill would increase total authorized spending by $1.2 billion.

Senate staffers were still scrambling to piece the bill together for votes in the House and Senate Wednesday night. Lawmakers hope to get it to President Obama’s desk before Thursday’s deadline for raising the debt ceiling.

A draft of the bill began circulating in the early evening, and a final version was released by Senate Democratic staff just before 6 p.m.

Via: The Hill

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Obamacare causing Indiana city to pay 40% MORE for health insurance for city govt employees…

So Obamacare isn’t just going to raise individual and employer health care costs, but also for cities as well — in this case the city of Sullivan, Indiana. So not only might you be paying increased costs for your own health care, but Obamacare may require more of your tax dollars as well to pay for increased cost for city and state employees, and that’s not counting the federal or state subsidies either.

This thing was built to suck money right out of your wallet:

Via: The Right Scoop

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