Responses to the President's Encore on Health Care

The president's speech last night offered nothing new, just more of same about his plan which actually doesn't exist. THERE IS NO OBAMA PLAN, just Democratic proposals like HB 3200, the 1000+ page monstrosity that most congressman haven't read. So when the president says that "my plan" will do this or that, what exactly is he talking about? It's convenient, of course, not to have anything written down because he can claim anything about "the plan" and no one can check it out. He can call his critics liars for saying abortion will be covered because he says it won't in "my plan." But the only proposals out there will allow it. So where's your plan, Mr. President?

Remember that with Obama we are basically dealing with a community organizer, not a politician. Politics is the art of compromise - coming up with the best legislation that a body of representatives, voting for the people, can agree to. Community organizing, on the other hand, has nothing to do with compromise. It is about bringing together a constituency that uses whatever means necessary to get what they want. Community organizers are basically lobbyists with clubs and pitchforks.

Saul Alinsky, the father of community organizing, said the organizer must "rub raw the resentments of the people of the community; fan the latent hostilities of many of the people to the point of overt expression.... An organizer must stir up dissatisfaction and discontent."

Is it any wonder that the government process is becoming so acrimonious? This is the experience our community-organizer-in-chief brought to the oval office. And the tactics being used throughout the health care debate, especially at the town hall meetings with union thugs manhandling people, illustrate the community organizer's talent for fomenting "dissatisfaction and discontent." The president knows nothing about "bi-partisan" working together. The incivility that is so obvious in the government process is fundamental to community organizing.

Not long ago, Phyllis Schlafly advised her Eagle Forum members to "Put Rules for Radicals on your must-read list if you want to understand much of contemporary politics." It was good advice. If you want to know your president, read the book that formed his politics.

Here are some of the responses to the president's speech:

GOP Response to Obama's Health Care Address

From Mike Huckabee

Sarah Palin: Response to the President's Health Care Speech

And from Brian Gibson of Pro-Life Action Minstries:

The following was written for our next newsletter After listening to President Obama's speech last night, it seems more pertinent than when I wrote it earlier this week. Feel free to distribute this as you see fit.


"I Met Obama" -- a Year Later

About a year ago, while returning from sidewalk counseling at Planned Parenthood, I had a "chance" encounter with our President. At the time he was the Democrats candidate for President. Mr. Obama had quietly come to the Twin Cities for an evening fundraising event. My encounter with him was the next morning on the sidewalk in front of the Copper Dome Restaurant. Mr. Obama's "surprise" visit to the restaurant had more police, Secret Service Agents, and media persons in attendance than "regular citizens."

When Mr. Obama came out of the restaurant, he began shaking hands of those who had started to gather on the sidewalk. I was the second to be greeted by the candidate. It was an incredible opportunity to challenge Mr. Obama's pro-abortion positions which I took up immediately as he took my handshake

Much has transpired since that morning in August. The response I received from Mr. Obama has become very telling of this man's way of handling issues which he has strong beliefs and purposeful intentions. His response to me that day, the only person in the vicinity challenging his positions, was remarkably cool and collected. Instead of reacting by backing away or trying to dismiss me quickly, he held my handshake and tried to let me know that he was empathetic to what I was saying, even thanking me for sidewalk counseling that morning. He told me of his deep religious struggle with the abortion issue. But since taking office, Mr. Obama has acted decisively in favor of the killing of the unborn, showing no outward signs of a religious struggle over abortion.

Many months later, as President of the United States, Mr. Obama had a meeting with Roman Catholic Francis Cardinal George which included the life issues. Cardinal George related afterward that he had to repeatedly tell Mr. Obama that they did not agree on abortion and other life issues. Apparently, the President continues to deal with these all too important issues by trying to get us to believe that he agrees with us, while he does something else entirely.

Now Mr. Obama is telling the nation that pro-life leaders are "bearing false witness" and disseminating misinformation regarding the inclusion of abortion and euthanasia in the health care reform legislation he is pressing so hard to get enacted into law. Yet even the mainstream media has begun to make it clear that the President is wrong. The Wall Strret Journal, the Associated Press, Time Magazine, The Washington Post, and FactCheck.org have all commented that taxpayer funding of abortion and the requirement that abortion be covered are included in the health care bill before the House of Representatives. Once again, Mr. Obama wants us to accept what he says and disregard what he actually is doing.

He is articulate. He is poised. He is a capable of endearing many to himself as he meets and speaks to thousands. He is very charismatic. But he is also very dangerous. A man whose word is opposite his actions is untrustworthy, no matter how amazingly smooth and articulate he may be.

As stated in Romans 16:18, "For such men are slaves, not of our Lord Christ but of their own appetites; and by their smooth and flattering speech they deceive the hearts of the unsuspecting." Let us not be the unsuspecting when it comes to our leaders in Washington. Let us keep them in our prayers, not for the success of their plans, but for what is truly for the good of our nation; the defense of the innocent and upholding of the truth. Let us pray for their change of heart toward He who is all good. And let us continue to challenge their evil positions, listening not to smooth and flattering speech.


Our weekly radio show airs on Saturday from 11:30 a.m. to Noon. Listen as it airs in the Twin Cities area on AM 1330 or hear it on the internet from anywhere at http://relevantradio.streamguys.us/flash/ondemand.html. Click on "Living the Gospel of Life" to hear the show.

Sincerely in Christ,

Brian Gibson
Executive Director
Pro-Life Action Ministries

Late Night Health Care Catechism - Got it straight now?

Well, we all listened to the professor who had his teleprompter in one hand and his verbal yardstick for whacking recalcitrant children in the other. His talk was long on promises and short on specifics. What I found baffling was the claim that health care would be paid for with savings from cleaning up Medicare and Medicaid waste. Hey, if there's that much waste, why isn't he cleaning it up already? And when exactly is Medicare scheduled to be bankrupt?

Obama is a web spinner and he certainly was spinning tonight with the help of all the little spiders jumping up and down at every applause line. Most of what the president said didn't make any sense, especially his claims about how all the increased coverage will be financed. And he won't increase the deficit? A man who's doubled it since taking office? Please!

Everyone will get all the care they want. No one will ever be denied anything. Everyone will be able to get all the prescription drugs they need. Millions of currently uncovered folks will be added to the rolls and (TA DA - Drum roll) IT WILL COST LESS THAN IT DOES NOW! Wow!

How do you do that magic trick, Mr. President? Oh right...all the savings from Medicare and Medicaid. But where do those savings come from, Mr. President? Seems like something's gotta give and I'd say, reducing benefits is an inevitable part of the plan and rationing which is why seniors just don't trust you. Your promises are too good to be true.

In his response to the president's speech, Congressman Dr. Charles Boustany pointed out that the current bill proposal adds 53 new federal bureaucracies to manage the health care program. Ummm...how exactly does increasing the bureaucracy reduce costs and increase the efficiency of health care? I haven't noticed the cost of stamps going down, but the post office is talking about cutting Saturday delivery. What kind of health care delivery will be cut?

Nothing in this lecture added up. But it wasn't about adding up, it was about the Obama magic. As the Democrats jumped up and down like the little toys on a string, with loud extended applause I couldn't help being amused. I suppose the liberals really do love the man. Well they have the votes to give him everything he wants -- if they dare. Unfortunately, they all desire reelection. If only they didn't have to worry about that pesky little snag they could give Obama the country on a platter tomorrow.

One other thing I noticed was the Alinsky tactic of identifying an enemy. It was there again in the attack on those greedy, profit-motivated insurance companies. The attack was a little less strident than usual as he pointed out that insurance companies employ a lot of people, but it was still there. Obama never misses a chance to demonize a business or company that dares to make a profit. Class warfare: create an enemy. But why, may I ask, would anybody work if he couldn't make any money or better his lives by doing it? Please stop treating us like retarded children, Mr. President.

I sincerely doubt Obama will get much of a jump in the polls over this. At many times in the talk he sounded condescending and put out and there was too much of an "I" won't tolerate it tone. He hasn't figured out yet that he's supposed to be a servant of the people not a dicatator to be served by the people. The speech ended on a note that, I suppose, was meant to sound strong, but just sounded negative and petulant to me. It's an unfortunate tone to say, "...and God bless the United States of America."