Postponement: Deathblow or Fresh Air for Health Care?

GEORGE: My god, I'm getting married in December, do you know that?

JERRY: Yeah, I know.

GEORGE: Well, I don't see how I'm gonna make December. I mean, I need a little more time. I mean, look at me I'm a nervous wreck. My stomach aches. My neck is killing me. I can't turn. Look. Look.

JERRY: You're turning.

GEORGE: Nah, it's not a good turn. December. December. Don't you think we should have a little more time just to get to know each other a little.

JERRY: If you need more time, you should have more time.

GEORGE: What, you think I could postpone it?

JERRY: Sure you can. Why not?

GEORGE: That's allowed? You're allowed to postpone it?

JERRY: I don't see why not.

GEORGE: So, I could do that?

JERRY: Sure, go ahead.

GEORGE: All right! All right. I'll tell you what. How about this? Got the date; March 21st, the first day of spring.

JERRY: Spring. Of course.

GEORGE: Huh? You know? Spring. Rejuvenation. Rebirth. Everything's blooming. All that crap.

JERRY: Beautiful.

GEORGE: She's not gonna like it.

JERRY: No, she's not.

I don't think I've made it any big secret that I'm a pretty avid Seinfeld fan. I was reminded of this section from the second episode of season 7, called "The Postponement," when thinking about the news that Mike Ross and his Blue Dog cohorts successfully lobbied to punt the House vote on health care reform back about a month, after the recess.

For Ross and the Blue Dogs, it was a success. Now he gets to go back to his constituents not with a result that could be praised or damned by those voter, but with a benign open ear. For the elected official, it's always better to have something open that voters feel they can put their input into than have to discuss why something that has already happened and can't be changed happened in the first place.

But that's political. What about the issue itself? Was this the deathblow? Many people think so. Others don't.

The Wall Street Journal has released numbers saying that popularity over the President's health care plan has dropped 10 percent in the last month alone, and that a whopping 41 percent of Americans don't think the legislation is headed in the right direction.

Mike Ross says that he's going to talk to his constituents, that there's more room for changes and compromises between liberals, conservatives and everyone in between, but that this shouldn't change the overall plan to reform health care. Others think that the trend will continue, popularity of the health care legislation will continue to plummet to the point that enough votes to pass the bill would be scarce, if at all in existence.

I'm not sure this is the coup of health care reform, as opponents of such legislation would hope. There's been too much time, money and political capital spent on the matter. But will it look dramatically different by month's end? That's very likely.

With three parties going at it — Liberal Democrats, Moderate Democrats, and Republicans — there are more concessions, compromises, and sausages to be made.

UPDATE: Tim Griffin's link to this post says that I'm comparing this 'whole health care thing' to that episode. Nope. Just the postponement, not the whole issue. Just a note of clarification for the four of you who read his blog.

Caption Contest! BARRYYYY Ya Gotta See The BayBEEEE

If you didn't know that the title of this Caption Contest was referencing Seinfeld, leave this blog and never return.

In the age of 24-hour news coverage and social media buzzing constantly, I can't believe I haven't seen this picture before. Should make for a great Contest. Probably won't. Allow me:

• BO: He's gonna barf! HE'S GONNA BARF! SOMEONE! QUICK! HE'S GONNA BARF!
• Baby: Oh my God! It's President Obama! Can you sign my head or something?
• BO: Staring contest. Go.
• BO: Usually kissing babies is a welcome change to the rigmarole of shaking hands all day. Usually.
• Caption: Obama surprised to find a baby that looks exactly like Hillary Clinton.

There we go. That should get someone going. Last weeks winner was Robert Everett Simpson. He was rewarded with affection from yours truly.

Get it.

Sweet Sassy Molassy Look at How Far We've Come

Hang on guys, I'm getting a page. Is there another telephone in the bedroom that I might be able to use? Oh wait! Terry's got a car phone! Terry, give me your keys so I can start your car and use your car phone.

But how were you supposed to tweet?

DOUBLE Caption Contest! Happy Grad-u-muh-kay-shun, son & Hey! Someone Who Will Never Be On TV Again!

In honor of those graduating this weekend, here's a caption contest blast from the past with everyone's favorite gaffe-expert.

Here's some starters:

• "My roommate Brian dared me to ask you this but..."
• "Son, could you show me how to properly hold a man down while you beat him in the head?"
• Kid: "I'm just a yellow belt."
  Bush: "HAH! BLACK BELT HERE!"

And I thought this picture was pretty funny looking, courtesy of Blake's Artificially Intelligent Panzer, via Lance Turner's Failed Attempt at Anonymity Blog. I look like I'm Otis, the Town Drunk, to reference Kim Hendren's beloved Andy Griffith Show, of which I too am a fan.
Here's the ball rolling on this one, too.

• "Sorry I'm out of breath Rachel; me and the guys here in Little Rock just had a hot dog eating contest."
• "Pants? No, no I'm not. As you can tell by my lack of necktie, this is casual."
• Stovall pauses to take a breath after savagely beating the intern who originally spelled his name 'Zach Stovel.'

Last week's winner was Bobby Simpson, of North Little Rock. He was handsomely rewarded with a coffee mug. No, seriously. Submit and I'll give you something if you win, one for each picture this week. Now. Have at you.

States Approving Gay Marriage Just Dandy for Ark. Delegates

The Gay Marriage-Gay Rights agenda that most on the Right feared would sweep in with a cataclysmic bang once Obama et al. assumed office is on the move, but with no bang, nor whimper.

That doesn't mean it isn't being effective.

To date, five states, with Maine being the latest and Iowa (Iowa?!) being the first, have passed state legislation to make gay marriage a-okay in their respective states. The decisions are catching national headlines and causing some to shift awkwardly in their seats, like an auto mechanic roped into watching Project Runway.

Pelosi yesterday offered what on the surface appeared to be a cold statement about the Gay Rights agenda and its place on the legislative docket — saying it would not take the focus away from Congress' goal to create jobs, meaning, don't hold your breath — but in fact, likely, progress that agenda through a more constructive avenue:

Send it to the states.

One of the most recent examples of Congress passing the buck could be viewing in the historical context of the Employee Free Choice Act (not to bring that behemoth up again, but it was the best example of which I could think). The House, after having dealt with the issues to no avail in two separate sessions cried 'Uncle,' saying they weren't going to move on it until the Senate had done something first.

To put it in a local perspective, that's why the Arkansas Democrats in Congress weren't under nearly as much scrutiny this year, while Sens. Pryor and (especially) Lincoln dealing with the tiresome issue of card check. The House had passed it off.

Comes now the entirety of the Congress, both House and Senate, taking a back seat and letting someone else (state legislatures) deal with this tiresome and radioactive issue of Gay Marriage. I wager that when this issue comes up, you will be able to see these delegates kick back in a chaise lounge and sip on a banana daiquiri at the thought, excited to see someone else take their licks.

No one will be more relieved than Southern Democrats, namely, anyone from Arkansas, save the Fightin' 3rd's John Boozman, the state's only Republican delegate. It's for the same reason that the congressional delegates were at ease about Card Check; This is someone else's fight now, and not ours.

Arkansas, collectively, will never vote in favor of Gay Marriage in the near or likely distant future. It just doesn't fly down here, whether you like that fact or you don't. The Democratic Senators and Congressman are now free from being pinned against their party and their constituency which, after seeing this whole Arlen Specter meltdown, is pretty potent.

Now it would be up to the State Senators and Representatives, likely of the Democratic persuasion, to push any such Gay Rights agenda, and I would say there are a great many things that are more likely than that happening: Me hula-hooping for eighty-straight hours, Blake Rutherford not referencing the West Wing, John Brummett helping a kitten out of a tree. These are all in the same vein of the 'pigs flying' reference I am currently boycotting due to the overdosage of that pun being facilitated during the current Swine Flu panic.

Their constituency has become quite accustomed to seizing any and all priority from the national Democrats. Anything contrary would resemble a fighter pilot pulling a level to his ejection seat, and the legislator would go flying out of the dome in the Capitol building.

I think this will likely be the way of things for the next long while. The environments are respectively hospitable for the causes. California is obviously very pro-Gay Rights and will likely adopt legislation as such. I would not expect anything like that from Arkansas, Mississippi, or Louisiana, although you do have to keep an eye on those wacky Cajuns. Texans, too, they're equally wily. You can never really expect what they're going to do.

This is all, mind you, wholly independent of any musings about whether opposing Gay Rights is an affront to liberty and justice or whether endorsing Gay Rights is a rallying point for the decimation of the American Family/Way of Life. This is just looking at the numbers, the politics, rather than the morality that may be implied on either side of the fence.

Morality and Politics have never been good bedfellows in the first place.

MARION BERRY likelytostealheadlinesfromsomeguynamedRick

My apologies for the light blogging yesterday as affairs of state had to take precedent over affairs of state and such and therefore and, most importantly, so on.

I did want to touch on one note though, about the candidacy of one Rick Crawford, a Jonesboro businessman, against the apparently indomitable Marion Berry in the first congressional district.

Speaking with Doyle Webb, state GOP hot dog, several weeks back on the amount of contenders lining up against the congressional delegates, Webb said several were putting feelers out, but only one was for sure: Crawford.

Last week, the blogosphere was abuzz at the launching of MeetRickCrawford.com, a site designed to get Crawford's virtually unknown name in the common Arkansas vernacular leading up to November 2010.

I had a nice conversation a few days ago with University of Arkansas Political Science Professor Janine Parry. We were discussing what exactly it would take to win an election, first and foremost, and then to beat an incumbent. We agreed; Money and name recognition are everything.

Perhaps Mr. Crawford has a massive personal fortune, friends in high places, or, his best bet, a little bit of column A and column B. He would need that and more to have any chance to beat Mr. Berry.

A lot of what an elected official does for a living is the same as what a hopeful candidate has to do in their spare time, or instead of their job. Going out and meeting folks, raising money, all that jazz; While a contender has to muscle all of that business, an incumbent does it while on the clock.

Looking at this Web site, you must ask yourself where Crawford's resume is strong against Berry's and where it is weak and vice versa.

The answer is bleak for, not just Crawford, but anyone who hopes to stand against Marion Berry. He has done nothing to dissuade his constituency that he is anything but what he says he is, a conservative Democrat, which is very reflective of the constituency therein.

Berry has been around the block a time or five as well. Everyone knows who he is. His voting for the stimulus and various associations with the far-left and Barack Obama's so-far successful administration aren't going to hurt him; Even if it were to damage him, his name would carry him through the day.

Rick Crawford is off to a decent enough start by starting a Web site to get his name out there. But any Bozo with a moniker can start a Web site or blog (Hello? Yours Truly?). It's going to take a real difference and a real answer — and a little more firepower than I'm afraid blogspot will be able to put out.

Obama Up, Congress and "Direction" Down

Real Clear Politics has an interesting (at least to me, anyway) poll that I think is reflective of the business as usual in Washington.

President Obama's approval numbers are doing alright, hovering around 60 percent. For the fanfare he received upon his inauguration, one would think that his numbers would still be somewhere in the 924 kajillion percent range, but this economy has understandably darkened most people's moods.

He has had to replace and defend more of his appointed associates than anyone in recent history. His Recovery and Reinvestment Stimulus has received a bevy of question marks, most notably the line that allowed for AIG bonuses that riled the public up to the point of lethal threats. And his main man Timothy Geithner has yet to put his feet on solid ground, while his toxic asset purchasing plan has yet to be determined as successful or hare-brained, with many experts leaning toward the latter.

Brummett gave him an arrow down this weekend. I give him an arrow that has yet to be pointed. He really does deserve a fair shake at this substantial, but not wholly insurmountable crisis.

Congress has its mandate, so says Speaker Pelosi, and now much charge forward to the tune of an abysmal George W. Bushian approval rating of 36.8 percent. Speaking of W., his ratings in the last two years were often better than the Democratic Congress with which he quarreled in his last two years in office. Ouchtown.

This isn't unexpected; Everyone hates Congress.

Sure, people enjoy their own delegates, but loathe the remaining. That means while the average Arkansan applauds their six homebodies (four Congressmen, one Senator, and one Senatorita), they just can't stand the other 529 guys. Like the imitable George Carlin said, paraphrasing, "To us, all of their stuff is s**t, but to them, all of their s**t is stuff."

But the odd blending of these two may yielding the most suprising entry. The overall direction of the country has an even lower and even more stomach-turning approval rating of 35.8 percent. Granted, "overall direction of the country" is a vague description that, in fact, doesn't describe anything much at all.

But what do polls mean in the first place? This one seems to show what everyone else already understands: It's tough out there.

Portly Kid and Three Credible Journalists on 'Unconventional Wisdom'

Here's the AETN Showcase of David Sanders' show, Unconventional Wisdom, where three credible journalists and one portly kid who may or may not have epilepsy go on air to discuss the political goings on around the Natural State. After about the 16 minute mark you can get to the blogger's discussions, but think of these questions:

Just how old is Zack Stovall?
a.) 37
b.) 22
c.) 31
d.) 29
e.) 14-hot dogs

What's that look in Kinkade's eye?
a.) Disdain for sharing the spotlight.
b.) Thinking of something really funny he thought of earlier.
c.) Pondering why measuring the length of Lance Turner's neck on air would be a bad thing.
d.) Asking Sanders for his comb back.
e.) What's that smell?

How did Lance do?
a.) Terrible
b.) Offensive
c.) Ungood
d.) Shameful
e.) Meh.

Who's David Sanders?
a.) Gyspy
b.) Broadway musical fanatic
c.) A new character for the Twilight movie series
d.) Your mom (ooooooo)
e.) My mom (HEY!)

Just watch it. And try to count how many times I in fact say "Um" or "Uh." Closest without going over wins my misshapen cuff links!

High Politickin' in New Hampshire

Anybody who feels inclined to associate themselves with the male persuasion should understand an axiom regarding a certain leisurely activity known to the masses as "board games," namely that the game RISK trumps all in the Domain of Man.

Chutes and Ladders? Child's play. Operation? Gross. Monopoly? Awfully insensitive in these tough economic times, wouldn't you say?

RISK is a game built upon nothing but sheer brass and strategery. It requires a tremendous amount of planning and foresight, all in the hopes of eventual world domination.

Well, the board is set up and the pieces seems to be in play on the battlefield between Washington and New Hampshire. And wouldn't you know that rabble rousing Barack Obama is in the middle of the scrum.

Obama is trying to make good on his call for bipartisanship by nominating a Republican, Sen. Judd Gregg of New Hampshire, as his commerce secretary. No mere boondoggle appointment, Gregg would — and all signs point to this being relatively inevitable — be in the ear of Obama, in his "economic brain trust," as the mold of this somewhat vague stimulus package begins to take shape.

Politico says that Gregg is already one of Mitch McConnell's closest economic advisers, and would still be an involved member of the GOP's strategy. Sounds like a win-win, right?

Except for one substantial hiccup. The loss of Gregg would leave a Senate re-assignment to the Governor of New Hampshire, a Democrat named John Lynch. This lesson should already be well understood considering the Blagojevich scandal, in which the ex-Gov. tried to pawn off the Obama's vacant seat, along with a Timez wristwatch, four lawn gnomes, and some old muscle car magazines.

This would leave Republicans in quite the pickle in the Senate. With Al Franken winning in Minney-Soda, and a Democratic governor likely replacing Gregg with a Democratic Senator, this understandably irked Senate Republicans, who are struggling to maintain shreds of dignity in the wake of a two-year long political Armageddon. The addition of a Democrat would allow the Left to be filibuster proof, able to withstand about the only weapon the GOP has in its once healthy arsenal.

So, politickin' is taking place.

Gov. Lynch has assured the now antsy-in-their-pantsy Republicans that he will replace Gregg with another Republican, or at the very least an independent that will likely vote Republican. But Lynch isn't giving up such a valued seat for nothing (not in the monetary sense, Blago). There is a stipulation saying that the replacement will only be a caretaker; someone who will only sit in the seat until 2010, at which point he or she will not be the automatic incumbent, but rather the seat will be an open contest.

Those in the know say that if Gregg rejects The Obama, he would in all likelihood be re-elected. If he goes, formidable Democratic challengers are already lining up, licking their lips and snugly fastening their bibs.

Word on the street is that Gregg will take the cabinet position, but GOP-insiders say he's not "leaving the party in the lurch."

The play has been made. It will be about two years to who will be the primary beneficiaries of this move — the bleeding-heart Democrats who were just so gee golly nice to let the GOP keep their Senate seat and then likely get it back in 2010, or the desperat— I mean, aggressive Republicans who are grabbing hold of Obama's optimistic bipartisan charge to get closer to the executive, with fingers tightly crossed for the new GOP-ish replacement of Gregg and the 2010 horizon.

Either way, each is playing the game of foresight, with can be tricky, especially considering that overly judgmental hindsight and its pesky 20/20 vision.

And let's hope neither get stuck with the Ukraine. We all know in RISK, the Ukraine is weak.

Limbaugh vs. Obama Leaves Little For the Imagination

So there's been a dust up in the wee-hours of President Barack Obama's four-to-eight year tenure in the Executive branch, though not between legislators, as he has sufficient ammunition in both the House and the Senate.

It's between Obama and Rush Limbaugh, the conservative talking head of radio and early 90's lore.

Apparently on Rush's program, while lamenting the $825 kajillion stimulus that irks most conservatives, he went so far as to say that not only does he hope the stimulus package fails, but that he wants Obama himself to fail.

"My response? My response is only four words," Limbaugh spouted. "I want him to fail."

When the President began addressing a collection of House Republicans — who unanimously voted against the package — Obama quipped, "You can't just listen to Rush Limbaugh and get things done."

That'll show 'em.

Now the media is really charging this thing up to make it a much-ballyhooed heavyweight slug match between the forces of the Right and the Left. Maybe it's because there's no one left in active governance who can pose a formidable challenge to Obama and his Leftward Legion. Maybe it's because Rush is just that type of explosive personality who will generate discourse and viewership.

Maybe there just hasn't been a decent heavyweight boxing match in years, a decline possibly brought on by the advent of UFC cage fighting or perhaps the growing gargantuan and therefore sluggish size of current heavyweight boxers. Why does Radio Shack ask for your phone number when you buy batteries?

I don't know. But I digress.

There are not only problems with the fight, but a fundamental flaw in the fight to begin with. It's a real cart-before-the-horse thing, only now the carriage is flying at about 88 miles per hour. And there's plenty of blame to go around on both sides.

First off, for the Rushians (MOTHERLAND!!!). What the hell, man. This was just a stupid thing to say. Limbaugh is a very influential person. I'll even take that further; he's really, genuinely funny. He often makes great points, and was a bludgeon for the Newtonians who took charge of the Legislature in 1994.

But the stimulus package is about more than just President Obama. The President of the United States has thrown all of his chips in on this economic package for the good of the American people. This is not an endorsement of that plan; I think it does lack a certain rigidity you'd expect when throwing skyscrapers full of money at a problem. But this is the apparent way we're going to go, or at least something like it, as even the GOP's idea still throws billions and billions and billions of dollars at the problem.

But the result is serious, either way. American well-beings hang in the balance, and to call for this plan, for the Presidency to fail is bush-league. Vote against him, call for others to vote against him, do everything you can to bend the powers-that-be to what you may have rationally concluded is the best course of action. But to hope that Obama fails?

Had Matthews or Olbermann called for Bush to fail in Iraq, although a depression isn't as serious as war, Limbaugh would have been up in arms. Both deal in livelihoods.

But then Obama had to give this guy a credible voice. In my line of journalism, I've run across a number of constructive criticisms and vicious complaints, often an indistinguishable line. The best course of action to malevolent complaints and fits of irrational ill-will is to ignore completely. Just walk away; they're only words after all.

Then the usually tame and inclusive Obama sent a divisive cheap shot to the capable faculties of House Republicans. No one wants to be told they aren't thinking for themselves, or that they're being manipulated by a larger puppeteer. It's quite a shot to the ego, especially if the puppeteer is a radio talk show host. And let's face it — the Legislature isn't filibuster proof. If Obama really wants to be bipartisan, which I believe he honestly does, such remarks aren't warranted, and only give credibility where it is apparent credibility is undue.

So now this thing is a big talking point mess, which is to say a mess of BS. Media hither and yon are really talking up this brouhaha, ad naseum and ad barf-eum. But the end result cancels out; Rush will spew whatever is on his mind (be it his own thought or his own need to simply grab attention), Obama will slip up and get divisive, but only every once in awhile, and the stimulus package will either work or it wont, regardless of what anyone has to editorialize about it.

The two cancel out each other. End result: Nothing much. Kinda makes you wonder what the last 62 column inches were all about in the first place.