Politics, Obamacare, and the Democrat Party Run Amok

Politics…or something else?

The other evening, at a joint session of Congress, President Trump spoke…and he spoke about a laundry-list of things that he’s already done, started, or plans to start. It was a pretty good talk, just over an hour and the Republican side of the room seemed to like just about everything that was said…not so on the Democrat side. While there weren’t outright boos it was reported that some Democrats actually hissed at the President…very bad form. At one point Mr. Trump took a drink of water and, briefly, held the glass with both hands. The Democrat mainstream media was quick to seize on this as an obvious indication of his poor physical condition and it was questioned whether or not he could continue through the term. To say that the left side exhibited bad behavior would be a gross understatement. They were positively childish in their actions, and what’s even more surprising, they were giving a thumbs-down on programs that they were supposed to be for!

So…are we talking politics here, or something else? It would seem to the casual observer, that this is nothing more than a difference of opinion, something that happens frequently and no one takes seriously. However, and this is my question to you…is the difference of opinion growing into something much bigger, much more vigorous…one might even use the word “ferocious” in describing the goings-on of some alleged members of the Democrat party. We can say alleged because they certainly are not in the Republican party, so who does that leave? The aggressive groups have managed to create a niche for themselves in the Democrat party and, it would seem that they are taking over the party. Where once the Democrat party was “the party of the people”, and the Republican party was “the party of big business” that has reversed itself and shows no signs of going back.

My parents were die-hard Democrats and, indeed, I was a Democrat right up until the time that party decided to run a social experiment, and nominated a black man for the White House. No, it was not his color that decided me, it was that there was SO much we didn’t know about him, and what his transformation was going to do to America. If the Democrats were so anxious to run a black man, they certainly had a host of them from which to choose. Colin Powell, William Maurice “Mo” Cowan, Cory Booker and Kamala Harris, just to name a few. These were people that were already known in the party, and definitely had aspirations to be active in politics. There had to be a reason, a really good reason, that Barack Hussein Obama was chosen…and there was. It must have been well-hidden because we still don’t know that much about the man. Conspiracy theories abound, and perhaps there’s a grain of truth in some of them. One of my favorites is the “made-up family”. There is some, not much, evidence of the marriage, but to the best of my knowledge and research, no birth certificates for either of the girls has ever surfaced.

Let’s talk about healthcare for a bit. Obamacare, as the Affordable Care Act(ACA) is more commonly called, has not been a success…and that’s a huge understatement. The financial fact of the matter is that Obamacare is imploding, taking with it many state agencies as well as families and individuals. The two outstanding statements, made at the beginning, about keeping your doctor and your plan, have proven to be just out-and-out lies. I suspect the administration knew they were lies when the words were uttered. Now, under a new administration, we are being told that there is a healthcare plan in the works, that it will replace the ACA and do better for the folks, health-wise and money-wise. From what has been talked about, there seems to be about half-a-dozen healthcare plans being pushed from one or more members of Congress. Politics or something else here too? I think you should be able to buy healthcare like you buy a car. You go to a dealer and pick out the options you want, and if they can’t supply your vehicle at the price you’re willing to pay, you find another dealer…maybe over the state line. What’s the problem? Why is it SO much more complicated than that? Economics is not my strong suit, so explain it to me.

Parting shot: Does art imitate life…or does life imitate art? There have been probably dozens of films made about politics, from all sorts of angles. There was “Mr. Smith Goes To Washington” and the story is about a very naive man who is appointed to fill a vacancy in the United States Senate. His plans promptly collide with political corruption, but he doesn’t back down…he filibusters until he almost cannot stand, and finally succeeds in doing what he went to Washington to do. My imagination won’t allow me to believe that any more naïve people get elected to Congress or to the Presidency. No, they usually know exactly what they’re getting into…and it’s muddy…but they like it and try to stick around as long as they can…like a pig. In 1972, Robert Redford starred in a movie called “The Candidate”. He wins, but the last line in the film is the most telling. He says, “What do I do now?”