Sarah Palin’s response to Obama’s speech

Say what you will about her, like Reagan, she embodies the American spirit and connects with main street U.S.A. If she’s on the ticket 2012, she has my vote.
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After all the rhetoric is put aside, one principle ran through President Obama’s speech tonight: that increased government involvement in health care can solve its problems.

Many Americans fundamentally disagree with this idea. We know from long experience that the creation of a massive new bureaucracy will not provide us with “more stability and security,” but just the opposite. It’s hard to believe the President when he says that this time he and his team of bureaucrats have finally figured out how to do things right if only we’ll take them at their word.

Our objections to the Democrats’ health care proposals are not mere “bickering” or “games.” They are not an attempt to “score short term political points.” And it’s hard to listen to the President lecture us not to use “scare tactics” when in the next breath he says that “more will die” if his proposals do not pass.

In his speech the President directly responded to concerns I’ve raised about unelected bureaucrats being given power to make decisions affecting life or death health care matters. He called these concerns “bogus,” “irresponsible,” and “a lie” — so much for civility. After all the name-calling, though, what he did not do is respond to the arguments we’ve made, arguments even some of his own supporters have agreed have merit.

In fact, after promising to “make sure that no government bureaucrat …. gets between you and the health care you need,” the President repeated his call for an Independent Medicare Advisory Council — an unelected, largely unaccountable group of bureaucrats charged with containing Medicare costs. He did not disavow his own statement that such a group, working outside of “normal political channels,” should guide decisions regarding that “huge driver of cost … the chronically ill and those toward the end of their lives….” He did not disavow the statements of his health care advisor, Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel, and continuing to pay his salary with taxpayer dollars proves a commitment to his beliefs. The President can keep making unsupported assertions, but until he directly responds to the arguments I’ve made, I’m going to call him out too.

It was heartening to hear the President finally recognize that tort reform is an important part of any solution. But this concession shouldn’t lead us to take our eye off the ball: the Democrats’ proposals will not reduce costs, and they will not deliver better health care. It’s this kind of “healthy skepticism of government” that truly reflects a “concern and regard for the plight of others.” We can’t wait to hear the details on that; we look forward to working with you on tort reform.

Finally, President Obama delivered an offhand applause line tonight about the cost of the war. As we approach the anniversary of the September 11th attacks and honor those who died that day and those who have died since in the War on Terror, in order to secure our freedoms, we need to remember their sacrifices and not demonize them as having had too high a price tag.

Remember, Mr. President, elected officials work for the people. Forcing a conclusion in order to claim a “victory” is not healthy for our country. We hear you say government isn’t always the answer; now hear us — that’s what we’ve been saying all along.

 

6 thoughts on “Sarah Palin’s response to Obama’s speech”

  1. Ziva,
    “Say what you will about her” – I’ll tell you what I say about her – She is just what the doctor ordered for this country, to use a health care expression.
    Read every word of what she says and you get what I have been saying all along. Liberals are experts at ad hominem, platitudes and disinformation. Try to get a paragraph of persuasive substance. You try in vain. Listen to conservatives like Palin. There is substance in every line. Try to talk substance to a liberal and you will get Klavaned. It is always some kind of Shut up! “I don’t want to talk about it” is their favorite kind of Klavanism whenever I prove something.
    If Sarah Palin, does not give us some reason to dislike her, she is my favorite voice for now.

  2. She has my vote. Like Honey says “If Sarah Palin, does not give us some reason to dislike her, she is my favorite voice for now.”

  3. Pick up Reagan In His Own Hand and all of you will be disabused of the notion that Mrs. Palin is the second coming of RR. To merely insinuate it that is appalling. Despite his reputation to the contrary RR was very familiar with the details of the issue of the day, what he did not care to be was a micromanager. Read RR’s radio address and you will be shocked at the breadth of his knowledge and his ability to breakdown the pressing issues of the day into a 60 second radio spot.

    There is also a difference in the tone between Ms. Palin and RR. While Ms. Palin is proud to be the flagbearer of resentment RR was something much different. He sought to uplift and look towards the future. Ms. Palin seeks to score points with vague rhetoric and attack. I will close with his words from his final address before the RNC in 1992. Words that struck me when I first heard them and still inspire me to this day.

    “And whatever else history may say about me when I’m gone, I hope it will record that I appealed to your best hopes, not your worst fears, to your confidence rather than your doubts. My dream is that you will travel the road ahead with liberty’s lamp guiding your steps and opportunity’s arm steadying your way.

    My fondest hope for each one of you — and especially for the young people here — is that you will love your country, not for her power or wealth, but for her selflessness and her idealism. May each of you have the heart to conceive, the understanding to direct, and the hand to execute works that will make the world a little better for your having been here.

    May all of you as Americans never forget your heroic origins, never fail to seek divine guidance, and never lose your natural, God-given optimism.

    And finally, my fellow Americans, may every dawn be a great new beginning for America and every evening bring us closer to that shining city upon a hill.”

  4. Cardinal,
    You are becoming a pain with your superior moralizing at us as if we are the villains or don’t behave well like you do.

    You know the famous phrase “History begins where you want it to when you want to win an argument.” I loved Reagan more than I can say. He was able to be magnanimous because the Republicans had defeated Jimmy Carter, added to their numbers and then elected Bush. But did you ever hear him speak that sweetly when he was talking about the evil empire? He told it like it was with precision and beauty.

    Now Palin is not here giving an uplifting speech. She is reacting to a disgusting regime which lies and usurps power and money from all of us, “We, the people”. She is giving them the same treatment, which they deserve, that Reagan gave communist governments. Onward, Palin and keep giving ’em hell.

  5. And, by the way, Cardinal, Palin is also quite god at giving Reagan like inspiring speeches. I know because she gave many on the campaign trail.

  6. First, I never denied that Palin is a good speaker. Her speech at the convention was far and away the best speech of the campaign…and yes I do include anything that was uttered by Obama. Then again the worst speech I’ve heard this side of Sanford’s Argentine meltdown has to be Palin’s resignation. Ronnie had a bad moment like that too, but he had an excuse, he was in his 70s.

    My principle issue with Palin, after starting off as a huge fan, is the strident and demagogic nature of her speeches. More distressing is her lack of grasp of issues. Granted, I am biased. My first conservative hero was WFB, Jr. I have always gravitated more towards the thinking conservatives as opposed to instinctual conservatives (think Pat Buchanan and perhaps Rush). It’s not that I don’t appreaciate them I just expect a certain intellectual rigor in our leaders.

    RR spoke of optimism, even in the darkest days. Just check out his impromptu speech at the convention in ’76. His career was believed to be over and here he was addressing the convention against his better judgement.

    “This is our challenge; and this is why here in this hall tonight, better than we have ever done before, we have got to quit talking to each other and about each other and go out and communicate to the world that we may be fewer in numbers than we have ever been, but we carry the message they are waiting for.

    We must go forth from here united, determined that what a great general said a few years ago is true: There is no substitute for victory, Mr. President.”

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