Sunday, July 26, 2009
Waterloo?
President Obama cited Senator DeMint's (R-SC) comments last week, with DeMint saying that stopping the health care reform bill would be Obama's "Waterloo." The August recess deadline has been blown, and there is some feeling that Members of Congress will get an earful from their respective constituents while on recess.
I still would be reluctant to bet the ranch that there will not be a bill passed this year, although the probability has diminished. President Obama maintains a robust account of political capital, and the Democrats easily control both houses of Congress. Republican obstructionism in this matter is a myth -- it is a Maginot Line of politics. If the bill does not get done, it is because Democrats on the Hill could not get their act together -- that the battle remains unresolved between the True Believers in Pure Single Payer Nationalized Health Care (such as Rep. Jan Schakowski of Illinois) and Pragmatists who would like to find a way to cover most uninsured at some reasonable cost and reduce the rate of growth in health care expenditures overall.
So, the battle and the debate will continue after the August recess. That shouldn't stop us from enjoying a nice ABBA clip from more than three decades ago:
I gotta get me one of those neat star-shaped guitars.
More art follows --
"Wellington at Waterloo" by Robert Alexander Hillingford:
The Duke of Wellington:
Napoleon Bonaparte:
Senator Jim DeMint (R-SC):
President Barack Obama:
8 Comments:
By 
, at
Sun Jul 26, 02:44:00 PM:
The Waterloo song I am most familiar with is by Stonewall Jackson.Here Stonewall Jackson sings it on Broadway. Here he sings it at the Grand Old Opry in 1970. While I like many ABBA songs, I think Stonewall Jackson captures Waterloo better than they.
People are finally finding out whom they voted for, who is not like the politician they hoped would provide a change from Dubya. Suffice it to say that different people have different conceptions of what changes are needed. Dr. Hanson's recent column put it rather well.
By 
Dawnfire82, at
Sun Jul 26, 04:33:00 PM:
I don't like the 'Waterloo' reference... it doesn't make that much sense in context. Waterloo was fought after Napoleon's defeat, exile, and return.
My Napoleonic reference of choice would be Borodino... a bloody draw followed by the capture of a torched city and a long, bitter winter retreat remembered for its disease, misery, harassment by guerillas, and desertions that led to the aforementioned defeat and exile.
So I hope, in any case.
By , at
Sun Jul 26, 04:39:00 PM:
Dawn, those were the Clinton years :o)
By Dawnfire82, at
Sun Jul 26, 06:12:00 PM:
By , at
Sun Jul 26, 10:14:00 PM:
Hopefully this will be Demint's waterloo. People will finally see him for what he is, a sore loser.
By Assistant Village Idiot, at
Tue Jul 28, 08:39:00 PM:
Hey, the ironic ABBA references and photos are my niche in the right blogosphere.
By , at
Mon Aug 03, 12:07:00 PM:
Ugh, why so many pics of Wellington? He was a stuck-up snob with WAAAY too much time on his hands. He was so bored he had nothing else to do except fight, whereas Napoleon had a reason - several reasons in fact. But no, why do we waste so much time comparing idiots to great men? Why the continuous reference with Obama and Napoleon? It's driving me mad! Help me!
By PD Quig, at
Tue Aug 04, 11:48:00 AM:
DeMint's comment was bad tactics and downright stupid. Why fire a flare and make this a rallying point for Democrats trying to save Obambi's presidency from the evil GOP? Why not stick to the issues, push for more time and let the inevitable taxpayer revulsion play out? DeMint's bravado was ill-timed and ill-considered.
