Patterico's Pontifications

3/19/2010

Biden Speaks Truth to Power

Filed under: Health Care,Obama — DRJ @ 12:25 pm



[Guest post by DRJ]

Vice President Joe Biden to ABC’s Jake Tapper:

“You know we’re going to control the insurance companies.”

Actually, Biden may be speaking truth to the formerly powerful.

— DRJ

38 Responses to “Biden Speaks Truth to Power”

  1. To be followed by the inevitable reversal: “I meant regulate, not control;” which, of course, is the same difference anyway. And Obama didn’t mean “punished with a baby,” either.

    Icy Texan (c8cb71) — 3/19/2010 @ 12:41 pm

  2. Slow Joe can’t control his own mouth, much less insurance companies.

    GeneralMalaise (f0137a) — 3/19/2010 @ 12:42 pm

  3. I saw this earlier today on drudge and thought maybe this could be taken maybe just a little bit out of context.

    It’s not.

    Mike (e69cd2) — 3/19/2010 @ 12:55 pm

  4. Being an insurance agent (life and health), I can attest that life, health, and disability insurance is heavily regulated by the state of California. (to get my license, I had to take a test on insurance law.)

    Michael Ejercito (526413) — 3/19/2010 @ 1:04 pm

  5. Mike

    With Biden, things typically get worse in context.

    A.W. (e7d72e) — 3/19/2010 @ 1:05 pm

  6. There’s a context for Biden?

    Now, on the difference between conservatives/libertarians and progressives/liberals – for the C/L’s controlling insurance companies is a bug. For the P/L’s it’s a feature.

    Vivian Louise (643333) — 3/19/2010 @ 1:22 pm

  7. Since big insurance signed off on this travesty, it would be ironic indeed if they became even more regulated than at present.

    Dmac (ca1d8c) — 3/19/2010 @ 1:23 pm

  8. What a complete embarrassment Joe Biden is. Just as Obama is challenging Jimmy Carter for worst Presidential performance in my lifetime ( all time record holder Woodrow Wilson still has a commanding lead … but Obama’s term is still early ), Joe Biden has just clinched the most incompetent Vice President title.

    Maybe for all time. Certainly Dan Quayle is giggling in his sleeve these days.

    SPQR (26be8b) — 3/19/2010 @ 1:33 pm

  9. When the McCaskeys wanted the Chicago taxpayers to pay for a new stadium for them, they slipped Mayor Daley his usual “political contribution” and he went out on the medeia and called them all sorts of names and said he didn’t care if they left the city. Then when we all knew that he was on the Chicago taxpayers’s side, he gave them $150 million for their new stadium.

    nk the trained scientific researcher (db4a41) — 3/19/2010 @ 1:35 pm

  10. “Joe Biden has just clinched the most incompetent Vice President title.”

    God rest his soul.

    GeneralMalaise (f0137a) — 3/19/2010 @ 1:46 pm

  11. Couldn’t make this stuff up.

    htom (412a17) — 3/19/2010 @ 1:48 pm

  12. Biden only role (the only role he has EVER had in this administration) is impeachment insurance. As long as he is there no one in their right mind would remove Obama.

    Have Blue (854a6e) — 3/19/2010 @ 1:55 pm

  13. Biden’s (could have sworn I typed that the first time.)

    Have Blue (854a6e) — 3/19/2010 @ 1:57 pm

  14. Between Biden and Pelosi, we couldn’t afford to impeach Obama …

    After Novmember, and from the end of January, 2011, we can hope to have better options …

    Alasdair (8f9361) — 3/19/2010 @ 1:58 pm

  15. Biden only role (the only role he has EVER had in this administration) is impeachment insurance. As long as he is there no one in their right mind would remove Obama.

    Obviously then, removing Biden is the first step.

    LarryD (feb78b) — 3/19/2010 @ 2:01 pm

  16. Yes Larry, but you have to have a reason to do so. That is why the Dems went after Agnew in ’72. If every politician guilty of that type and level of corruption was removed from office Washington would be a ghost town.

    Have Blue (854a6e) — 3/19/2010 @ 2:05 pm

  17. The health insurance companies are basically in favor of this plan, if not some details of the bill. They want to be public utilities with a guaranteed profit margin. 6% would look pretty good to them. It’s amusing to see the Democrats vilify them but this is all theater anyway. They know that.

    Mike K (2cf494) — 3/19/2010 @ 2:09 pm

  18. impeach Ear Leader, as Biden would be less trouble, being lazy/stupid as opposed to active/stupid, which is what we have now.

    Granny McBotox doesn’t move up, a new VP is nominated and sworn in, as when Ford moved into the White House.

    redc1c4 (fb8750) — 3/19/2010 @ 2:10 pm

  19. If you had to vote, and the only people on the ballot were Biden and Obama, and for some strange reason you didn’t have an embolism or commit suicide, wouldn’t you probably choose Biden?

    He’s not as good a liar, and he’s much more worried about how he appears. And he has some basic morality that gets his foot in his mouth. No, he’s not a good leader, but he’s like a drunk Bill Clinton, which is a lot better than what we’ve got right now.

    Dustin (b54cdc) — 3/19/2010 @ 2:28 pm

  20. No, Dustin, I wouldn’t have back in November. Today, its a closer call, as Obama has shown himself to be even less qualified for the office than I thought he would.

    But Biden is really dangerously stupid. And measurably more than Obama is.

    SPQR (26be8b) — 3/19/2010 @ 2:35 pm

  21. As bad as Obama is on domestic policy, Biden would be that much worse on foreign policy.

    DRJ (daa62a) — 3/19/2010 @ 2:39 pm

  22. Dmac and Mike K – I was not aware that the Health insurance industry supported this plan. Here is AHIP’s latest press release panning it:

    http://www.ahip.org/content/pressrelease.aspx?docid=29767

    daleyrocks (718861) — 3/19/2010 @ 3:48 pm

  23. Dustin, what a horrible thing to have to consider but I agree, Biden over Obama. I don’t think he’s entirely blinded by ideology like Obama is and therefore would be somewhat malleable. And he gets easily confused, which could be another advantage.

    Dana (1e5ad4) — 3/19/2010 @ 4:05 pm

  24. Um, DRJ, obviously you have not been well informed: Joe Biden is…

    An expert on foreign policy, whose heart and values are firmly rooted in the middle class; one who has stared down dictators, and spoken for America’s cops and firefighters.

    Heh.

    Dana (1e5ad4) — 3/19/2010 @ 4:12 pm

  25. Heh, indeed.

    DRJ (daa62a) — 3/19/2010 @ 4:34 pm

  26. A choice between Biden and Obama.

    It’s like choosing between embarrassment because you poop your pants at a wedding or embarrassment because you pee your pants at a funeral. Neither option is great.

    Vivian Louise (643333) — 3/19/2010 @ 4:40 pm

  27. The history of great battles, hence of the world, often depends on freak events that no one could have anticipated or planned for.

    In deciding between Obama and Biden, one really would be betting on destiny to rule the day.

    Biden would be dangerously foolish being in charge of foreign policy, but at the end of the day, he is smart and humble enough to realize that he can not command the oceans, and he might even listen to sane people.

    MD in Philly (59a3ad) — 3/19/2010 @ 4:51 pm

  28. Biden is an expert in nothing but the taste of his own toes.

    Uh, no, MD, he’s not that smart nor humble. Neither at the beginning nor the end of the day.

    SPQR (26be8b) — 3/19/2010 @ 5:02 pm

  29. If every politician guilty of that type and level of corruption was removed from office Washington would be a ghost town.

    Now there’s a good idea!

    bizjetmech (022d42) — 3/19/2010 @ 5:27 pm

  30. How to get rid of Biden?

    Well, seeing the level of driving ability demonstrated by his SS detail, the possibility of him getting into a REALLY bad auto accident is always there.

    “In confusion, there is opportunity!”

    AD - RtR/OS! (b083e4) — 3/19/2010 @ 9:29 pm

  31. “Neither option is great.”

    VL – I will bow to your experience in these matters. Heh!

    daleyrocks (718861) — 3/19/2010 @ 11:03 pm

  32. go with peeing your pants: it dries a lot sooner.

    redc1c4 (fb8750) — 3/19/2010 @ 11:21 pm

  33. daleyrocks – while their official statement may suggest otherwise now, the reality is that they could’ve killed this bill off a long time ago, just by putting their massive PR apparatus onto the airwaves to sway public (and congressional) opinion. But they held their fire throughout, and when Big Pharma signed on as well, all bets were off.

    Dmac (ca1d8c) — 3/20/2010 @ 6:19 am

  34. Dmac – I did nor notice any shortage of lobbying on behalf of the Health Insurance Industry. They got the personal mandate into the bill early on, which I think is unconstitutional and will probably be the Trojan Horse that kills the bill ultimately. I think some of the provisions that were inserted into the House bill behind closed doors surprised them, such as the minimum loss ratio, and that’s when they dropped their support. Remember that Obama demonized the industry from the start. Visit the websites of the major carriers and you’ll see that the major carriers launched counter efforts from the start.

    The National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) is also not thrilled with the bill.

    daleyrocks (718861) — 3/20/2010 @ 7:08 am

  35. Dmac – You’ll also remember Wellpoint publishing and/or commissioning several studies about premiums and the cost of care that made the Obama Administration go absolutely nuts attempting to rebut during the process.

    daleyrocks (718861) — 3/20/2010 @ 7:10 am

  36. Points taken, all – but you’ll understand my contention that a backroom deal was likely arranged before they were thrown under the bus. The administration’s early demagoguery of the insurance industry appeared to be some kind of quid pro quo – in essence, you agree to allow us to bash you, as long as you remain silent in the knowledge that you’re getting something quite valuable in return. Then, after they found out they’d been betrayed (horrors!), they went on the offensive. There’s something to be said about lying in the mud with pigs.

    My main idea here is that Obama and his minions would never have pushed this thing so hard from the outset if they didn’t previously know that the main opposition from the Clinton – era factions (i.e. insurance, AMA, Pharma) weren’t already bought off.

    Dmac (ca1d8c) — 3/20/2010 @ 7:18 am

  37. Or perhaps a better saying is silence = acquiesence.

    Dmac (ca1d8c) — 3/20/2010 @ 7:19 am

  38. Dmac – Since the public is overwhelmingly against this bill because they feel their costs will go up and their quality of care, choices and access to care will go down, I think that is adequate evidence that the health insurance industry has done its job. Your mileage obviously differs.

    The only support comes from the ranks of Democrats. The question to me becomes are they even persuadable.

    daleyrocks (718861) — 3/20/2010 @ 7:26 am


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