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August 20, 2009
Obama: Gimmee That Ol' Time Religion, Plus Details of Obama's Call With Jewish Proxies
Robert Mitchum as the deadly preacher in Night of the Hunter, 1955, directed by Charles Laughton, script by James Agee.
Yesterday, President Barack Hussein Obama, in a conference call with liberal and, ahem, progressive religious leaders, sermonized against those who are “bearing false witness” in the debate over his plan for a government take-over of the nation's health care system, one-sixth of the nation's economy.
Oh, wait, Obama calls it “health insurance reform.”
You know why?
Because David Axelrod focus-tested the phrase “insurance reform” and it came out a winner.
As we've said before, put Obama in front of a teleprompter, let him read the canned responses authored by Axelrod's staff and he does just fine. But take away the teleprompter and the cue cards, and Obama just blathers away, all smoke and mirrors.
Last night, Karen and I heard Obama declare that the claims of the opposition were:
“... fabrications that have been put out there in order to discourage people from meeting what I consider to be a core ethical and moral obligation, and that is that we look out for one another, that I am my brother's keeper, I am my sister's keeper, and in the wealthiest nation on Earth right now, we are neglecting to live up to that call.”
Karen and I looked at each other and we were like: Did he really say that? Talk about chutzpah. This from a guy who worshipped in an America and Jew-hating church for over 20-years. This from a guy who is militant in his support of third term abortions. This from a guy whose party is always going on and on about the separation of church and state.
Finally, I smiled.
Because such heavy-handed rhetoric can only backfire on Obama and his followers. He is, in essence, telling the majority of Americans that they are immoral and selfish. And only through support of his big government policies—sure to fail and bankrupt the nation—can be found the path of righteousness.
In fact, the moral high ground belongs to those who support responsible social policy for the majority of Americans.
Remember: those who attempt to establish utopia on earth inevitably create hell.
Examine the imploding Canadian health care system.
And then take a look at the teeth of British children.
Victor Davis Hanson has some thoughts on Obama's sudden embrace of religion:
I think we are seeing a sort of presidential meltdown. As Obama's polls free-fall, and threaten wider political damage, it causes him a certain novel exasperation that for the first time in his life soaring hope-and-change rhetoric for some strange reason no longer substitutes for a detailed, logical, and honest agenda. The problem right now is not with un-Christian opponents, but dozens of congressional Democrats who simply do not wish to run on state-run medical care (as well as higher taxes, larger deficits, cap-and-trade, etc.), and no longer sense the president's popularity trumps the unpopularity of his agenda and gives them cover with the voters.
Full post here.
Via Rick Richman at Commentary, a rabbiinic student who was on the conference call reveals the details. It' s pretty simple, Obama has ID'd his Judenrat and covertly set them loose on the American Jewish community.
Imagine the stench that would arise from the dinosaur media if a Republican made such a call.
A rabbinic student who received the URJ invitation and participated in the call sent me an e-mail about it that read, in part:
President Obama spoke for about 20 minutes, then got off the call and we listened to three other rabbis who had prepared discussions about “helpful” Torah and Talmud texts, and how to craft a “non-political” (that is, pro-Democratic Party but wouldn’t be able to get into legal trouble) sermon. . . .
• Pres Obama urged us explicitly to discuss healthcare reform in our high holiday sermons. He said repeatedly, “I need your help in getting this information across.” My personal feeling is that it is an abuse of the pulpit to propagate a specific political agenda in that venue. . .
• The issue was always framed as: we need to care about healthcare reform. And too many people don’t care about it. Our job as rabbis is, apparently, to urge people to care about it. My points would be: (1) of course everyone cares about healthcare reform; we just don’t agree how to fix it; (2) to stand in front of a congregation and imply that members of the congregation do not currently care about the health and treatment of their fellow Americans is insulting and self-aggrandizing. . .
• Pres Obama repeatedly said that there “are fears” that people who currently have healthcare would lose it, but that’s not the case—that under this bill, you can keep whatever health insurance you currently have. That doesn’t match up with what I’ve read about this bill. But whatever. In any case, I can’t see how this information would be something that rabbis should be saying from the bimah. . .
The URJ invitation to the call with Obama ended with this suggestion:
Health care reform is a critical issue for all of us. . . . [We] hope you will . . . urge your congregants to contact their elected officials in support of health care reform this year.
In some circles, Obama is a “sort of god,” but a conference call with rabbis to urge them to give sermons relating to contentious pending legislation, on the holiest days of the Jewish calendar, seems to me to stretch the bounds of religious and political propriety.
The rabbinic student who sent the e-mail may have had a better sense of the proper rabbinic function than the rabbis who organized the call.
The rabbinic student is a close friend of Seraphic Secret. I can vouch for this person's honesty and impressive intellect.
Obama is accusing good and decent American citizens who oppose his policies of “bearing false witness.” This is reprehensible and it seems to Seraphic Secret that Obama is using Jeremiah Wright's operating manual: using warm and fuzzy Biblical quotes to demonize his ideological opponents, thereby furthering a radical leftist agenda.
Long time Seraphic friend and commenter Jake posted a comment that deserves to be read by everyone concerned about Obamacare:
Here are the three essential questions asked and answered about American health care:
Q: What is the biggest cause of ever-rising health care costs?
A: The government. Because of the very poor government-provided reimbursement rates for the ever-growing numbers of Medicare and Medicaid patients, doctors and hospitals have to pass the costs on to people with private insurance. Doctors can't live on what they "make" in those reimbursements. In fact, most take a significant loss to treat those patients. Furthermore, doctors who treat people for free get NO tax deduction for that charitable use of their time. Meanwhile, lawyers who work pro bono can deduct every hour of their time, and they do. Most major NY law firms take significant tax write offs for pro bono work based on what they would charge a millionaire client by the hour.
Q: What is the second biggest cause of ever-rising health care costs?
A: Malpractice and the fear of malpractice. Even by conservative estimates, about HALF of all medical tests and referrals are the result of defensive medicine. The doctors and hospitals are 99% sure they are right, but they order the expensive test or send you to the expensive specialist JUST IN CASE they were wrong and you sue them right out of business. Yes, doctors make mistakes and they should be held accountable. But with no caps on rewards in most states, you can literally bankrupt an entire hospital for mistreatment of your hangnail. Any honest effort to reduce health care costs and extend more health coverage to more people HAS to include tort reform. The fact that the Democrats never allow this to be considered is blatant political payback to the trial lawyers and everyone knows it.
Q: Why are insurance companies so stingy with coverage?
A: Because they can be. Because most insurers can't cover people from more than one state, there isn't a level and competitive playing field for insurance competition in America. If the Obama team REALLY wanted more competition, they could easily eliminate the legal hurdles and allow hundreds of insurers to compete for your business instead of the 2-3 companies in each state that do it now.
Of course, the real answer is that the Obama crew has no interest in improving competition, but you knew that.
Posted by Robert J. Avrech at August 20, 2009 08:12 AM
Comments
Seraphic Secret is private property, that's right, it's an extension of our home, and as such, Karen and I have instituted two Seraphic Rules and we ask commentors to act respectfully.
1. No profanity.2. No Israel bashing. We debate, we discuss, we are respectful. You know what Israel bashing is. The world is full of it. Seraphic Secret is one of the few places in the world that will not tolerate this form of anti-Semitism. That's it. Break either of these rules and you will be banned.
It was apparent during the campaign last year that Obama only cared about religion as it related to his political viability. He joined Wright's church in the first place because it would help him gain street cred. The rantings from the pulpit were less important than Obama being able to say he is a Christian.
Notice how important it was for him to find a church in D.C. after the election? Ha!!
Just like Clinton brought in a bunch of preachers to the WH during the Lewinsky mess as political cover and not because of any strong belief in seeking forgiveness and redemption (except political redemption), Obama has called in the preachers to buck up his attempt at HCR.
And the sad thing is I bet those religious leaders are happy saying 'thank you sir! May I have another?'
Posted by: Johnny at August 20, 2009 10:40 AM
VDH is right on. Obama has pulled out his two ol' reliable last-ditch gimmicks: His dead/racist grandmother and religion.
The grandmother thing seemed to work with him with the stupid news media last year with Rev. Wright, but I don't think it will work this time.
Today's Rasmussen Poll shows that by far the #1 concern of the voters is cutting the deficit. That's quite historic and it certainly hints at doom for Obamacare.
Posted by: Jake at August 20, 2009 12:53 PM
C S Lewis observed that while Christianity teaches that you should feed the hungry...in order to actually *do* it, you don't need a Christian, you need a cook! His point being that general good intentions are not enough; you need to actually *know* something about the field in which you are trying to make an improvement.
When it comes to healthcare and energy...and, I suspect, any substantive topic whatsoever...Obama can't cook.
Posted by: david foster at August 20, 2009 01:37 PM
It is morally reprehensible in Judaism and Christianity to create the kind of perpetual, no account underclass we have in America and in most other nations of the world. "Charity" is what we often call what are really degrading handouts.
Posted by: Jake at August 20, 2009 05:20 PM
"Helpful Torah and Talmud texts"?
Nothing like either adding nonsensical interpretations of the texts, or twisting them in such a fashion as to justify any position.
Disgusting. Socialism is immoral. There are good solutions to the problems of health care insurance out there, but Obamacare doesn't address any of them, it only makes the problems worse or creates new and worse problems.
And yes, I'd gladly debate those things with anyone. These rabbis are economic illiterates, (as is Obama), and for that matter, I don't think they know a great deal of Talmud, but of course, are willing to use it as propaganda versus following what's really in it.
It's nice to be able to throw out Shabbos observance, kashrus etc, and then say that Obamacare is a moral imperative "al pi" the Talmud. What chutzpah!
If Obamacare was about real and useful reform, 98% of the country would get behind it, but it's about the abolishing of control over our own lives, and nothing else. It will cost more, decisions will be made for you that you will have no recourse about...at least if an insurance company does something onerous, you can sue them, as a friend of mine successfully did.
Try doing that with a government bureaucrat.
See how that's worked out in Britain, or in Canada, which as Robert put above is a complete mess.
I don't think these same rabbis spend enough time delving into the Talmudic and Torah texts, much less the 1000+page monstrosity of the House version of Obamacare, which is chock-full of disgusting, abusive and expensive insanities.
In fact, the Rabbis should learn a little "Econ 101", and maybe a little history, to see that socialism is EVIL, has led to the death and slavery of millions, and only worked in small groups, such as the kibbutzim, where it was VOLUNTARY (and it hasn't worked out so well there either, as the kibbutzim have by-and-large abandoned the basic socialism they were founded upon, when they figured out it wouldn't work!)and one could opt out of the situation.
It does NOT work on a state/country-wide scale, and as Hayek showed in Road to Serfdom, can only work at the end of a proverbial or real gun, i.e. by force.
So that's what the rabbis are going to get behind, on the High Holidays? Socialism IS NOT TSEDAKAH. Socialized medicine is NOT TSEDAKAH. There is a moral and Jewish moral imperative to help the needy and the poor, but not to have bureaucrats beholden to no one decide our fate and our lives. Yes, reform the current system, but not to make it something even worse, and yes, I'll be glad to debate exactly how it will be worse.
Let the rabbis come up with decent medical insurance reform, not something immoral. Ah, but they can "prove" that socialism is a just thing via the Talmud. What chutzpah, what arrogance and ignorance.
They can't even run Medicare correctly. It is going broke. What makes the rabbis and the politicians think that a more massive version will be any better? Oh wait, they can then deny a lot more care to the elderly, which is exactly the plan, and if anyone does NOT think so, start reading the bill. It's IN THERE.
Do you think the rabbis of the Talmud, who revered their elders, would approve? And no, it's not hyperbole.
Posted by: Maurice at August 20, 2009 06:47 PM
Dear Mr. Foster: What a wonderful quote.
Posted by: Miranda Rose Smith at August 21, 2009 01:59 AM
What an eye opening insight into the desperation that Obama is showing as his health care plan implodes.
I do want to point out that alot of Orthodox Jews sadly hold Obama's views. I met many of them in my brief living experience in Israel where at many Shabbat tables Michael Moore was praised and Bush, and America was seen as an evil force.....
I lost track at how many times Americans were described as fat and greedy..and all we care about is stepping over each to make a buck.
It was sickening...and, at personal expense, I divorced myself from this crowd.
Im heartened that Americans are finally waking up and sees the danger Obama's policies will do....
Now comes the next step...actually, voting these bums out and bringing some common sense back to government.
Posted by: Lance at August 21, 2009 02:13 AM
Here are the three essential questions asked and answered about American health care:
Q: What is the biggest cause of ever-rising health care costs?
A: The government. Because of the very poor government-provided reimbursement rates for the ever-growing numbers of Medicare and Medicaid patients, doctors and hospitals have to pass the costs on to people with private insurance. Doctors can't live on what they "make" in those reimbursements. In fact, most take a significant loss to treat those patients. Furthermore, doctors who treat people for free get NO tax deduction for that charitable use of their time. Meanwhile, lawyers who work pro bono can deduct every hour of their time, and they do. Most major NY law firms take significant tax write offs for pro bono work based on what they would charge a millionaire client by the hour.
Q: What is the second biggest cause of ever-rising health care costs?
A: Malpractice and the fear of malpractice. Even by conservative estimates, about HALF of all medical tests and referrals are the result of defensive medicine. The doctors and hospitals are 99% sure they are right, but they order the expensive test or send you to the expensive specialist JUST IN CASE they were wrong and you sue them right out of business. Yes, doctors make mistakes and they should be held accountable. But with no caps on rewards in most states, you can literally bankrupt an entire hospital for mistreatment of your hangnail. Any honest effort to reduce health care costs and extend more health coverage to more people HAS to include tort reform. The fact that the Democrats never allow this to be considered is blatant political payback to the trial lawyers and everyone knows it.
Q: Why are insurance companies so stingy with coverage?
A: Because they can be. Because most insurers can't cover people from more than one state, there isn't a level and competitive playing field for insurance competition in America. If the Obama team REALLY wanted more competition, they could easily eliminate the legal hurdles and allow hundreds of insurers to compete for your business instead of the 2-3 companies in each state that do it now.
Of course, the real answer is that the Obama crew has no interest in improving competition, but you knew that.
Posted by: Jake at August 21, 2009 09:14 AM
Fear of malpractice lawsuits also causes doctors to always bend over backwards on the side of caution and go for overkill when doing tests, thus raising costs. Sad, but true.
Posted by: Davo at August 22, 2009 03:01 PM
I think this singularly jumped off the page and told me that in spite of all the Jewish men surrounding him - not one had the guts to tell him Adonai Echad did not mean him!
Rather redefines the word chutzpah and requires a new word to be added to the Yiddish dictionary: Chutzputz!
Posted by: Sooth Sayer at August 22, 2009 05:36 PM
Considering your experience with actors etc
Who's better off the cuff, Obama or Palin?
Posted by: Batya at August 23, 2009 01:50 AM
Batya:
Sarah Palin, not even a contest.
Posted by: Robert J. Avrech ![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.seraphicpress.com/nav-commenters.gif)
at August 23, 2009 09:27 AM