Charlie Chatter

 “Death Panel” Survives in 1990 Page Behemoth Obamacare Bill

            Tax and Kill.  It appears the bill contains the concept Obama claims is misleading.  From the story:  The provision allows Medicare to pay for voluntary counseling to help beneficiaries deal with the complex and painful decisions families face when a loved one is approaching death (FOX News).   From another story:  It runs more pages than War and Peace, has nearly five times as many words as the Torah, and its tables of contents alone run far longer than this story.

The House health care bill unveiled Thursday clocks in at 1,990 pages and about 400,000 words. With an estimated 10-year cost of $894 billion, that comes out to about $2.24 million per word (Politico). That Politico story claims the Death Panels did not make the cut.  But the Associated Press says otherwise (AP).  From Hugh Hewitt:  Not only is the bill a giant disaster for the economy and for American medicine, it is outrageous to demand it be moved along as though it was a finished piece of legislation (Townhall).  Pelosi’s Democrats have added thirteen new tax hikes, something Obama promised would not happen (ATR). 

Taxpayers Shelled Out $24,000 Per Clunker

            A typically horrific use of funds as the government manages to spend $24,000 to give away $4,000 (CNN).  The White House is fighting back against the exposure (CNN). 

Bad Driving May Be Genetic

            Will they stop discussing the study if it turns out certain ethnic groups are awash in the bad driving gene?

             CBS News

House Obamacare to Force Nearly Everyone Into System

            Republican Dave Camp said “The Medicare cuts will hurt seniors, the tax increases will kill jobs and the government takeover of health care will increase premium costs” (FOX News).  Complicating any hope for compromise, Obama’s Senate replacement Ronald Burris pledged “I will not back any insurance plan that does not carry with it this major, major issue of public option” (ABC News).   Hugh Hewitt reminds us “the idea of Obamacare without tort reform is simply absurd, and a gift to the plaintiffs’ bar from their friends in the Democratic Party” (Townhall).  Meanwhile, Mitt Romney admits the Massachusetts model isn’t working (CNN). 

Obama Signs New Hate Crimes

            Hidden within the defense bill.  From the story:  The measure expands current hate crimes law to include violence based on gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or disability. To assure its passage after years of frustrated efforts, Democratic supporters attached the measure to the must-pass defense policy bill over the steep objections of many Republicans (AP).  Obama says “we’re all free to live and love as we see fit” (Mercury News).

Krauthammer Blisters Obama in Spiegel Interview

            A great read (Spiegel).  Separately, Krauthammer takes on Obama’s constant attacks on Bush when discussing Afghanistan (RCP).  This story notes the events in Pakistan reveal Obama “is confronting a military challenge that is much larger than Afghanistan alone” (FOX News). 

 HBO:  Peeing on Jesus Picture “Playful”

            As they defend the actions of Larry David (FOX News).  Larry David, who was described by a friend of his as “George Castanza but with no likeable characteristics” is also a huge Obama fan (Huffington Post).  HBO topped the GLAAD award for promotion of homosexuality (GLAAD).

  Gun Shops:  More Women Buying Handguns

            The equalizer.

             CBS

 Girl Suspended for Empty Gun Shells

            The school decided they’re ammunition, regardless.  These people are educating your children…

             AP

Reid Battling Moderate Democrats

            Who wisely balk at his decision to keep the public option in Obamacare (CBS News).  From another story:  Speaker Nancy Pelosi is in a similar position in the House. Efforts to draft a consensus health care bill for a vote have been stalled for more than two weeks because of disagreements among Democrats (FOX News).  Joe Lieberman said he’d support a GOP filibuster (Politico).  More on Lieberman (WSJ).  Moveon.org promised to punish any Democrats who refuse to support the public option with “no donations, no volunteering, and no help getting out the vote” (FOX News).  One Democrat is getting heat from Pelosi for working to get abortion out of the health care bill.  Typical sloppy left-wing reporting, the congressman is listed as one who “opposes abortion rights” which is the equivalent of saying an abortion supporter “opposes babies living” (The Hill).  

 Obama and Democrat Popularity Continue to Sink

Another poll looks at how Obama has disappointed voters (USA Today).  More on Obama’s trouble in the Virginia election (Times Online).  And now the president wants struggling Democrats to turn on the Defense of Marriage Act (WSJ).  While Obama and fellow Democrats obsess over gaining a health care takeover, Americans want them to focus on the economy and Iraq (Gallup).   From the Wall Street Journal:  Barack Obama may believe that his incessant whining about all the challenges his predecessor left him lets America know how tough he has it. The danger to his presidency is that it can sound awfully like “I’m not up to the job” (WSJ).  A generic ballot poll shows Republicans maintaining a lead (Rasmussen). 

San Francisco Board Votes to Protect Young Illegal Alien Criminals

            The story begins “The city’s Board of Supervisors gave final approval Tuesday to a measure that would keep law enforcement from turning over minors to immigration authorities unless they have been found guilty of a felony.”  This even after one of those protected later committed murder.

            FOX News

High Taxes Continue to Drive People From New York

            The middle class join the rich in the bolt.

            WSJ

Obama:  Give Trick-or-Treaters Obamacare Fliers, No Candy

            Just politics and “healthy snacks.”  Kids, avoid Democrat neighborhoods on Halloween.

 Barack Obama

            Store Sells GPS Tracking Device for Children

            It can even be set to alert you if the child isn’t in specific locations at certain times.

             Sun Times

 Reid:  Public Option is In

            And Obama is happy to have it.  Democrats have completely abandoned any effort at a bipartisan bill, even leaving Olympia Snowe “deeply disappointed” (CBS News).  Democrats think the already confusing phrase “public option” needs a new even more confusing name (AP).  A taste of government healthcare:  See this story on injured troops facing “too many bureaucratic hurdles.”  Defense Secretary Robert Gates complained the paperwork can be “frustrating, adversarial, and unnecessarily complex” (AP).  More problems with the rising cost of health care in Massachusetts (WSJ).  Audio (SONnetwork).

Afghanistan:  Kerry Criticizes McChrystal Before Obama Decision

            John Kerry complained that McChrystal’s plan reaches “too far, too fast.”  Kerry, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said “Under the right circumstances, if we can be confident that military efforts can be sustained and built upon, then I would support the President should he decide to send some additional troops to regain the initiative” (FOX News).  Suspiciously coincidental, President Obama, taking his time, will reportedly ask for more troops, though not 40,000 (ABC News).  A US Official resigned over the war strategy (FOX News).  And some say morale is low (Times Online).  From another story:  While the Obama administration debates whether to send tens of thousands more U.S. troops to Afghanistan and Afghans prepare to vote for president for the second time in four months, some of those already braving rockets and bombs worry that their mission has lost the support of the U.S. public and that their sacrifices – and those of their fallen comrades – have been in vain (Washington Times).  Obama is apparently pondering Afghanistan on the golf course (Politico). 

UK:  Climate Chief Cuts Meat to Save Planet

            Explaining “Meat is a wasteful use of water and creates a lot of greenhouse gases. It puts enormous pressure on the world’s resources. A vegetarian diet is better” (Times Online).  So now, a good environmentalist can’t eat a hamburger, drive an SUV, own a dog (FOX News) or have kids (Telegraph).  What a joy.

CNN Drops to Last in Cable News

            The competition was demolished by FOX News (NY Times).  FOX News is getting a nice boost from Obama’s war on FOX (Hotair).   Meanwhile, newspapers saw another sharp drop in circulation (AP).  Another story notes “63 percent of Americans believe news stories are often inaccurate—the worst report card it has ever seen” (AP).