Grunt, I think you might possibly owe me a case of Sam Adams. We’ll wait to see how far he backs down, or if he’s just being slick and tricky.
Faced with mounting pressure from religious groups, the president is set to make an ‘accommodation’ on a contraception requirement. WASHINGTON — Faced with increasing pressure from religious groups and Catholic lawmakers in both parties over the new federal requirement for birth control coverage, the Obama administration is planning to announce an “accommodation” on Friday aimed at allaying some of the concerns of faith-driven employers.
ABC News reported Friday morning that the announcement was “likely” to be made Friday. A source familiar with the deliberations told The Huffington Post the announcement was imminent.
Senior White House adviser Valerie Jarrett told members of the Congressional Pro-Choice Caucus in a phone call on Friday morning that the new compromise is the insurer — rather than the employer — would be required to provide the contraceptive coverage free of charge for women employed by the entities in question, a congressional staffer told HuffPost.
One idea that has been mentioned is the “Hawaii model,” by which an employer who morally objects to contraception could opt out and inform its female employees where they can get that coverage outside of the employee health plan. In Hawaii, women who decide to directly pay the insurer out of pocket for contraception coverage are not allowed to be charged more than they would pay for their company plan. (read more)
And so the cost of this is merely pushed to someone else, and the insurers will in turn raise premiums on everyone.
Disgraceful.
The White House Fact Sheet is riddled with doublespeak and contradiction. It states, for example, that religious employers ‘will not’ have to pay for abortion pills, sterilization and contraception, but their ‘insurance companies’ will.
Who pays for the insurance policy? The religious employer.
1984. We’re living it.
Insurance companies will stop insuring Catholic facilities next.
He’s being slick and tricky.
It’s not even slick or tricky to those of us who remember that he also promised that Obamacare wouldn’t permit federal funding for abortion. It is a lie. But as Sharon will remind us, those who are willing to be deceived will be.
Yeah. That’s what I’m thinking. He’ll put forth something utterly unreasonable as an “Accomodation”, so he can claim that he tried to work with those bitter Bible Clingers– like he has done countless times with Republicans.
Question is: Will Christians fall for it?
Dear God, make this move so insulting and offensive that even the most stupid of us get it and down’t back down. Amen!
Isn’t use of the word “accommodation” offensive enough? As in, Obama will deign to “accommodate” your First Amendment rights.
Well, yeah, you’re right . . . but we’re just unreasonable bitter-clingers!
Today, it’s going to take every ounce of strength I have to resist the strong urge to smack the sh!t out of any Obama supporter I see. I am so disgusted….
Too bad we can’t just haul off and lay it on them. I’ve felt that way for some time, and it’s getting to the point where it’s all I can do to be civil to the morons.
SD, I would say I almost certainly owe you a case of Sam. This sure looks like a cave. No question that he’s being tricky, though. I was just watching Katherine Rebellious, and I’m not yet understanding where the “cave” is, yet exactly, but we’ll see. In any case, I’m getting pretty good at buying people booze at a distance these days. Like my kids say, I ALWAYS lose these bets. *sigh* Oh well, when the time comes, I’ll just need to know the phone number for a beer store within driving distance of ya. I’ll take care of the rest…
I don’t think this is a cave at all; it’s a side-step. He got the exact response that he was hoping to get. This “cave” makes him look like he’s compromising.
“Senior White House adviser Valerie Jarrett told members of the Congressional Pro-Choice Caucus in a phone call on Friday morning that the new compromise is the insurer — rather than the employer — would be required to provide the contraceptive coverage free of charge for women employed by the entities in question, a congressional staffer told HuffPost.”
I’m so sorry that those who are too stupid to understand that this changes nothing will be voting, early and often, in next fall’s election.
He still thinks he has the power (or will soon have it) to tell people what to think and what to do, freedom of conscience, freedom of religion and freedom of speech be damned.
So the “insurer” does the same thing instead of the “employer”. OK, but who is paying the insurer? The employer! This does absolutely nothing to change anything. Rush is absolutely right!
Precisely right. The churches cannot, in good conscience, pay premiums for coverage that is required to cover murder, whether it’s through abortion or morning after pills or whatever. This changes absolutely nothing in the moral dilemma.
This is really bugging me: he is not caving on anything. He’s still in the business of telling churches/insurance companies/individuals what they must do, under threat from the Federal government.
Rush has just done about a 7 minute monologue taking off on the TSA-nofemaleagentsonduty situation…I’ll try to link it here when it’s up on his site, which should be within the hour. He makes the point brilliantly as always: we have got to stop bama’s bullies from establishing the premise for all these public “conversations.” What happened this week is that he took this double-barrelled premise (mandated health coverage and telling churches what to do) and conflated them–so that, when he changes direction, those who are screaming will take a breath and say, “Oh, we won! He caved!”. He.did.not.cave.
He just changed who’s paying for it. Which is not one bit different than him demanding that every single person in the country who does not pay taxes must have a cell phone and he changed who pays for it: now the individual isn’t expected to pay for it. The taxpayers are paying for it.
WHETHER OR NOT PEOPLE USE EITHER BIRTH CONTROL OR CELL PHONES IS NOT AN APPROPRIATE ISSUE WHERE TAXPAYERS GET IN THE MIX. The issue is today the same as it was last week: He’s still in the business of telling churches/insurance companies/individuals what they must do, under threat from the Federal government.
I hope that Catholic leaders KEEP SCREAMING AS LOUDLY NOW ON BEHALF OF THE INSURANCE COMPANIES BECAUSE IT IS PRECISELY THE SAME ISSUE. ADD: I need to acknowledge that I do understand why they STARTED screaming at this specific abuse on Dear Leader’s part. However, I truly hope they are beginning to grasp WHAT THIS TYRANT INTENDS TO DO and, based on THAT understanding, step up ALL of their resistance to his agenda.
Sorry for all the caps. No, on second thought….I’m not.
Grunt, you don’t owe anybody any Sam Adams.
“The premise that obama has the power to alter what he didn’t have the power to do in the first place is unacceptable.” –Rush (just one of the takeaway lines from his ongoing commentary)
“Rush has just done about a 7 minute monologue….”
Yes, it was a brilliant monologue. Everyone needs to hear it.
Yes, it is – we need to figure out how to post it this afternoon. This combined with the WY woman that was not allowed to board a plane are pointing to fewer rights for women in the long run, to me, and I am outraged. Boy, is his Muslim side showing this week…..
yeah, the more I read of it, the more I see that he’s offering a false option that boils down to: Sin by Commission or Sin by Ommision.
As my current facebook status says “When presented with the choice of “Sin by Comission” or “Sin by Omission”, the best answer remains “Hell No!” Do not be taken in my false choices.”
Excellent Sharon. You are right.
Here’s the link from Rush. He was frilliant as usual.
http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/daily/2012/02/10/obama_didn_t_cave_on_the_hhs_mandate_he_s_making_an_unprecedented_power_grab
Thanks!!!
Thank you, adding to my post over at my place!
Funny, Z. “Now with more TSA!” *snork!*
From Jill Stanek:
Contraceptive “compromise” worse than original mandate: Eliminates any exceptions
http://www.jillstanek.com/2012/02/contraceptive-compromise-worse-than-original-mandate-eliminates-any-exceptions/
EXCEPT……
Muslims are still exempt from it. And from all of obamacare, for that matter.
(But then, so are Scientologists, Amish and Christian Scientists)
I wonder how many of these groups receive health care through Medicare or Medicaid?
The Amish do not.
Catholic Bishops Respond to Obama’s Revised HHS Mandate
http://www.lifenews.com/2012/02/10/catholic-bishops-respond-to-obamas-revised-hhs-mandate/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+lifenews%2Fnewsfeed+%28LifeNews.com%29
I am sorry that I am dense but are they saying ‘No deal’? I hope they do! I wish all these statements don’t have to be so polite and carefully worded. Sometimes, politeness is overrated.
You’re being polite to call it “carefully worded.” It’s a bunch of mealy-mouthed mush. As I understand it, they’re saying they need to see the details of Obama’s proposal before they will respond.
Yeah! Got me there, Finch.
That’s fair enough, I guess. Good that not everybody is a Pelosi. But it’s a load of codswallop and I hope they aren’t deceived. These American Bishops need to learn a thing or two from their Indian counterparts.
I am posting this here because it’s a part of this conversation.
http://hotair.com/headlines/archives/2012/02/10/pelosi-stop-using-the-excuse-of-religious-freedom-on-womens-health-issues/
Sure! “We’ll have to kill them to take care of them!” I am losing my last bit of patience with this woman. Even I can’t go on saying, “Fools are people too!”. Just declare she’s insane and lock her up.
Hey Shalini, go over to my place, scroll down a post or two, I’ve got something for you there . . .
On my way…
Better yet, excommunicate her.
Nah! She already excommunicated herself, WW. I have to admit though, the joy of seeing her publicly humiliated would be great. I was actually thinking of another word starting with ‘ex…’ .
Need to hit the confessional tomorrow!
Frau Oberstgruppenführer PeloSSi:
http://i1124.photobucket.com/albums/l574/ElvisChupacabra/Nancy_PeloSSi_Bossy_Convict-01.jpg
The Abortion-Breast Cancer Link
RUSH: The story here is 2007. I’ve had a number of people tell me they didn’t know — they hadn’t heard — about this link between abortion and breast cancer. Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons. This is 2007.
http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/daily/2012/02/10/the_abortion_breast_cancer_link
All…. call it what it is: obfuscation.
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/obfuscation
It’s what Progressocrats do when they’re caught red-handed.
And those whose agenda is dependent on deception always seem to be able to find an audience of those willing to be deceived.
See how they’re trying to reframe the issue?
Pelosi: Republicans Want ‘to Use the Excuse of Religious Freedom’ to Harm ‘Women’s Health’
http://cnsnews.com/news/article/pelosi-republicans-want-use-excuse-religious-freedom-harm-womens-health
You know, most people in Hell I feel sorry for. Like FDR, for one. But if I ever make it to Heaven, I’m gonna spend me some time in front of the tube, with a cold one, watching the “Nancy Pelosi Fries 24/7″ channel. It may be hard to watch, but ima gonna watch it.
http://www.lifesitenews.com/news/white-house-religious-employers-wont-have-to-cover-birth-control-but-insura
This one contains some of the Catholic bishops’ response….doesn’t look like the Lying Thug is getting by with today’s Friday Shell Game.
Rush is on a roll today!
Democrat Congresswoman Gwendolynne Moore: Pregnancy is a Disease
http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/daily/2012/02/10/democrat_congresswoman_gwendolynne_moore_pregnancy_is_a_disease
When I heard this on his show today, I had to stifle a scream. WTF is wrong with these dumb-ass liberals?! Really!? They can say the dumbest sh!t and get away with it. UGH!!! (I’ve got to calm myself down….okay….3 deep, calming breaths….. …… …… Nah, didn’t help at all!)
Did you have to hurt anybody at work today, Freedom? Just curious. Don’t answer if you’re still at the Police Station.
Nah, I didn’t hurt anybody today.
I’ll have to be on my best behavior on the drive home tonight, though. 
I’ll have force myself to ignore the Obama stickers I see on all the hippie-mobiles around town.
The Compromise — The Justice Department Used To Call This Sort of Thing Fraud
by Andy McCarthy
http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/290822/compromise-justice-department-used-call-sort-thing-fraud-andrew-c-mccarthy
Finally Huckabee said something worth cutting and pasting.
Huckabee: ‘We are all Catholics now’
By Cameron Joseph – 02/10/12 10:06 AM ET
Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee (R) said President Obama has united the GOP over his proposed rule requiring religious groups to pay for contraceptives in healthcare poliices.
Huckabee facetiously thanked Obama for stirring the issue. “You have done more than any person in the entire GOP field, any candidate, has done to bring this party to unity and energize this party as a result of your attack on religious liberty,” he said Friday morning.
“Thanks to President Obama, we are all Catholics now,” he said to cheers at the Conservative Political Action Conference.
He also criticized abortion and tied it into a general degradation of morality in the United States.
(And this next bit isn’t about that issue, but fun to understand….) Huckabee skipped the conference two years ago, complaining it had been overrun by Ron Paul supporters. “CPAC has has become increasingly libertarian and less Republican over the last years, one of the reasons I didn’t go this year,” he said then.
But Paul decided to skip the conference this year, and his usual army of supporters was nowhere to be seen, save for a few who came to see his son, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), speak Thursday afternoon. (whaddaya make of that??)
Health insurers not liking the shakedown:
UPDATE 1-Health insurers question Obama birth control plan
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/02/10/usa-contraceptives-aetna-idUSL2E8DAEKD20120210
From the article: “U.S. health insurers said on Friday they feared President Barack Obama had set a new precedent by making them responsible for providing free birth control to employees of religious groups…..” aw, come on, you guys! Doncha care about the health of women??
How DO you feel about The Great Liar dictating now to insurance companies????? How’s that gonna work for y’all??
You, too, are Catholics now, dear insurer— and you WILL do what Dear Leader tells you to do.