Obama Fumbles after Health Care Blitz

With a new stimulus jobs bill in motion and "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" on the line, President Obama is still trying to reset the play clock on health care reform. Yesterday, he made it clear who was calling the plays, saying that Congress is still huddling on the plan's "minor" problems. At a townhall meeting in New Hampshire, the Sports Fan-in-Chief used every football analogy in the book. Health care reform is on "the five yard line," he promised. (Maybe this is fantasy football?) "We're in the red zone," he said. "We've got to punch it through." Well, they're in the red zone all right--but only when it comes to cost.

While the President says the bill is "90%" there, most Americans would argue that he's 100% wrong. He can try the hurry-up offense, the quarterback sneak, but none of it will change the fact that the legislation has been blown dead in its current form with taxpayer-funded abortion, higher premiums, new taxes, rationing, state-driven bribery, and trillions in the bottom line. Yet, as the President told New England yesterday, "[I]t's not over."

As recently as yesterday, Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) announced that Democrats will try to eat up small yardage by scheduling votes on popular slivers of the bill like antitrust laws. According to Politico, "The vote is part of her new two-track strategy to tackle things that won't be included in a more sweeping bill...while giving her members something politically popular to vote on." In the meantime, both chambers are pouring over their playbooks to find a reasonable way to move forward. Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.) was less optimistic. "Don't pin me down as to days or number of weeks," he said.

Speaking of switching teams, a U.S. tax court handed down a ridiculous ruling yesterday on a man's sex-change operation, ordering the government to accept a $5,000 tax deduction of the costs. In its decision, the court rebuked the IRS for dismissing it as a legitimate medical claim. Attorneys for the IRS argued that the surgery was "cosmetic," not a medical necessity. If the ruling stands, however, it could have sweeping implications for taxpayers and the transgender community--particularly since "gender identity disorder" (still considered a mental illness by the American Psychological Association), would not only be legitimized by the federal government--but subsidized as well. Welcome to ObamaCare.

Opening the Flood, Gates

"You don't have to be straight to shoot straight." That's the best argument Sen. Mark Udall (D-Colo.) could come up with for repealing "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" during yesterday's Senate hearing in the Armed Services Committee. According to Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), it's not good enough. "At this moment of immense hardship for our armed services, we should not be seeking to overturn the 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' policy... Has this policy been ideal? No... but... [i]t has helped to balance a potentially disruptive tension between the desires of a minority and the broader interests of our all-volunteer force... We owe our lives to our fighting men and women, and we should be exceedingly cautious, humble, and sympathetic when attempting to regulate their affairs. 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' has been an imperfect but effective policy. And at this moment, when we are asking more of our military than at any time in recent memory, we should not repeal this law." We applaud Sen. McCain for holding the line when so many in the administration have crossed it.

Apart from his comments, the only positive note from yesterday's hearing was that senators of both parties reminded Secretary Robert Gates and Admiral Mike Mullen that opening the military to homosexuals would require Congress--it's not within the President or Pentagon's power to act unilaterally. Judging by our busy press room, FRC continues to be the go-to organization on this issue in the media. Apart from a series of print interviews, Peter Sprigg and I took the lead on a few national talk shows yesterday, debating the fallout of homosexuals in the military with experts from the other side. You can watch all three appearances--on CNN, MSNBC's "Hardball," and "Larry King Live"--by visiting our newsroom.

Some People Don't Like to Be Lectured. We do.

Plenty of Americans are familiar with democracy. Just last month, we saw it in action, when thousands of angry Massachusetts voters streamed into polling places and punched their ticket for a new voice in Washington, D.C.: Senator Scott Brown. But is this the type of government that the Founders intended? Bill Wichterman, former Special Assistant to President George W. Bush, will try to answer that question on Thursday at 11:00 a.m. (ET) during a special policy lecture hosted by FRC (801 G Street, NW, Washington, D.C.) called "Did the Founding Fathers Establish a Democracy?" To RSVP for the event or the live webcast, click here. A complimentary lunch will be provided.

Fact #44: The Left's Uncivil Unions

Every thugocracy needs its enforcers, and in the case of ObamaCare, that role is currently filled by the Service Employees International Union (SEIU). The SEIU president, Andy Stern, was a frequent visitor to the White House last year (28 times in one six month period!), and his influence paid off. SEIU provided "security" at numerous Democratic Members townhall meetings and were always quick to oust anyone who disagreed with them. In one instance, they assaulted an African-American protester at a townhall in St. Louis while screaming racial slurs at him. When the government takeover of health care seemed to falter, this Union was the first out the door, threatening political repercussions for any Democrat who doesn't toe the line. And it was SEIU's political money and influence that made the Democrats promise to exempt unions from any of the taxes on certain health care plans. Now with the Democrats' super-majority in jeopardy, they are still trying to sneak in as many favors to the unions as they can, including pushing through the nomination of controversial nominee for Solicitor General at the Labor Department, Patricia Smith. If you're looking for the Obama Goon Squad--look for this Union label.

** Check out FRC's latest column in the Washington Times, Rob Schwarzwalder's piece, "AIDS Programs Help Bureaucrats, Not Victims." **