Sheila Jackson-Lee, Jan Schakowsky, and David Axelrod have all done an about-turn on merits of the term “Obamacare” after a recent decision to allow its use in “franked” U.S. government mail.
Franking privileges, which allow mail to be sent from congressional offices as part of their “allocated spending stipend,” are restricted from being used for “personal, political, or partisan” reasons. In other words, you can’t use it to send out campaign mail. Roll Call reports:
Members can use the unofficial moniker for the Affordable Care Act in taxpayer-financed mailings, but only if it’s in the context of the title of the bill the House passed today. That measure includes the following as its Section 1: “This Act may be cited as the ‘Repeal of Obamacare Act.’”
“There is an established [Franking] Commission precedent that allows for Members to reference the titles of legislation in mass communications,” said Steve Dutton, communications director for Rep. Aaron Schock (R-Ill.), who is chairman of the commission.
“Any other use of ‘Obamacare’ still does not meet franking standards,” added Greg Abbott, Democratic spokesman for the House Administration Committee, which oversees franking regulations.
Democrats, who viewed the term “Obamacare” as perjorative objected just last year to the term’s use in franked mail. However, with the recent Supreme Court decisions they are now embracing the affiliation of the Affordable Care Act with the president. Again, from Roll Call:
“I am well aware of the fact that there are many Americans, when they hear the word ‘Obamacare,’ they think, oh, somehow it’s a takeover by the government of our freedom, our health care,” Rep.Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) said. “But I’m hoping that people will take another look now that the Supreme Court has declared this to be the law of the land and see what advantages there are for you, for individuals.”
“I call Obamacare Leroycare, Mariacare, Senior Citizens Sick Care, Nursing Home Care,” Rep.Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas) said. “That’s what it is.”
The White House was already getting into the act.
In March, David Axelrod, a top campaign adviser for Obama, sent an email to supporters proclaiming, “Hell yeah, I’m for Obamacare.”
Now that the left can more assuredly claim the success of the legislation (their definition of success, not mine), they are willing to cosy up to the term that most Americans use, and that ties the president to the legislation.
DONATE
Donations tax deductible
to the full extent allowed by law.
Comments
Ahhh….so it’s NOT any longer raaAAAAcist to refer to the ersatz “health” care act as Obamacare?
I’m sure that today all of the Obama toadies will be renouncing their yesterday, post-Romney-NAACP speech slams of his using the supposedly pejorative term?
About the same time that Swine Airlines offers its inaugural flight…
“I call Obamacare Leroycare, Mariacare, Senior Citizens Sick Care, Nursing Home Care,” Rep.Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas) said. “That’s what it is.”
Yeh, but she calls the Moon Mars, soooo…
How ’bout “Death Panel Care”, Ms. Jackson-Lee? Good wid you?
So many conservatives refer to Obama as Zero or 0 that I’ve taken to calling it 0Care (as in ZEROCare) because that’s what it entails, and it still ties him nicely to the nightmare.
Not one republican voted for it, and five dems have now voted to repeal it. I think it’s safe to say that not only is it an economic nightmare and a gross overreach of government but it’s also a political loser. The crazies are going back to the “but people like some of the provisions,” so they must love the whole thing and will hate the GOP for wanting to repeal the two or three things that seem popular. That could work this close to election and in light of the Supremes’ decision.
I’d love to see republicans and conservatives actually read the darned thing and let Americans know exactly what they will lose in terms not only of money and access to health care but in terms of liberty, privacy, and peace of mind. The trade off for being able to keep your 26 year old “child” on your policy may not appeal to many Americans.
Really, we should be referring to its true nature, ObamaHealthTax, given that it’ll be the largest tax increase in US history. Quite the change to hang our hope upon, eh?
Who knows, kids… maybe they’ll soon embrace other conservative names, such as Death Panel, Rationing, Overreach,Unsustainable and Generational Theft!
See? There can be agreement in DC.
Obama , repeal of Emancipation Proclamation , 13th Amendment for all. l have always found it incredible that our black ,fellow citizens , seem to have no problem refastening shackles on us all as long as they have a say in it. l guess that govt. job & or check trumps all.
obamatax
obamapowergrab
obamahealthinsurancetakeover
no care involved at all
ObamaTaxedCare:
I don’t know what they have to say,
It makes no difference anyway —
Whatever it is, I’m against it!
No matter what it is or who commenced it,
I’m against it.
Your proposition may be good
But let’s have one thing understood —
Whatever it is, I’m against it!
And even when you’ve changed it or condensed it,
I’m against it.
I’m opposed to it —
On general principles I’m opposed to it!
Chorus: (S)he’s opposed to it!
In fact, in word, in deed,
(S)he’s opposed to it!
For months before my son was born,
I used to yell from night till morn,
Whatever it is, I’m against it!
And I’ve kept yelling since I commenced it,
I’m against it!
“I am well aware of the fact that there are many Americans, when they hear the word ‘Obamacare,’ they think, oh, somehow it’s a takeover by the government of our freedom, our health care….” she said as she enticed constituents to “take another look…and see what advantages there are for you….” Come on! Let’s all jump on the government gravy train! What’s in it for ME????
Why, oh why, is the Republican Party so moribund in the state of Illinois?? Why are guilty liberals so guilty? We moved out of Jan the Communist’s district only to be re-districted back in. I cannot stand that woman! (Banging head against brick wall.)
Since Jan Schakowsky’s husband, Robert Creamer, wrote the blueprint for Obamacare, wherein he acknowledged it was for redistribution of wealth and power and not about the specifics of health care, it is little wonder that she supports it…same for Axelrod who wrote letters to help get her husband out of prison and praised his book as the guide for progressive change. What a tangled web…too bad there are not more people like Allen West who will call things for what they are: progressive, communist take over of the U.S.
See what the acknowledged purpose of Obamacare really was according to those that planned it: http://www.wnd.com/2010/06/166629/
Bob Cramer is a felon and nobody around here cares about it. They operate as a team. They’re “progressives” and that’s all that matters.
Howard Fineman of MSNBC says that the word “Obamacare” is a loaded word. How soon will it be considered Racist?
Very soon actually. Bill O’Reilly had a guest on the Factor this evening (I’m having trouble looking up the name, but he was in the NAACP leadership), who basically said that Obamacare was a loaded/racist term and that Mitt should have known it would offend the audience and should have called it the Affordable Health Care Act.
[…] It Does Posted on July 12, 2012 5:30 pm by Bill Quick » Term “Obamacare,” once derided by left, now embraced – Le·gal In&mi… “I call Obamacare Leroycare, Mariacare, Senior Citizens Sick Care, Nursing Home Care,” […]
One of these days the Democrat politicians are going to realize that just because the Supreme Court declared it ‘constitutional’ that doesn’t mean that it’s a good law. They seem to overlook that the act is still incredibly unpopular, and as long as Rasmussen has been polling about it (since March 2010), the majority of Americans have wanted the act repealed. In fact it’s such a losing issue that the lowest the spread has ever been was 5 points with a maximum of 31 points and an average of 17. So go ahead, keep preaching the merits of Obamacare, you’ll get another taste of how unpopular it is later this year.
Good! It’s about bloody time they took ownership of the name.