Written by: Patrick Galvin 
A Fitting Response...
The Healthcare plan is dead. But not because of newly-elected Massachusetts senator Scott Brown. The plan Democrats had in mind, the plan voters like myself enthusiastically supported, was already dead and has been for over a month. The whole losing-an-election-on-our-home-turf debacle? That was just icing on the cake. Democrats have no one to blame for the Healthcare plan’s failure but themselves.
I’ll say this: a bill will eventually pass, and it will accomplish a couple things. It will ensure people cannot be denied coverage based on pre-existing health conditions. It will set up a government exchange to help make healthcare more affordable, which should honestly reduce the number of uninsured people, especially coupled with a mandate that they must have insurance in the first place. However, these issues were not the crux of the debate. Private insurance providers and both parties in Washington supported these measures. It was the public option that was at the core of this bill. In the initial draft of the Obama-Biden healthcare plan, the public option was the ultimate device for enforcing lower costs and the ancillary private reforms. Generic drugs are a good example. Obama-Biden wanted generics to be used ubiquitously to lower healthcare costs. Having a public government-run option would enforce that. If a private insurer still used the expensive medication without good reason, people would gravitate toward a cheaper, generics-infused option from the government. Drops in profits would become motivation to change current policy for private healthcare providers, and generics would become ubiquitously used. Without a competing government-run option, now what? How would the government tell insurers to use generics? Would they simply provide the same lip service they did to the banks during the bailout? We’ve seen how well that worked in getting banks to lend more money to small businesses. Namely they haven’t. There needs to be incentive to drive change, and this public option was as good an incentive as you were going to find, if only it were sold properly.
Ultimately, lack of marketing-consistency is what caused this bill to deteriorate. The 100% medicare expansion free for the state of Nebraska, the caving on abortion-related policy, etc. were all allowed to happen because Democrats never kept a stalwart position on the public option. Obama initially championed it, so did Nancy Pelosi, Barney Frank, Howard Dean and others. Then Blue Dogs publicly debated how cost-effective it would be, stating they would not support a bill with the public option, directly contradicting claims made by Obama and others that it would save money in the long term. The Congressional Budget Office studies later validated these claims, further embarrassing the President. He was also resisted in his claims that the public option would not lead to a single-payer plan, when Barney Frank called the option a great “gateway” to a single payer plan (I would’ve called this the Democrats’ gaffe of the year, were it not for Senator Reid’s “negro” comments). Sensing confusion and loss of the plan’s political momentum, Obama decided to concede on the public option in the hopes of retaining the private reforms. So he stated the option was not 100% essential, and could be dropped to preserve the other private reforms, only to have Nancy Pelosi heroically claim that there “will be a public option,” in the final plan. Even when Pelosi and others hopped on board, finally sacrificing the public option, factions within the party resisted melodramatically, and again publicly, stating they wouldn’t support a bill without the public option. They never once truly aligned, and this constant contradiction fed into Republicans’ hands.
The Republican party held a firm position the entire time, which was that the government-run public option, and the healthcare reform bill in its entirety should be opposed. Consistency can cover for so many other sins in a political race. It is absolutely crucial to winning long-term debates. The steady, constant “Hope and Change” mantra that bolstered Obama’s campaign helped overcome slip-ups such as the “guns and religion” comments, as well as public attacks on his character and capability ranging from “terrorist” to “elitist” to “inexperienced” all the while. On the opposite end of the spectrum, just look at Bush vs. Kerry from 2004. Kerry’s “flip-flop” reputation was political cyanide. Uncertainty is to politicians what alcohol is to Mel Gibson. When the Democratic party proposed the public option, they needed to stick to it. Any internal fusion should have been kept INTERNAL. This was again, done beautifully by Obama’s campaign team in the Presidential elections. But Obama picked his campaign team. You don’t get to pick Congressmen and Senators, who are far more intractable and truculent than campaign advisors.
This confusion and miasma of mixed messages made even liberals too confused to truly support anything, option or no option. Republicans representing moderate states felt zero pressure from their voters to support this bill as a result. Meanwhile, they had been unanimously and consistently recruiting people to oppose the bill, with success. As time wore on, even Republicans who initially wanted to support the healthcare bill, such as Olympia Snowe (R-ME) were forced to decline. Now with only 60 votes to work with, Democrats fell victim to leeching. Realizing that they were the “C” variable in the median voter theorem, the one who pits A against B such that they are now in a position of power, people such as Sen. Ben Nelson (D-NE) used their vote as fodder for Medicare provisions for Nebraska and specialized abortion legislation. Other moderate Democrats began interjecting their own provisions for farm-friendlier states so they could bring bacon back home to their voters and brag about it. By the time it was done, healthcare supporters felt more like whores than like politicians, if there’s any difference. But to be fair, this was unusual even for them. They’d just bought off more people than Frank Lucas.
At least something was being passed though. It was precariously built on buyouts and failed promises, but at least some of the private reforms would still be enacted. Until January 18th, 2010 happened. Until Scott Brown won that Senate seat in Massachusetts, replacing the late Ted Kennedy and killing the Democrats’ filibuster-proof 60-40 majority, thus inevitably rendering the Democrats’ healthcare-bill even more impotent in effectiveness, as they’d have to further scale back their ambitions in order to obtain a passable bill. The Democrats’ fumbling while selling the public option, and then the Healthcare plan entirely, has now lead to an inconsistency in their brand, a brand they’d so magnificently built in the wake of Obama’s Presidential election. And that brand-inconsistency is coming back to haunt them, as clearly evidenced in the Massachusetts loss, in a state that is supposed to be the Democrats’ home turf.
I voted for Barack Obama last year, and in doing so I implicitly voted for his Democratic allies, the 60-40 majority of Senators and Congressmen that would bolster his domestic and international power. I supported healthcare reform from the beginning, and with a Senate, Congress and President all in agreement, sailing would be smooth for people like me. But I was painfully reminded why Democrats can be so unbearable at times, why South Park has made a killing lampooning their leaders and celebrity supporters for over a decade. Democrats try to portray this higher sense of dignity and intelligence, this help-the-poor, hope-for-all optimism. They claim to be on the leading edge of social equality and fiscal opportunity. And at many times they are. But for all their high-fiving over their similar ideals, for all of their collectively progressive-minded chutzpah, they seem to have had a damned time cooperating on one stinking goal, especially when that goal was at the absolute domestic forefront of social equality and fiscal opportunity.
Republicans of late have usually had bad ideas. From the Patriot Act to Iraq to the 5% capital-gains-tax, they’ve set the bar about as low as it could go. But give them credit. At least they executed their bad ideas.
Written by: Patrick Galvin 
Google may be dropping their “google.cn” in China altogether, citing frustrations with restrictive Chinese laws regarding content.
Story from AP (Courtesy of Yahoo! News):
BEIJING – China tried Friday to keep its censorship row with Google from damaging business confidence or ties with Washington, promising good conditions for foreign investors but giving no sign it might relax Internet controls…
If a compromise isn’t worked out within the next few weeks, the company intends to shut down Google.cn and pull out of China. Rubin said Google hasn’t set a deadline for breaking the impasse…
Images from the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown on pro-democracy protests cropped up in Google.cn’s search results Thursday, leading some Web surfers to conclude Google had begun to defy censorship rules. But Rubin said Google.cn is still censoring its results to comply with China’s law and protect its employees there.
As is well known, China has a strict set of censorship rules for all content within its borders. One example of this is obviously… porn. Just last year alone, over 5,000 people were arrested by Chinese authorities for pornography-related offenses. While Americans certainly love their porn, turning it into a multi-billion dollar industry, it could be argued that porn itself could be done without. At the very least, if a country had a moral opposition to porn, American businesses could learn to operate within China on those terms. It’s not like porn-related concerns are really going to interfere with other ventures, right?
In 2008 “The Dark Knight” became an astronomical success, heightened by a cunning performance from Heath Ledger before his death. Currently the film has a domestic gross of over half a billion dollars. Think of the business opportunity available in China, the world’s largest population. Now remember that opportunity was stanched before ever getting the chance to flourish.
Quoted From CBC News (full article here):
It did not elaborate on what it meant by “cultural sensitivities,” but the New York Times speculated that the Hollywood studio may have been concerned Chinese censors would be offended by scenes shot in Hong Kong, including those in which Batman, played by Christian Bale, nabs a Chinese money launderer.
Another potential point of conflict, it noted, was a brief appearance by Edison Chen, the Hong Kong singer and record producer who appeared in sexually explicit photographs posted on the internet in 2008.
“Memoirs of a Geisha” and “Brokeback Mountain” were also banned citing similar reasons. So it’s clear that huge opportunities for both creative expression and financial prosperity are losing their legs in China for the sake of hoarding information. As a result, Google has grown tired of China’s restrictions, and has threatened to drop “google.cn” from its operations and pull out of China entirely. Keep in mind Google is a company that believes information should be free, and information should be freely accessible, so it’s not entirely unrealistic to see Google do this.
Exacerbating the problem is the fact Google believes they, as well as other U.S. companies were attacked by Chinese hackers. Specifically, human rights activists were targeted.
From Official Google Blog: (full story here)
…we have evidence to suggest that a primary goal of the attackers was accessing the Gmail accounts of Chinese human rights activists. Based on our investigation to date we believe their attack did not achieve that objective. Only two Gmail accounts appear to have been accessed, and that activity was limited to account information (such as the date the account was created) and subject line, rather than the content of emails themselves.
I agree with Google’s take on this, as most Americans probably would. It is time for American companies to show China that when it comes to free information, there are firm rules. Either all of it goes, or none of it. Right now Google is one of the few companies with the international fame and domestic success to both embarrass China with its withdrawal while thriving economically. More power to them, and hopefully other companies follow suit until China changes the way it handles or hides information.
Written by: Mike It’s all but confirmed, Conan O’Brien is going to leave the tonight show with a $30 million dollar buyout from NBC (more on them later). With so many potential options for where Conan could end up, one that’s particularly interesting to me is hosting a midnight show on Comedy Central.
It sounds preposterous at first; leaving NBC and broadcast television to work for Viacom / Comedy Central and a cable network. With FOX being a step back, since they are really not known for late night comedy, and ABC/CBS are out of the picture it’s time for Conan to start thinking out of the box. After all, he’ll have millions of dollars if things don’t go well in his next gig.
Seriously... his hair is from another planet.
He is a younger late night comedian, which is why you see so many more “Team Conan” movements on Facebook than you do “Team Leno”. You know who is on Comedy Central from 11:30-12; just a guy named Stephen Colbert, a cult hero amongst the younger demographic. Conan would benefit from a HUGE lead in to the 12 o’clock hour if he were to go to Comedy Central.
It would also let him do a style of comedy he enjoys more. Colbert is a tremendous political satirist; Conan quite frankly struggles with it. With a solid 1 hour of politlcally centered shows before him, he would be under no pressure to feel the need to make jokes about politics. He’d also be able to revert to the days of the Masturbating Bear, and Triumph the Insult Comic Dog. I’m not suggesting he dumbs his comedy down, but he would certainly be able to push the envelope on Comedy Central.
This move would benefit the network as well as Conan. They would boast a solid hour and a half of some of the most beloved talk show hosts out there. Landing a big name like Conan would give them a huge ratings boost initially, which if done right would parlay into loyal viewers night after night.
This guy is an idiot. NBC should hire Alec Baldwin for real.
The network is suffering from a lack of good original programming. South Park remains its only watchable show, and John Stewart and Colbert are the remaining two guys keeping the network afloat.
If Comedy Central is serious about drawing in new viewers, providing advertisers more opportunities, and keeping their network relevant, offering Conan a deal he can’t turn down is a no-brainer. Of course, NBC is run by a bunch of idiots (their only watchable programming is Thursday night comedy) so I wouldn’t put it past the suits at Comedy Central to completely overlook this opportunity.
Written by: Patrick Galvin 
The “first” interactive sex robot has officially been designed by True Companion, LLC in New Jersey. The difference is this robot focuses on “conversation” as opposed to life-like movement. Supposedly.
Story from AP (Courtesy of Yahoo! News):
LAS VEGAS – A New Jersey company says it has developed “the world’s first sex robot,” a life-size rubber doll that’s designed to engage the owner with conversation rather than lifelike movement.
At a demonstration at the Adult Entertainment Expo in Las Vegas on Saturday, the dark-haired, negligee-clad robot said “I love holding hands with you” when it sensed that its creator touched its hand.
I say that in bed all the time. No, really. I’m very sensitive, or so my therapist tells me.
It has touch sensors at strategic locations and can sense when it’s being moved. But it can’t move on its own, not even to turn its head or move its lips. The sound comes out of an internal loudspeaker.
Awww! Conversation my ass. The first company to make this kind of robot will probably make a lot more money than these folks in New Jersey.
“The sex robot thing is marketing — it’s really about making a companion,” he said.
A companion? Isn’t that what you know… people are for??? Wives? Husbands? Whores? Call me old-fashioned, but I’m gonna “hold hands” with people for right now.
Written by: Mike #5 – Green Day 21 Guns
A great band at the beginning of the decade, a great band at the end of the decade. Enough said.
#4 – Black Eyed Peas Rock that Body
Say what you want about this group, but at the end of the day they bring the energy. Much better than hearing Daughtry sing a slow song in the middle of times square.
#3 – Jay-Z & Rihanna – Run this Town / Umbrella
If Green Day was great throughout the decade, then Jay-Z was unstoppable. Probably one of the greatest runs of any musician in the last 30 years. The Blueprint 1,2 and now 3 has at least 4 of the top 10 hip hop songs of the decade. Best part about this performance, he just leaves the stage after his solo in Umbrella, you can see him literally walking off the stage. “PEACE!”
#2 – Travis Pastrana Jumps 250+ feet over water
Odds are you missed this regardless of where you celebrated. ESPN isn’t the first thing that comes to mind for new years eve programming, but this was just awesome.
#1 – Justin Beiber
This is the greatest performance I’ve ever seen. I was literally fell off my couch in tears and laughter as I watched this. Whoever came up with the idea for a 13 year old white kid with long hair and a walking boot on his right leg to try and rap is pure genius. This sets the bar incredibly high for the best unintentional comedy video of the new year.
Written by: Patrick Galvin 
Chris Henry, the 26-year-old wide receiver for the Cincinnati Bengals, died today. His death came one day after a domestic dispute where he fell off the back of a car.
Story from AP (Courtesy of Yahoo! News):
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Cincinnati Bengals receiver Chris Henry died Thursday, a day after falling out of the back of a pickup truck during what police said was a domestic dispute with his fiancee.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg police said Henry died at 6:36 a.m. Henry was 26.
“We knew him in a different way than his public persona,” Bengals owner Mike Brown said of the player who was suspended five times during his career. “He had worked through the troubles in his life and had finally seemingly reached the point where everything was going to blossom. And he was going to have the future we all wanted for him. It’s painful to us. We feel it in our hearts, and we will miss him.”
There’s nothing funny about somebody dying. There is something very scary about two domestic disputes involving cars in recent weeks. One of them ends in an unconscious man having been potentially hit with a golf club, lying on the street after smashing into a fire hydrant. The other ends in a man FALLING OFF A GOD DAMNED CAR and dying.
I’m never getting married, nor am I ever getting engaged. And God forbid I do, I’m sure not pissing her off in the process.
Written by: Patrick Galvin 
In what is quickly turning into a dismal cluster-fuck for Democrats everywhere, the Healthcare plan that was so close to being finalized has been blocked by Democrat Ben Nelson, who wants stricter abortion laws in the bill before supporting it.
Story from AP (Courtesy of Yahoo! News):
“Without modifications, the language concerning abortion is not sufficient,” Nelson declared in a written statement that summarized the results of days of private negotiations. The second-term Nebraskan opposes the procedure and wants tighter restrictions written into the overhaul.
With Nelson’s support, the White House and Senate Democrats would command 60 votes for the health care measure, enough to overcome a Republican filibuster and pass the bill within a matter of days.
“The absolute refusal of Republicans in the Senate to support health care reform and the hijacking of the bill by defenders of the insurance industry have brought us a Senate bill that is inadequate,” Richard Trumka, head of the AFL-CIO, said in a statement.
His criticism of GOP lawmakers aside, Trumka’s blast seemed aimed at Nelson, Joe Lieberman, I-Conn., and possibly other members of the Senate Democratic caucus who have successfully stripped the legislation of any form of government-run insurance option.
Bullshit. Democrats should have and probably did expect unanimous opposition from Republicans regarding this bill. They had 60 Democrats as it stood, so numbers were in their favor. They had the unprecedented popularity of their Democratic president. And they had a plan that made common-sense to over 50% of the American public during numerous polls. Their inability to push through a government-run option, or any option currently, is a failure they can purely call their own. They were inconsistent with their message, while Republicans were more staunch in their communal stance. When Obama said that a government-run option doesn’t translate to a single-payer system in the longterm, we as a public believed it. Until Barney Frank said the exact opposite. Bernie Sanders later joined in. Then people started scratching their heads. Similar inconsistencies occurred regarding the cost of the plan, with Blue Dog Democrats saying it was too expensive while others said it would pay for itself in the long run. As a result, the message from Democrats was never clear or consistent enough to resonate with the public to a degree they would demand change on their behalf. And thus, despite greater than 50% approval ratings, Republicans could pull the right strings (most notably Joe Lieberman) and get enough support to stanch the bill to date.
The worst part is the way the plan had originally been set up, the muscle that would enforce the private reforms came largely from the public, government-run option. Take generic drugs for example. Obama-Biden wanted generics to be used more often, and the government – run plans could have introduced them at a cheaper cost, thus forcing private firms to do the same. But now, how do they enforce the use of generics short of hardcore regulation that would draw the ire of moderates everywhere?
Democrats can blame Republicans on this if they want to, but ultimately they had an idea their party, their voters and even the swing-voters were getting behind. They just fucked up selling it. If you’re a salesman and you lose a bid, you don’t blame the competitor. You fucked up, period.
