Published minutes ago on the Governor’s Facebook page and entitled “Good Intentions Aren’t Enough with Health Care Reform”:
Now that the Senate Finance Committee has approved its health care bill, it’s a good time to step back and take a look at the long term consequences should its provisions be enacted into law.
The bill prohibits insurance companies from refusing coverage to people with pre-existing conditions and from charging sick people higher premiums. [1] It attempts to offset the costs this will impose on insurance companies by requiring everyone to purchase coverage, which in theory would expand the pool of paying policy holders.
However, the maximum fine for those who refuse to purchase health insurance is $750. [2] Even factoring in government subsidies, the cost of purchasing a plan is much more than $750. The result: many people, especially the young and healthy, will simply not buy coverage, choosing to pay the fine instead. They’ll wait until they’re sick to buy health insurance, confident in the knowledge that insurance companies can’t deny them coverage. Such a scenario is a perfect storm for increasing the cost of health care and creating an unsustainable mandate program.
Those driving this plan no doubt have good intentions, but good intentions aren’t enough. There were good intentions behind the drive to increase home ownership for lower-income Americans, but forcing financial institutions to give loans to people who couldn’t afford them had terrible unintended consequences. We all felt those consequences during the financial collapse last year. Unintended consequences always result from top-down big government plans like the current health care proposals, and we can’t afford to ignore that fact again.
Supposedly the Senate Finance bill will be paid for by cutting Medicare by nearly half a trillion dollars and by taxing the so-called “Cadillac” health care plans enjoyed by many union members. The plan will also impose heavy taxes on insurers, pharmaceutical companies, medical device companies, and clinical labs. [3] The result of all of these taxes is clear. As Douglas Holtz-Eakin noted in the Wall Street Journal, these new taxes “will be passed on to consumers by either directly raising insurance premiums, or by fueling higher health-care costs that inevitably lead to higher premiums.” [4] Unfortunately, it will lead to lower wages too, as employees will have to sacrifice a greater percentage of their paychecks to cover these higher premiums. [5] In other words, if the Democrats succeed in overhauling health care, we’ll all bear the costs. The Senate Finance bill is effectively a middle class tax increase, and as Holtz-Eakin points out, according to the Joint Committee on Taxation those making less than $200,000 will be hit hardest. [6]
With our country’s debt and deficits growing at an alarming rate, many of us can’t help but wonder how we can afford a new trillion dollar entitlement program. The president has promised that he won’t sign a health care bill if it “adds even one dime to our deficit over the next decade.” [7] But his administration also promised that his nearly trillion dollar stimulus plan would keep the unemployment rate below 8%. [8] Last month, our employment rate was 9.8%, the highest it’s been in 26 years. [9] At first the current administration promised that the stimulus would save or create 3 to 4 million jobs. [10] Then they declared that it created 1 million jobs, but the stimulus reports released this week showed that a mere 30,083 jobs have been created, while nearly 3.4 million jobs have been lost since the stimulus was passed. [11] Should we believe the administration’s claims about health care when their promises have proven so unreliable about the stimulus?
In January 2008, presidential candidate Obama promised not to negotiate behind closed doors with health care lobbyists. In fact, he committed to “broadcasting those negotiations on C-SPAN so that the American people can see what the choices are. Because part of what we have to do is enlist the American people in this process. And overcoming the special interests and the lobbyists…” [12] However, last February, after serving only a few weeks in office, President Obama met privately at the White House with health care industry executives and lobbyists. [13] Yesterday, POLITICO reported that aides to President Obama and Democrat Senator Max Baucus met with corporate lobbyists in April to help “set in motion a multimillion-dollar advertising campaign, primarily financed by industry groups, that has played a key role in bolstering public support for health care reform.” [14] Needless to say, their negotiations were not broadcast on C-SPAN for the American people to see.
Presidential candidate Obama also promised that he would not “sign any nonemergency bill without giving the American public an opportunity to review and comment on the White House Web site for five days.” [15] PolitiFact reports that this promise has already been broken three times by the current administration. [16] We can only hope that it won’t be broken again with health care reform.
All of this certainly gives the appearance of politics-as-usual in Washington with no change in sight.
Americans want health care reform because we want affordable health care. We don’t need subsidies or a public option. We don’t need a nationalized health care industry. We need to reduce health care costs. But the Senate Finance plan will dramatically increase those costs, all the while ignoring common sense cost-saving measures like tort reform. Though a Congressional Budget Office report confirmed that reforming medical malpractice and liability laws could save as much as $54 billion over the next ten years, tort reform is nowhere to be found in the Senate Finance bill. [17]
Here’s a novel idea. Instead of working contrary to the free market, let’s embrace the free market. Instead of going to war with certain private sector companies, let’s embrace real private-sector competition and allow consumers to purchase plans across state lines. Instead of taxing the so-called “Cadillac” plans that people get through their employers, let’s give individuals who purchase their own health care the same tax benefits we currently give employer-provided health care recipients. Instead of crippling Medicare, let’s reform it by providing recipients with vouchers so that they can purchase their own coverage.
Now is the time to make your voices heard before it’s too late. If we don’t fight for the market-oriented, patient-centered, and result-driven reform plan that we deserve, we’ll be left with the disastrous unintended consequences of the plans currently being cooked up in Washington.
I’m anxious to see the media coverage of this piece. Although Palin voiced some of the same complaints others have made about the Baucus Bill, they will have more influence coming from her. Regardless, the fact that she has highlighted some of the drawbacks of the bill, which has received rather positive coverage as a middle-of-the-road compromise by the mainstream media, should help increase public opposition.
Update: In a positive sign, the Politico seems to have received Palin’s note well, with an article called “Palin Offers Calm Critique of Baucus Bill”. The article opens with the following:
Former Alaska GOP Gov. Sarah Palin penned a tough but wonky critique Saturday night of the health care bill approved this week by the Senate Finance Committee.
In a more than 1,000-word essay posted on her Facebook page shortly before midnight, Palin knocked the bill sponsored by Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) for not setting up proper cost offsets, but offered none of the more incinedary, “death-panel” type claims that have marked her previous comments.
That kind of coverage should help to improve Independents’ perception of the Governor.
October 17th, 2009 at 11:52 pm
Is fine in healthcare bill big enough to ensure coverage?
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-hiltzik15-2009oct15,0,6778900.column
October 18th, 2009 at 12:16 am
It’s about time….where in the heck has she been?
October 18th, 2009 at 12:23 am
Why does this deserve a “BREAKING”? lol
October 18th, 2009 at 12:25 am
This is REALLY excellent! Kudos to whoever wrote it for her.
October 18th, 2009 at 1:49 am
This is an excellent summary in plain talk that the American public can understand. I agree that with Palin helping to get the main points of the bill out there, it will have more impact. I find her posts very helpful. I find the media very biased. It’s good to know someone else is out there looking out for the public, who is unafraid to speak up. I find it interesting that Obama promised not to meet with lobbyists behind closed doors, then does that very thing, to guess what, try and control the media and the message they are sending to the American public about health care. What was that about “Change you can believe in?”
October 18th, 2009 at 3:28 am
It’s good that she is communicating with her supporters, but she’s not saying anything that hasn’t already been said by 10 other people last week on the cable and radio shows.
October 18th, 2009 at 3:45 am
Love it!
But I agree with Josiah: why does this have a “BREAKING”? Lol.
October 18th, 2009 at 3:52 am
Her op-ed makes a pretty good case against the Baucus bill from the left, too.
I hate the Baucus bill, so much.
P.S. The fact about 54 billion over ten years for tort reform shouldn’t have been included…seeing as that’s incredibly minor when you look at health care spending.
October 18th, 2009 at 4:49 am
Breaking news from facebook?! Again this site delivers for the laughs!
October 18th, 2009 at 4:58 am
Maybe this ghost writer can ghost her presidential campaign and then her presidency lol.
October 18th, 2009 at 5:24 am
Good for her. I am glad she has finally takes on the Baucus Bill. Go Sarah!
October 18th, 2009 at 5:40 am
10 – First of all, I’ll give her the benefit of the doubt, since she’s got nothing better to do. But either way — Gosh, you mean politicians don’t write all of their own material?
Hate to break it to you, but your boy Mittens doesn’t write his own material, either.
Matthew E. Miller told me that he read Turnaround, that Romney wrote it himself, and “it shows.”
October 18th, 2009 at 6:28 am
Anyone who has been reading Sarah Palin’s written works over the past year, including anything that she
wrote while she was Govenor of Alaska at the state website, would know that Sarah wrote this herself.
This is typical ‘Sarah’. She has been using Facebook Notes to get her message out without the MSM being able to distort her words. Good for her at taking this tactic to circumvent the MSM. The power of the pen? Or, in this case, a laptop. She could be anywhere in the world working from, “Laptop Of The United States,” or ‘LOTUS’, as it is so fondly called by those who follow Sarah Palin. There are 72 Facebook Notes, so far, that Sarah Palin has accumulated on her Facebook page. Her two previous Facebook Notes, “Drill,” and, “Birthday wishes to Margaret Thatcher,” were written on Oct. 16th and Oct. 13th. She has been writing Facebook Notes all along. Sarah Palin resigned her position as Govenor to do just what she is doing now. What better way to begin the stalling of the Health Care Reform bill, HR 3200, than to cause
a nationwide ruckus at townhall meetings over the term, “Death Panel.” “Death Panel,” is the term that came straight out of her Facebook Notes. The Senate changed the wording in the bill, specifically because
of this. We will get the Sarah Palin’s perspective of this last year and the election in her book, “Going
Rogue,” which comes out Nov. 17th. She has kept a detailed journal for many years, so it was easy for her to put a book together. It was #1 at both B&N and Amazon within the first 24 hours and the first printing of
1.5 million sold out within the first two weeks. Not since , “Harry Potter,” has there been anything close to
a record breaker like Sarah Palin’s book. She may come out into the public to do some book signings, but her speaking engagements will begin after the first of the year. Also, she will begin campaining for true conservatives, who will be elected to congress in our next election. We are in for an exciting year with Sarah Palin.
For those of you who need to catch up on Sarah Palin’s Facebook Notes, here is the address to those.
http://www.facebook.com/sarahpalin
October 18th, 2009 at 7:14 am
#13
Cheri, there will be those on this web site and throughout America who will not buy into Palin’s political abilities and frankly much of that skepticism is not borne from any inside knowledge but of a MSM narrative that has constantly ridiculed, mocked, smeared, demonized, marginalized Sarah and successfully portrayed her as an unsophisticated country bumpkin who is either an incompetent moron or a religious extremist, which ever designation gains more favor on a week to week basis.
Cheri, I will never doubt the ability of the MSM to use disinformation and propaganda against Sarah Palin and over the next year or two Sarah will have to overcome this narrative by LEGITIMIZING her credentials for higher office or quite simply the GOP electorate will eventually turn to either Huckabee or Romney.
Cheri, why is Huckabee’s life not be torn apart by the MSM. Why in attacking Fox News did Obama not cite the unfair position Mike Huckabee has at Fox News for launching attacks on him? Cheri, it’s not fair, but it is what it is.
When Huckabee and his life is savaged by the Far Left as mercilessly as it has done to Sarah Palin I will begin to believe Huckabee is the frontrunner. But until then I remain a skeptic.
October 18th, 2009 at 7:14 am
Governor Palin is demonstrating what leadership looks like and the Governor is now controlling the debate on health care in language that your average American understands. This is very reminiscent of Ronald Reagan’s recordings opposing Medicare. With Governor Palin’s leadership, this bill will be defeated.
October 18th, 2009 at 7:16 am
Palin is right again, just as she is on energy independence, the weakening dollar, Afghanistan, national security, and all the social issues. When Palin speaks, everyone listens, when Romney speaks, no one cares.
Oh, BTW, Mitt’s new book, available for pre-release sales, is #283,396 at Amazon, Palin’s is #2 at Amazon, beat only by Stephen King’s new novel. At WalMart Palin’s book is #1, beating King.
October 18th, 2009 at 7:33 am
Greg,
I admire all of the candidates and could support any of them enthusiastically if they were to win the nomination. However, you certainly put the race into perspective, people underestimate Governor Palin at their own peril – she is in a very enviable position right now i.e. the Republican nomination. She has all of the passion and energy on her side right now and 2012 is shaping up to be a cycle where the people are going to want to elect a passionate true believer with a robust grass roots following, not a middle of the road moderate who checks off all the boxes and promises to be a strong general election candidate by appealing to independents (i.e. McCain).
October 18th, 2009 at 7:50 am
“It’s about time….where in the heck has she been?” She has been a lot for visible than Mr. Romney for those who took a summer vacation in the sand.
October 18th, 2009 at 8:19 am
#18 – That’s just plain BS!!
October 18th, 2009 at 8:20 am
She and Mittens had the same speech writer, six monthes apart
between the convention and CPAC, anyone remember anything Romney said there. She’s been studying up
actually reading the bills, and crediting the analysis to others.
Fancy that, while writing her book
and raising her two youngest, the latter is clearest on her mind, what kind of world will be left to them
October 18th, 2009 at 8:32 am
“#18 – That’s just plain BS!!” Then how come Mrs. Palin was the one to put Death panels on its death bed? Sure, Mr. Romney wrote a few good article and even gave a few good speeches, but it was Mrs. Palin who was the one to help set the agenda.
October 18th, 2009 at 9:58 am
Wow. What a no brainer this was. News flash. Romney did it last week. Day late, dollar short for the old gal, eh?
October 18th, 2009 at 10:00 am
Wondering who wrote her op ed? Lot’s of big words in there for Palin speak. Sorry, she jumps on the bandwagon after everyone and their brother has spoken about it. Sounds to me she’s a Mee TOO, lOOK AT MEEEE kind of chick.
October 18th, 2009 at 10:02 am
18. LOL. Well, I noticed Romney on at least 2 networks this week, and several raido stations talking policy. Beats the heck out of tweets and facebook.
October 18th, 2009 at 10:03 am
14, and Palin playing dumb blonde had nothing to do with the MSM preception? I guess the couric interview was staged using tina fey as Palin.
October 18th, 2009 at 10:29 am
Any health care reform bill that does not include real tort reforms can not be taken seriously. At this very moment there are three different advertisements for three different malpractice firms on the cover of the Tampa Bay Yellowpages. JUST ON THE COVER! While driving to work every morning I see SIX roadside billboards advertising the services of personal injury attorneys. This along a four mile stretch of northbound 275. If you don’t think physicians think about these things, you are wrong. I know I do. I know my colleagues do. What a shame. The practice and cost of “defensive medicine” is very real. The trial attorneys will argue that real tort reform would be just “a drop in the bucket”, however, they continue to flood Congress with money to keep the current system in place. When did 50 billion dollars in savings become chump change? Tort reform is not the entire answer to our broken system of health care but it is an absolutely essential component.
October 18th, 2009 at 10:39 am
White House Officials Reiterate Public Option Is Preferable, Not Required
http://www.rollcall.com/news/39619-1.html?type=printer_friendly
Sens. Thune, Conrad, Specter On Health Care, Afghanistan
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2009/10/18/sens_thune_conrad_specter_on_health_care_afghanistan.html
The danger of Obama’s dithering
His foreign policy brings to mind Jimmy Carter, or perhaps Ethelred the Unready.
By John R. Bolton
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-oe-bolton18-2009oct18,0,6694108,print.story
Is Obama Tough Enough?
Neither foreign leaders nor U.S. lawmakers fear the vengeance of the president, critics say.
http://www.nationaljournal.com/njmagazine/cs_20091017_2537.php
http://blogs.abcnews.com/george/2009/10/is-obama-tough-enough.html
Rahm Emanuel on White House’s War with Fox News
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BzKc-kxEP1A&feature=player_embedded
Axelrod: Fox ‘not really news’
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1009/28417.html
Rove, McAuliffe On White House’s War On Fox News
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2009/10/18/rove_mcauliffe_on_white_houses_war_on_fox_news.html
Send Out the Clowns
By Kathleen Parker
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/16/AR2009101602508_pf.html
The American Debate: Some Republicans are taking on the fringe
Without a unifying national leader, talk-show demagogues were able to hijack the party.
By Dick Polman
http://www.philly.com/inquirer/opinion/20091018_The_American_Debate__Some_Republicans_are_taking_on_the_fringe.html
Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty Comes To Southland
KCAL catches Tim Pawlenty thinking ahead to 2012 before dialing things back to talking points.
http://www.cbs2.com/video/?id=116919@kcbs.dayport.com
October 18th, 2009 at 12:25 pm
Sarah, please take on RomneyCare next!
October 18th, 2009 at 12:26 pm
Frum loves Daggett:
A Tale of Two Races
By David Frum
http://www.newmajority.com/a-tale-of-two-races
October 18th, 2009 at 1:12 pm
ICYMI…
Frum on Daggett’s electoral prospects (or lack thereof)
October 18th, 2009 at 1:23 pm
3 and 7,
I added the “BREAKING” to the title because I posted minutes after her note appeared on Facebook, and seeing the influence her previous FB notes held, I figured this one might have the same effect.
October 18th, 2009 at 1:46 pm
Facebook again? What the hell ever. Go on with Chris Wallace, Sarah. Actually look smart and impress people. A Facebook update doesn’t cut it.
October 18th, 2009 at 2:57 pm
I’ve wondered about that, Daggett does seem to be to the left of Corzine, certainly on energy and
environment, so of course, Frum would follow him
October 18th, 2009 at 3:17 pm
She is probably happy with the way the following issue is framed by the NY Times.
Dollar’s Decline Brings Troubles but Helps U.S. Exports
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/19/business/global/19dollar.html
October 18th, 2009 at 3:37 pm
i can’t read here http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1009/28422.html
because bit.ly has stalled my page loading. so i checked it, it is in the usa.
i guess there is someone who are blocking what i choose to read.
why?
October 18th, 2009 at 5:10 pm
#16
Greg:
You say that Palin speaks and everyone listens, and when Romney speaks no one cares, well first of all, Palin doesn’t speak she writes, and really no one can really prove that, we have to take her word for it. BTW, Romney’s been saying the exact same things for the past year. When Romney speaks somebody at the Palin camp is taking notes.
Why would Palin want there to be doubt as to whether she is writing these things herself. What is America coming to when we don’t demand our politicians meet us face to face….Palin fanatics like you should demand she start giving interviews.
Actually, if she is setting herself up to be a leader and a powerful voice in the Republican party, we should all demand she stop playing games so we can see if she is a capable leader on the national stage.
October 18th, 2009 at 5:39 pm
Tina Fey was actually the one giving the interview with Katie Couric and the one who debated Joe Biden. Sounds like good ’nuff excuse for moi!
October 18th, 2009 at 5:41 pm
36. So very true. “When Romney speaks, EVEYRONE takes notes”.
October 18th, 2009 at 5:44 pm
I think the media is trying to smoke Palin out by making such a big deal out of her Facebook releases, she’s getting praised by them now and she’s believing it will last forever…..they will start to demand she come out. It’s just too crazy.
October 18th, 2009 at 6:47 pm
Yes and they turn the page,
because there is nothing particularly new about his statements. She’ll pop up on her own accord, blitz the stations and then go back
October 18th, 2009 at 7:32 pm
The more I see Governor Palin’s extraordinary leadership, the more I think that not voting for her in the 2012 primary would be like passing over Reagan to vote for John Anderson, Howard Baker, or Harold Stassen in 1980. She is a once in a lifetime charismatic leader.
October 18th, 2009 at 7:33 pm
40#
When she does pop up and blitz the stations, my expectations will be high.
October 18th, 2009 at 7:45 pm
Uh oh…
The President Has to do What Letterman Did: Refuse to Pay Hush Money
By Robert Reich
http://wallstreetpit.com/11306-say-no-to-the-hush-money-for-big-pharma
October 18th, 2009 at 8:30 pm
Please they are speaking ofsomeone
who was one of the largest
recipient of AIG and other
funds, who told the AIG execs, he ‘was the only things standing
between him and the pitchforks’ who controls every regulatory institution, the banks, the auto
companies, et al
October 18th, 2009 at 8:38 pm
JA. LOLOLOL> I’ll pass thank you.
Palin is no Thatcher, and she’s no Reagan. The only thing she has in common with Reagan is the title of her book. Reagan: An American Life.
October 18th, 2009 at 8:38 pm
She won’t do an interview. She’ll send Tina Fey to do it.
October 18th, 2009 at 9:11 pm
What is the fascination with the Sunday shows, have they grilled Obama to any serious degree about
the nature of cap n trade, the abandonment of the Iranian dissidents, the shutting down of the missile shield, the positively
immoral health care bill, his vacilating on McCrystal’s troop request, the total shameless failure of the stimulus bill, not notably. I know Tina Fey, very funny, her upper Darby schooling
never taught her to recognize character or integrity.
October 18th, 2009 at 10:13 pm
narciso: #47;
Why is it that you attack whoever you think is getting in Palins way, mostly with personal attacks, you never attack on the issues.
How do you know Tina Fey was never taught how to recognize character or integrity just because she makes fun of Palin on a stupid comedy show. I remember seeing Palin on Saturday Night Live during the 08 campaign.
October 18th, 2009 at 10:54 pm
After she met her, and offered to baby sit her kids, she continued to trash her .’white Oprah’ among
other lines, she didn’t really know the really vicious nature of
the ridicule, she tried to be a good sport. She didn’t get the full gist of it, till Ziegler showed her on Media Malpractice.
Now she wants to bring that character back, just for laughs, no, to trash someone, it’s very much what was done to her
character, in “Mean Girls” It’s much like some people on this board, trading in long debunked allegations, even after the proof
of such lies like those perpetrated on I.M, and other sites have become rather clear.
October 19th, 2009 at 12:15 am
Sarah Palin LinkedIn: Palin Posts Resume On Social-Networking Site
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/10/18/sarah-palin-linkedin-pali_n_325381.html
Palin weighs in on the health care debate
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2009/10/18/palin-weighs-in-on-the-health-care-debate/
Palin Weighs In on Health Care With Facebook Essay
http://nymag.com/daily/intel/2009/10/palin_weighs_in_on_health_care.html
October 19th, 2009 at 8:35 am
48. If there was brains and substance, there would be nothing to josh and laugh about.
As far as ‘moral bearing’. Hummm. I’m thinking that the Palins are the LAST family I’d look for for that guidelines for my daughters.
October 19th, 2009 at 8:38 am
How about Palin lowering herself to doing a Sunday show (not on fox) and actually ANSWERING off the cuff, un submitted questions? She CAN’T. Her two inteviews were a disaster during the campaing. She claims to have a degree in journalsim, and should have at least THOUGHT the ‘other side’ would not have given her a free pass and prepared for the interview. Instead, she thought she could simply get away with winky kissie answers. Then complain about ‘gotcha’. Geeze. What you read is a such a softball. But if your only reading material is People, I can see how you would clam up. And her dismal performance in the debate with Biden. It should have been a cakewalk. She was debating BIDEN of all people. But she tanked.
October 19th, 2009 at 9:12 am
lkv, knickers…be careful what you wish for.
October 19th, 2009 at 9:57 am
Who cares about Tina Fey? She’s irrelevant, narciso. She has the good fortune to be the only comedian to kind of look like Palin, and she’s using it for what it’s worth. So stinkin what.
I think Palin is getting close to the time when Facebook and op eds aren’t going to cut it. Like Knickers said, she needs to prove her intelligence in a real interview. Unfortunately, America’s first impression of Palin was that she isn’t very smart and doesn’t know the issues. She couldn’t answer simple questions, and made way too many incoherent comments. People keep complaining that the MSM is driving the idea that Palin isn’t smart, but Palin is responsible for that all by herself. If she’s really as knowledgeable as her supporters claim, then she should fly right through interviews. Right now, Palin seems to be doing some homework – either that or she’s relying heavily on another person to help her write, and to know what to write about. Sooner or later, she’s going to have to prove she’s smarter than she was in 08. Quitting her job didn’t help.
October 19th, 2009 at 11:05 am
Careful about what? She will never take an unscripted question from anyone. Including Murdock owned Fox.
I have a better command of the issues than Palin does. And I’m ‘just a housewife’, like she prended to be.
October 19th, 2009 at 12:04 pm
55- Knickers – Well said.
I’d certainly vote for Knickers over Caribou Barbie. She’s willing to take questions and discuss issues, which already puts her high above the quitter.
Knickers 2012!
October 19th, 2009 at 3:24 pm
American Ideals, it makes sense that you would since both of you voted for Obama last November. I predict you both will vote for Obama again in 2012 rather than pull the lever for the first female President of the United States of America.