As the likelihood of President Barack Obama's style of health care/health insurance reform has looked more and more uncertain, health care sector stocks have rallied, nearly 10 percent over the last month.
But now as Obama is showing some signs of managing his message and could be trying to make a comeback, even as polls show the odds aren't his favor, CNBC market analyst Steve Grasso is cautioning viewers to be wary of health care stocks for the time being.
"You know, one of my picks has been health care," Grasso said. "I'm a little shaky on it the longer this process goes on, I think the more we have to look at it. I mean, I caught a glimpse of President Obama speaking today. If they're clapping, that was a hand-picked audience. I have yet to find anyone who likes the plan. So I think health care is on waivers for me at this point."
Grasso wasn't the only one to make that observation about the Aug. 11 ObamaCare town hall audience in Portsmouth, N.H. As Michelle Malkin pointed out on her blog immediately following the event, Obama's "Kabuki theater" featured crowd chants of, "Yes, we can!" and a little girl lamenting "mean things" on protest signs.
Grasso, who is also the managing director of institutional trading at the trading and investment firm Stuart Frankel & Co., also noted the double standard that exists for liberals and conservatives on raising concerns over the health care issue.
"How come when a liberal speaks out against it, it's freedom of speech?" Grasso asked. "When a conservative speaks out against it, he's a nut?"
Grasso was alluding to the way the health care issue has sparked interest in recent weeks. Some members of Congress have had spirited interactions at town hall meetings with their constituents as many are starting question the merits of the federal government's efforts to "reform" health insurance.
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Vanished
August 11, 2009 - 17:47 ET by Jerry MackGrasso may never be heard from again.
Grasso, stay away from Fort
August 11, 2009 - 20:56 ET by Dan DiegoGrasso, stay away from Fort Marcy Park!
Of course it was a
August 11, 2009 - 18:38 ET by motherbeltOf course it was a hand-picked audience.
Please! One of you guys do a fisking of this event!
I know he said it will be deficit neutral. LOL Next thing we hear, it will actually help to erase the deficit!
No one will be waiting in line? With 50 million added patients and no added doctors??? No rationing? (He said government bureaucrats won't be standing between us and our doctors.)
<Chris Matthews imitation> HA!!
He said they are not talking about cutting Medicare benefits. No, but they are talking about cutting the Medicare Advantage Plans.
I'm sure there's a lot more, and you guys can find it and document it.
MB,
August 11, 2009 - 20:54 ET by UpNorthdon't forget, the Zero in Chief also wants to cut $500B from Medicare payments to doctors. How tough will it be for a senior to find a doctor? Hmmmm, maybe the doctors will all be like the newest SC justice's brother and just refuse to participate?
As for a hand-picked audience, they always are, when the President is there. Anyone could have seen this in the lead-up to the event, when the newsies showed the folks in line to get in, they all had tickets, either in their hands or around their necks. Guess where they would get those tickets? There was no astroturfing there, <another Chrissie imitation> HA!!!!
UpNorth in the new order
August 11, 2009 - 20:59 ET by Radical1979UpNorth in the new order the only people allowed to be wealthy will be lawyers and politicians. Doctors, who spend upwards of 8 years in school and several afterward in training, who must have ongoing education to keep their skills current, shouldn't be wealthy. They should sacrifice their time and money for the good of others.
Politicians, meanwhile, should be shlepped around the world and country on government jets.
Another Obama Batman Socialism drawing?
August 11, 2009 - 20:17 ET by SlyrrLooky what I found - someone did another Obama socialism poster - only this time they used Two-Face instead of the Joker....
Posted here - not sure if there are sightings in LA yet...
But spread it around, hope it goes viral like the first poster did...
http://home.comcast....
Hard-hitting Boston Globe analysis
August 11, 2009 - 20:26 ET by ThisnThatAnd here's how the Boston Globe summed up today's fake town-hall in Portsmouth. Background -- a girl was selected by Obama to ask a question. I'll bet it seemed random, right? Well, read some of the hard-hitting quotes and observations below, and you'll see this was a plant:
And so on. Was this pre-arranged? Why would a Massachusetts woman who organized for Obama be called upon to ask a question at a New Hampshire town meeting? Can't they find enough liberals in New Hampshire -- they have to import them from Massachusetts? Very fishy. Very.
And of course, the Boston Globe didn't question this at all. Instead, they are portraying this exchange as "typical". Typical my eye -- how about extremely biased. Can't the Globe recognize a plant?
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"Tax the rich" is a basically unstable way of governing - The NYT
Compare Obama's crowd to the
August 11, 2009 - 20:28 ET by Radical1979Compare Obama's crowd to the one Spector faced in Lebanon PA. Spector faced tough questions based on specific parts of the bill with spontanous crowd reactions. Obama had vague softball questions. NOT a true representation of how the public feels now, just a lot of fluff.
I knew it would be a matter of time
August 11, 2009 - 20:36 ET by candance1800 people attended, and for all Obama's touting that it would be "open to all" only 70% of the tickets were made public. That means at least 500 tickets were given to his allies. The "open" tickets were auctioned at his website to those who properly filled out an application.
motherbelt linked to this article earlier, which identifies at least 2 more campaign workers who magically won their tickets through the "random lottery."
This thing will be blown apart by Friday.
Candance and a good number
August 11, 2009 - 20:47 ET by Radical1979Candance and a good number of his supporters were behind him. Obama made sure to keep his back to them so that they would be in the camera shot nodding and smiling at his comments.
They don't even try to hide
August 11, 2009 - 20:47 ET by motherbeltThey don't even try to hide it.....unbelievable.
that's just the tip of it
August 11, 2009 - 20:57 ET by candanceRumors are already coming out that things were different when the cameras were off. And it won't help Obama when conservie blogs start posting the footage of the "unbiased" crowd shouting "yes we can" as if it were just another campaign rally.
here's a link
August 11, 2009 - 21:20 ET by tazzhttp://www.abovetops...
Joseph Goebbels (D)
August 11, 2009 - 21:27 ET by Sergeant ROCKlol! It just gets better and better!
"I ask, Sir, what is the militia? It is the whole people. To disarm the people is the best and most effectual way to enslave them."
George Mason
With he ever learn?
August 11, 2009 - 20:50 ET by pbthinkerTo me, the beginning of all this was when ABC gave Obama his 2-1/2 hour infomercial. He by-passed answers to the important questions about these plans and the questions were set-ups. Now he goes out and does New Hampshire and it's all sweetheart questions and giggling women saying, "He winked at me!" How in hell does he ever expect to sell this plan by doing fluff townhalls and trying to pass them off as serious debates. Hey, he was in New Hampshire, "Live Free or Die" and all he had at this meeting was a bunch of liberals from Massachusetts, hoping Obama can pass this bill and take their state off the hook for their healthcare fiasco.
The best line I've seen (wish I'd have thought of it) was Obama took more time choosing his dog than he allowed Congress to debate a 1000 page bill to take over 17% of the U.S. economy.
Election 2008-God's way of showing us that elections count.
...And there were more MSM
August 11, 2009 - 21:04 ET by ThisnThat...And there were more MSM fact-filled articles about the dog than fact-filled articles about the health-care bill (excuse me, the insurance-bashing, tax-increase, illegal-insuring health-destroying bill).
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"Tax the rich" is a basically unstable way of governing - The NYT
To answer your question:
August 11, 2009 - 21:32 ET by lsudolemite"How in hell does he ever expect to sell this plan by doing fluff townhalls and trying to pass them off as serious debates?"
It got him elected, didn't it? And he figures because he was swept into office on the power of charisma alone, he can get the rest of his agenda implemented the same way via permanent campaign mode. His arrogance won't allow him to even consider that charisma alone won't get the job done given his plummeting approval numbers.
No, no, really, these were
August 11, 2009 - 21:11 ET by black47211No, no, really, these were really real people not plants, really. Never you mind where they are from or what state they actually reside in, no, no, these people matter, they're legit. Yes, legit. And completely unrehearsed. Especially that young kid in college who spoke so well and didn't act like he was on national TV asking the President a question. No, he was randomly selected. Yep.
"We need to stand up and say we're Americans, and
we have the right to debate and disagree with any administration." Mrs. Clinton
"Well, read some of the
August 11, 2009 - 21:29 ET by ckc1227"Well, read some of the hard-hitting quotes and observations below, and you'll see this was a plant:"
You know what's even worse? This means his rambling, joke of an anwer was prepared in advance.
Bwaaaah ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha.......
When some face gets in front of a camera
August 11, 2009 - 23:58 ET by DoktorFrankenWhen some face gets in front of a camera and talks to the nation (world, really) and says he's afraid of the prospects of a stock, it kinda becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy to a degree.
I don't know Grasso but I'm just sayin'.