The new Washington Post polls says that:
Obama’s approvals are the highest in several months.
Respondents like the Democrats over the Republicans by 14 points with respect to solving the nation’s problems.
Respondents favour the president over the GOP on virtually every issue.
Democrats actually have a 5-point lead over Republicans in a generic ballot, their best showing in months.
…and people are realizing that not only did Obama cut their taxes – tax rates are at their lowest level in 60 years.
…and Harry Reid’s probable Senate opponent, Sue “Chicken To The Doctor” Lowden, is also being exposed as a right-wing dirt-bag who threw a bunch of employees out of their health system.
Showing posts with label health reform and GOP lies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label health reform and GOP lies. Show all posts
Saturday, 1 May 2010
Tuesday, 29 December 2009
Guest contributor reports on health reform opponents who fudge the figures on cancer
Cancer Treatment and Health Care Reform
One argument you may hear against health care reform concerns cancer survival rates. The United States has higher cancer survivor rates than countries with national health care systems, we’re told. Doesn’t this mean we should keep what we’ve got and not change it?
Certainly cancer survival rates are a critical issue for people suffering from the deadly lung mesothelioma cancer. So let’s look at this claim and see if there is any substance to it.
First, it’s important to understand that “cancer survival rate” doesn’t mean the rate of people who are cured of a cancer. The cancer survival rate is the percentage of people who survive a certain type of cancer for a specific amount of time, usually five years after diagnosis.
For example, according to the Mayo Clinic, the survivor rate of prostate cancer in the United States is 98 percent. This means that 98 percent of men diagnosed with prostate cancer are still alive five years later. However, this statistic does not tell us whether the men who have survived for five years still have cancer or what number of them may die from it eventually.
Misunderstanding of the term “survivor rate” sometimes is exploited to make misleading claims. For example, in 2007 a pharmaceutical company promoting a drug used to treat colon cancer released statistics showing superior survival rates for its drug over other treatments. Some journalists who used this data in their reporting assumed it meant that the people who survived were cured of cancer, and they wrote that the drug “saved lives.” The drug did extend the lives of of patients, on average by a few months. However, the mortality rate for people who used this drug — meaning the rate of patients who died of the disease — was not improved.
But bloggers and editorial writers who oppose health care reform seized these stories about “saving lives,” noting that this wondrous drug was available in the United States for at least a year before it was in use in Great Britain. Further, Britain has lower cancer survival rates than the U.S. This proved, they said, the superiority of U.S. health care over “socialist” countries.
This is one way propagandists use data to argue that health care in the United States is superior to countries with government-funded health care systems. They selectively compare the most favorable data from the United States with data from the nations least successful at treating cancer. A favorite “comparison” country is Great Britain, whose underfunded National Health Service is struggling.
It is true that the United States compares very well in the area of cancer survival rates, but other countries with national health care systems have similar results.
For example, in 2008 the British medical journal Lancet Oncology published a widely hailed study comparing cancer survival rates in 31 countries. Called the CONCORD study, the researchers found that United States has the highest survival rates for breast and prostate cancer. However, Japan has the highest survival for colon and rectal cancers in men, and France has the highest survival for colon and rectal cancers in women. Canada and Australia also ranked relatively high for most cancers. The differences in the survival data for these “best” countries is very small, and is possibly caused by discrepancies in reporting of data and not the treatment result itself.
And it should be noted that Japan, France, Canada and Australia all have government-funded national health care systems. So, there is no reason to assume that changing the way health care is funded in the U.S. would reduce the quality of cancer care.
— Barbara O’Brien
www.maacenter.org
One argument you may hear against health care reform concerns cancer survival rates. The United States has higher cancer survivor rates than countries with national health care systems, we’re told. Doesn’t this mean we should keep what we’ve got and not change it?
Certainly cancer survival rates are a critical issue for people suffering from the deadly lung mesothelioma cancer. So let’s look at this claim and see if there is any substance to it.
First, it’s important to understand that “cancer survival rate” doesn’t mean the rate of people who are cured of a cancer. The cancer survival rate is the percentage of people who survive a certain type of cancer for a specific amount of time, usually five years after diagnosis.
For example, according to the Mayo Clinic, the survivor rate of prostate cancer in the United States is 98 percent. This means that 98 percent of men diagnosed with prostate cancer are still alive five years later. However, this statistic does not tell us whether the men who have survived for five years still have cancer or what number of them may die from it eventually.
Misunderstanding of the term “survivor rate” sometimes is exploited to make misleading claims. For example, in 2007 a pharmaceutical company promoting a drug used to treat colon cancer released statistics showing superior survival rates for its drug over other treatments. Some journalists who used this data in their reporting assumed it meant that the people who survived were cured of cancer, and they wrote that the drug “saved lives.” The drug did extend the lives of of patients, on average by a few months. However, the mortality rate for people who used this drug — meaning the rate of patients who died of the disease — was not improved.
But bloggers and editorial writers who oppose health care reform seized these stories about “saving lives,” noting that this wondrous drug was available in the United States for at least a year before it was in use in Great Britain. Further, Britain has lower cancer survival rates than the U.S. This proved, they said, the superiority of U.S. health care over “socialist” countries.
This is one way propagandists use data to argue that health care in the United States is superior to countries with government-funded health care systems. They selectively compare the most favorable data from the United States with data from the nations least successful at treating cancer. A favorite “comparison” country is Great Britain, whose underfunded National Health Service is struggling.
It is true that the United States compares very well in the area of cancer survival rates, but other countries with national health care systems have similar results.
For example, in 2008 the British medical journal Lancet Oncology published a widely hailed study comparing cancer survival rates in 31 countries. Called the CONCORD study, the researchers found that United States has the highest survival rates for breast and prostate cancer. However, Japan has the highest survival for colon and rectal cancers in men, and France has the highest survival for colon and rectal cancers in women. Canada and Australia also ranked relatively high for most cancers. The differences in the survival data for these “best” countries is very small, and is possibly caused by discrepancies in reporting of data and not the treatment result itself.
And it should be noted that Japan, France, Canada and Australia all have government-funded national health care systems. So, there is no reason to assume that changing the way health care is funded in the U.S. would reduce the quality of cancer care.
— Barbara O’Brien
www.maacenter.org
Monday, 23 November 2009
Fox is going off the air!
Last week Fox was caught lying yet again, this time by faking the size of the turnout at a Palin book-signing. But this time they actually admitted the error and imposed a zero-tolerance policy for errors: people who put factual errors on the air face punishment. “Jobs are on the line here”!
So obviously Fox will go off the air in a matter of weeks, because none of their on-air talent can restrain themselves from lies, smears and other nonsense. Glenn Beck can scarcely clear his throat at the top of his broadcast without spewing lies – he’ll be gone in days.
So obviously Fox will go off the air in a matter of weeks, because none of their on-air talent can restrain themselves from lies, smears and other nonsense. Glenn Beck can scarcely clear his throat at the top of his broadcast without spewing lies – he’ll be gone in days.
Friday, 9 October 2009
Liberal bias of the media?
The Washington Post and the NY Times whine that the Peace prize is a burden and a liability to Obama.
MSNBC, the Communist Network? They’re whining that people are stumped over the award, they’re dismissing it, it’s a disaster.
CBS is calling it Obama’s fake “Mission Accomplished” moment.
ABC actually reprinted a big stack of anti-Obama jokes about the Peace Prize, collected by a conservative activist.
CNN – waah waah waah, it doesn’t feel right.
If the media are shitting all over Obama when he just won the FREAKIN’ NOBEL PEACE PRIZE, it’s small wonder that these media clowns are also crapping all over the health care reform process, and failing catastrophically in their civic duty to shoot down the endless lies and attacks by the Republicans.
MSNBC, the Communist Network? They’re whining that people are stumped over the award, they’re dismissing it, it’s a disaster.
CBS is calling it Obama’s fake “Mission Accomplished” moment.
ABC actually reprinted a big stack of anti-Obama jokes about the Peace Prize, collected by a conservative activist.
CNN – waah waah waah, it doesn’t feel right.
If the media are shitting all over Obama when he just won the FREAKIN’ NOBEL PEACE PRIZE, it’s small wonder that these media clowns are also crapping all over the health care reform process, and failing catastrophically in their civic duty to shoot down the endless lies and attacks by the Republicans.
Wednesday, 23 September 2009
The GOP lies on Medicare
The GOP’s current smear campaign pertains to alleged cuts in Medicare benefits. Yet again: Medicare benefits will not be cut. Even the AARP, always sensitive to the fears of consumers, said the total Medicare spending will only go down 3 percent, and the insurers have agreed to accept reduced payments to them. Second, as Obama addresses the inefficiencies on Medicare, they may not even need to do the 3 percent reductions in payments – and again, that’s cutting payments to the insurers, not cutting the actual coverage for the seniors. Third, the CBO pointed out that existing law guarantees that every Medicare beneficiary receives the same basic services. Fourth, Senator Nelson, in an excess of caution, wants to fix the imaginary problem with an amendment that would cost only $4 billion a year, but again, for the reasons stated above, it’s not even necessary, except perhaps for political reasons.
In other words, the Republicans are trying to scare seniors with lies.
In other words, the Republicans are trying to scare seniors with lies.
Monday, 21 September 2009
New GOP lies: race-based quotas and lotteries
From a new GOP mailer:
Are you concerned that health care rationing could lead to:
23. Denial of treatment in cases where the patient's prospects are deemed not good?
24. A "lottery" system of determining who will get priority treatment?
25. A "quota" system which would determine who would determine who would get treatment on the basis of race or age?
• Pick who is "eligible" for certain medical procedures?
• Pick your doctor for you?
• Restrict certain medical procedures on the basis of age?
• Put strict price controls on medicine and drugs?
• Penalize you for choosing to see a private doctor
• Seriously undermine private health care insurers who currently serve tens of millions of Americans?
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/09/21/senate-gop-mailer-suggest_n_293332.html
Are you concerned that health care rationing could lead to:
23. Denial of treatment in cases where the patient's prospects are deemed not good?
24. A "lottery" system of determining who will get priority treatment?
25. A "quota" system which would determine who would determine who would get treatment on the basis of race or age?
• Pick who is "eligible" for certain medical procedures?
• Pick your doctor for you?
• Restrict certain medical procedures on the basis of age?
• Put strict price controls on medicine and drugs?
• Penalize you for choosing to see a private doctor
• Seriously undermine private health care insurers who currently serve tens of millions of Americans?
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/09/21/senate-gop-mailer-suggest_n_293332.html
Sunday, 20 September 2009
Time for Obama to shoot down the lies and the bad plans
After seeing how powerful and dangerous the insurers are when aroused, I am warming up to the notion of crushing them all with single-payer; at the very least we need the public option. But Obama is still hedging his bets: after Obama’s speech on Capitol Hill, both the liberal Democrats and the Blue Dogs believed that Obama backed their stance on health care, presumably by design. So the door is still open to a modified Baucus plan or the public option, so Obama can say he passed something, no matter what.
So which will it be? The Finance committee will probably start arguing all the amendments Tuesday and they plan three days of debate, although with 500 amendments that’s optimistic. Note that rather than pre-coordinating in advance, some Democratic Senators proposed the liberal House public option plan while others proposed the more modest HELP public option plan, possibly so the Democrats could propose the HELP plan as the compromise between the House plan and the Baucus coops (perhaps that was what they pre-coordinated). Meanwhile Snowe is resurrecting her disastrous trigger plan, possibly hoping that THAT can be the compromise option. Keep in mind that the public option itself is actually a compromise which writes off the most cost-effective alternative, the single-payer plan, and that the other side, the Republicans, offered nothing at all in return for that compromise. The Democrats have been negotiating with…themselves.
So first, Obama and the Democrats need to man up, and shoot down the Snowe plan. It sucks. Fix its problems, or kill it. Obama is, in fact, pushing both Baucus and Snowe on one of their greatest vulnerabilities, cost. Baucus’ plan would demand that families pay $700-800 a month for lousy care, and the Snowe plan would set “affordable” coverage at $13,000 a year. If Obama can crush single-payer without even a debate, he can crush the Snowe monstrosity (and the Baucus plan if he’s smart).
Second: we may have a replacement for Kennedy next week, which means the next step is for Obama and Reid to man up and demand that any Democrat who wants to sit in the Democratic caucus (or chair a committee) had better vote for cloture, in case they don’t go the reconciliation option.
Next, Obama and Schumer need to run the HELP bill by two people: Frumin and Pelosi. Ask Frumin about motions to recommit too, in case we do need the reconciliation option.
Next, Obama and the Democrats need to actually do what they said, call out the wingnuts. There are signs of wobbliness in the wingnut crusade: Glenn Beck didn’t even bother to show up at his 912 rally, support for the GOP outside the South is still at a toxic 11 percent, and Reid’s threat to cancel the October recess would prevent a repeat of the lunacy of the August recess. But the insanity isn’t over. For the third time in a month, atmed wingnuts showed up at an Obama rally. Republican leaders, instead of providing actually leadership, are sucking up to the lunatic fringe: Pawlenty was screeching about death panels (which is stupid) and nullifying federal law at the state level (which is illegal), and Kay Bailey Hutchison was screeching about Obama’s czars, none of whom are actual czars (“czar” is an appellation given by the media, and the officials in question all have normal jobs and normal job titles, having gotten their jobs in a perfectly normal way). So it is time for Obama to stop pretending he’s above the fray and call these guys out. They are calling him a liar to his face, accusing him of trying to kill people, accusing him of being a Communist etc etc. If he can call Kanye West a jackass but can’t do the same for Wilson and Grassley, he’s going to get whupped over and over. “Turn the other cheek” doesn’t work with bullies: going upside their head does work.
Next, Obama also needs to call out the media, for failing to shoot down the GOP lies, and for their chickenshit attacks against Obama. Just this weekend, MSNBC of all people is claiming that if the Baucus package were to be defeated in committee, it would be a stunning blow for Obama (actually it would be a major victory). And Bob Schieffer and George Stephanopoulos were both screeching at Obama that he’s going to raise taxes, which he isn’t. So much for the so-called liberal media. If Obama can call out dishonest politicians, he can call out dishonest reporters too.
So that’s what Obama needs to do: shoot down the less attractive alternatives to the plan he really wants, and be more aggressive in attacking dishonesty.
So which will it be? The Finance committee will probably start arguing all the amendments Tuesday and they plan three days of debate, although with 500 amendments that’s optimistic. Note that rather than pre-coordinating in advance, some Democratic Senators proposed the liberal House public option plan while others proposed the more modest HELP public option plan, possibly so the Democrats could propose the HELP plan as the compromise between the House plan and the Baucus coops (perhaps that was what they pre-coordinated). Meanwhile Snowe is resurrecting her disastrous trigger plan, possibly hoping that THAT can be the compromise option. Keep in mind that the public option itself is actually a compromise which writes off the most cost-effective alternative, the single-payer plan, and that the other side, the Republicans, offered nothing at all in return for that compromise. The Democrats have been negotiating with…themselves.
So first, Obama and the Democrats need to man up, and shoot down the Snowe plan. It sucks. Fix its problems, or kill it. Obama is, in fact, pushing both Baucus and Snowe on one of their greatest vulnerabilities, cost. Baucus’ plan would demand that families pay $700-800 a month for lousy care, and the Snowe plan would set “affordable” coverage at $13,000 a year. If Obama can crush single-payer without even a debate, he can crush the Snowe monstrosity (and the Baucus plan if he’s smart).
Second: we may have a replacement for Kennedy next week, which means the next step is for Obama and Reid to man up and demand that any Democrat who wants to sit in the Democratic caucus (or chair a committee) had better vote for cloture, in case they don’t go the reconciliation option.
Next, Obama and Schumer need to run the HELP bill by two people: Frumin and Pelosi. Ask Frumin about motions to recommit too, in case we do need the reconciliation option.
Next, Obama and the Democrats need to actually do what they said, call out the wingnuts. There are signs of wobbliness in the wingnut crusade: Glenn Beck didn’t even bother to show up at his 912 rally, support for the GOP outside the South is still at a toxic 11 percent, and Reid’s threat to cancel the October recess would prevent a repeat of the lunacy of the August recess. But the insanity isn’t over. For the third time in a month, atmed wingnuts showed up at an Obama rally. Republican leaders, instead of providing actually leadership, are sucking up to the lunatic fringe: Pawlenty was screeching about death panels (which is stupid) and nullifying federal law at the state level (which is illegal), and Kay Bailey Hutchison was screeching about Obama’s czars, none of whom are actual czars (“czar” is an appellation given by the media, and the officials in question all have normal jobs and normal job titles, having gotten their jobs in a perfectly normal way). So it is time for Obama to stop pretending he’s above the fray and call these guys out. They are calling him a liar to his face, accusing him of trying to kill people, accusing him of being a Communist etc etc. If he can call Kanye West a jackass but can’t do the same for Wilson and Grassley, he’s going to get whupped over and over. “Turn the other cheek” doesn’t work with bullies: going upside their head does work.
Next, Obama also needs to call out the media, for failing to shoot down the GOP lies, and for their chickenshit attacks against Obama. Just this weekend, MSNBC of all people is claiming that if the Baucus package were to be defeated in committee, it would be a stunning blow for Obama (actually it would be a major victory). And Bob Schieffer and George Stephanopoulos were both screeching at Obama that he’s going to raise taxes, which he isn’t. So much for the so-called liberal media. If Obama can call out dishonest politicians, he can call out dishonest reporters too.
So that’s what Obama needs to do: shoot down the less attractive alternatives to the plan he really wants, and be more aggressive in attacking dishonesty.
Friday, 18 September 2009
Teabagger protest foiled by socialist government employee!
The teabagger protest that never was!
There was supposed to be another teabagger protest in D.C. this weekend, but tragically it fell apart.
Thousands of teabaggers descended again upon the National Mall in Washington, ready to yell and scream and wave signs and grill and barbecue and foment revolution…only to be stopped by a young lad from the National Park Service, right there at Third Street and Pennsylvania Avenue.
“Okay, fellers, we’re going to let you have your we-hate-government hootenanny today. But my boss, the Secretary of the Interior, has decreed that the only people who can take part in your march are people who don’t use all those nasty socialist government programs you’re protesting.”
“So everybody line up while I ask you ten questions.”
Did anybody come here on FAA-regulated airlines, or our roads, or our rail systems, or subways or Metros or bus or lightrail? Did you use any rest areas? You did? Ha, socialist! Goodbye!
While you were here in Washington, did you visit the Capitol, the Smithsonian, the monuments, the WWII and Vietnam memorials, the Arlington cemetery? Have you visited the Statue of Liberty or the Grand Canyon or any national park? Any public parks, beaches, zoos, museums, libraries? You did? Socialist, goodbye!
Do you use public water, public sewage, trash collection? Do you send letters using the postal service? You do? Socialist, goodbye!
Are you protected by the police and firemen and ambulance workers? Are you protected by the military, the CIA, the FBI, Homeland Security? You are? Socialist, goodbye!
Has anybody in your family ever gone to public schools? Public colleges? They did? Socialist, goodbye!
Do you use any products which were developed with government help, such as the internet and email? You do? Socialist, goodbye!
Any military folks in your family getting VA care? They are? Socialist, goodbye!
Did anybody in your family ever get unemployment insurance? They did? Socialist, goodbye!
Did you ever go to a doctor or hospital that ever got government money, or use food, clothes or drugs developed with government funding? You did? Socialist, goodbye!
Do you plan to use Social Security or Medicare when you get old? You do? Socialist, goodbye!
And slowly the crowd dwindled down to….three crazy old Bigfoot-like mountain men who had never seen civilization in their lives. And then the Park Service pointed out that they were standing on a government-built sidewalk and tossed them out too.
There was supposed to be another teabagger protest in D.C. this weekend, but tragically it fell apart.
Thousands of teabaggers descended again upon the National Mall in Washington, ready to yell and scream and wave signs and grill and barbecue and foment revolution…only to be stopped by a young lad from the National Park Service, right there at Third Street and Pennsylvania Avenue.
“Okay, fellers, we’re going to let you have your we-hate-government hootenanny today. But my boss, the Secretary of the Interior, has decreed that the only people who can take part in your march are people who don’t use all those nasty socialist government programs you’re protesting.”
“So everybody line up while I ask you ten questions.”
Did anybody come here on FAA-regulated airlines, or our roads, or our rail systems, or subways or Metros or bus or lightrail? Did you use any rest areas? You did? Ha, socialist! Goodbye!
While you were here in Washington, did you visit the Capitol, the Smithsonian, the monuments, the WWII and Vietnam memorials, the Arlington cemetery? Have you visited the Statue of Liberty or the Grand Canyon or any national park? Any public parks, beaches, zoos, museums, libraries? You did? Socialist, goodbye!
Do you use public water, public sewage, trash collection? Do you send letters using the postal service? You do? Socialist, goodbye!
Are you protected by the police and firemen and ambulance workers? Are you protected by the military, the CIA, the FBI, Homeland Security? You are? Socialist, goodbye!
Has anybody in your family ever gone to public schools? Public colleges? They did? Socialist, goodbye!
Do you use any products which were developed with government help, such as the internet and email? You do? Socialist, goodbye!
Any military folks in your family getting VA care? They are? Socialist, goodbye!
Did anybody in your family ever get unemployment insurance? They did? Socialist, goodbye!
Did you ever go to a doctor or hospital that ever got government money, or use food, clothes or drugs developed with government funding? You did? Socialist, goodbye!
Do you plan to use Social Security or Medicare when you get old? You do? Socialist, goodbye!
And slowly the crowd dwindled down to….three crazy old Bigfoot-like mountain men who had never seen civilization in their lives. And then the Park Service pointed out that they were standing on a government-built sidewalk and tossed them out too.
Monday, 14 September 2009
Democratic campaign ad, 2010
Here is a campaign ad which the Democrats can run against any and every Republican candidate next year:
Where were you when Obama offered the GOP just about everything the Republicans said they wanted? When he gave them what they wanted on tort reform, abortion, immigrants, deficit spending, tax increases on middle class, “death panels”, forcing people to buy insurance even when costs come to 13 percent of annual income, banning cuts in Medicare benefits, coops governed by members rather than the government, coops not government sponsored, coops without guaranteed government subsidy beyond a certain date; small business tax credits; allowing private insurers to sell across state lines; McCain’s catastrophic health care plan; state-level coops which insurers would be able to crush easily…Where were you when your leaders rejected everything on the table? Where were you when your “leaders” said “no” to an independent insurance board, to single payer, to mandating employer participation, no to health care information technology, to comparative effectiveness research, to eliminating overpayments to insurers? When they said “no” to the public option, and then to the trigger option, and then to coops?
Why didn’t you step forward, speak up, and lead? Obama waited for ANY Republican to come forward and negotiate a health reform bill – where were you?
Where were you when your GOP “leaders” were spewing lies about birth certificates, about Sotomayor, about the stimulus, about torture? When your field generals were hollering that Obama will kill seniors, kill our troops, kill Republicans, promote suicide, let people go blind, invade your home and decide how to raise your kids, impose martial law? Why didn’t you have the guts to speak out against the lies?
Where were you when your “spontaneous” goon squads were sending armed thugs to Obama events, launching violent attacks, shouting down all real debate, committing acts of vandalism, painting swastikas on the doors of black Congressmen, making death threats, joking about killing Democrats, screeching insults during a Presidential address to Congress? Why didn’t you have the guts to speak out against these tactics?
Where were you when your GOP colleagues were bragging about blocking all reform, admitting that the compromise effort is a joke, promising to oppose any bill regardless of content, trying to rewrite Senate rules to block reform, offering poison-pill amendments? Why didn’t you denounce this pattern of obstruction?
Where were you when the people who hope to run for President – Perry, Palin, Huckabee, Pawlenty – evinced not only a hatred of their country but also a staggering ignorance of the Constitution, in insisting that health reform violates the Constitution (wrong – see Article 1 Section 8) and that states should nullify whatever Obama does, or even secede? Why didn’t you speak out?
You now condemn budget reconciliation – where were you when Bush used it?
You now condemn the Obama plan – why is that the only plan you ever put forward was either completely impractical, or a mirror of Obama’s exchange system?
You now condemn death panels – where were you when the original authors of the plan – Republicans – proposed the language you’re now criticizing?
You now condemn massive government spending – where were you when Bush launched one massive program after another, all of which were funded by…debts which our grandkids will be paying off?
You now condemn the public option – where were you when the American people said in poll after poll that they want it?
You say you’re a leader – so where were you, when it was time to lead? There was a gigantic national battle last year, and you ran away from the battlefield just when we needed leaders. And now you want to lead us in Congress?
Where were you when Obama offered the GOP just about everything the Republicans said they wanted? When he gave them what they wanted on tort reform, abortion, immigrants, deficit spending, tax increases on middle class, “death panels”, forcing people to buy insurance even when costs come to 13 percent of annual income, banning cuts in Medicare benefits, coops governed by members rather than the government, coops not government sponsored, coops without guaranteed government subsidy beyond a certain date; small business tax credits; allowing private insurers to sell across state lines; McCain’s catastrophic health care plan; state-level coops which insurers would be able to crush easily…Where were you when your leaders rejected everything on the table? Where were you when your “leaders” said “no” to an independent insurance board, to single payer, to mandating employer participation, no to health care information technology, to comparative effectiveness research, to eliminating overpayments to insurers? When they said “no” to the public option, and then to the trigger option, and then to coops?
Why didn’t you step forward, speak up, and lead? Obama waited for ANY Republican to come forward and negotiate a health reform bill – where were you?
Where were you when your GOP “leaders” were spewing lies about birth certificates, about Sotomayor, about the stimulus, about torture? When your field generals were hollering that Obama will kill seniors, kill our troops, kill Republicans, promote suicide, let people go blind, invade your home and decide how to raise your kids, impose martial law? Why didn’t you have the guts to speak out against the lies?
Where were you when your “spontaneous” goon squads were sending armed thugs to Obama events, launching violent attacks, shouting down all real debate, committing acts of vandalism, painting swastikas on the doors of black Congressmen, making death threats, joking about killing Democrats, screeching insults during a Presidential address to Congress? Why didn’t you have the guts to speak out against these tactics?
Where were you when your GOP colleagues were bragging about blocking all reform, admitting that the compromise effort is a joke, promising to oppose any bill regardless of content, trying to rewrite Senate rules to block reform, offering poison-pill amendments? Why didn’t you denounce this pattern of obstruction?
Where were you when the people who hope to run for President – Perry, Palin, Huckabee, Pawlenty – evinced not only a hatred of their country but also a staggering ignorance of the Constitution, in insisting that health reform violates the Constitution (wrong – see Article 1 Section 8) and that states should nullify whatever Obama does, or even secede? Why didn’t you speak out?
You now condemn budget reconciliation – where were you when Bush used it?
You now condemn the Obama plan – why is that the only plan you ever put forward was either completely impractical, or a mirror of Obama’s exchange system?
You now condemn death panels – where were you when the original authors of the plan – Republicans – proposed the language you’re now criticizing?
You now condemn massive government spending – where were you when Bush launched one massive program after another, all of which were funded by…debts which our grandkids will be paying off?
You now condemn the public option – where were you when the American people said in poll after poll that they want it?
You say you’re a leader – so where were you, when it was time to lead? There was a gigantic national battle last year, and you ran away from the battlefield just when we needed leaders. And now you want to lead us in Congress?
Sunday, 13 September 2009
Wingnuts launch another campaign of lies about health reform
The wingnuts are starting a new internet campaign, spreading a whole new raft of lies about health reform, lies intended to scare stupid people. Here’s an abbreviated list of their bogus claims:
Obamacare will allow a government committee to decide which treatments you can have;
Allow a health choice commissioner to decide what your benefits are, and you have no say whatsoever;
Give free health care to illegals;
Force the establishment of a “linguistic infrastructure” for translations (i.e. to treat illegals);
Restrict enrolment of special needs patients;
Give many payoffs to ACORN;
Demand audits of all self-insured employers;
Ration health care;
Demand that everyone be issued with a national ID card;
Give government bureaucrats access to all citizens’ personal and financial records;
Give the federal government real-time access to all individual bank accounts for funds transfers;
Demand that taxpayers pay for all union retiree health plans;
Demand that taxpayers pay for all “community organizer” health plans;
Forcibly enroll Medicare-eligible patients in the public option;
Forcibly enroll employees in the public option;
Ban all suits against the government regarding “price-fixing” or a “government monopoly”;
Set doctor’s wages;
Force employers to pay for health care for both part-timers and their families;
Force employers to pay a penalty for not offering the public option;
Force taxpayers to pay for illegal aliens;
Rename health care taxes as something other than “taxes”;
Cut doctor services for Medicaid, especially for seniors and the poor;
Force all doctors to be paid the same;
Allow government to set the price for a doctor’s time;
Allow government to control productivity for private health firms;
Regulate power wheelchairs;
Ration care for cancer patients;
Punish doctors and hospitals when government decides a readmission was preventable;
Ban doctors from investing in health firms;
Ban hospital expansion without government approval and/or payoffs for ACORN;
Ration care based on outcome;
Increase bureaucracy;
Give instruction regarding living wills, locking in estate taxes ahead of time;
Guide patients into death;
Dictate how your life will end;
Dictate what care you get an end of life;
Enable government intrusion into your marriage;
Ration mental services.
All of which have been debunked already.
http://www.factcheck.org/2009/08/twenty-six-lies-about-hr-3200/
As any parent can tell you, when a child tells one lie to cover up bad behaviour, it can be hard to catch them. But when they tell a whole lot of different lies all at once….it’s time to get up and find out which lamp they broke. And now we’re up to dozens of lies by the conservatives, on health reform.
They’re wrong, and they know they’re wrong. And so does everybody in the United States, except the few denizens of Planet Wingnut.
Obamacare will allow a government committee to decide which treatments you can have;
Allow a health choice commissioner to decide what your benefits are, and you have no say whatsoever;
Give free health care to illegals;
Force the establishment of a “linguistic infrastructure” for translations (i.e. to treat illegals);
Restrict enrolment of special needs patients;
Give many payoffs to ACORN;
Demand audits of all self-insured employers;
Ration health care;
Demand that everyone be issued with a national ID card;
Give government bureaucrats access to all citizens’ personal and financial records;
Give the federal government real-time access to all individual bank accounts for funds transfers;
Demand that taxpayers pay for all union retiree health plans;
Demand that taxpayers pay for all “community organizer” health plans;
Forcibly enroll Medicare-eligible patients in the public option;
Forcibly enroll employees in the public option;
Ban all suits against the government regarding “price-fixing” or a “government monopoly”;
Set doctor’s wages;
Force employers to pay for health care for both part-timers and their families;
Force employers to pay a penalty for not offering the public option;
Force taxpayers to pay for illegal aliens;
Rename health care taxes as something other than “taxes”;
Cut doctor services for Medicaid, especially for seniors and the poor;
Force all doctors to be paid the same;
Allow government to set the price for a doctor’s time;
Allow government to control productivity for private health firms;
Regulate power wheelchairs;
Ration care for cancer patients;
Punish doctors and hospitals when government decides a readmission was preventable;
Ban doctors from investing in health firms;
Ban hospital expansion without government approval and/or payoffs for ACORN;
Ration care based on outcome;
Increase bureaucracy;
Give instruction regarding living wills, locking in estate taxes ahead of time;
Guide patients into death;
Dictate how your life will end;
Dictate what care you get an end of life;
Enable government intrusion into your marriage;
Ration mental services.
All of which have been debunked already.
http://www.factcheck.org/2009/08/twenty-six-lies-about-hr-3200/
As any parent can tell you, when a child tells one lie to cover up bad behaviour, it can be hard to catch them. But when they tell a whole lot of different lies all at once….it’s time to get up and find out which lamp they broke. And now we’re up to dozens of lies by the conservatives, on health reform.
They’re wrong, and they know they’re wrong. And so does everybody in the United States, except the few denizens of Planet Wingnut.
Saturday, 12 September 2009
OMG Obama’s a socialist!
Lots of “Obama = socialist” signs at the teeeeeny little teabagger hootenanny today.
So…this new potential government effort by Obama is socialism, right? All government equals socialism, correct?
Let’s follow the “logic” of the wingnuts to its logical conclusion.
The soldiers who beat Hitler and Saddam? Patton, Bradley? Socialists, living off the government payroll.
The sailors who beat Tojo? Bull Halsey, Spruance? Socialists sucking at the federal teat.
The 50,000 soldiers who died to defeat socialism in Vietnam? Socialists.
The FBI guys who caught the 1993 WTC bombers and the Oklahoma bomber? Socialists feeding from the public trough.
The guys who build our highways so we don’t starve? More socialists.
Our police and firefighters who gave their lives on 911? Socialists.
Our teachers? Socialists.
The astronauts who walked on the moon? Neil Armstrong? Socialists.
The Coast Guard guys who save lives every day? Socialists.
The Medicare and VA people who keep us alive and well? Socialists.
The Amtrak guys who brought all those wingnut protesters to DC? Socialists.
The regulators who protect our kids from being killed by unsafe products and air and water? Socialists.
The CIA guys who hunt terrorists? Socialists.
The SEC guys who prevent white-collar crooks from stealing our money? Socialists.
The meteorologists and FEMA guys who save thousands of lives during hurricanes? Socialists.
The SBA people who make it possible for small businessmen to survive? Socialists.
The FHA folks who help put roofs over our heads? Socialists.
Not all government is socialism, and not all government is evil. And every sane person above the age of 10 knows that.
So…this new potential government effort by Obama is socialism, right? All government equals socialism, correct?
Let’s follow the “logic” of the wingnuts to its logical conclusion.
The soldiers who beat Hitler and Saddam? Patton, Bradley? Socialists, living off the government payroll.
The sailors who beat Tojo? Bull Halsey, Spruance? Socialists sucking at the federal teat.
The 50,000 soldiers who died to defeat socialism in Vietnam? Socialists.
The FBI guys who caught the 1993 WTC bombers and the Oklahoma bomber? Socialists feeding from the public trough.
The guys who build our highways so we don’t starve? More socialists.
Our police and firefighters who gave their lives on 911? Socialists.
Our teachers? Socialists.
The astronauts who walked on the moon? Neil Armstrong? Socialists.
The Coast Guard guys who save lives every day? Socialists.
The Medicare and VA people who keep us alive and well? Socialists.
The Amtrak guys who brought all those wingnut protesters to DC? Socialists.
The regulators who protect our kids from being killed by unsafe products and air and water? Socialists.
The CIA guys who hunt terrorists? Socialists.
The SEC guys who prevent white-collar crooks from stealing our money? Socialists.
The meteorologists and FEMA guys who save thousands of lives during hurricanes? Socialists.
The SBA people who make it possible for small businessmen to survive? Socialists.
The FHA folks who help put roofs over our heads? Socialists.
Not all government is socialism, and not all government is evil. And every sane person above the age of 10 knows that.
So when will the media start doing their jobs?
July: Obama spends an hour discussing the details of health care, and shooting down the GOP lies. What does the media cover for days and days? Gates and the cop.
September: Obama spends an hour discussing the details of health care, and shooting down the GOP lies. What does the media cover for days and days? Joe “You lie!” Wilson.
The media is our best tool, arguably our only tool, for separating the truth from the lies on major policy issues. And they are just not doing the job.
September: Obama spends an hour discussing the details of health care, and shooting down the GOP lies. What does the media cover for days and days? Joe “You lie!” Wilson.
The media is our best tool, arguably our only tool, for separating the truth from the lies on major policy issues. And they are just not doing the job.
State governments trying to stop non-existent Obama programs
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_health_care_pushback
A bunch of Republican governors and state legislators are trying to pass state legislation to stop Obama from doing a bunch of stuff he was never going to do anyway –imposing single-payer care, forcing people to choose the public plan, none of which was ever in view.
First of all, fighting to stop imaginary dangers is patently insane. This is what happens when wingnuts, and the wildly irresponsible politicians who spur them on, begin believing their own lies.
Secondly, the states do not have the power to do any such thing anyhow. Congress has full power and authority to do whatever they see fit, in order to secure the general welfare of the United States, in accordance with Article 1, Section 8 of the Constitution. And that applies regardless of how the wingnuts mis-interpret Amendment 10. That is how Congress built Social Security, Medicare and the VA.
States can’t unilaterally nullify federal law. Andy Jackson settled that issue during the nullification crisis, and the message was also hammered home in a little thing called the Civil War.
And third, by the same token, the states can’t secede either. We kinda settled that one too. Funny how some of our most promising Republican presidential candidates have been espousing and condoning sentiments aimed at seceding from the country they want to be president of – Pawlenty, Perry, Palin, Huckabee…?
And it’s even funnier how the people who are screeching mostly loudly about the Constitution are the Jimbobs who haven’t freakin’ read it.
A bunch of Republican governors and state legislators are trying to pass state legislation to stop Obama from doing a bunch of stuff he was never going to do anyway –imposing single-payer care, forcing people to choose the public plan, none of which was ever in view.
First of all, fighting to stop imaginary dangers is patently insane. This is what happens when wingnuts, and the wildly irresponsible politicians who spur them on, begin believing their own lies.
Secondly, the states do not have the power to do any such thing anyhow. Congress has full power and authority to do whatever they see fit, in order to secure the general welfare of the United States, in accordance with Article 1, Section 8 of the Constitution. And that applies regardless of how the wingnuts mis-interpret Amendment 10. That is how Congress built Social Security, Medicare and the VA.
States can’t unilaterally nullify federal law. Andy Jackson settled that issue during the nullification crisis, and the message was also hammered home in a little thing called the Civil War.
And third, by the same token, the states can’t secede either. We kinda settled that one too. Funny how some of our most promising Republican presidential candidates have been espousing and condoning sentiments aimed at seceding from the country they want to be president of – Pawlenty, Perry, Palin, Huckabee…?
And it’s even funnier how the people who are screeching mostly loudly about the Constitution are the Jimbobs who haven’t freakin’ read it.
Friday, 11 September 2009
OMG! Obama has a jones for your sister!
A brilliant satire of the media's pathetic failure to separate truth from lies, logic from silliness, relevance from trivia, in the health care debate.
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/9/10/779797/-Probable-beltway-evolution-of-Wilsons-You-Lie
Ezra Klein
Joe Wilson’s “you lie” comment might be a great boon to the Democrats in their bid to pass health care.
EVOLVES TO
Michael Scherer (Time.com)
Joes Wilson broke decorum when he screamed “you lie” which may come back to hurt Republicans. Obama stared back at him and you could seem him twitch.
EVOLVES TO
Rush Limbaugh
And ladies and gentlemen Mr. Obama was calling Mr. Wilson a liar so he had to respond. Did you see the way that Obama twitched? Ladies and gentlemen that’s the type of twitch you see from the type of man Obama is (unsaid: Black) when he’s ready for a barroom fight or to push you aside and ravage your sister. We’ve all seen that twitch before and we’ve all known what it means.
EVOLVES TO
Drudge
Breaking Headline: Obama twitch is seen as a challenge not only to Wilson but anybody who disagrees with him. Obama wants a barroom fight – and watch your sister.
EVOLVES TO
Politico
“The Twitch” – major backlash on Obama’s response to Joe Wilson’s comment – while Wilson is nothing more than a back bencher, Obama raised his stature by using body language to make what feels like to a lot of people a direct threat, to Wilson, the Republicans and their sisters.
EVOLVES TO
Fox News
We are spending all day discussing “The Twitch,” which is getting people really riled up in the real America (show signs of teabaggers carrying signs saying “Don’t Twitch on Me!”) We have noted body language psychologist Dr. Kraz Y. Town to talk about it.
Town: Yes, I want to show you these pictures of Hitler speaking at Nuremberg. You see the same type of twitch.
EVOLVES TO
Sarah Palin (Twitter)
Don’t “Twitch on Me” buddy. I’ve seen that Twitch before and I know to get out of the room fast or I’m going to wind up with a black eye or pregnant
EVOLVES TO
George Will
The first thing a president must have is decorum. You would never see Ronald Reagan twitch like that, make that type of unabashed challenge to a lowly backbencher. Mr. Obama has done himself and his country a disservice.
EVOLVES TO
David Broder
While I understand that the comment was inappropriate all eyes were on Obama and not Joe Wilson. Obama broke comity and destroyed bipartisanship with that twitch. This is our town Mr. Obama and we don’t appreciate you twitching in it.
EVOLVES TO
Chris Mathews
Mathews: Hi, this is Chris Mathews on Hardball. We’re going to be talking about “The Twitch” with a Democratic consultant. Didn’t Obama make a real mistake with that Twitch?
Democratic Consultant: Well, I’ll admit it wasn’t Obama’s best moment, but he was doing it in response to a comment.
Mathews: Come on Joe Wilson is a nothing, a nobody, and hey, we all know what that twitch means. I’m a lunch bucket kind of guy, I’ve been in bars, I have a sister.
Democratic Consultant: Well we need to admit Obama made a mistake with the Twitch and try and move on and pass health care.
EVOLVES TO
Michael Scherer
Obama’s Twitch is causing him enormous trouble. It’s hard to believe this type of blowback. How did the White House lose control of an issue that should have played in their favor?
EVOLVES TO
Ezra Klein
As idiotic as the twitch is, it looks like it is going to doom the public option
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/9/10/779797/-Probable-beltway-evolution-of-Wilsons-You-Lie
Ezra Klein
Joe Wilson’s “you lie” comment might be a great boon to the Democrats in their bid to pass health care.
EVOLVES TO
Michael Scherer (Time.com)
Joes Wilson broke decorum when he screamed “you lie” which may come back to hurt Republicans. Obama stared back at him and you could seem him twitch.
EVOLVES TO
Rush Limbaugh
And ladies and gentlemen Mr. Obama was calling Mr. Wilson a liar so he had to respond. Did you see the way that Obama twitched? Ladies and gentlemen that’s the type of twitch you see from the type of man Obama is (unsaid: Black) when he’s ready for a barroom fight or to push you aside and ravage your sister. We’ve all seen that twitch before and we’ve all known what it means.
EVOLVES TO
Drudge
Breaking Headline: Obama twitch is seen as a challenge not only to Wilson but anybody who disagrees with him. Obama wants a barroom fight – and watch your sister.
EVOLVES TO
Politico
“The Twitch” – major backlash on Obama’s response to Joe Wilson’s comment – while Wilson is nothing more than a back bencher, Obama raised his stature by using body language to make what feels like to a lot of people a direct threat, to Wilson, the Republicans and their sisters.
EVOLVES TO
Fox News
We are spending all day discussing “The Twitch,” which is getting people really riled up in the real America (show signs of teabaggers carrying signs saying “Don’t Twitch on Me!”) We have noted body language psychologist Dr. Kraz Y. Town to talk about it.
Town: Yes, I want to show you these pictures of Hitler speaking at Nuremberg. You see the same type of twitch.
EVOLVES TO
Sarah Palin (Twitter)
Don’t “Twitch on Me” buddy. I’ve seen that Twitch before and I know to get out of the room fast or I’m going to wind up with a black eye or pregnant
EVOLVES TO
George Will
The first thing a president must have is decorum. You would never see Ronald Reagan twitch like that, make that type of unabashed challenge to a lowly backbencher. Mr. Obama has done himself and his country a disservice.
EVOLVES TO
David Broder
While I understand that the comment was inappropriate all eyes were on Obama and not Joe Wilson. Obama broke comity and destroyed bipartisanship with that twitch. This is our town Mr. Obama and we don’t appreciate you twitching in it.
EVOLVES TO
Chris Mathews
Mathews: Hi, this is Chris Mathews on Hardball. We’re going to be talking about “The Twitch” with a Democratic consultant. Didn’t Obama make a real mistake with that Twitch?
Democratic Consultant: Well, I’ll admit it wasn’t Obama’s best moment, but he was doing it in response to a comment.
Mathews: Come on Joe Wilson is a nothing, a nobody, and hey, we all know what that twitch means. I’m a lunch bucket kind of guy, I’ve been in bars, I have a sister.
Democratic Consultant: Well we need to admit Obama made a mistake with the Twitch and try and move on and pass health care.
EVOLVES TO
Michael Scherer
Obama’s Twitch is causing him enormous trouble. It’s hard to believe this type of blowback. How did the White House lose control of an issue that should have played in their favor?
EVOLVES TO
Ezra Klein
As idiotic as the twitch is, it looks like it is going to doom the public option
Thursday, 10 September 2009
Obama on the attack, Republicans in retreat
The speech
Polls and reactions to the speech showed that, as a number of observers commented, it was a “game changer” and a “home run”. Obama found his voice, gave his best speech since the big one in 2004, defended the role of government and liberal ideas, conveyed the moral imperative of the issue, and increased the odds on passing real reform. He received dozens of standing ovations, and a focus group loved the speech and increased their support for his plan by 20 points. By offering a centrist, bipartisan vision including Republican ideas like tort reform, individual mandates, and a trigger requiring spending cuts if deficits are threatened, Obama showed that he was the grownup reaching out to the other side, while the Republicans were indulging in shrill lies and tantrums. He tried to split the conservatives who claim they want to work with him, from the wingnuts who want to kill any reform.
The Republican boors
The last time Obama did a major health-reform event, it was swallowed up by the Gates-police controversy. This time the media’s obsession with trivia worked hugely in Obama’s favor: the next day the story was all Wilson, Wilson, Wilson. The Democrats had been struggling to find a way to show what a bunch of dishonest thugs the Republicans were, and the Republicans proved their point for them, with Wilson’s outburst, and with the other Republicans booing during the speech, shouting, laughing, waving signs, Eric Cantor ignoring Obama in favor of his Blackberry, and generally acting like frat-house buffoons. The contrast was striking: Obama the Grownup versus The Boneheads – and how did these yokels get elected in the first place? A Carolina Democrat said Wilson made the state look even worse than Mark Sanford had; Barney Frank said that the GOP outbursts betrayed their desperation; a focus group was appalled by the GOP heckling and the lies; one blogger bragged that Wilson’s antics persuaded his conservative father to join the Democrats. Pelosi wisely shot down a Democratic effort to sanction Wilson – let the people and the media crucify him instead.
And by the way, Wilson was dead wrong in the first place.
The Republicans are reeling. As it was, they had reached the point of diminishing returns with their lie/smear/attack strategy, and they were essentially out of rhetorical weapons of attack. But Wilson made things even worse: now, instead of spending the next 3-4 news cycles spewing lies and attacks at Obama, they will be forced to defend Wilson and the rest of the Wednesday-night buffoons. Most Republicans realize it was a bad night: the conservative Politico site admitted that Wilson’s boorishness could be a turning point for the Democrats, and even Bob Dole, the chief architect of the effort to kill Hillarycare in 1994, said that after a while people will start wondering – what are Republicans for? Some Republicans, of course, are clueless: Michael Steele insisted that it was Obama who brought the partisanship to the event, some Republican operatives were actually trying to exploit the Wilson’s “standing up to Obama” to raise money, and Eric Cantor, cornered by a reporter who wanted to know what compromises the GOP would put on the table, evaded the question and insisted that the public option must be killed. Meanwhile it was learned that Capitol Police arrested an armed wingnut who was trying to get onto the Capitol grounds during the speech, which only makes the wingnuts look even scarier.
The Fighter
Obama also showed that he’s a fighter who will call a liar a liar. EJ Dionne said that Obama stopped channeling Adlai Stevenson and came out like Truman. One by one he called them out on their lies: we won’t take away your favorite doctor, or blow up the deficit, or take away your Medicare. Four GOP Senators (Snowe, Collins, Bennett (Utah) and Gregg) actually applauded when Obama shot down the death-panel nonsense – wow! Sometime soon, expect the White House to rebut the lies spewed by Dr. Boustany in the GOP response to the speech.
Uniting the Democrats
Barbara Boxer met Obama after the speech, kissed him on the cheek and told him he hit it out of the park; Obama replied, loudly, “now let’s get it done”, with a look of determination on his face. He is in no mood for nonsense from the wingnuts – or from the Blue Dogs or liberals in his own party. The morning after the speech, Obama summoned 17 Senate Democrats to the White House woodshed for a talking-to. Most of the “invitees” have resisted the more polite appeals from Obama: Pryor, Lincoln, Warner, Shaheen, Landrieu, Bayh, McCaskill, Carper, Specter, Begich, Udall, Bennet, both Nelsons, Hagan, Kohl and Lieberman. Lincoln, incidentally, just nabbed a new chairmanship: did she have to make any commitments to Obama to get it?
Some of these Blue Dogs are already sounding more conciliatory: Nelson sounded more like a supporter of Obama’s plan than he had before the speech; Conrad liked the speech and said failure is not an option; McCaskill floated the idea of a “handcuffed” public option, to prevent it from turning into a full-blown “government plan”, whatever that means.
Meanwhile Nate Silver has new analysis showing that in most of those Blue Dog districts, the public option actually has plurality support. Also in Louisiana, Arkansas, New Mexico, Montana, Colorado, Iowa….And who are the Senators from those states?? All of which suggests that Obama should be able to nail these guys down.
Obama has also been signaling to the liberal wing of the party that maybe it’s time for them to stop giving him public ultimatums: Maxine Waters, leader of the liberals, said the liberals can’t just ignore the president, who’s showing his toughness; some people will back down. However, notice that it is the Blue Dogs, not the liberals, who are getting spanked today.
What’s next?
Obama will hold a health reform rally Saturday in Minneapolis; in his hand he will have a copy of the latest census report which shows that the number of uninsured is now 46.3 million. Obama’s popularity spike won’t last forever, which may be why Biden said he expects a bill by Thanksgiving, driven by an LBJ-like effort by Obama to get it passed; Plouffe, echoing Obama, said it must happen this year, or else the cause of reform could be delayed for years. So expect heavy volumes of footdragging activity by McConnell and the Republicans.
Obama, at the very least, insists that everyone must have access to affordable care; Axelrod believes the final bill will have some sort of public option, possibly with a trigger, and Joe Klein thinks Obama will get a bill this year, pretty close to what he proposed. The New York Times suggested that it’s too soon to abandon the public option, and it should only be traded away for significant vote support, and with a trigger. The White House told liberals that the climate for the public option might be better later in the process, rather than earlier.
Then again, Schumer is talking publicly about simply shoving the public option through the reconciliation process, and that may be what Obama is talking to those 17 Senators about.
Polls and reactions to the speech showed that, as a number of observers commented, it was a “game changer” and a “home run”. Obama found his voice, gave his best speech since the big one in 2004, defended the role of government and liberal ideas, conveyed the moral imperative of the issue, and increased the odds on passing real reform. He received dozens of standing ovations, and a focus group loved the speech and increased their support for his plan by 20 points. By offering a centrist, bipartisan vision including Republican ideas like tort reform, individual mandates, and a trigger requiring spending cuts if deficits are threatened, Obama showed that he was the grownup reaching out to the other side, while the Republicans were indulging in shrill lies and tantrums. He tried to split the conservatives who claim they want to work with him, from the wingnuts who want to kill any reform.
The Republican boors
The last time Obama did a major health-reform event, it was swallowed up by the Gates-police controversy. This time the media’s obsession with trivia worked hugely in Obama’s favor: the next day the story was all Wilson, Wilson, Wilson. The Democrats had been struggling to find a way to show what a bunch of dishonest thugs the Republicans were, and the Republicans proved their point for them, with Wilson’s outburst, and with the other Republicans booing during the speech, shouting, laughing, waving signs, Eric Cantor ignoring Obama in favor of his Blackberry, and generally acting like frat-house buffoons. The contrast was striking: Obama the Grownup versus The Boneheads – and how did these yokels get elected in the first place? A Carolina Democrat said Wilson made the state look even worse than Mark Sanford had; Barney Frank said that the GOP outbursts betrayed their desperation; a focus group was appalled by the GOP heckling and the lies; one blogger bragged that Wilson’s antics persuaded his conservative father to join the Democrats. Pelosi wisely shot down a Democratic effort to sanction Wilson – let the people and the media crucify him instead.
And by the way, Wilson was dead wrong in the first place.
The Republicans are reeling. As it was, they had reached the point of diminishing returns with their lie/smear/attack strategy, and they were essentially out of rhetorical weapons of attack. But Wilson made things even worse: now, instead of spending the next 3-4 news cycles spewing lies and attacks at Obama, they will be forced to defend Wilson and the rest of the Wednesday-night buffoons. Most Republicans realize it was a bad night: the conservative Politico site admitted that Wilson’s boorishness could be a turning point for the Democrats, and even Bob Dole, the chief architect of the effort to kill Hillarycare in 1994, said that after a while people will start wondering – what are Republicans for? Some Republicans, of course, are clueless: Michael Steele insisted that it was Obama who brought the partisanship to the event, some Republican operatives were actually trying to exploit the Wilson’s “standing up to Obama” to raise money, and Eric Cantor, cornered by a reporter who wanted to know what compromises the GOP would put on the table, evaded the question and insisted that the public option must be killed. Meanwhile it was learned that Capitol Police arrested an armed wingnut who was trying to get onto the Capitol grounds during the speech, which only makes the wingnuts look even scarier.
The Fighter
Obama also showed that he’s a fighter who will call a liar a liar. EJ Dionne said that Obama stopped channeling Adlai Stevenson and came out like Truman. One by one he called them out on their lies: we won’t take away your favorite doctor, or blow up the deficit, or take away your Medicare. Four GOP Senators (Snowe, Collins, Bennett (Utah) and Gregg) actually applauded when Obama shot down the death-panel nonsense – wow! Sometime soon, expect the White House to rebut the lies spewed by Dr. Boustany in the GOP response to the speech.
Uniting the Democrats
Barbara Boxer met Obama after the speech, kissed him on the cheek and told him he hit it out of the park; Obama replied, loudly, “now let’s get it done”, with a look of determination on his face. He is in no mood for nonsense from the wingnuts – or from the Blue Dogs or liberals in his own party. The morning after the speech, Obama summoned 17 Senate Democrats to the White House woodshed for a talking-to. Most of the “invitees” have resisted the more polite appeals from Obama: Pryor, Lincoln, Warner, Shaheen, Landrieu, Bayh, McCaskill, Carper, Specter, Begich, Udall, Bennet, both Nelsons, Hagan, Kohl and Lieberman. Lincoln, incidentally, just nabbed a new chairmanship: did she have to make any commitments to Obama to get it?
Some of these Blue Dogs are already sounding more conciliatory: Nelson sounded more like a supporter of Obama’s plan than he had before the speech; Conrad liked the speech and said failure is not an option; McCaskill floated the idea of a “handcuffed” public option, to prevent it from turning into a full-blown “government plan”, whatever that means.
Meanwhile Nate Silver has new analysis showing that in most of those Blue Dog districts, the public option actually has plurality support. Also in Louisiana, Arkansas, New Mexico, Montana, Colorado, Iowa….And who are the Senators from those states?? All of which suggests that Obama should be able to nail these guys down.
Obama has also been signaling to the liberal wing of the party that maybe it’s time for them to stop giving him public ultimatums: Maxine Waters, leader of the liberals, said the liberals can’t just ignore the president, who’s showing his toughness; some people will back down. However, notice that it is the Blue Dogs, not the liberals, who are getting spanked today.
What’s next?
Obama will hold a health reform rally Saturday in Minneapolis; in his hand he will have a copy of the latest census report which shows that the number of uninsured is now 46.3 million. Obama’s popularity spike won’t last forever, which may be why Biden said he expects a bill by Thanksgiving, driven by an LBJ-like effort by Obama to get it passed; Plouffe, echoing Obama, said it must happen this year, or else the cause of reform could be delayed for years. So expect heavy volumes of footdragging activity by McConnell and the Republicans.
Obama, at the very least, insists that everyone must have access to affordable care; Axelrod believes the final bill will have some sort of public option, possibly with a trigger, and Joe Klein thinks Obama will get a bill this year, pretty close to what he proposed. The New York Times suggested that it’s too soon to abandon the public option, and it should only be traded away for significant vote support, and with a trigger. The White House told liberals that the climate for the public option might be better later in the process, rather than earlier.
Then again, Schumer is talking publicly about simply shoving the public option through the reconciliation process, and that may be what Obama is talking to those 17 Senators about.
Thursday, 3 September 2009
how the media caved in to the wingnuts
http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2009/09/if-it-screams-it-leads-by-dday-ive.html
The stringer said he was one of 10 people around the country assigned to watch such encounters. Price said he was told flatly: "Your meeting doesn't get covered unless it blows up." As it happens, the Durham audience was broadly sympathetic to reform efforts. No "news" there.
So...the media cravenly insisted they wanted to see fights, and the wingnuts gave them fights. And that's all they reported for a solid month. That, and the GOP's lies.
The stringer said he was one of 10 people around the country assigned to watch such encounters. Price said he was told flatly: "Your meeting doesn't get covered unless it blows up." As it happens, the Durham audience was broadly sympathetic to reform efforts. No "news" there.
So...the media cravenly insisted they wanted to see fights, and the wingnuts gave them fights. And that's all they reported for a solid month. That, and the GOP's lies.
Tuesday, 1 September 2009
Are women destroying the GOP?
The Republicans are a falling stock today. Ridge is tapdancing on whether Bush stole the 2004 election (on Rachel Maddow he was even arguing with the dust jacket of his own book), Grassley is tapdancing on what he meant when he called for Obamacare to be killed, Huckabee is tapdancing on what he meant when he said Obama would have killed Kennedy, Steele tapdancing about wha he meant when he said Medicare was great, and then Medicare was lousy, and then Obama was attacking Medicare, and….And anti-reform doctors have been caught trying to terrify patients with lies about health reform, just like the Republicans.
Obama’s stock: rising. He is close to getting the 50 Senators he needs to pass a reconciliation bill. He is publicly pushing back repeatedly at the media for failing to expose the GOP’s lies. That may be one reason why the media narrative on health care is changing yet again: although the fundamentals of health care haven’t changed, the media was calling reform inevitable in June, a dead issue in July, and now they’re saying it’s looking good again. Likewise Gallup shows Obama’s approval ratings starting to creep up again. And with GOP presidential hopefuls like Huckabee and Palin crashing and burning, some Republicans are actually touting Cheney as a presidential prospect for 2012, apparently realizing that the GOP had better seek to regain power via national security issues because health care isn’t going to get them there.
But our third stock pick is Republican women: sell, sell, sell! Sarah Palin started a solid month of GOP caterwauling with the nonsense about death panels. Some disagree with me, but I think this issue is backfiring badly on the GOP, by making them all look like fools and sucking up a month’s worth of oxygen that the GOP could have used to wage a more credible argument against UHC, such as the cost issue. I really think Palin wrecked the GOP effort against health reform. Not to be outdone, Michelle Bachmann – God’s gift to political satire – is imploring her allies to starve themselves and slit their wrists to stop health care, which pretty much speaks for itself.
And now Lynn “Great White Hope” Jenkins is trying to out-Palin Palin, or perhaps out-Bachmann Bachmann. Jenkins sneered at a working mom who couldn’t afford insurance, and hasn’t taken her toddler to a doctor in almost two years; Jenkins barked at her – “Go be a grown-up and go buy the insurance!” Can you grasp the message the GOP is conveying to working women across the country with that? All those women struggling to hold their families together in an economy ravaged by GOP incompetence and corruption? “Fuck you, we don’t care, stop whining and be a grownup”. These are the very blue-collar salt-of-the-earth kinda folks the GOP depends on, and they’re deliberately driving them away.
Obama’s stock: rising. He is close to getting the 50 Senators he needs to pass a reconciliation bill. He is publicly pushing back repeatedly at the media for failing to expose the GOP’s lies. That may be one reason why the media narrative on health care is changing yet again: although the fundamentals of health care haven’t changed, the media was calling reform inevitable in June, a dead issue in July, and now they’re saying it’s looking good again. Likewise Gallup shows Obama’s approval ratings starting to creep up again. And with GOP presidential hopefuls like Huckabee and Palin crashing and burning, some Republicans are actually touting Cheney as a presidential prospect for 2012, apparently realizing that the GOP had better seek to regain power via national security issues because health care isn’t going to get them there.
But our third stock pick is Republican women: sell, sell, sell! Sarah Palin started a solid month of GOP caterwauling with the nonsense about death panels. Some disagree with me, but I think this issue is backfiring badly on the GOP, by making them all look like fools and sucking up a month’s worth of oxygen that the GOP could have used to wage a more credible argument against UHC, such as the cost issue. I really think Palin wrecked the GOP effort against health reform. Not to be outdone, Michelle Bachmann – God’s gift to political satire – is imploring her allies to starve themselves and slit their wrists to stop health care, which pretty much speaks for itself.
And now Lynn “Great White Hope” Jenkins is trying to out-Palin Palin, or perhaps out-Bachmann Bachmann. Jenkins sneered at a working mom who couldn’t afford insurance, and hasn’t taken her toddler to a doctor in almost two years; Jenkins barked at her – “Go be a grown-up and go buy the insurance!” Can you grasp the message the GOP is conveying to working women across the country with that? All those women struggling to hold their families together in an economy ravaged by GOP incompetence and corruption? “Fuck you, we don’t care, stop whining and be a grownup”. These are the very blue-collar salt-of-the-earth kinda folks the GOP depends on, and they’re deliberately driving them away.
Monday, 31 August 2009
Big GOP health-care town hall is...closed to the public!
http://thinkprogress.org/2009/08/31/mcconnell-town-hall/
Invitation only! LOL!
Let's remember this the next time the Republicans screech that the Democrats are afraid of facing the "wrath of the peepul".
Invitation only! LOL!
Let's remember this the next time the Republicans screech that the Democrats are afraid of facing the "wrath of the peepul".
Saturday, 29 August 2009
Enzi: Obama will raid Medicare
Sen. Mike Enzi (R-WY), one of the three Republican negotiators on the Senate Finance Committee, said in the GOP weekly address that bills introduced by Democrats "fail" to lower health care costs and will "raid Medicare."
http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/08/enzi-dem-plans-fail-on-health-care-reform.php?ref=fpb
http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/08/enzi-dem-plans-fail-on-health-care-reform.php?ref=fpb
Thursday, 20 August 2009
folks with worst health care are most likely to believe GOP lies
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/08/20/states-with-most-uninsure_n_263988.html
The E-I-E-I-O goobers in the south and west who swallow all the GOP lies about health care, hook line and sinker, are the same guys who have the worst coverage -- the same guys who are getting screwed the worst by the current system.
45 percent of southerners sincerely believe Obama plans a government takeover of the whole system.
I said many years ago -- stupidity is its own punishment. Apparently I was right.
The E-I-E-I-O goobers in the south and west who swallow all the GOP lies about health care, hook line and sinker, are the same guys who have the worst coverage -- the same guys who are getting screwed the worst by the current system.
45 percent of southerners sincerely believe Obama plans a government takeover of the whole system.
I said many years ago -- stupidity is its own punishment. Apparently I was right.
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