The GOP propaganda machine is in full spin as operatives and hot talk stations spread lies and hysteria about items said to be found in the current House bill language of the American Affordable Health Care Act.
Talk of genocide on both ends of the life cycle are paraded down the street in a grotesque death march of wing nuts eager to drink any Kool-Aid and any lie to sabotage discussion about actual substance. Scare tactics included outrage over mandated funding for abortions and assisted suicide for those over 65.
Per a recent Kaiser Family Foundation analysis, the abortion coverage was modified significantly in committee. The Energy and Commerce Committee amendment: Prohibits abortion coverage from being required as part of the essential benefits package; and requires segregation of public subsidy funds from private premium payments for plans that choose to cover abortion services beyond Hyde—which allows coverage for abortion services to save the life of the woman and in cases of rape or incest; and require there be no effect on state or federal laws on abortions. See also the Guttmacher Report of July 22, 2009, that discusses these restrictions in the context of the insurance industry.
The genocide mandate is a considered a wild distortion of the House Bill. All manner of documentation to the contrary, Republicans try to paint a provision for suggested elderly medical counseling every five years as some Soylent Green scenario where seniors are meekly led to assisted suicide chambers.
Snopes, Media Matters, and AARP try to dispel these distorions originally forwarded by wing nut Betsy McCaughey.
Despite the facts, these same talking points of abortion funding and killing Grandpa were rebroadcast all day Friday by the vast right wing echo chamber, including Rush Limbaugh, and over the weekend by the sick freak, Glenn Beck.
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
Very few of the people at these town halls are “fake”. Their anger is real, but its fuel’d by lies and smoke signals.
but you can’t argue the fact that those who are organizing, such as freedomworks, are supported by the medical industry.
On any issue, no matter what, both sides are funded by criminals. This is the reason the Democrats turn a blind eye to the need for Tort Reform and why you might ask? Has to do with their bread and butter….trail lawyers.
Both parties are guilty.
While listening to “Talk of the Nation” this afternoon on NPR, one commentator former Republican congressman from WA, George Nethercutt, commented that, due to to the importance great importance of Health Care Reform, President Obama should simply slow the process down and reconvene a bi-partisan legislative panel to hash out differences. He added that this would go a long way to calming the fears and anger of the protesters.
Many of the town hall protesters have made similar remarks and have accused Obama of “rushing into this” [i.e., Health Care Reform].
Nethercutt’s comments reminded me of several breaking news stories in late July that revealed the “slow down” strategy as a key approach of dissenting right leaning Republicans to not only thwart health care reform, but to also defeat Obama’s presidency in general.
http://www.healthbeatblog.com/2009/07/if-were-able-to-stop-obama-on-this-it-will-break-him.html
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/20/AR2009072002394.html
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/07/21/internal-rnc-memo-engage_n_241940.html
This is another example of the need for constructive engagement and policy dialog rather than the current campaign of political subversion that seems to be in full force. The need for Health Care Reform is too important to allow a radical minority to derail it.
I heard a caller on KGO radio today ask Sen Boxer about expansion of HSAs, interstate insurance competition and tort reform. She responded that these are important things to discuss, but she didn’t know what’s in the final bill. (None of these things are in any current version, nor are they likely to be. Boxer is opposed to all three.) She is right; there is no final bill yet. The president and others are attempting to foil any argument by saying either that a particular element is not explicitly stated in the bill or the bill is not finalized.
While some of the arguments against the current plan are a bit over the top, I grant those arguing against the current reformers a little leeway. It’s hard to hit a moving target. I doubt the end of life bit will be important, it’s not hard to believe that attempts will be made to require abortion funding will be rammed through in the middle of the night.
Several of the leaders of health care reform have stated that there preference is for single payer and the government option is an incremental way to get to single payer. These people include reps Pelosi, Frank, Kucinich, Stark, Sen Reid and the President. Whether they have explicitly added those features to the legislation yet, it’s safe to assume that last minute changes and amendments will be added to further their stated goals.
I received this email today from a reliable source. It is very scary.
“I have heard of these relocations camps. They are called FEMA camps and they do exist. Wake UP people. Our govt. is preparing for civil unrest the likes of which we have not seen. They are planning on using internment camps/resettlement camps to detain anyone who dissents. That’s US!!
This article has links to the goarmy website where they are actively recruiting soldiers to man these camps inside the US. In WWII they used the census to round up Japanese citizens and intern them. I know this sounds crazy, but it is true. You should also search on REX84, GARDEN PLOT and FEMA Camps. This has been whispered about for years, but now it is coming true!”
http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=106304
It’s nice to see you actual stand against this nonsense, BGR. It’s one thing to dislike a bill and be able to point to specific, it’s another thing to make things up to get old people all fired up.
On a side note, my favorite quotes from the freak right are ones that go…
“Stop socialized healthcare, but don’t touch my Medicare”
So funny!
~ EMBARRASSED EDITOR APOLOGIZES — I don’t like it when people lie to me, either. Like, “all the Town Hall protesters are put up by insurance companies and Republicans.” In Contra Costa, the GOP can’t even organize their books let alone a demonstration.