Bachmann: White House Has “Its Fingers in Its Ears” on Health Care
EmailABC News' David Chalian Reports: It appears the health care compromise struck among Senate Democrats may be enough to cobble together the 60 votes Harry Reid needs to pass the bill, but the vast majority of Republicans don’t seem to have backed off their wall of opposition to the health care reform legislation being pushed by Democrats in both the House and the Senate. “Unfortunately this is a White House that has its fingers in its ears the same with the Democratic controlled Congress. They don’t care what we have to say, they’ve never been interested in Republican input into this bill and we’ve got a very good common sense plan that will actually work,” Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) told us on ABC News’ “Top Line” today.
Rep. Bachmann explained one popular proposal among Republican lawmakers that has never had much traction with Democrats. “The health care solution that we can support. . . is one that’s very simple, one that the American people like, it’s the government not owning your health care, your employer not owning your health care, the average American owning their own health care with tax free money that you set aside,” she said. The Congresswoman went on to charge that it wasn’t simply the health care sector where she sees President Obama’s initiatives as attempts for the government to take over portions of the private sector. “What you’ve got to consider is that just in the months that President Obama has been in office, 30% of the private economy has already been taken over by the federal government. Just in these few months by taking over banks, AIG, the mortgage companies, Chrysler, GM, 30%. If President Obama takes over healthcare that’s another 18% or 48% of the economy. Barney Frank has a bill this week that would have government taking over another 10% – 15% of the economy with the financial services industry. Think of this, this is stunning this isn’t just in our lifetime. . . just in this year government is taking over about 65% of the economy. That’s not America,” Bachmann said. One of the key rallying cries of the conservative movement and the tea party gatherings that have happened around the country this year is the notion that there is too much government involvement in the lives of average Americans. President Obama has stated on several occasions that he had no desire to be a banker or an auto executive but that part of working to bring the economy back from the brink required government intervention and investment of taxpayer dollars into those sectors. Watch our entire interview with Rep. Bachmann HERE: We also chatted with Air America’s Ana Marie Cox about the health care compromise which she thinks liberals in the Senate will end up accepting in the end. Ana also gave the Obama speechwriting team a little bit of advice in advance of the president’s huge Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech tomorrow in Oslo: “Well, I would hope that it’s a short speech. . . If I were him I would get in and get out.” You can see our entire interview with Ana Marie Cox HERE:
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The Senate Democrats aren’t the only people who will be accepting this health care bill… “in the end.” All of the American people will be getting it “in the end” as well… Thanks Big Brother!
Posted by: jafo | December 9, 2009, 5:14 pm 5:14 pm
If you think our kids will be paying if we pass health care, think of what will happen to them if we don’t. Go Obama. Oh, and Michele – get professional help!!!
Posted by: pamp205 | December 9, 2009, 5:42 pm 5:42 pm
Michelle Backmann is crazy! Health Savings Accounts. OMG how long would you have to save in the event you needed a heart transplant! Give me a break. The Republicans have no ideas whatsoever. When the Bush crime family took America into the Iraq war and spent trillions the Republicans found the money. Now that America needs health care reform all the Republicans can say is “save”! What a crock of —. Republicans have devestated America by allowing banks to go unregulated and allowing tax credits for manufacturers to off-shore American jobs all the while being ripped off by the health insurance industry who are exempt from anti-trust!
Posted by: john copeland | December 9, 2009, 6:05 pm 6:05 pm
Pycho! Minn. should be ashamed to be represented by a “NUT”! Oh, she’s a Republican, that’s why.
Posted by: sara | December 9, 2009, 6:17 pm 6:17 pm
Tax free money that you set aside. What frikking tax money do the average American have to set aside? Where in the hell did this out of touch hoe come from? Who in this country have money to just set aside except the super rich Republicans. That proves that Republicans have nothing to offer to the average Americans except starting wars.
Posted by: johnnylee | December 9, 2009, 6:24 pm 6:24 pm
so, in a nut shell the dems wnat some free stuff for the 40% who dont pay tax and make up 80% of their constituents. the other side wants you to pay for your own stuff because they already pay the tax that runs the country….now i get it..the man is keeping me down syndrone.
Posted by: catman | December 9, 2009, 7:20 pm 7:20 pm
In the old days parents sacrificed for their children. Apparaently this is not in the democrat grand scheme. They want our children to pay for them. Selfish and shameful!
Posted by: jonny | December 9, 2009, 8:42 pm 8:42 pm
John Copeland wrote:
“Health Savings Accounts. OMG how long would you have to save in the event you needed a heart transplant! Give me a break. ”
This simply shows that Democrats haven’t got a clue how HSAs actually work.
Posted by: Joe White | December 9, 2009, 9:39 pm 9:39 pm
In case you didn’t notice Michele Bachmann said absolutely nothing of substance. Evidently she is in a spirited contest with Sarah Palin to see who can be the largest laughing stock of the conservative movement.The point is that Reopublicans and/or conservatives have no solutions only misinformation, fear and conspiracy theories to offer. The kind of “philosophy” that got us to this point of despair.
Posted by: CND FOX | December 9, 2009, 9:56 pm 9:56 pm
Interesting how Congress cannot address the real problems: tort laws allowing frivolous lawsuits resulting in soaring malpractice insurance rates (a cost passed on to the patients and their insurance), idiotic medical insurance regulations forcing everyone to pay for more coverage than they need or want, inability of health insurance carriers to spread the risk (thereby lowering the cost) because of the same idiotic regulations and billions funding inefficiency, waste, corruption and fraud through Medicare.
If the Democrats and Republicans cannot even admit to those being core causes of the problems in health care, what are the chances they can find any solutions?
Posted by: MizFW | December 9, 2009, 10:03 pm 10:03 pm
“Interesting how Congress cannot address the real problems: tort laws” — Tort reform is an attempt to reduce patients’ legal rights. Insurance companies would love that.
Posted by: Mark from atlanta | December 9, 2009, 11:26 pm 11:26 pm
After reading these comments I think people really think they will be receiving FREE health care. I think the media has a responsibility to do much more educating on the true costs of these programs. I guess the folks are just assuming the government will print up more money to pay for all.
Posted by: wow | December 10, 2009, 3:05 am 3:05 am
Bachmann is a typical Republican Apparatchik………….she whines about everything and does absolutely nothing but get in the way of the folks who are trying to clean up years of Republican neglect, corruption, malfeasance, greed, and incompetence.
I can’t imagine what voters in her district are like that they elected such an intellectual midget to office. It’s hard to tell whether she or Palin is the biggest “whack job” in the Republican Party.
Posted by: Doppelganger | December 10, 2009, 3:29 pm 3:29 pm
John Copeland wrote:
“Health Savings Accounts. OMG how long would you have to save in the event you needed a heart transplant! Give me a break. ”
———————-
The money I spend on Health Insurance is sheltered. I make $47,700 a year, I pay $4,800 in Health Insurance per year, my taxable income is $42,900. You know, I get the feeling you made some bad choices in life, eh ?
Posted by: Ratt | December 10, 2009, 3:41 pm 3:41 pm
I want my country back!!! I want it back from these morons like, Bachmann, Palin and Cheney. I’m sick and tired of these morons being treated as though they have something intelligent to say. I think that if by your own choice you choose to act like an imbicile then you should be treated like one.
We have some real problems in this country that need to be dealt with and all the Republicans can do is bad-mouth anything or any suggestion that is brought forward that may deal with the problem. If the Republicans hate our country and our government so much I suggest they hop on a boat or plane and leave.
Repubs need to start caring about the average American and not just their corporate pals. But I do tip my hat to them as they always manage to come up with something (abortion, gay marriage ..) to distract voters and get the voters to vote against their own economic self interests.
Posted by: What Now | December 10, 2009, 6:45 pm 6:45 pm
Why do stupid reporters on ABC refuse to hold this wingnut’s feet to the fire when it comes to relevant questioning? Just let her ramble on about her political views when you’re asking a simple question? That’s not journalism, that’s giving a Crazy Congresswoman a soap box. DO YOUR JOBS, “JOURNALISTS.”
Posted by: Jay | December 10, 2009, 8:15 pm 8:15 pm