Graham to Axelrod: American People ‘Tired of This Crap’

We tired of Graham’s obfuscation and worse. Best he stay of the air and let the public guess what he’s up to. As one who attended Court Marshals and was a serving officer in Armour before he was out of knee pants, I’m appalled at what has become of our GOP if he is a “moderate”. Tell him they can’t make the Poor into Sharecroppers again ! It is 2010, and democracy lives by truth in face od corporatocracy’s would-be takeover !

Right on, I am sick and tired of the no party, no to everything except corp profits in the phony wars we are in. The funny part is the people making the most money on the wars are the very same ones that got deferments for Vietnam, yellow bellied cowards and chicken hawks. Push the health care through no matter what then send in the undercover spies to arrest the crooks stealing from Medicare etc.

It’s one lie or distortion after another with the Republicans. First it was death panels, still being promoted by the likes of Sarah Palin and then this bogus nonsense about cutting Medicare. The facts are that private Medicare insurance plans are being paid a higher premium by the federal government than the premiums paid by those who participate in the government Medicare program. In short, what the Republicans are advocating is that we continue to use $500 billion of taxpayers money to enrich insurance companies and their executives. Sound familiar?

Republicans keep saying “the American people” don’t want this bill and that is an inaccurate statement. I want the bill and I want it now. I don’t want or like to see grown men and women in Congress and the House fighting like children. It seems Republicans do not want anything our President wants. President Obama, has reached out to the Republicans and they said “No” you throw your proposal out and let’s start over. That does not sound like Republicans want to work with the President.

Republicans keep saying “the American people” don’t want this bill and that is an inaccurate statement. I want the bill and I want it now. I don’t want or like to see grown men and women in Congress and the House fighting like children. It seems Republicans do not want anything our President wants. President Obama, has reached out to the Republicans and they said “No” you throw your proposal out and let’s start over. That does not sound like Republicans want to work with the President.
Posted by: Ernestine Gordon | Mar 14, 2010 11:36:56 AM
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You want this bill so much, can you tell me what’s in it? YOU don’t know, you are thinking of yourself and not the future! You are the American obama refers to when he says, “if I tell them what they want, they will want it”

Lindsay Graham, you are so right. The American people are fed up with all this crap. Look at the mess the right-wingers have engineered over the last 40 years. The economy is trashed as is education. 15 million unemployed Americans with 40 million living in poverty and 50 million without healthcare. (Notice I did NOT say “affordable” healthcare.)
So what’s a good neo-con/reganite to do? You have two choices.
One is to continue your obstruction of reform. You and your party cannot conceivably embrace reform because that is an admission your philosophy and policies are undeniable failures. But you guys would rather go down with a sinking ship and take all of us with you, wouldn’t you. Better to reign in hell mentality.
Your second option is to resign, admit your philosophy is a failure. Admit you don’t have any solutions for the problems the GOP have caused. Admit you don’t want to have anything to do with building up America instead of tearing it down. But be man enough to stay out of the way while good Americans rebuild what the right-wingers have destroyed.
It’s up to you, embarrassment to humanity. Crap or get off the pot.

Maybe I spend too much time on internet but seems that by 7-3 margin they all want passage even with warts.
The sad irony is that by passing something, it gurantees that the other party (in this case repubs) will be forced to repeal/come up with something better 2 years from now.
And poisioning the water is almost insulting I think. Pretty clear from past 14 months Repubs intend on nothing happening. Don’t give Obama anything mandate is already in full force.

“Americans are tired of this crap?,,,He got ran out of…” I am tired of our country’s legislative poor English language skills. In California a large percentage of college freshmen are taking remedial English and math classes, perhaps Freshman Senators should be required to study basic English grammar before representing the American people before the ears of the world!

Bob Ramos…I live in tx and whatever you read in the San Antonio Express was not true. It takes a long time to be treated, but eventually everyone is treated with or without insurance. you don’t get special treatment if you have insurance. I’ve had insurance and now no longer have insurance and believe me the treatment is the same and it’s the best there is. If you need an operation you get it even if you have no way to pay for it. they give you the operation and worry about whether you can pay for it later. The hospital won’t put a band aid on you and send you out the door. That’s balony.

Not true, Bob. I am self-insured. I planned and saved and I don’t want insurance. I’m sure there are alot of people in the 30M that are like me — don’t have insurance — don’t want insurance — don’t want the government to tell me I do.
I also know that the target shouldn’t be the insurance companies. Further, when we are experiencing a doctor shortage already, giving free healthcare to 30,000,000 — oh, 29,999,999, not counting me, will tank the system.

Actually, Mr. Graham, I am heartily sick of your crap, and that of your party.

Drew wrote…”I live in tx I’ve had insurance and now no longer have insurance and believe me the treatment is the same and it’s the best there is”
But I have to pay through MY insurance for YOU.

Mr. Bush said that he is the best man to work on both sides of the aisle during his election and that he will bring togetherness and decency to the White House, then when he left office, you all know what happens.
Mr. Obama said that he will bring change and decency and togetherness during his election and that both sides of the aisle will come together under him, then when he’s in office, you all know what happens.

To all you people without insurance that are spouting off about how you get the best treatment etc. I PAY for my insurance through the yang-yang. One of the reasons my premiums are so high (and rising) is people like you that use the emergency room like the Drs office. Health Care Reform will mean that I may get a break, and I say pass it and to heck with what air heads say. Most of the people against it are either with the Insurance companies or dumber than a box of rocks.

young voter wrote”Mr. Obama said that he will bring change and decency and togetherness during his election and that both sides of the aisle will come together under him, then when he’s in office, you all know what happens”
Just shows you what a complete group of horses behinds the GOP are. They aren’t interested in what is good for America, only in destroying Obama.

“I would like to see Mr. Tapper or whoever hosts This Week be a lot harder on these guys. Everything that Lindsey Graham said was spin. He should be called on it. And George Will should be called to the carpet for having no shame about spinning the President’s sincere effort to work with Republicans for a year to create a bi-partisan healthcare bill as being inept about message. Soooooo annoying!!!!!!!!!!!”
Posted by: Sarah Patrick | Mar 14, 2010 12:13:00 PM
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Gee, there’s no spin on the other side? You are so shameful. Agree with me or shut them up – that’s what you are saying. Go move to China.

Just shows you what a complete group of horses behinds the GOP are. They aren’t interested in what is good for America, only in destroying Obama.
Posted by: Joseph |
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sorry, Joseph, Obama is destroying himself, he really doesn’t need anyone elses help.

You you please give me a credibility link to this information.
Posted by: Clint-Houston
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Go READ the actual senate bill. If you do that, or even read a congressional summary of it, you will see how much more money is involved and how much MORE your premiums will be as noted by the congressional budget committee’s assumptions. Before you speak up, you should be informed.

Poison the well? How much more poison can it get? You are already voting 100% against any meaningful reform.

Unfortunately, rob, the CBO has to rate what is put in front of them — with all the wild assumptions. They are good at what they do, but when it comes to rating bills, the are not permitted to do what they are good at.
So, we are to believe that ObamaCare is going to insure 30M for free. Of course, you won’t see the first benefit until you’ve paid for nothing for 4 years.
After hearing about the 45,000 people that die every year — guess that we should ignore the 180,000 that ObamaCare will kill before there’s enough money to pay the first benefit. They don’t count?

I thought the “time for talk is over”.
Then why is the teleprompter reader going on the campaign trail tomorrow?
Stop wasting our money flying everywhere trying to sell that crap sandwich called Obamacare.

Dear Mr. Graham: People were tired of your crap and that is why you are not in power. If this crap gives us a health care bill and 30 million people get coverage and cannot be dropped off their insurance….I’ll take that kind of crap any day. You could have had your own health care crap when you were in power and chose not to do it because you knew it would be hard so back off. This is for the good of the whole not for the few like your party seem to do.

Mr. Tapper…you did a fine job today..keep up the good work.

CND — get off of the special interest stuff — Obama collected $27M from the SEIU and Andy Stern walked away with almost 100% of the $800B stimulus — public sector unemployment is only 4%. SEIU is not a special interest?
The NEA gave the Democrats $2.3M and Obama immediately trashes the DC school voucher program. Tha NEA isn’t a special interest.
Tell me about the inner cities — tell me how free stuff has helped families escape poverty. You can’t.
Tell me about affordable housing and the Democrats blocking capital market regulation. Free stuff work out there?
Great track record you guys have handing out free stuff, I tell ya.

Republicans are idiots. They are the cause of everything bad that’s ever happened to this country, from slavery to child labor. Nothing but self-centered hypocrites stoking fear in feeble-minded inbred illiterates. The only thing more sad and pathetic than their hollow nonsensical stabs at logic is their constant whining. At least they’ve largely stopped trying to be funny. It’s just painful when a conservative tries to be funny….

Obama is corporate owned and controlled.
When Obama made his sweetheart deal with Big Pharma and dropped the public option it proved his loyalties were with them not the people.

JMO, I wouldn’t count on it. Unless the CBO has already rated that line item — I would think that infanticide would cost something — opps, unless they had the CBO rate the original Senate Bill as though infanticide was free. Possible they will get stuck in their own slime.
I think the bill will pass. Nancy has enough yank and is so left-fringe, she won’t let this opportunity pass.

I personally am tired of having to beat back politicians who have a Freddy Kreuger-like ability to keep resurfacing with the same horror-show again and again and again..

When we hear Pelosi say that she’s “on the verge of making history” just by reforming health care – it tells me that ‘reforming health care’ is the last thing they care about. What Pelosi et al. are really up to is transforming our country into an image of Venezuela – that and only that would “make history”. Reforming health care is a tune-up and doesn’t require such statements as this from people like Pelosi. Their intentions are not pure.

The Republicans are desperate by the hour about healthcare reform. After the bill has passed, don’t be surprised that they are challenge the constitutionality of the “reconciliation” legislative peocedure in the court system. The laughable irony is that the GOP has used that procudure more than any party in history.

windrider..Since you brought up Pontious Pilate..one could argue that the timing of having a debate over “Caesar” using the people’s money to abort unwanted children..during lent and right before Passover and Easter, well, that was probably not so well thought out..but then we are on his Excellency’s timetable here, and when he says it’s time for his legions to cross the Rubicon..his will be done.

American have come to the realization that government has failed, and, more importantly, government has been at the root of our financial collapse. Aside from Ron Paul, all have urinated on the constitution. This health care is just another example. This is a Tenth Amendment issue. Health care should not be mandated at the federal level.

Democrats are idiots. They want to pass their health care costs on our children. They have no shame!

I am tired of the crap also. I am tired of Lindsey Gramham’s CRAP. I am tired of the republican party’s CRAP. I am tired of their lying, cheating, and thieving. The only way to fix Washington is to send a stern message to the republican party by voting them out of office in 2010 and 2012. Good riddance.

As usual, Sen. Graham is just spewing the usual Republican talking points (test marketed by Mr. Lutz) And lying to boot – there is not going to be any reduction in Medicare. However, Advantage plans that were set up solely to enrich the insurance providers, are going to be eliminated – as they should be.
In the interim, the donut hole is going to be closed. Ironically, the donut hole primarily affects middle class elderly – and not the elderly poor who receive Medicaid to offset payments for their part D and Part B plans and co-pays.
It is all complicated – and so easy for Republicans to scare those who are not willing or able to get the facts of what is actually in the bill.
If the Republicans were so concerned, they would have fixed health care long ago. But they have sold their collective souls to the health insurance industry and corporate interests across the land. His co senator, Jim DeMint is known to be closely tied to an insurance company that’s major money making product is selling and administering health insurance savings accounts”. Gee – guess what Jim DeMint thinks is the answer to health care reform?

Why do all these news articles on ABC (and the other major networks) fail to mention that all the polls show a MAJORITY OF AMERICAN VOTERS OPPOSE THIS BILL? How can ABC pretend to be honest journalists? The REAL story is that Congress is about to pass a bill AGAINST THE WILL OF THE AMERICAN PEOPLE! ABC is a propaganda machine for the left.

Vote every last one of the Democrats out this next election. They have forced this UNWANTED health care reform on us. No one wants it in it’s present form. Go back to the drawing board or expect defeat. Pack your bags, current administration, you’re as good as gone!
Posted by: Kristen | Mar 14, 2010 2:39:50 PM
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It’s an anti-incumbent movement, not anti-democrat movement going on. Thus, many republicans need to pack their bags as well. Also, quit speaking like your the voice for everyone by saying “we the people” don’t want health care reform, when in truth millions do want this bill simply because it’s better than what we currently have even though it may not be perfect.

This bill will require those that don’t have insurance to get one. Reason why they can’t get insurance is it’s too expensive. The idea is that with everyone required to pay for insurance, the companies will have better chance of spreading the cost across the population. And so in return for the mandate, they are required to insure pre-existing health condition.
But …
1. Can the insurance companies raise the premium of those who have pre-existing conditions in such a way that it’s so high that they can no longer afford it? They did not refuse coverage but it can’t be the insurance company’s fault if a subscriber chooses not to pay.
2. Who will pay for the uninsured premium? Ultimately, someone will have to pay for them. Today, some 30 million people do not have insurance. At $1k per year premium, this is around $30B per year. And this won’t go down, it will only go up in time. These individuals don’t have it in their budget to pay for a premium today. Whereas before they did not pay anything, now they will be required to pay, how can this make them happier? They will surely want this insurance without paying or if someone else can pay for them. If they have to pay, then I believe there will be a political price to pay for the near term. How is this good for the Democrats?
3. Isn’t this a political suicide mission that these Democrats took on?
4. Will this really be beneficial for the country?
5. With the country’s growing debt, is it really wise to continue to create more programs and spend for more entitlements?
BTW, I also oppose the spending with Iraq and other wars. They were unnecessary. I also don’t think it was good to have Medicare Part D which the Republicans passed.
The Republicans get cozy with those hypocrites that go to church. I also hate that.
Both Democrats and Republicans need to take a grip and stop the waste of government spending. Bring back manufacturing in this country and produce our own stuff, stop importing so much.

Twenty-five pro-life Catholic theologians and Evangelical leaders yesterday sent letters to members of Congress urging them not to let misleading information about abortion provisions in the Senate health care bill block passage of sorely-needed reform.

Tierra, First of all Ms. Keehan is not a religious leader representing Catholics, she is representing her hospitals. No anti-abortion Catholic “leader” would be in favor of building their nation’s healthcare system on legislation that funds abortion..and if there are Catholics (Mrs Keehan?) who are soo sure funding aint in there..then WHY have Ms Sebilius, Ms Pelosi, Mr Stupak and the others been wrangling over what’s not in there for weeks?? Ms Keehan is saying in essence that her 600 hospitals don’t provide abortions, but hey, no problem if the others do? Does that make her an “anti-abortion in my hospitals only” catholic leader?

PS- There are all kinds of “Catholic leaders”, after all Pelosi is one.

Please do some research on the modern democracies that have universal coverage.
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Ha!
Honey, I know the about democracy, remember, I’m the post grad right winger…I want to know what YOU believe to be these great democracies with universal coverage….besides, of course Venezuela..lol.
maybe you’ll be able to graduate to stamping some envelopes or better yet, organize a COFFEE PARTY ! LOL !….hopey changey…

From God’s lips to the catholic theologian’s and Evangelical’s ears..about abortion funding that is..cause they must know something that our own elected representatives don’t..what’s in this bill!

S’cuse me – what exactly did he say…?

cindy – Show us the specific part of the Senate bill that details how government money will be used to fund abortions . . .

“tierra” says: “cindy – Show us the specific part of the Senate bill that details how government money will be used to fund abortions . . .”
tierra, have you read the whole bill?
Why does Planned Parenthood support the bill? Would they be doing so if the knew that abortions would not be funded? No.
There, question answered.

That long list of provisions regarding abortions is a great example of why no one knows if there is funding for abortion in this bill. It is the equivilant of me daughter asking if she can go to the movies this afternoon. I can say, “No, you may not go to the movies this afternoon”..or I can say, You may not see Alice in WOnderland, you may not see Shutter Island, you may not see Avatar..and on and on..This latter answer will do one thing, cause her to go online IMMEDIATELY to find the ONE movie I missed.

Until delivery costs are brought down – the cost of hospital stays, drugs, etc, – the cost of insurance will not come down. If you want to squawk about obscene profits, then look at the drug companies not the insurance companies. Or look at Government Motors. Abortion – well, if anyone receives a subsidy for insurance, then any money that person spends for abortion coverage is being subsidized ( write separate checks – right – just a shell game with taxpayer dollars). I am pro-choice, but not at the taxpayers expense. The student loan bill – just more buying of votes. Keeping the “shady deals” in the bill and now trying to justify them (it might happen to some other state sometime) is another “tap dance”, because without those special deals, the proposed bill cannot stand on its own merits. It needs “vote buying” if there is any hope for it to pass. And finally, if the bill is so great, then why is there such resistance, not only among the American people, but also among our representatives. That, more than anything, should be a clue that there are some serious deficiencies that should be addressed before plunging 16% of our GDP into a tailspin.

here is a compromise…. stop paying for infertility issues for old career women who waited too long to have kids the normal way, stop paying for old men’s erectile issues, stop paying for ALL birth control and STD cleanups…. Then and only then will I say the so-called “pro-lifers” are not total hypocrites. Only then. Because I do not agree with any of that stuff either, so, why should I pay for it, using their logic? Everything I listed, is all “elective”.

SOCIALISTS: KEEP YOUR GOVERNMENT OUT OF MY WALLET!!!! It’s hard enough taking care of your family, saving for retirement, paying for a house, keeping your job, and NOW we have to provide subsidies to families who can’t afford their own health insurance????

Beware of GRAHAM. People of S.C., this guy will give in to Obama and allow 20 million illegals to come here and you had better believe that our system cannot withstand the trillions more in benefits for them and their children. Demint of S.C. is a real sandlapper and he supports the will of the people but not Graham the “Progressive Republican” Just beware of this man for he is far too liberal.

I could probably go online and find the page that discusses funding for abortion..
Posted by: cindy | Mar 14, 2010 4:02:04 PM
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Please do . .. otherwise guessing just isn’t enough.

Tierra, your passion for how you feel is undeniable..its just unfortunate that you feel you need to buttress your arguments by pasting fragments of articles and polls and “conversations”.. like the one we were having. My point was that what is written in this bill is almost not as relevant as how it is written..as we can see with this abortion funding debate…but I dont want to waste your time, or put my comments on your chopping block again…

Anita Dunn?
Anita freakin’ Dunn on ThisWeek?
Please tell me Jake Tapper do not select that woman! Please tell me it was some misguided producer.
Why not put up pictures of Chairman Mao on the ABC set. Or, better yet… have Anita Dunn AND Van Jones on the panel.
Low moment for ABC.

It’s pretty obvious that the Congress and Obama (The Prince of Fools) all refuse to listen to We the People. This “bill” hasn’t even been WRITTEN yet, much less ANALYZED for any UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES (just as TARP wasn’t analyzed), but we have the deadbeats in our society on this blog touting how wonderful it will be when they can have something ELSE for FREE in exchange for their vote.
Well, in just 232 more days, WE THE PEOPLE will be asking ALL of them, CAN YOU HEAR US NOW, MORONS?!!!!

I can understand Graham’s frustration in light of the fact that 99% of this bill was cobbled together behind closed doors in stark contrast to what was promised.
I am even more disappointed that Dodd, one of the architects of the meltdown decided to walk away from negotiation on financial regulation reform when the two sides were very close to agreement.
I don’t agree with Graham’s tone.
I am disappointed that Axelrod wasn’t pinned to the floor when he outright lied about the Louisiana purchase. There’s no surprise that he would lie about the astronomical cost of the bill — in fact, Axelrod was moving his lips — a clear indication he was lying.
This isn’t the hope and change that was promised and the fault lies squarely on Obama for allowing the backroom deals to poison the atmosphere in Washington.

I am disappointed that Axelrod wasn’t pinned to the floor when he outright lied about the Louisiana purchase.
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“As far as the situation in Louisiana, let me tell you, Mary Landrieu fought for that because she has a situation that comes out of Hurricane Katrina that’s one of the worst in the nation where every county has been declared an emergency disaster area. If that happens at her state or in any other state, we ought to step up and help them. Mary Landrieu’s right to fight for Louisiana. She’s doing the right thing. And we ought to offer that kind of assistance to any state that deals with that kind of emergency.”
Where is the lie?

C’mon, tierra —oh, any state in which every county was under —- bull!
The Democrats crafted roundabout language that specifically said Lousiana except that it didn’t.
I was born at night, but not last night. The language was there specifically to buy a vote. If he admitted it was a slimy purchase, I could respect that — may not agree — but I could accept that.

tierra, don’t play dumb. The lie is his statement that the clause was meant to apply to any state in which every county was under a state of emergency.

Designated Counties for Louisiana Hurricane Katrina
Disaster Summary For FEMA-1603-DR, Louisiana
Declaration Date: August 29 2005
Incident Type: Hurricane Katrina
Incident Period: August 29, 2005, and Continuing
Hazard Mitigation Grant Program
(Assistance to State and local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations for actions taken to prevent or reduce long term risk to life and property from natural hazards):
All counties in the State of Louisiana are eligible for assistance under the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program.
From the FEMA website.

tierra, don’t play dumb. The lie is his statement that the clause was meant to apply to any state in which every county was under a state of emergency.
Posted by: mitchscove | Mar 14, 2010 6:35:17 PM
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Come on . . . Louisiana was an exceptional situation because of Katrina. You’re just playing dumb.

The money was specifically meant to give Landreau money for Louisiana in exchange for her vote. That’s not what Axelrod said. We both know that.
Posted by: mitchscove | Mar 14, 2010 6:39:54 PM
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That’s your poor guess.
Louisiana was an exceptional situation because of Katrina – and was acknowledged as such by everybody except those out to score partisan political points. You’re just playing dumb.

Fine, what’s it doing in a healthcare bill?
Posted by: mitchscove | Mar 14, 2010 6:41:07 PM
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Good god! Research it!
It is in the health care bill because it deals directly with health care payment formulaes – Louisiana’s data was skewed falsely because of monies that poured into the state for the period of time of intense activity after Katrina.

As for dissing the coffee parties, I went to a coffee party yesterday and while the vast majority of the folks there were moderate and center-left,all pragmatic,there were some very intelligent libertarians and conservatives who have rejected the Tea Party and are sick of the Republican right because of this very thing– the disinformation, willful ignorance and lack of common sense.
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yeah, I heard that 7 white people went to a coffee shop and whined about their hybrid cars.. lol. And with all that funding from Obama that’s all you could produce? sad.

Posted by: progressive mama | Mar 14, 2010 6:48:08 PM
progressive mama you prove once again the value of real research over parroted slogans.

Katrina?
Oh yeah, that was the inevitable CAT5 storm that finally came ashore and whipped out that city that was built underwater, protected only by the CAT3 levies they decided they could only afford to build, since to build CAT5 levies would have been politically untenable to the free-loaders living along the CAT3 levy.
And since the CITY and the PARRISH failed to even develop an emergency evacuation plan, much less exercise and practice it, and the CITY and PARRISH and STATE refused Federal assistance PRIOR to Katrina coming ashore, the REST of us now have to help PAY and PAY and PAY for the CITY and PARRISH and STATE’S collective ignorance?
NOT!
New Orleans DESERVED what it got – no, what it EXPECTED, and it DOESN’T deserve special treatment in a HEALTH CARE BILL, special treatment that has been added SOLELY to BUY the LA state “representative’s” vote.

continuing from last post, see NYT blog called Prescriptions and specifically the post titled, “Senate Abortion Restrictions Are Sufficient, Catholic Group Says”
“According to the National Catholic Reporter, Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good, a Washington-based advocacy group, sent a letter to members of Congress on Friday urging support for the Senate-passed health care bill and expressing its view that the bill contains sufficient provisions to prevent the use of federal money to pay for insurance coverage of abortions. “

yeah, I heard that 7 white people went to a coffee shop and whined about their hybrid cars.. lol. And with all that funding from Obama that’s all you could produce? sad.
Posted by: mjishernameo | Mar 14, 2010 6:48:21 PM
Check the website. At the meeting I went to there were 42 of us. And that was just one of hundreds of parties across the country. There are lots of photos. What’s refreshing is you can actually “see” how much more sensible the coffee types are (no signs that spell moron as MORAN, lol). I’m more radical than many of them, I admit– but people actually were informed.
You wouldn’t fit in, but others might be interested. Its a good place for dialogue.

im glad the bill will cover people. thats great. thats what we all want and support.
is it worth the cost using this bill? i do not believe so.
how about doing all that stuff without the backroom deals.
how about a bill that obama doesn’t sell out the public option to the lobbyists.
you guys..and ladies, progressivemama..are so intent on getting any bill through..”oh its not perfect but its good”
you know what ? how about making it better first, then pass it? will it be prefect? prolly not. but whats the harm in republicans and democrats getting together on live tv, cspan, and crafting a bill that republicans and democrats can agree on without the lobbyists present? whats the rush to jam such a problematic bill through?
start over.

whats the harm in republicans and democrats getting together on live tv, cspan, and crafting a bill that republicans and democrats can agree on without the lobbyists present? whats the rush to jam such a problematic bill through?
start over.
Posted by: tony | Mar 14, 2010 7:10:28 PM
The Republicans had a decade to do something on health care–both the number of uninsureds and medical inflation have been escalating for longer than that– but they did nothing. They mouth fiscal responsibility now, as they have in the past, despite no record which matches their rhetoric. They’ve let it be known that their strategy is to work with lobbyists to kill bills and Obama’s agenda, and they’ve said flat out they wanted to make health care reform Obama’s Waterloo. Most Republicans and a good number of Dems are wholly owned subsidiaries of either the insurance and health sector and/or oil lobbies (and yes, Big Oil has been contributing to derailing this bill in hopes it would upset the applecart for climate change legislation). I don’t trust the Republicans in Congress. I don’t trust many of the Dems either. We’ve been trying to do something for nearly 100 years. We’ve never gotten this far. It is not time to stop.
Now you say I’m intent on getting ANY bill through — not true. My lines in the sand involved insurance exchanges and pooling opportunities for small businesses and the self-employed, insurance reforms involving pre-existing conditions and recision, CBO analyses which show a positive effect on the deficit in the long range, covering a large number of the currently, uninsured, something to address fraud and cost (see pilot progams for the latter) and STRUCTURE — a structure that allows for further improvement. I also like Bernie Sanders’ amendment. I don’t think something like tort reform and high risk pools alone do enough.
I like aspects of Grayson’s proposal. I like Wyden’s free choice amendment. I don’t think this will be the end-all. But its a start. Kicking the can down the road, burying our heads in the sand, doesn’t solve chronic domestic problems.

PM:
Coffee gives me diarrhea. I’ll stick with tea.

If you want health insurance…buy it yourself!
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So, you agree we need to support insurance reforms so that’s possible for those who have been denied or had their contracts rescinded shadily.
And I’m sure you agree small businesses should have the same opportunities that large corporations do to pool risks — as small business owners often work harder than suits in corner offices, yes?
And you must be sick to death of the corporate nanny state and the current unsustainable system that keeps entrepreneurial types job-locked.
So, health care reform makes sense, more or less.
We disagree as to who is lazy (just saying no is a pretty lazy, imho) but that’s less essential.
Its time to pass health care reform.
Oh, and one last thing…
Since government cheese isn’t on the table the rest of your post makes little sense, really. As Paul Krugman at NYT notes:
“if having the government regulate and subsidize health insurance is a “takeover,” that takeover happened long ago. Medicare, Medicaid, and other government programs already pay for almost half of American health care, while private insurance pays for barely more than a third (the rest is mostly out-of-pocket expenses). And the great bulk of that private insurance is provided via employee plans, which are both subsidized with tax exemptions and tightly regulated.
The only part of health care in which there isn’t already a lot of federal intervention is the market in which individuals who can’t get employment-based coverage buy their own insurance. And that market, in case you hadn’t noticed, is a disaster — no coverage for people with pre-existing medical conditions, coverage dropped when you get sick, and huge premium increases in the middle of an economic crisis. It’s this sector, plus the plight of Americans with no insurance at all, that reform aims to fix. What’s wrong with that?”

The “PASS IT NOW, AND WE’LL FIX IT LATER*” crowd/politicians sound a lot like the management team at Toyota in regards to the “speed-up, then try to slam on the brakes, then crash, burn and die” folks managing the PRIUS et al issues
*BTW, for all you Pro-Lifers who think that the current abortion language will/can be fixed it reconciliation, super bad news. The abortion language in the current Senate Bill that The House will vote on CONNOT BE CHANGED in reconciliation, as reconciliation can ONLY deal with budget items, of which abortion does NOT qualify. So it is now/never on this issue, too.

I’ll stick with tea.
Posted by: mjishernameo | Mar 14, 2010 7:31:32 PM
Of course.
Bob Cesca:
Thomas Frank (WSJ), author of What’s the matter with Kansas:
“Not too long ago, Kansas would have responded to the current situation by making the[jerks] pay. This would have been a political certainty, as predictable as what happens when you touch a match to a puddle of gasoline. When business screwed the farmers and the workers–when it implemented monopoly strategies invasive beyond the Populists’ furthest imaginings–when it ripped off shareholders and casually tossed thousands out of work–you could be damned sure about what would follow.
“Not these days. Out here the gravity of discontent pulls in only one direction: To the right, to the right, further to the right. Strip today’s Kansans of their job security, and they head out to become registered Republicans. Push them off their land and next thing you know they’re protesting in front of abortion clinics. Squander their life savings on manicures for the CEO and there’s a good chance they’ll join the John Birch Society. But ask them about the remedies their ancestors proposed–unions, antitrust, public ownership–and you might as well be referring to the days when knighthood was in flower.”
Bob Cesca: “It doesn’t make any sense. Which leads me to believe there’s something else going on here. Something uglier.Why aren’t the tea party people gathering on Wall Street? ”
“From the outset, the tea party was based on a contradictory premise (the original tea party was a protest against a corporate tax cut). And when you throw out all of the nonsense and contradictions, there’s nothing left except race. There’s no other way to explain why these people were silent and compliant for so long, and only decided to collectively freak out when this “foreign” and “exotic” president came along and, right out of the chute, passed the largest middle class tax cut in American history — something they would otherwise support, for goodness sake, it was $288 billion in tax cuts! — we’re left to deduce no other motive but the ugly one that lurks just beneath the pale flesh, the tri-corner hats and the dangly tea ornamentation.”
Andrew Sullivan: “A reader writes: If these Tea Party people were serious about fiscal sanity, they would boo Ryan on sight for his vote for Medicare D.
They would boo Cantor on sight. They would boo Boehner on sight. They
would run primary challenges against all these people, and not let them
forget the sins they committed against their country. But the Tea Party movement is not serious. It is an act
of collective amnesia, for Republican voters to convince themselves
that everything bad that’s going…”
It suits.

jim — you hit the nail on the head. The reason insurance rates have risen recently may be to get ahead of a bad bill, but low rates require that the young and healthy buy it when they don’t need it.
Basically, the Democrats have said (without saying it) that the insurance companies are not bad — they just can’t force people to buy insurance when they’re healthy.
By forcing people to buy insurance, they control the risk pool. Does the most favorable end justify any means? I would argue that it is a bad precedent that leads to tyranny.
It’s instructive to read the Citizens United v. FEC decision – the first couple of pages is enough. It is clear that the justices were listening when this administration attacked members of the press ,, when words like net-neutrality started being batted about. I see their decision as an affirmation of the first amendment — as a response to the end justifies the means mentality — ya know — shut down free speech if it gets in the way of left-wing bliss.

draw a line in the sand…yes i really believe you would vote no on HCR based on your talking points.
oh no exchange? well geesh than i dont want hcr!
would you vote no on covering millions of people if they kept the provision for denying people based on preexisting conditions? I HIGHLY doubt it.

mitch, yup, axelrod got it right when he said
“that health care industry lobbyists were descending on skeptical Democratic lawmakers “like locusts” ”
he just didnt say that they have landed on pubs and dems alike, nor that both pubs and dems are deeply owned by them.
huffpuff had a great article on it.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/miles-mogulescu/the-real-reason-obamas-pl_b_473924.html
On August 13, The Times reported that while President Obama had presented himself as “aloof from the legislative fray,” particularly in connection with the public option, “Behind the scenes, however, Mr. Obama and advisors have been…negotiating deals with a degree of cold-eyed political realism potentially at odds with the president’s rhetoric.” One of the deals reported in The Times article was the Pharma deal. The other was a deal with the for-profit hospital lobby to limit its cost reductions to $155 billion over 10 years in exchange for a White House promise that there would be no meaningful public option.
According to The Times:
“Several hospital lobbyists involved in the White House deals said it was understood as a condition of their support that the final legislation would not include a government-run health plan paying-Medicare rates…or controlled by the secretary of health and human services. ‘We have an agreement with the White House that I’m very confident will be seen all the way through conference’, one of the industry lobbyists, Chip Kahn, director of the Federation of American Hospitals, told a Capitol Hill newsletter…Industry lobbyists say they are not worried [about a public option.] ‘We trust the White House,’ Mr. Kahn said.”

Tony,
I wrote:
“My lines in the sand involved insurance exchanges and pooling opportunities for small businesses and the self-employed, insurance reforms involving pre-existing conditions and recision, CBO analyses which show a positive effect on the deficit in the long range, covering a large number of the currently, uninsured, something to address fraud and cost (see pilot progams for the latter) and STRUCTURE — a structure that allows for further improvement. I also like Bernie Sanders’ amendment. I don’t think something like tort reform and high risk pools alone do enough.”
Your comment doesn’t make sense. And I don’t really care what you think, to be frank. I don’t pick one thing and get hyperpartisan about it. I think we need health care reform. I’ve thought that since 1991. There is more than one way to build a canoe, and my mind is flexible enough to weigh several measures at once– if I end up with a canoe that works, I’m good.
I disagree in regards to the insurance industry. My evidence is the millions of dollars they’re spending on advertising against it versus using that money to keep premiums down and pay claims.

um what? hyperpartisan? which side am i partisan on considering im fully supporting public option and abortion coverage? and allowing illegals to use their own money to buy in? you are obviously confused.
but thats not my making.
and really?
” My evidence is the millions of dollars they’re spending on advertising against it versus using that money to keep premiums down and pay claims. ”
yes cause insurance really want to keep premiums low and pay claims right?
millons now…but billions to be made later.
well trillions really.
and I dont really see them opposing all forms of hcr. I see them being involved in certain aspects and even approving certain aspects.
“Mr. Obama’s call for a public plan, however, omitted any discussion of what rates it might pay or who might control it…’He worded it really carefully, because he said ‘not for profit’ and he didn’t say it had to be controlled by the government,’ Mr. Kahn [the hospital lobbyist] added. ‘The way he described it, we could support that!”

Don’t visit HufPo — it’s just an echo chamber for the left wing nutcases that have no tolerance for a diversity of perspectives. Guess intolerance & progressive have become synonomous.

hey PM, maybe you and your 42 coffee ground friends can watch us on 3/16 at the capitol, there will be several THOUSAND of us…tens of thousands..
ta-ta
PS: that stuff keeps you up at night, be careful. lol!

Mr. Graham may be right depending on which “American people” or which “crap” he’s referring to. There are some who are tired of the GOP’s brand of crap i.e. misinformation, surrogat unofficial spokespersons on right wing talk shows and generally exploiting the anti-Obama backlash for all it’s worth. Many Americans know that we shouldn’t be the only industrialized nation wherein citizens aren’t universaly covered. The GOP never brings that up and don’t seem to mind having that dubius distinction. That is an indication that the health and welfare of millions of us are of no concern to them. They have done an excellent job of being deliberately divisive. They have no souls from the looks of their positions on this issue.

huh…
Don’t visit HufPo — it’s just an echo chamber for the left wing nutcases that have no tolerance for a diversity of perspectives. Guess intolerance & progressive have become synonomous
“no tolerance for a diversity” but you tell me dont visit huffpuff?
im a centrist. im no pub and no dem. but I do like to hear what both say so do look at huff and thinkprogress.
oddly enough I avoid fox, but will once in awhile check out freep.
but usually if I want a rightys opinion I can find what rightys think in MSM.

um what? hyperpartisan? which side am i partisan on considering im fully supporting public option and abortion coverage? and allowing illegals to use their own money to buy in? you are obviously confused.
___________
Tony, I think you’re still confused. I didn’t say anything about you and whether you’re partisan, one way or another. You seem to have a problem with me and I did say I don’t really care, and I don’t.
I wrote: ” I don’t pick one thing and get hyperpartisan about it.” Meaning– I wasn’t all “public option or nothing” or “no mandate or that’s it” — I listed a range of things that were important to me. So, what I clearly meant was I didn’t pick one hyperpartisan line in the sand. I was open to negotiation. I liked Wyden-Bennet.
I have no idea what your deal is, but I do know that I don’t care about your assessments of me or my so-called “talking points” meaning your remarks like this (I’ll be specific because your uptake seems a little off): “draw a line in the sand…yes i really believe you would vote no on HCR based on your talking points…oh no exchange? well geesh than i dont want hcr!”
Best of luck to you in whatever point you’re trying to make.

lowered, are you ready to give up your government checks?
Careful how you write. I assume that most people pay taxes that is until I read recently where 60% of Americans get more back than what they pay. Assuming the protestors against healthcare have paid taxes and get a check aren’t they suppose to? If they have paid into social security and medicare then it is not like it is some sort of handout, we are forced to pay into these ponsi schemes, should we at least get something from them. If you read your earnings statements, assuming you earn income, you will see a hefty amount deducted each pay period for the benefits later in life. Add those to what your employer pays and you’ll find it is a staggering amount.
Obama said his priority was jobs, had we more jobs then more could afford their own insurance and help to reduce the number of Government dependents. After watching a newsprogram tonight, finance reform has gone nowhere and greed is still as rampant now on Wall Street as it was before and nothing has been done about it.
No jobs no reforms but promises of more social programs, will ideas like this last forever?

mitch polls are funny things. for example, your not mentioning the fact that answers change when public option specifically is mentioned. that one has a 67% approval.

prog, my point is you are dishonest. I said you would take any bill that comes, desperate to pass just anything. you denied it and said you drew a line in the sand. so I said I doubt your vote would change to no if some of those things you mentioned were not incorporated.
for example, would you vote no on obamas HCR if they still were allowed to deny preexisting conditions? would you refuse coverage for millions because of it?

Tony,
It’s a given that small business is the engine for employment.
The market is all about emotion. About confidence. Mounting debt doesn’t help. Threats against industries don’t help. Uncertainty about the cost of employing people doesn’t help. Uncertainty about the cost of energy doesn’t help.
Yes, credit is an issue — but banks are as uncertain as the small businesses they would like to lend to — but won’t take the risk.
Obama’s best strategy would be to keep his mouth shut and hide his credit cards.

The only one full crap is Graham and the rest of good old boys of his party.
It was good enough to pull half-baked intelligence to start the invasion of Iraq or tax cuts that were not really needed as economic stimulus which in hind sight both policies have proven bad and costly national decisions.
Let me remind Mr.Graham and his friends, that President Obama was elected with a clear and concise win = a mandate.
As Lee Iacocca would say, become part of the solution or get hell out the way – whiners.
The Republicans need to put something on the table that is pragmatic to the agenda of cutting cost and improving healthcare to ever become creditable on the issue of healthcare.
It is sad enough even Costa Rica has a better world class health care system the the United States.

The only one full crap is Graham and the rest of the good old boys of his party. It was good enough to pull half-baked intelligence to start the invasion of Iraq or tax cuts that were not really needed as economic stimulus which in hind sight both policies have proven bad and costly national decisions.
Let me remind Mr.Graham and his friends, that President Obama was elected with a clear and concise win = a mandate.
As Lee Iacocca would say, become part of the solution or get hell out the way – whiners.
The Republicans need to put something on the table that is pragmatic to the agenda of cutting cost and improving healthcare to ever become creditable on the issue of healthcare.
It is sad enough even Costa Rica has a better world class health care system the the United States.

and three riddle me this…
if tax breaks were bad for the nation why did unemployment shrink every month after bushes tax cuts all the way till 2008 during the fredde/fran thing?

Tony,
It’s called risk. Look at how jittery the stock market is.
To add insult to injury, Obama wants to take over student loans at a cost of $1T in the next 10 years. The CBO head basically said his rating was bogus (he has no choice but to use bogus assumptions handed to him). This is all adding to the climate of uncertainty.

tony,
I keep hearing about that — even though the CBO said the Bush Tax cuts increased tax revenue per GDP. Kent Conrad (D-ND) tried to nail Bush on the tax cuts in 2007 – their response is available to all. When facts don’t matter, we’ll make the mistake of letting them expire. It’s gonna be a long recession. Carter’s second term.

tierra — where did it disappear? State & local governments? What union do the saved and created workers belong to? Why is the overall unemployment rate 10.4% and the unemployment rate in the public sector is 4%?
A little math and several videos of Andy visiting the White House.

I’m glad my insurance premiums went up $320 last year. I’m really ecstatic that it went up $650 more this year. Let’s see, at this rate of doubling every year, I’ll be paying $10,000 a year in 4 more tears. I’m glad the insurance companies are so generous. We against Obamacare are really glad about this.

where’s the money going rich? Insurance company margins are 5% and they operate at 85%. Got a problem — find it — fix it. Insurance companies make good scapegoats, but I haven’t found egregious profits — and I’ve looked.

The GOP Conservative Republican Party of No to someone’s else’s idea for health care reform is going to lose BIG TIME in November 2010 and 2012. They lie, cheat, distort polls and the truth. They just want all Americans to work for the GOP (Deep South – Confederates) where Graham is from, and they want all monies for themselves. They don’t want Americans to be well. They want all Americans to pay huge health care premiums, and high pharmaceutical costs to line the GOP Republican Conservatives Deep South Confederates pockets. They are — racists, hypocrits, hated and murdered President Lincoln. The deep south confederates during reconstruction “dissed” President Lincoln, and continued slavery and poverty well into the 1960s. Then President Johnson, a Democrat, had the decency to bring slavery and poverty to an end. At that time, deep south turned Republican and have been since. They want to keep slavery and poverty in check for those individuals they deem “unworthy” of American values. Vote Democrats to finally put an end to Deep South Confederates like Graham and his buddy McCain. Vote Democrat and allow all Americans opportunities to thrive. Go Health Care Reform and vote Democrats in November 2010 and November 2012. Get rid of pests like Graham and McCain. They aren’t wanted anymore since they support Deep South Confederate values of keeping slavery and poverty alive and well in GOP Republican Conservative Deep South Confederate Slate. That’s Repulican values — all for them and none for anyone else. Vote Democrat!

Oyé Jake,
I’ve read the latest blog entries.
You are being infiltrated by Democrat operatives.
They are trying to make it look like public opinion is in favor of the stupid bloated health care reform bill. We all know that isn’t true.
Keep in mind, this kind of blogging was used to get Obama elected during the 2008 election.
Can you please try to make sure that only normal citizens post here not ones who are being paid to do so.
Thank you in advance.

They are trying to make it look like public opinion is in favor of the stupid bloated health care reform bill.
___________
Public opinion is in favor of health care reform.
Americans know the status quo isn’t sustainable.
Moreover, taken separately several reforms in the senate bill and Obama’s proposals poll well.
Onward.

I do not know what polls you are reading, but any one that has a spit of truth shows the majority against the bill. I will stop paying my taxes if this gets through the Supreme Court. I do not need a judge to tell me this is unconstitutional.

Thank you Senator Graham. As I was listening to Axelrod I was thinking the same thing. The spinning with these people never stops. Its clear by the polls that we don’t want this bill.
They could easily pass a smaller bill with the items that everyone agrees on. This administration chooses not to.

In the Ipsos/McClatchy Poll on health care reform . ..
A majority of both Democrats AND Independents support the proposed health care reform.
It is only Republicans who oppose it.

Also, in the Ipsos/McClatchy poll – amongst those who oppose the current legislation, 37% were opposed because they “favor healthcare reform overall but think the current proposals don’t
go far enough to reform healthcare”.

41.3 for 48.9 against summary of the 8 top polls. ANy one who tells you different is not informed or paid to mis-inform.
Posted by: welldirected | Mar 15, 2010 12:55:37 AM
__________________________________
As was just pointed out, some of those people who ‘oppose’ the current health care reform oppose it because they don’t think it goes far enough – in other words they want even more reform.
Polls must be looked at in depth. And even then, polls are not what decides legislation.
The only REAL poll that counts everyone who vote is the election.
By the way, you’ll also find in polls that people by a large majority (57 – 36) think Republicans are DELIBERATELY AVOIDING COMPROMISE.

This bill and the people who are pushing it stink. Lets tell them that. We are the people of the center of politics. We are not aligned, but we read the papers and know the facts.
When they stink, we should tell them they stink.

If this bill passes it will keep good legislation from being proposed.
People who argue for this bill do it for reasons other than providing care to those who need it. Pick you reasons – all corrupt.
Flier from Harvard Med says we should do health savings accounts and catastrophic care.

Tierra only sites the weird polls that fit her even weirder (paid) view of this bill. The polls from February and March all show more opposed to this bill than in favor. From Tierra’s comments one would assume that was not the case.
This bill stinks. Those who insist on pushing it on us stink worse.
Ok Tierra you can now lie all you want and go on your dillusional way thinking we are all buying it.

welldirected: exactly — if only there had been a dialogue on health care from the beginning, we wouldn’t be in this situation now. From the beginning their strategy has been to shut down, smear, and demonize the opposition, and attempt to confuse those of us who actually want to consider things from all angles instead of blindly following the party line. We could really have been doing something productive here, but instead it has come to this. It’s a travesty.

41.3 for 48.9 against summary of the 8 top polls
lets say the numbers are correct
48.9 does not represent a majority ..am i missing something? last time i checked majority is usually 2/3 or a simple majority is 51%
so everone is saying the majority of the american people..is a Liar

Lindsey Graham is exactly right when it comes to this health care bill. It is no more then a rationed, socialized, government run health care bill that has more to do with tax then with health care. Canada & Britain have same kind of health care & it doesn’t work. Canada had a politician come here to America for surgery rather then having to wait for it up there & the gentleman who is a member of Parliament was on several TV shows here warning us about this kind of health care bill. They are having serious trouble with it over there with people not getting the help they need soon enough & some, especially cancer victims, or dying before they can even see a doctor much less a specialist. They are having trouble paying the medical providers & do not have enough of them. I believe if you would check they have a higher mortality rate then we do. We have the best health care system in the world & Obama, Pelosi & Reid want to force this more expensive with less coverage down our throats rather then just leaving us alone & let us keep our on health insurance. They need to let us shop over state lines to get competitive prices but the government does not need to take it over. This would give Obama control of 1/6 of the economy & that will lead to more & more control by the government on everything else. We need Big Government out of our lives. Pelosi, Reid & Obama are ignoring what the majority of Americans want & are trying to tell us what we need. They work for us, we do not work for them.

health care reform must be passed
Posted by: holly | Mar 15, 2010 4:26:34 AM
_______________________________
It will be passed.
_______________________________
Posted by: tierra | Mar 15, 2010 4:39:42 AM
You’re right tierra, just not this smelly lame attempt of a bill.
Vote it down.
Let the Congressmen and Senators go home for their leave.
There they will hear from their constituents.
When they come back they can take the good elements add in the needed Tort Reform and competition ideas and give it another go with something that has a chance of controlling costs and helping to solve the problem.

we sure are, and it is his crap we are sick of. this new entitlement will be taken out of the income of working and retired people. Our gift to the freeloaders of the country.

Obama wasn’t pandering to the GOP, he was appeasing special interest groups.

More scare tactics and no real solutions. That’s what the American people are tired of.
Let’s get this bill passed and deal with any problems it creates later on. At least it will keep politicians employed.
If this bill is killed, there won’t be any reprise for decades. Suffering will continue and politicians will get wealthier off insurance corporations.
Just do SOMETHING!

CRAP?
Can’t
Re-elect
Any
Politicians

The only reason this stupid bill MUST be passed is to save this presidency. He MUST have a victory, any victory. Pelosi and Reid have far too much gambled to lose now. Trophies and egos are on the line. SS is now calling in iou’s (more gov’t borrowing forthcoming), Feb showed the largest deficit for any one month in our history, Medicare will be broke in 7 years, and Obama’s budget is now estimated to have a shortfall of $1.2 trillion per CBO. Yes, indeed, the American people really trust Washington and their “pie-in-the-sky” estimates.

Totally agree.
This government is supposed to be run for the people, not the President’s personal, misguided, agenda.

Posted by: lfrichar | Mar 15, 2010 8:46:19 AM
We don’t agree often, but I did grin at that one :^)

Any good community organizer knows you must find a devil and then hammer, hammer, hammer regardless of the half-truths. The devil today is the medical ins companies. The half-truths concern those millions and millions in profits while never mentioning profit margins. The avg margin is less than 3%. Two companies actually lost money. Now, go and look at the profit margins of drug companies, medical device companies, and trial lawyers (at 33% per victory). By the way, paid for aspirin at a hospital lately? Had any unnecessary medical tests done lately just to keep your doctor from being sued by the trial lawyers?
Remember when Obama was all for importing drugs until PHARMA stepped in? Remember when Menendez (D-NJ) made certain fellow Dem Dorgan’s bill to allow for the import of drugs was defeated (the Canadians were going to poison us)? The one proposal that would have saved us millions shot down by the Dems. By the way, look up and see how many major drug companies are in NJ. Yes sir, the Dems are looking out for you. Apparently PHARMA and trial lawyer locusts are better locusts than are medical ins locusts.
Then we remember the old Georgia judge who said, “Don’t confuse me with the facts. My mind is made up.”

Everyone continues to put all the blame on the insurance companies…yes they’ve denied for pre-existing conditions and have denied coverage when people get sick…but lets look at the big picture here. The price of healthcare is skyrocketing and it’s not because of the health insurance companies. Let’s get to the bigger issue here…Why is the cost of healthcare going up? Everyone wants to point the finger at one group of people when there are a large number of factors here…for instance the Rx companies…Do people really need all these drugs for good health? Some drugs are necessary but a large majority are not…There are better ways of taking care of ourselves like good exercise, eating healthy foods. Rx drugs is just the lazy way out for people not to take the extra time to take care of themselves. Then these Rx drugs cause other side affects like depression, thoughts of suicide, heart problems, insaumnia, etc. So then you have to take another drug for that! Also there are procedures done that aren’t necessary, and provider’s don’t know how to bill causing delays in payments, and sometimes don’t get paid….it’s just a matter of everyone staying on top of their game.

Though I’m not a big Gibbs fan, I enjoyed his appearance on Fox, delivering the news that health care reform is going to become the law of the land (finally!)
Jed Lewison: “Thus far, the conventional wisdom has been that Republicans are enthusiastic and Democrats are demoralized. … But the thing you have to remember is that thus far the Democrats have failed to pass health care reform. Republicans were actually winning, against all odds.
But in this coming week, all that changes. Health care reform will pass. Democrats will have demonstrated their ability to tackle big issues. Republicans will have demonstrated their irrelevance. After reform passes, there might be an initial surge of excitement among Republicans, but that will quickly fizzle in the wake of the GOP’s failure to stop reform.
If you want to preview the reaction of the GOP base, check out the comment thread … It’s not that anybody believes this bill is perfect. It’s not. But it’s progress. And it’s a sign that on the next issue, instead of just talk, we’ll be able to make progress as well. ” (Daily Kos)

and I agree w/ Holly.. we didn’t elect President Obama so he’s agenda could go ignored and changed by Congress!!! These politicians will pay when it comes down to it..

Come on! enough already. Vote on it now. Get it over with. Stop playing and vote now. So we can get on with Getting the yes voters kicked out of offce.

Grahmnesty can be very good on issues like the time he blasted Holder on Gitmo and trials for the Islamofascists and on this issue on Ax. Other times, he is appalling. But, here, he is point on. Every Pub in all 435 House districts should campaign on REPEALING THIS SOCIALIST HORROR. There are many other issues to blast his inept socialist in the WH and his minions in the Dem Congress: amnesty, education, cap and trade, energy, border protection, national security as well as this Care disaster. Americans should be repulsed and revolted by these socialists who would turn American into Venezuela by the time they are done legislatively.

I was told to post another comment. SO I will. Following orders, just like the sheep who are following the commands of Nancy the Vapid and Harry the Horrible,who are pushing a bill which equates to 1/6 or so of our economy. The government runs nothing efficiently,be it schools,post office,train service,DMV. Why do we possibly think that this bill will cost 800 Bill. when more likely it will cost at least 5 times that much. And then I,the President will tell us we need to pass Kneecap and Trade,then Border reform NOW (before the Nov. Elections).
And the Dems will follow like sheep (and history repeats itself). This country is broke and this HC bill will just make it even broker. Call your Congress(wo)man and tell him/her NO.

Steve Benen at Washington Monthly’s Political Animal blog has a good post up regarding Graham’s “crap”:
“Graham’s understanding of the basics of health care policy has always been rather tenuous, but this is just silly. The Democratic reform proposal is quite similar to the Massachusetts policy that Brown supported and Mitt Romney signed into law. And by “quite similar,” I mean “almost identical.”
Graham stresses the fact that Romney and Brown didn’t “cut Medicare.” Well, no, they didn’t, but that’s probably because state officials can’t cut federal programs, even if they wanted to.
Besides, as Paul Krugman explained, this talking point doesn’t really fit into the GOP framework anyway: “[T]hink about this a bit more: Republicans are saying that what makes Obamacare a socialist takeover, whereas Romneycare wasn’t, is the fact that unlike Romney’s plan, Obama’s plan cuts government spending. Oh, Kay.”
I realize why Graham has to rely on … what’s the word … spin. After all, President Obama and congressional Democrats are advancing a reform plan that’s exactly the kind of proposal that moderate Republicans — back when they existed — enthusiastically embraced. For Graham to acknowledge this would be to paint today’s GOP as having moved aggressively to the far-right. And while that would be true, it’d also be inconvenient.”

“If this was bush and he proposed this healthcare bill the republicans would be voting for it”
Absolutely right. Thank God that Bush is no longer in office, otherwise hideous legislation like this would probably sail through Congress.

People are tired of this crap. They’re tired of the arguing. They’re tired of the non-stop posturing and nothing getting done. Obama is right, everything that has been said about health care has been said (although he’s still stumping for it…kinda funny). Nothing is going to change anyone’s mind at this point so dems just need to man up and do something or shut up and get out of the way, and prepare the republican takeover in November.
I can’t wait until republicans get power again and they get a taste of their own medicine. They complained about the democrats and Bush derangement syndrome and now they do the exact same thing. SSDD.

p.s.
lance, shouldn’t you be over weighing in on immigration. Usually, you’re all over the place pontificating on that, yes?

“If this was bush and he proposed this healthcare bill the republicans would be voting for it”
Absolutely right. Thank God that Bush is no longer in office, otherwise hideous legislation like this would probably sail through Congress.
____________________________________
Posted by: lance sjogren | Mar 15, 2010 2:10:44 PM
Lance, you are the official Blogger-Hero-of-the-Day™
I can’t put in words how refreshing it is to have someone as obviously intelligent as you here sharing your superior world views.
Kudos my Man!
Thanks for posting!

“Politics is the art of looking for trouble, finding it everywhere, diagnosing it incorrectly, and applying the wrong remedies.” Groucho Marx.
Nuff said…

Vote!…Graham..Vote!.Vote!….Vote!……Obama is right, everything that has been said about health care has been said. Nothing is going to change anyone’s mind at this point……America still wants single payer. The “Party of No” will lose more seat this November!!! They are in for a real treat with their unwillingness to work with others? The GOP is totally mis-reading America. It is obivous that they are trying to destroty OBAMA with their “No” to everything. This The gang of “41″ senators will go down. America will reward them with seat at home this coming election.

We need to start a pool… how many hours will pass after this bill passes will the first lawsuit be filed challenging it on Constitutional grounds? And when the Supreme Court overturns the “law” as being unconstitutional, showing us all once again that Obama is and always has been a MORON, what will the liberal loonies on here be chanting about then, disbanding the Supreme Court through reconciliation??
I’ll take first pick… I say 4 hours.

A Tiny Peek at The Government’s Slippery Slope:
1. Census: Sure the questions are unconstitutional, but there’s only ten of them.
2. Patriot Act: We don’t listen to your conversations, just for certain words and phrases.
3. Global Warming: If it seems warmer then man must have caused it, what does science have to do with anything?
4. Cap and trade: We don’t care about the fact against manmade global warming, this bill will only cost you 50 cents per day.
5. Obamacare: So you don’t want it, just cowboy up and live with it it will only add to the debt, increase your insurance premiums, ration your healthcare and we added ten pages of doublespeak to try to convince you that funding for abortion will be hidden.
6. PayGo: It sounds good, but unfunded liabilities of the US government are more than double the net worth of the US and we just have to keep spending after all that’s what we do.

“What planet is President Obama on?” – Dan
Planet Obamatron, where every decision is a good decision.
The place where any progressive idea is a good idea and all that matters is that you do something, anything.
The place where no one ever fails and excrement smells like roses in springtime.

I know only politics is very bad game and tuff…….no can judge what will happen in politics.