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Bill Moyers and Michael Winship: Obama's Health Care Struggle -- Waterloo or Water Down?

Submitted by BuzzFlash on Fri, 07/24/2009 - 2:47pm.

BUZZFLASH GUEST COMMENTARY
by Bill Moyers and Michael Winship

Push finally came to shove in Washington this week as the battle for health care escalated from scattered sniper fire into all-out combat. If it all seems to be getting more and more confusing, join the club. It's hard to see what's happening through all the gun smoke.

The Republicans have more than health care reform in their bombsights -- they want a loss for Obama so crushing it will bring the administration to its knees and restore GOP control of Congress after next year's elections. In the words of Senator Jim DeMint (R-SC), "If we're able to stop Obama on this, it will be his Waterloo. It will break him."

The "Waterloo" of DeMint's metaphor, of course, is not the 1974 ABBA hit but the battle in 1815 that ended Napoleon Bonaparte's rule as Emperor of France -- a humiliating defeat and a turning point in European history. Right-wingers such as Glenn Beck see Obama as Napoleon incarnate, a popular emperor who must be stopped.

Here's what Beck said on his television show Monday, July 20: "I'm telling you, this guy is dangerous. He's never lost before. He won't understand... like, 'Who are you to question me?' I mean, this guy is practically an imperial President now. When he starts to lose and people start to question him and push him back against the wall, he's not gonna know how to react."

The Republican strategy is almost identical to the way they turned health care into Waterloo for Bill and Hillary Clinton in 1993. Back then, one of their chief propagandists, William Kristol, urged his party to block any health care plan for fear that Democrats would be seen as "the generous protector of middle class interests." Now he's telling the GOP to "go for the kill... throw the kitchen sink... drive a stake through its heart... We need to start over."

So in lockstep are the Republicans that when strategist Alex Castellanos issued a memo outlining their battle plan, party chairman Michael Steele parroted large sections of it word for word in a speech at Washington's National Press Club. Asked a health care-related question that took him off script, Steele replied, "I don't do policy."

As the Republicans fired away, big business stepped up the attack, too, their lobbying and advertising guns blazing. The Chamber of Commerce, for one, announced a major campaign of rallies and print and Internet ads to crush the White House plan for a competitive public option allowing consumers to choose between a government plan and private health insurance. In key states where members of Congress remain on the fence, the airwaves are vibrating with television commercials aimed at shifting hearts and minds away from any change that might threaten profits.

President Obama rejected the Republicans' Waterloo metaphor and mounted a massive media counteroffensive of his own. But the President has already run into booby traps of his own making and minefields laid by members of his own party, exacerbated when the Congressional Budget Office reported that reform plans, instead of controlling costs, would send the national debt further into the stratosphere.

Meanwhile, supporters who want to scrap the present system for fundamental change are staring glumly though the fog of war at a battlefield in total disarray. They fear that in the White House's desire to get a bill -- any bill -- passed by Congress, it will have been so compromised, so bent to favor the big interests, that it will be less Waterloo than water down, a steady diluting of the change they had hoped for and that America needs.

The big drug companies are already so pleased with what they've been promised that they've brought back Harry and Louise -- the make-believe couple who starred in TV ads that helped torpedo the Clinton health care plan -- but this time they're in favor of reform.

According to The Associated Press, the drug industry's trade group PhRMA (the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America) and the drug company Pfizer "reported spending more money than other health care organizations on lobbying in the second quarter of this year" -- $6.2 million from PhRMA, $5.6 million from Pfizer.

"Including its latest report, PhRMA has now spent $13.1 million lobbying so far this year. Pfizer has reported $11.7 million in lobbying expenses for 2009."

This is part of the reason, as Alicia Mundy and Laura Meckler recently wrote in The Wall Street Journal, that "the pharmaceuticals industry, which President Barack Obama promised to 'take on' during his campaign, is winning most of what it wants in the health-care overhaul."

Their story describes "a string of victories" plucked from the Senate Finance Committee by drug company lobbyists, including no cost-cutting steps, no cheaper drugs to be allowed across the border from Canada, and no direct Federal government negotiations with the pharmaceutical companies to lower Medicare drug prices.

And that's not all. The Senate Health Committee is giving the biotech industry monopoly protection against competition from generic drugs for 12 years after they go on the market. No wonder the cost of reform keeps going up and up and up. Could it be that Harry and Louise are happier because, this time, they're in on the deal?

BUZZFLASH GUEST COMMENTARY

Bill Moyers is managing editor and Michael Winship is senior writer of the weekly public affairs program Bill Moyers Journal, which airs Friday night on PBS. Check local airtimes or comment at The Moyers Blog at www.pbs.org/moyers. Research provided by editorial producer Rebecca Wharton.




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Another Wedge Issue Concocted by the Upper 1% Plutocracy

Submitted by Kevin Schmidt S... on Sun, 07/26/2009 - 9:37am.

Why do you talking heads always fall for the divide and conquer strategy deployed by the upper 1% plutocracy?

The plutocracy doesn't care who gets elected, just so long as the politicians are receptive to receiving K Street lobbyist campaign contributions (bribes).

The plutocracy doesn't want this bill to fail so Obama can not get elected. They already have him in their hip pocket, as evidenced by the ELEVEN TRILLION DOLLAR theft by Wall Street and in particular, Goldman Sacks, that Obama oversaw since being elected, not to mention the continuation of the illegal wars and blood money war profiteering going on in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The plutocracy wants the health care bill to fail so their insurance companies can continue to steal money from the middle class. And they have paid off the greedy Blue Dogs handsomely to insure those results.

What we need is a constitutional revolution that brings together disenfranchised Democratic and Republican voters alike. WE THE PEOPLE need to march peaceably on Washington, completely surround the White House, Congress, the Supreme Court and the Pentagon and then just sit down and stay there for however long it takes. Then we need to force our mutinous, treasonous representatives to come out of Congress and address our grievances, before we summarily fire them and kick them out of politics for good.

Those are our rights under the Constitution.

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Whats in the bill???

Submitted by alanah12 on Sat, 07/25/2009 - 11:42pm.
This is ONLY for starters—if you want to see the entire 1017 pages go here http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=111_cong_bills&docid=f:h3200ih.pdf A business will be assessed a $100/per day fine if it does NOT enroll in this healthcare plan Page 155 what your employer MUST DO page 144 If you don't participate -- SEE what YOU will be PUNITIVELY taxed on page 167! ‘‘SEC. 59B. TAX ON INDIVIDUALS WITHOUT ACCEPTABLE HEALTH CARE COVERAGE. Government will have access to your Bank accounts for any needed electronic fund transfers page 59 FULL BILL HERE ---all 1017 pages http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=111_cong_bills&docid=f:h3200ih.pdf --- PLEASE read more!!!! Section 2793 http://www.thomas.gov/cgi-bin/query/F?c111:1:./temp/%7Ec111ybLbrU:e197316: reads---->>> Enforcement of Health Coverage Participation Requirements- `(1) CIVIL PENALTIES- In the case of any employer who fails (during any period with respect to which the election under subsection (a) is in effect) to satisfy the health coverage participation requirements with respect to any employee, the Secretary may assess a civil penalty against the employer of $100 for each day in the period beginning on the date such failure first occurs and ending on the date such failure is corrected Following link states EXACTLY what the bill reads on a few pages: http://www.economicpolicyjournal.com/2009/07/whats-in-healthacre-bill.html Pg 22 of the HC Bill MANDATES the Government will audit books of ALL EMPLOYERS that self insure!! Pg 30 Sec 123 of HC bill - THERE WILL BE A GOVERNMENT COMMITTEE that decides what treatments & benefits you get Pg 29 lines 4-16 in the HC bill-YOUR HEALTHCARE IS RATIONED! RATIONING=DENIAL of TREATMENT! Pg 42 of HC Bill - The Health Choices Commissioner will choose YOUR HC Benefits for you. You have no choice! PG 50 Section 152 in HC bill - HC will be provided to ALL non US citizens, illegal or otherwise Pg 58HC Bill - Government will have real-time access to individual finances & a National ID Healthcard will be issued! Pg 59 HC Bill lines 21-24 Government will have direct access to your banks accts for electronic funds transfer PG 65 Sec 164 is a payoff subsidized plan for retirees and their families in Unions & community orgs (ACORN). Pg 72 Lines 8-14 Government is creating an HC Exchange to bring private HC plans under Government control. PG 84 Sec 203 HC bill - Government mandates ALL benefit packages for priv. HC plans in the Exchange PG 85 Line 7 HC Bill - Specs for of Benefit Levels for Plans = The Government will ration your Healthcare! PG 91 Lines 4-7 HC Bill - Government mandates linguistic appropriate services. Example - Translation for illegal aliens Pg 95 HC Bill Lines 8-18 The Government will use groups i.e., ACORN & AmeriCorps to sign up individual. for Government HC plan PG 85 Line 7 HC Bill - Specs of Ben Levels for Plans. #AARP members - your Health care WILL be rationed -PG 102 Lines 12-18 HC Bill - Medicaid Eligible Individual. Will be automatically enrolled in Medicaid. No choice pg 124 lines 24-25 HC No company can sue GOVERNMENT on price fixing. No "judicial review" against Government Monopoly pg 127 Lines 1-16 HC Bill - Doctors/ #AMA - The Government will tell YOU what you can make. Pg 145 Line 15-17 An Employer MUST auto enroll employees into pub opt plan. NO CHOICE Pg 126 Lines 22-25 Employers MUST pay for HC for part time employees AND their families. Pg 149 Lines 16-24 ANY Employer w payroll 400k & above who does not prov. pub opt. pays 8% tax on all payroll pg 150 Lines 9-13 Business w/ payroll between 251k & 400k who doesn’t prov. public option pays 2-6% tax on all payroll Pg 167 Lines 18-23 ANY individual who doesn’t have acceptable HC according to Government will be taxed 2.5% of AGI inc Pg 170 Lines 1-3 HC Bill Any NONRESIDENT Alien is exempt from individual taxes. (Americans will pay) Pg 195 HC Bill -officers & employees of HC Admin (GOVERNMENT) will have access to ALL Americans financial & personal records PG 203 Line 14-15 HC - "The tax imposed under this section shall not be treated as tax" Yes, it says that Pg 239 Line 14-24 HC Bill Government will reduce physician services for Medicaid. Seniors, low income, poor affected Pg 241 Line 6-8 HC Bill - Doctors, doesn’t matter what specialty you have, you'll all be paid the same PG 253 Line 10-18 Government sets value of Doctor's time, professional judge, etc. Literally value of humans. PG 265 Sec 1131Government mandates & controls productivity for private HC industries PG 268 Sec 1141 Fed Government regulates rental & purchase of power driven wheelchairs PG 272 SEC. 1145. TREATMENT OF CERTAIN CANCER HOSPITALS - Cancer patients - welcome to rationing! Page 280 Sec 1151 The Government will penalize hospitals for what Government deems preventable readmissions. Pg 298 Lines 9-11 If Doctors treat a patient during initial admission that results in a readmission-Government will penalize you. Pg 317 L 13-20 OMG!! PROHIBITION on ownership/investment. Government tells Drs. what/how much what they can own. Pg 317-318 lines 21-25,1-3 PROHIBITION on expansion- Government is mandating hospitals cannot expand pg 321 2-13 Hospitals have opportunity to apply for exception BUT community input required. Can you say ACORN?!! Pg335 L 16-25 Pg 336-339 - Government mandates establish outcome based measures. HC the way they want. Rationing=DENIAL of HealthCare Pg 341 Lines 3-9 Government has authority to disqualify Medicare Advantage Plans, HMOs, etc. Forcing people into Government plan Pg 354 Sec 1177 - Government will RESTRICT enrollment of Special needs people! My sister has down syndrome!! Pg 379 Sec 1191 Government creates more bureaucracy - Telehealth Advisory Committee. Can you say HC by phone? PG 425 Lines 4-12 Government mandates Advance Care Planning Consulting. Think Senior Citizens end of life Pg 425 Lines 17-19 Government will instruct & consult regarding living wills, durable powers of atty. Mandatory! PG 425 Lines 22-25, 426 Lines 1-3 Government provides approved list of end of life resources, guiding you into death PG 427 Lines 15-24 Government mandates program for orders for end of life. The Government determines how your life ends Pg 429 Lines 1-9 An "advanced care planning consulting" will be used frequently as patient health deteriorates PG 429 Lines 10-12 “advanced care consultation" may include an ORDER for end of life plans. AN ORDER from GOVERNMENT Pg 429 Lines 13-25 - The government will specify which Doctors can write an end of life order. PG 430 Lines 11-15 The Government will decide what level of treatment you will have at end of life Pg 469 - Community Based Home Medical Services=Non profit orgs. Hello, ACORN Medical Services here!!? Page 472 Lines 14-17 PAYMENT TO COMMUNITY-BASED ORG. 1 monthly payment to a community-based org. Like ACORN? PG 489 Sec 1308 The Government will cover Marriage & Family therapy. Which means they will insert Government into your marriage Pg 494-498 Government will cover Mental Health Services including defining, creating, rationing those services
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Proof above that any illiterate moron can cut and paste

Submitted by Kevin Schmidt S... on Sun, 07/26/2009 - 10:18am.

You fail to understand the concepts of "editing" and "getting to the point".

So according to your long winded, unread, cut and paste job, the government wants to kill us all by rationing health care.

Of course, you fail to recognize the obvious, which is this, the private medical insurance business has been stealing middle income class insurance premiums for decades. Then when the sick need proper health care, they are systematically denied by claims adjusters who get paid incentives for issuing denials and for canceling insurance policies. Thus, the private medical insurers, and not the government, are the ones who are denying claims and putting us in early graves.

A government insured medical system works in every other modern industrial country in the world. Surely it can work in the U.S. just as well.

Of course, independent studies have all come to that conclusion a long time ago. It makes sense to cut out the private insurance middle men who siphon off over one third of all medical insurance premiums for blood money profits.

Bill Mahr said it best when comparing government vs private insured health care:

'If conservatives get to call universal health care "socialized medicine," I get to call private health care "soulless vampires making money off human pain." The problem with President Obama's health care plan isn't socialism, it's capitalism.

And if medicine is for profit, and war, and the news, and the penal system, my question is: what's wrong with firemen? Why don't they charge? They must be commies. Oh my God! That explains the red trucks!'

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bill-maher/new-rule-not-everything-i_b_244050.html

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Start over

Submitted by mannapat on Sat, 07/25/2009 - 1:30pm.
If Obama can't get the Democrats to pass a really good, cost cutting health care bill, then just give up. Start over. First: Do something about media ownership monopoly. Then, fix our elections with laws mandating public, random audits and paper ballots. Next, repeal the precedent that mistakenly gave corporations personhood rights. Then fix campaign finance reform, giving complete public financing, and free and equal air time for all candidates (including Dennis Kucinich). Finally, even without a new health care bill, put a cap on drug prices, and make it illegal to: deny coverage due to pre-existing conditions, illegal to cancel Anyone's insurance for any reason except non-payment, and illegal to increase premiums beyond inflation. I figure just eliminating the media monopolies alone would go a long way toward ridding ourselves of the do-nothing Democrats and the Just-Say NO Republicans. If nothing else, we could put a dent in hate radio...did someone say "Fairness Doctrine"? Under NO circumstances should Democrats pass any Bill that won't insure everyone and cut costs. If you pass a Bill that doesn't work (like the watered-down Blue Dog bill, or the mysterious invisible Bill offered by the Republicans) it will be a huge failure laid at the door of President Obama and All of the Democrats.
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20 Americans are responsible

Submitted by Atmost11 on Fri, 07/24/2009 - 4:50pm.
20 Americans are responsible for whether or not this passes or fails - not the blue dogs - the 20 richest liberal Americans who have the money to BUY OUR REPRESENTATIVES BACK!!! They HAVE the money!!! All it would cost is about $10.4 million a day. Yet, when it comes down to it, they'd rather have more yachts, more vacations, more room service, more luxurious titillation - hey Warren Buffet.
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The Blue Cross Democrats have health care

Submitted by JosephEBacon on Fri, 07/24/2009 - 7:53pm.

Remember these names. The next time you can't pay a doctor bill, these are the people to blame!

Mike Ross from Arkansas is the ringleader.
Bart Stupak from Michigan believes stopping abortion is more important than stopping people from losing their homes because they can't pay their medical bills.
Baron Hill from Indiana.
Charlie Melancon from Lousiana.
John Barrow from Georgia.
Zack Space of Ohio.

These are the six BLUE CROSS Democrats who are selling YOU out on the Energy and Commerce Committee.

Hey, if doctor bill collectors are harrassing you, tell them to call (202) 224-3121 and ask for all six of the BLUE CROSS Democrats. Then hang up the phone.

If you can't pay your doctor bills, make copies of your bills and send your bills to these six BLUE CROSS Democrats at:

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
WASHINGTON, DC
20515

I'm sure that they got so much money from the health insurance racketeers that they will gladly pay your bills!

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I prefer to call them Blue Dog Double Cross DINOs

Submitted by Kevin Schmidt S... on Sun, 07/26/2009 - 9:58am.

The Blue Dogs, as are most Democrats and Republicans in Congress, are indeed traitors to their constituents for taking bribe money and selling their congressional votes to the highest paying K Street lobbyist pimps for the upper 1% plutocracy.

The solution?
A Constitutional revolution!

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