August 2, 2009
The Republican Cult on Health Care*
As this blog has proven, the Republican Party has no intention ofAs this blog has proven, the Republican Party has no intention of
1. "Barack Obama wants to put a government bureaucrat to get between you and your doctor" (but by all means, let's put Republican politicians and government bureaucrats between a pregnant woman and her doctor).
We already have insurance company bureaucrats "getting between you and your doctor." They require authorization for prescriptions and treatment, including emergency care, or deny treatment outright.
They'll also cancel your policy when you need it most.
How else do you expect the insurance companies to keep profiting billions of dollars?
Aug. 2009 insert:
1B. "Obama won't let you choose your own doctors."
I guess Republicans have never been in an HMO where insurance companies choose your doctors. This has been going on for over 25 years! Where have Republicans been living?
Also, if you switch jobs, and therefore switch plans, your doctors might not be part this new plan.
So insurance companies are already choosing your doctor!
2. "If Barack Obama gets his way, there will be rationing and you'll have to wait months for treatment."
I guess Republicans have never had treatment denied (rationing) and never visited an emergency room. And there's ten month waits for mammograms.
3. "Health care will cost hundreds of billions of dollars a year. We can't afford it."
All of a sudden Republicans worry about spending money?
They didn't care about money when it came to Bush's $1.8 trillion tax cuts (almost double of what the "public option" would cost), they didn't care about money when it came to funding a disastrous war in Iraq, and they didn't care about money when it came to bailing out rich, politically-connected bankers on Wall St.
And when the Medicare prescription drug benefit was going through Congress in 2003 (written by the pharmaceutical industry, for the pharmaceutical industry), neither the "fiscally conservative" Republicans, nor the "Blue Dog" Democrats set aside a single penny to pay for it (kudos to John Cole for picking up that one).
So we can afford everything else, and money's never an object, except when it comes to health insurance and health care for all Americans (yea, that makes sense).
Even though President Obama will only sign health care legislation that's at least deficit neutral, if it costs a few hundred billion a year, so what? It'll be money well spent; much better spent then what Republicans have squandered trillions on.
4. "Obama wants more 'big government!'"
Yea, so?
For the past 200 years, we've allowed the "free market" to shape, manage, administer and provide the nation's health care. And contrary to Republican Party propaganda, there's very little "big government" regulation, and the states enact most of it. So no wonder there's so much "bureaucracy." But that's exactly how Republicans want it so they can conveniently, and inevitably, blame "big government" if/when something goes wrong whenever they need to rile up up their base.
So the "free market," and not "big government," is responsible for the most asinine, most complicated and most expensive health care system in the world, by far. And we don't even have the healthiest population to show for it. We're not even close.
Oh, one more thing: the "free market has never proven to work in regards to health care. But guess what? "Big government" has!
So we do need more "big government" in our health care. Desperately.
5. "Obama wants (boogoody boogoody boo!) socialized medicine!"
If only it were true.
If our private "free market" system was so good, and the rest of world's "socialized medicine" so bad, then why aren't the people of Canada, Europe and Asia tearing down the doors of their government demanding an American-style privatized system?
And when conservatives win power in these "socialized" countries, and try to privatize their health care system, why do their people tear down the doors of their government telling them not to do it?
So contrary to Republican party propaganda, "socialized medicine" and "single payer" has, for the most part, worked all over the world...including the United States where almost 30% of Americans have government insurance. I guess Republicans have never heard of Medicare (or Medicaid or the V.A.). You know, that big, evil, government-run, socialized health insurance plan for senior citizens, that Republicans tried to block in the 1960s, with the same scare/talking points they're using today. Hey, if Republicans hate "socialized medicine" so much, how come they don't turn down Medicare when they turn 65 and go out into the "marketplace" and buy their own policy (because they're hypocrites)?
Anyway, thanks to the Republican Party, the insurance companies and the "free market," we're the only country in the industrialized world that doesn't cover its entire population. So we must be doing something wrong. And Canada, Europe and Asia must be doing something right because they cover everyone - and control costs - with "socialized medicine," some sort of "single payer" system, or a combination of both that in some countries includes private insurance!
Did it ever occur to Republicans that the rest of the world just may have gotten it right and they're the morons? Of course not. They're too busy screaming "socialized medicine!" And they don't even know what it is!
6. "We will not allow a 'public option' because we don't want the insurance companies to have competition."
What hypocrites!
The Republican answer to every problem is "competition!" And yet, when it comes to health care, their priorities to the insurance companies trump their own talking points.
But I don't look at the public option as competition to the insurance companies.
We have tens of millions Americans without insurance and most of them are unemployed, self-employed, part-time workers, or for whatever reason can't get insurance through their employer. Therefore, the only way we're going to begin to cover every American is for them to be able to purchase an affordable insurance policy outside the workplace (duh!). So we need the public option for practical reasons, not "competition" reasons (but Democrats will continue to use the word because it resonates with conservatives).
Congressional Republicans already have good government health insurance. Why should they care if those who aren't as fortunate have the option to bypass the grossly expensive private insurance market and purchase insurance through the same government they do?
Because they're afraid it'll work!
It's obscene for Republicans and Democrats to block the public option at the expense of those in need. Whose side are they on anyway?
Ask a silly question...
7. Small business: "I'd like to offer health insurance, but I don't want the government to force me to."
Oh, I see. So the private, lightly regulated "free market" has been such a great bargain, huh?
You'd think that business would welcome Washington's involvement because lower health care costs and lower health insurance costs are in the interests of every business for obvious reasons. But the G.O.P. even got some of them to oppose reform.
(Did it ever occur to anyone that maybe the problem with our system is that it's "employer-based." Imagine how much money business, big and small, would save if we had nationalized heath care and businesses didn't have to offer insurance at all. The money they're spending on health care now could instead be given back to their employees in higher pay or higher 401k contributions. Or they could pump those savings right back into their business. Granted, these "savings" would be lost to higher taxes to pay for the national health care. But we'd never hear about "job lock" and "pre-existing conditions" ever again since insurance wouldn't be tied to your job.)
All these shouting points prove that the Republican "Party" and their brainwashed base uses them, and keeps repeating them, just to go through the repetitive cycle of blaming Democrats, insulting Democrats, ridiculing Democrats and screaming at Democrats so they can 1) put Democrats on the defensive 2) distract attention and distort the facts 3) continue to brainwash the base 4) divert the base by giving them something to do: scream at liberals (their favorite pastime) and 5) avoid a honest and intelligent discussion on health care which they can not have.
If the "followers" of this cult would actually think these shouting points through, which is asking a lot I know, they'd realize how wrong they are and how foolish they look. But that's the problem. They don't think because they're unable to think for themselves. They just take their marching orders from their "leaders" (which includes Fox "News" and conservative talk radio) and don't care about being wrong and looking foolish. But that's what cults get you to do, and not do.
If they were able to think for themselves, they'd realize that health care reform is in their interests, even if they have the best insurance money can buy. Because they're paying for health care's raising costs and for those who don't have insurance in higher insurance premiums, higher co-pays, higher deductibles, higher taxes, higher prices for, well, everything and lower pay and/or unsatisfying raises (or no raises at all). So health care reform is in everyone's interest. Even pompous, arrogant, conservative Republicans.
But since the leaders of this cult have brainwashed their followers with so much hatred for Democrats and liberals, they don't get it and never will. In fact, Texas Republican Gov. Rick Perry, who's in a tough 2010 re-election fight, doesn't want his state to be included in whatever health care reform that comes out of Washington because it's better for him, politically, to run against health care, despite the fact that Texas has the most uninsured people in the country.
Let me repeat that: Texas needs health insurance like no other state in the country (which Lone Star Republicans have done nothing about). And yet it's in the Governor's political interests to turn down assistance from Washington. Must make sense to Republicans (MSNBC's Rachel Maddow tries to explains this insanity).
So the Republican "Party" got their base - many of whom I'm sure don't have insurance, or are paying through the nose for a basic plan with skyrocketing deductibles and co-pays, or were forced into bankruptcy because of overwhelming medical bills - to not only oppose reform, but attack, ridicule, insult and block Obama's "socialist" government when it tries to. But again, that's what cults get you to do.
Naturally, conservatives will say that they want "something done" but don't like Obama's plan, even though there is no "Obama plan" (this is going through a number of House and Senate committees in piecemeal). But then where's their plan (here's mine)? Or at least a framework of a plan? And how do they pay for it? And I mean a real plan, not their usual moronic talking points of "less government" and "lower taxes" ("Health Savings Accounts"). That's not a plan. That's this cult's preamble for Christ's sakes (they have, however, come out with a plan that gives the insurance companies what they want. Gee, what a surprise.).
Turth is, they don't have a serious plan and never will. In fact, the next time the Republican "Party" behaves like mature, responsible adults, engages in an honest discussion and brings something worthwhile to the table on health care well, anything, it'll be first time.
Seriously, when was the last time Republicans didn't play their usual attack politics and really tried to deal with a problem intelligently?
I'd like to remind you that Republicans, including Gov. Perry, are elected in parts of the country to prevent problems and fix problems, just like Democrats are. But Republicans have other priorities:
From The Washington Post:
Republicans, conservative groups and many business organizations have responded by accelerating efforts to derail the legislation, portraying Democratic proposals as costly and dangerous experiments that will put the country on a path to inefficient, "government-run" health care. Their main goal is to slow down the pace of the legislation in Congress in the hope of fomenting wider opposition.
"If we're able to stop Obama on this, it will be his Waterloo," Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) said yesterday during a conference call with conservative activists. "It will break him."
So with tens of millions Americans without insurance, millions more either losing insurance or under-insured - many of whom are in Republican "red states" - and health care bankrupting families and government at all levels, the G.O.P. is trying to sabotage health care reform for selfish political reasons (what else is new?) because they're a nasty political party cult. And they're doing it with the help of talking points supplied from a firm that's owned by an insurance company and by conning the weak-minded mindless and gullible (the Republican base/the "followers") with $1 million worth of TV ads. All to "break" Obama and to keep our wonderful health care system the way it is.
Great set of priorities they got there, huh?
Salon's Joe Conason explains more of the G.O.P.'s strategy:
While (Republican pollster Frank) Luntz's purpose is to arm Republicans with the phrases and arguments that will defeat the Obama administration's reform plans, much useful advice for progressives is embedded in his memo as well. Transparently designed to confuse and misdirect the debate..."Confuse and misdirect." "Behave like mindless stooges." And "shut down rational thought" (which G.O.P. supported groups admit). Hmm...that's exactly what cults are all about!
In a typical Luntz language memo such as this one, he commands Republicans to repeat certain words and phrases over and over again, on the humiliating assumption that both they and their constituents will behave like mindless stooges. His underlying aim is to strip words of their meaning to evoke automatic responses -- and to shut down rational thought. (Bold mine.)
But as his memo indicates, that task is becoming more difficult as the actual conditions that Americans confront grow worse. No longer is it sufficient to deny the reality of crisis in the healthcare system -- and if Republicans continue to do so, the overwhelming majority of the American public that is demanding reform will dismiss them. What Luntz urges his party to do instead is to redefine the crisis not as an existing problem of millions of uninsured families and unaffordable care, but as a looming threat of government medicine run amok.In another column Mr. Conason writes:
Maximizing fear is the true message of the Luntz memo: fear of government-run healthcare, fear that bureaucrats will intercede between doctors and patients, fear that those same faceless bureaucrats in Washington will deny lifesaving procedures to helpless people. He urges the Republicans to promote "horror stories" about care delayed and denied in countries with national health insurance. If they heed his advice, we can expect to see ads warning that "your child could die" because government bureaucrats held up a critical operation until it was just too late.
Groping for that fear button, Luntz asked his polling sample, "Which two concepts or phrases would FRIGHTEN you the most?" The first was healthcare rationing, an idea that isn't being contemplated by either the Obama administration or congressional Democrats (although healthcare is rationed by price under the current system). The second was "one-size-fits-all healthcare," a phrase that is devoid of any content but that conjures images of federal regimentation. Third came "healthcare by lobbyist," the plan that has been implemented by the insurance and pharmaceutical industry, with eager collaboration by the Republican leadership, for decades.
"Socialized medicine" came in a feeble fourth, barely ahead of "politicized healthcare," and scaring only about a quarter of the respondents, which demonstrates once again that the S-word has lost most of its terrorizing mojo...
That widespread tendency to shrug off the specter of socialism reflects a gaping hole in Luntz's methodology. He ignores the simple fact that a substantial portion of the U.S. population already enjoys a single-payer healthcare plan, operated by government officials (in Washington!), and overseen by politicians. We call it Medicare.
That plan, now more than four decades old, is not perceived as an intrusion on the "sacred" relationship between doctor and patient or a threat to quality care -- and yet Luntz presents his arguments abstractly, as if Americans had no experience at all with government involvement in healthcare. According to him, the "best" arguments enunciated by Republicans likewise pretend that Medicare doesn't exist...
Whatever hopes the Democrats in Congress and the White House may still cherish about bipartisan cooperation on health care reform, the Republicans are sparing no effort to mock them. Rather than expend much energy on seeking compromise or creating solutions of their own, the minority party appears wholly preoccupied with spreading propaganda against reform through all their reliable stooges, outlets and devices...
...the Republican noise machine offers only noise, in the hope of frustrating the Democrats and blocking change...
The latest example of conservative clowning on this deeply serious subject debuted over the past few days via the usual channels: a "chart," released by the House Republican leadership, that purports to show the daunting bureaucratic maze of agencies, mandates and taxes that will result should a Democratic health bill become law. Supposedly depicting how a new system would be organized, this drawing shows more than 50 multicolored boxes, circles and cartoon pictures, connected by red and blue arrow vectors.
That is simply a lie...most of the items on the chart, including several Cabinet departments and federal agencies, as well as "the States" and "Consumers" and "Private Insurers," already exist...
For anyone with a working memory, moreover, it is remarkable to listen to the Republicans complain about the "baffling" complexity of a plan to provide new health care benefits (or the cost). When the Republicans controlled Congress and the White House, they passed Medicare Part D, the impossibly confusing prescription drug benefit plan that they rammed through, despite immense flaws, in order to win older voters suffering from exorbitant drug prices. The insane complications of Part D, which required many hours and expert assistance to decipher, were necessary for one reason alone -- to protect the private insurers, pharmaceutical interests and lobbyists who stood to profit from that wasteful scheme...
Listening to Republicans and their pet pundits on Fox News, CNBC and talk radio, it quickly becomes clear that the conservative objective is not to fashion a solution acceptable to both parties, but to obstruct. The question they ponder daily is not how to reduce costs and provide health care to all; no, the question they repeatedly ask is whether and how they can "stop whatever comes out, health care-bill wise, from the Democrats..."
You know, if Republicans would put half the time and energy into reforming health care as they do trying to kill it, the country would be a hell of a lot better off.
But wait, there's more (with Republicans there always is!)!
Since they've been brainwashed to fear Democrats and "liberals," and since they're unable to think for themselves, and since they'll believe anything their "leaders" tell them, frightening "details" of Obama's health care "agenda" are (conveniently) swirling around the the Republican base: Obama's going to send Medicare bureaucrats to the homes of every senior citizen in the country and ask them how they want to die; Obama's health care plan is a way for the government to kill old people; Obama wants to increase the number of assisted suicides; and Obama's doing what Hitler did.
These claims myths lies and scare tactics are given credibility when they're repeated by Congressional Republicans. And that whips up the followers even more. Mission accomplished.
Republicans make sure this pernicious cycle of manipulating their followers with lies, hate, anger and fear surrounds every issue, not just health care. Even made-up "issues." For instance, despite publicly releasing his 1961 birth certificate and having it confirmed as legitimate, and despite a notice in an Hawaiian newspaper marking the birth, the followers still do not believe that Barack Obama was born in Hawaii, and therefore shouldn't be president.
It's a cult so you'll never convince them. But Congressional Republicans are pushing this as well. So this is just another deliberate attempt to divert attention and give the followers someting else to scream about, literally.
But if Congressional Republicans can't be convinced that Obama was born in the United States, then how they hell are you supposed to reason with them on something as complicated health care (what if these congressmen and congresswomen, who have obviously lost touch with reality, sit on national security congressional committees)?
Perhaps these Republicans believe Obama was born in Hawaii, but afraid to admit it, and are just playing along so it will whip up the followers even more. Either way - mental illness and/or rabid, fanatical dogma (Aug. 2009 insert: along with vicious mobs, intimidation, threats and displays of lynching Democrats, which they joke about) - is what we're dealing with here.
So while the G.O.P is in the process of "breaking" Obama, attacking Democrats, and trying to kill health care reform, they're also yanking on that leash this cult has tied to the noses of their followers. Not only to keep them from wising up and leaving the cult (fat chance as it is), but to control them and to keep them foaming at the mouth so they're ready to go on the attack when next issue to comes along (or when Sarah Palin needs them to attack the conveniently-labeled "liberal" media).
I told you they were scary.
Note: Since Democrats have overwhelming majorities in both the House and Senate, Republicans won't hesitate to blame the Democrats should this fail. No doubt it would be a failure of Presidential leadership. But when you're trying to get a handle on something as big, expensive and complicated as health care, and the insurance and pharmaceutical industries are bribing Congress with "political contributions" to either do it on their terms or keep the status quo, and Republicans are deliberately mucking up the system every which way they can, it doesn't make it any easier.
At least Democrats have tried to do something about health care, which is a politically volatile issue to begin with. That's more then I can say about Republicans. The last time they did something about health care for those in need worthwhile for America and not for the special interests it was during the Theodore Roosevelt administration (the Medicare prescription drug benefit was nothing but a pay off to the pharmaceutical industry).
Aug. 2009 insert:
It's incredible that the so called "liberal media" is portraying these town hall disruptions as "ordinary citizens" having "legitimate concerns" and "exercising their rights as Americans to protest."
Well, yea. Only it's like The Sopranos.
These protesters angry mobs - organized by insurance lobbyists, the rest trumpeting conservative talk radio shouting points - are threatening and disruptive, to say the least. In fact, the purpose is to block any intelligent discussion. And it's worked. Instead of having a honest debate about lowering the costs of health care and increasing access to health care, we're combating indignant cries of "death panels" and "Obama wants to kill old people." Mission accomplished (Sept. 2009: a few sentences in parenthesis here were removed and added as an insert, below).
But the so called "liberal media" is reporting their accusations - taken straight out of the G.O.P. shouting points handbook - as if they have merit; i.e., "The protesters are angry about Obama instituting 'death panels'...Democrats say it isn't true..."
Ya think?
If these brainwashed sycophants stood up and screamed "the world is flat" I'd hate to think how the media would report it: "Angry protesters say the world is flat...Democrats deny it...you decide."
I get the impression that since these "protesters have legitimate concerns," the media thinks that they (the "protesters") actually believe what their screaming is true. So that leaves two possibilities: 1) the protesters really don't believe what they're screaming and are just doing it for the cause (which is what cults get you to do) and for the chance to scream at a Democrat (gee, where did I hear that before?) or 2) are stupid enough to actually believe what they've been told. Either way, it proves they've been brainwashed by a cult...and doing the insurance companies bidding for them. But leave it to the so called "liberal media" to treat them as "ordinary, everyday Americans, exercising their first amendment rights."
Why is the media so surprised about what's taking place? Don't they remember that Republicans killed health care reform in 1993 with the same lies and scare tactics? You'd think the media has never seen the Republican "Party" play nasty partisan politics and obstruct legislation before. For Christ's sakes, that's all they do! Don't you know? Bill Clinton pushed the Israelis to release Mohammad Atta from an Israeli jail; Saddam Hussein really did have WMDs; Democrats want to "cut and run" from Iraq; liberals are soft on terrorism; liberals hate America; liberals hate our troops; global warming is a farce; Sonia Sotomayor's a racist; and Obama's going to take your guns away (so was Bill Clinton and John Kerry).
It's bad enough when the so called "liberal media" fails to report exactly what's happening at these town hall meetings. But it gets worse when they allow Republicans to compare their "protesters" to, say, a member of Code Pink who interrupts a congressional committee hearing and shouts "Don Rumsfeld's a war criminal" because that's not a fair comparison at all. Because unlike the town hall "protesters," the member from Code Pink - who wasn't sent by the Democratic Party or lobbyists - is led away and arrested (as he or she should be) and the hearing continues.
Protesters at town hall meetings or congressional hearings are nothing new. But usually it's only one and they're led away. Nothing like the contentious disruptions that are taking place now. So you can't compare a handful of Code Pink protests to these bellicose Republican mobs.
It's also disgusting, repulsive and down right abhorrent (which never stopped Republicans before) for the media to allow anyone to compare Obama to Hitler, and then let it go without calling them on it. Truth is, this cult wouldn't know socialism or nazism if it fell on them.
But I invite anyone to compare what Republicans are doing to the Nazis. Because I already did years ago. And it's scary (when I compared Republicans to the Nazis I called myself on it. Turned out, I had a point.).
By the way. All that "rationing" and "death panels" Obama wants? We already have them. They're called insurance companies!
Sept. 2009 insert:
We're seeing plenty of skepticism about health care reform at these town hall meetings. Where the hell was that skepticism when George Bush said Iraq had WMDs? And the rage and anger at these meetings...where was that when the WMDs turned out to be a lie? Where was that rage and anger when it turned out that George Bush spent less time planning the war then the average family plans a vacation? Where was that rage and anger when the war turned into a colossal disaster?
Where was all that rage and anger when George Bush...oh, nevermind, I can go on forever.
You know, if the children and grandchildren of these town hall screamers (and Joe Wilson) acted the same way at school, they'd be suspended; and then sent for a psychiatric evaluation and treatment because they obviously do not play well with others.
So we have a situation where the children and grandchildren of Republicans are better behaved - much better behaved - then their parents and grandparents.
Leave it to the GOP to accomplish that.
February 2010 insert:
You know all that dogma about "death panels" and how "Obama wants to kill grandma?" Well, it's actually the Republicans who want to kill grandma!
Me from this post:
December, 2009 insert:Republicans and Medicare
Hey, the GOP really cares about saving grandma:...Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell warned that Democrats are intent on "sticking it to seniors with cuts to Medicare."Sen. John McCain said:
I will eagerly look forward to hearing from the authors of this legislation as to how they can possibly achieve a half a trillion dollars in cuts without impacting existing Medicare programs negatively and eventually lead to rationing of health care in this country.
That is what this motion is all about. This motion is to eliminate those unwarranted cuts...However, in 1995 Newt Gingrich and the Republicans passed legislation that would have...
...cut $270 billion, or 14 percent, from projected Medicare spending during the next seven years (President Clinton vetoed the bill).And in 1996, Gingrich said:
We don't want to get rid of it in round one because we don't think it's politically smart...But we believe that it's going to wither on the vine because we think (seniors) are going to leave it voluntarily....since 1991, Senate Republicans have voted to slash $1.31 trillion from Medicare while their Republican counterparts in the House voted to take over $1 trillion away from America's seniors.I guess it's okay to kill grandma if you're a Republican.
But wait, as always, there's more! During his Presidential campaign last year:John McCain would pay for his health plan with major reductions to Medicare and Medicaid, a top aide said, in a move that independent analysts estimate could result in cuts of $1.3 trillion over 10 years to the government programs. (bold mine).So let me see if I have this straight: Ronald Reagan and the Republican Party have opposed Medicare ever since it was created in the 1960s...and they've been trying to cut it and/or kill it ever since. But then they use double talk to scare seniors by telling them that Democrats are cutting Medicare, which is exactly what the GOP wants, but they're opposing them...after proposing them...
Either that's more Republican Logic or more Republican hypocrisy. Hey Republicans, which one is it?
February 2010 insert: Republicans still want to kill grandma!
Incredible.
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