In Case You Missed It…Health Care…
Well, it has been a few weeks since I wrote an In Case You Missed It... There just wasn’t a lot of time between Netroots Nation and vacation - so here a three week recap - I split it into two posts so here is what happened the past three weeks - August 9 to August 30.
Before we go on - RIP Senator Kennedy.
OK - let’s get started
The National Health Care debate - debated locally
We opened with New York Times primer on Health Care and followed with a must read Frank Rich Essay. How did the debate play out in the month of August? With the Congressional recess comes constituent engagement. The D&C had a nice article on the approach of each of our local Reps. We already told you that Reps Slaughter and Lee were hiding behind technology - specifically tele-conferences. Massa was having open, public meetings and Rep Maffei was doing both.
Rep Eric Massa - Remember Congressman Massa’s first Town Hall meeting on August 6th? Of course. well, we started posting video on August 9th. Massa opens the meeting and starts to dispel of the Health Care myths out there. The first question seemed to set the tone - Ignore Health Care reform until you fix Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. The implication of “Death Panels”, Massa explains why he doesn’t support the current House Health care bill (HR3200) as currently written. Then there was this statement blaming Clinton for the current fiscal mess we are in. This question about if Congress will accept the same health care as the rest of America. A doctor is booed, questions about taxes, pre-existing conditions and co-pays, Abortion, Finally this video went Viral - 12,000 views and climbing. Its confused message? Well you tell me. She lumps all levels of government together, repeats the death panels nonsense. But that that video put me on someone’s watch list. Oh boy - Stlo7 is being watched.
There are more clips and this is the definitive clip index of each speaker at Massa’s first town hall meeting.
There was apparently a more contentious meeting at the end of the month in Victor. Not everyone could get in but there were some first hand reports. In short - it was ugly.
Massa gets early August kudos from the D&C editorial board at the beginning of the month. I wonder if the D&C will remember Massa’s opponent Corning Mayor Tom Reed’s comments at the end of the month where he calls Massa - well, who cares what Tom Reed calls Eric Massa. Tom Reed once said that he didn’t want to waste time reading HR 3200. Yeah - Tom Reed disconnected from reality. Can’t wait until the debates .
Rep Chris Lee on Health Care debate - Fear Uncertainly and Doubt. Lee is all about tort reform and technology. Great then create a separate bill but firmly entrenched in the “party of no” he like others take his orders from elsewhere. Oh, he isn’t the only elected Republican who is spouting Fear, uncertainty and doubt - Meet State Senator Mike Nozzolio.
Rep Louise Slaughter gets lobbied on behalf of Credo/Firedoglake/RT on her position on a strong public option. An early preview of how difficult is it so pin down the powerful Congresswomen on Health Care reform especially after you watch this interview -
Health Care shorts - Meanwhile - Peter Mott, MD writes an editorial piece. Rachel Maddow states there are more Dems in Congress for a reason. Rep Barney Frank handles the ignorant. New York’s Ex Lt Governor and current health care naysayer and GOP mechanical parrot Betsy McCaughey is dismantled by Jon Stewart over health care. So much so she resigns her conflict of interest position the next day. Imagine if our Main Stream Media acted more like Jon Stewart.Finally why isn’t Reaganomics dead yet? Krugman applies it to the health care debate.
The Senate - The Senate Finance committee (the Senate failed to deliver a bill out of committee) scrubbed the wording that was intentionally misconstrued as death panels by the GOP. Gee, I actually thought the Democrats were the majority part in in Congress. Guess I was wrong.
Perhaps this video spots lights the GOP message on Health Care - A women asks the government for help - specifically Senator Coburn from Oklahoma. She needs help with her health care issues. He says call his office and he will help then turns around and says the govenrment should help with regards to health care - you neighbors should help. Isn’t Senator Coburn “the government”?
President Obama went on vacation and this post wonders why - especially if his legacy is at stake.
More in the next post…
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“President Obama went on vacation and this post wonders why - especially if his legacy is at stake.”
What’s up with Obama and Cape Cod?
Sheesh…That’s all so 1960’s. No wonder he’s losing the confidence of the American people. What’s he doing there? Playing badminton? Walking barefoot in the sand?
Reading books and thinking???
Clearly Obama needs to gat a ranch; preferably in a western state. Say in Texas, where he can have a stocked pond put in, or in California where he can pretend to cut brush.
At the very least he needs to buy a Jeep Wrangler and speed around the beach with the top off.
And please NOT in long bermuda shorts!!!
It’s nearly September 11 and I’ve seen that Obama has been on vacation far less than Bush.
I’m only the messenger people - did you actually read the link?
I did..and?
Look, if the president was doing manly things like chopping wood or clearing brush, Americans would have a lot more confidence in his programs.
It saves a lot of time and effort, rather than explain things he would look manly. Americans don’t question manly men, they follow them where ever he wants them to go. So, instead of explaining how SPUHC helps everyone, is less expensive and gives us more personal freedom, he could just say, ” Look at me sweating as I clear brush, vote for my plan.”
And the wingnuts would follow. The libertarians too, if he did it while cleaning his guns…
Precious
[...] given Rep Slaughter a lot of well desired grief over her position on health care recently or inability to hold Town Hall meetings- but her position [...]