Obama Has Only Himself to Blame for the Healthcare Reform Debacle

I was watching MSNBC this evening and as I listened to descriptions of the utterly gutted version of health care reform that might get passed - that's assuming anything gets passed - I again had to wonder if Hillary Clinton might not have been a better president than Obama who continues to show no backbone and a delusional desire to work with Republicans on a bipartisan basis. Indeed, watching Obama get repeatedly slammed by members of the GOP who want him to fail, I could not help but think of the parallels of Jimmy Carter trying to deal with the Iranian hostage takers so many years ago. Obama comes across as either an idiot or simply out of his league. I am not the only one sorely disappointed with Obama's performance - America Blog is running a poll and so far 67% of the responders say they are disappointed. Salon has a story that analyzes how Obama got himself - and those of us who supported him - into this quagmire. Here are some highlights:

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If President Obama expects Congress to pass a healthcare reform bill worth signing, he'd better grasp that "bipartisanship" is a means, not an end. After eight years of cheering themselves hoarse over one catastrophic Bush blunder after another, Republicans will start dealing with reality only when they're afraid not to. Right now, it's their talk-radio/Fox News-hypnotized base that's got GOP congressmen running scared. The White House ought to have learned from unanimous Republican opposition to the economic stimulus.

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Striking poses cost them nothing. Stimulus money found its way into their districts anyway. Remarkably, Obama failed to get the message. Seemingly preoccupied with the president's image as a transformative figure, the White House keeps trying to negotiate with people who seek his political destruction.

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On healthcare reform, Obama has mainly his own high-minded fecklessness to blame. To alter the cliché, he hasn't just brought a knife to a gunfight, he's brought a cake knife. The GOP's armed for war; he's showed up with a multilayered birthday cake of a bill hardly anybody understands. While insurance reform's opponents peddle hysterical falsehoods, Obama counters with professorial explanations. Iowa Sen. Charles Grassley's shameful endorsement of "death panels" should have taught Obama the futility of making nice.

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Even former GOP senator and presidential candidate Bob Dole tried to do the president a favor. "Obama's approval numbers would jump 10 points," he wrote in the Washington Post, "if Americans knew he was fully in charge." He urged the White House to introduce its own bill and fight for its passage. You won't hear this on TV, but Obama's slumping approval numbers reflect that many Democrats now worry he's a gutless wonder.

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Careful technocratic arguments won't cut it. For more than a generation, the well-organized, extravagantly funded, right-wing noise machine has steadily grown in power while liberals have deemed themselves too sophisticated to fight back. There was actually a recent Columbia Journalism Review article arguing that "mainstream" media can best counter disinformation like "death panels" by simply refusing to report it.

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I sincerely hope that Obama and some of the Congressional Democrats wake up to reality and get out the brass knuckles needed to fight back against the thugs, theocrats and lairs that now predominate the Republican Party - but I am not holding my breath.

Hate Speech Has Consequences - Especially When Combined with Guns

A few days ago I wrote about nutcase Arizona Pastor Steve Anderson - yep the same guy who advocates the execution of gays and wants Obama dead - and now it turns out that one of the gun carrying fruit loops that appeared at a townhall meeting on health care reform attends Pastor Anderson's Kool-Aid cafe parish. People and the MSM in particular try to laugh off these loons, but I see them as a clear and present danger. Do we really need those who hold lunatic beliefs and have a persecution complex walking around with assault weapons? I think not and it is only a question of time before some religiously motivated far right individual goes over the edge and things get violent. Personally, I do not believe anyone needs to own an assault weapon and this guy is a case in point. Here are some highlights from Crooks & Liars:

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So it turns out that Contessa Brewer had good reason to see a connection between the rabidly hateful rhetoric spewed by the likes of Pastor Steven Anderson and the angry, gun-toting protesters turning out for presidential events: One of the most prominent of these, an African-American man named "Chris", is in fact a member of Pastor Anderson's congregation. "Chris" was on Alex Jones' "Prison Planet" radio show late last week and discussed how "my pastor was beaten up" at a Border Patrol checkpoint.

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Yes, that pastor is indeed Steven Anderson, who was arrested in April by the Border Patrol for being uncooperative at a patrol checkpoint. Anderson attempted to make himself something of a national martyr to the conspiracists out there by posting a video to YouTube about it that quickly went viral.

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The funny thing about these gun-toting protesters is that they like to portray themselves as being simple, honest defenders of their gun rights when they show up for public events, especially those featuring the president, packing heat publicly. They adamantly deny that they're bringing their guns to intimidate their fellow citizens from speaking out with a contrary view. But this is beyond disingenuous; it doesn't take a genius to figure out that the vast majority of the people who attend a public debate will perceive someone with a gun as someone they should fear -- particularly if they have an opposing view.

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Moreover, these gun-toters want to assure us they pose no threat whatsoever to either the president or his supporters by bringing these guns. They're just ordinary citizens standing up for their rights, right? The Secret Service need have no fear about their motives. But then we find out that at least one of them ardently admires a pastor who preaches how much he hates Obama and wishes him dead, in order "to save this country." And we're supposed to tell these "innocent" gun nuts from the people who might actually aim their weapons at the president how?

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Yes, America has always had a lunatic fringe, but these folks honestly frighten me. I believe some of them are ticking time bombs waiting to go off. I believe we need some serious gun control legislation that takes assault weapons out of the hands of potential crazies. Here's a reminder of Pastor Anderson's and his flock's message of "love:"

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The Far Right's Lies About Healthcare Reform

This cartoon from the Daily Beast sums up well the GOP's and health insurance/pharmaceutical industry disinformation campaign to derail reform. Sadly, people are beliving this bull shit.

The Truth About Health Care Reform

What with the crazies that are showing up at Congressional "town hall meetings" and making all kinds of wild allegations against proposed provisions of the pending legislation, it is helpful to look at what is really under consideration. Already provisions that would have provided for coverage of counseling about end of life decisions - i.e., executing living wills to avoid being kept alive as a vegetable for months or even years on a ventilator and executing durable medical powers of attorney so that family members or trusted friends can guaranty that your wishes are followed - have been deleted from the bill.

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The irony, of course is that it is likely that it will be the very same protesters and opponents of such legal documents who will see their families bankrupted by costly and useless treatments of relatives with irreversible brain death who are kept alive for extensive periods even though the end result is already known. This situations are great for medical providers who will go on treating and billing indefinitely, but are tragic for both the one dying and distraught family members who will face crushing medical costs. The fact is that medical cost nightmares are the second leading cause for families going into bankruptcy. Here are some highlights of the REAL proposals would do:

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8 Ways Reform Provides Security and Stability to Those With or Without Coverage:

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Ends Discrimination for Pre-Existing Conditions: Insurance companies will be prohibited from refusing you coverage because of your medical history.

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Ends Exorbitant Out-of-Pocket Expenses, Deductibles or Co-Pays: Insurance companies will have to abide by yearly caps on how much they can charge for out-of-pocket expenses.

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Ends Cost-Sharing for Preventive Care: Insurance companies must fully cover, without charge, regular checkups and tests that help you prevent illness, such as mammograms or eye and foot exams for diabetics.

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Ends Dropping of Coverage for Seriously Ill: Insurance companies will be prohibited from dropping or watering down insurance coverage for those who become seriously ill.

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Ends Gender Discrimination: Insurance companies will be prohibited from charging you more because of your gender.

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Ends Annual or Lifetime Caps on Coverage: Insurance companies will be prevented from placing annual or lifetime caps on the coverage you receive.

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Extends Coverage for Young Adults: Children would continue to be eligible for family coverage through the age of 26.

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Guarantees Insurance Renewal: Insurance companies will be required to renew any policy as long as the policyholder pays their premium in full. Insurance companies won't be allowed to refuse renewal because someone became sick.

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As for the lies and untruths that are being disseminated by covert GOP operatives and a number of "family values" organizations, here are a few things that are NOT true:

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1. Reform will stop "rationing" - not increase it: It’s a myth that reform will mean a "government takeover" of health care or lead to "rationing." To the contrary, reform will forbid many forms of rationing that are currently being used by insurance companies.

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2. We can’t afford reform: It's the status quo we can't afford. It’s a myth that reform will bust the budget. To the contrary, the President has identified ways to pay for the vast majority of the up-front costs by cutting waste, fraud, and abuse within existing government health programs; ending big subsidies to insurance companies; and increasing efficiency with such steps as coordinating care and streamlining paperwork. In the long term, reform can help bring down costs that will otherwise lead to a fiscal crisis.

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3. Reform would encourage "euthanasia": It does not. It’s a malicious myth that reform would encourage or even require euthanasia for seniors. For seniors who want to consult with their family and physicians about end-of life decisions, reform will help to cover these voluntary, private consultations for those who want help with these personal and difficult family decisions.

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4. Vets' health care is safe and sound: It’s a myth that health insurance reform will affect veterans' access to the care they get now. To the contrary, the President's budget significantly expands coverage under the VA, extending care to 500,000 more veterans who were previously excluded. The VA Healthcare system will continue to be available for all eligible veterans.

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5. Reform will benefit small business - not burden it: It’s a myth that health insurance reform will hurt small businesses. To the contrary, reform will ease the burdens on small businesses, provide tax credits to help them pay for employee coverage and help level the playing field with big firms who pay much less to cover their employees on average.

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6. Your Medicare is safe, and stronger with reform: It’s myth that Health Insurance Reform would be financed by cutting Medicare benefits. To the contrary, reform will improve the long-term financial health of Medicare, ensure better coordination, eliminate waste and unnecessary subsidies to insurance companies, and help to close the Medicare "doughnut" hole to make prescription drugs more affordable for seniors.

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7. You can keep your own insurance: It’s myth that reform will force you out of your current insurance plan or force you to change doctors. To the contrary, reform will expand your choices, not eliminate them.

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8. No, government will not do anything with your bank account: It is an absurd myth that government will be in charge of your bank accounts. Health insurance reform will simplify administration, making it easier and more convenient for you to pay bills in a method that you choose. Just like paying a phone bill or a utility bill, you can pay by traditional check, or by a direct electronic payment. And forms will be standardized so they will be easier to understand. The choice is up to you – and the same rules of privacy will apply as they do for all other electronic payments that people make.

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I hope Obama and the Congressional Democrats will go on an offense to expose the lies of the "protesters" and - one can at least hope -that the MSM will start exposing those behind the lies.