Tag: Health Care Reform

Twitter War Between Specter And Grassley

Filed in National by on August 14, 2009 9 Comments

I can’t tell you how awesome this is. I’m sure this is a direct result of the forum that Specter spoke at this morning. During the forum he was asked about Grassley’ spreading disinformation on health care (specifically “death panels”) and he promised that he would call Chuck Grassley right after he spoke. Some people […]

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The GOP Has Already Lost The Argument On Health Care Reform

Filed in National by on August 11, 2009 10 Comments

Back in May, Republican language guru Frank Luntz wrote a memo for Republicans on how to fight the Democratic plan for health care reform. The Republicans did a good job of following the script for a while, often invoking “government-run health care” and “government bureaucrats” when making their arguments. Dr. Frank Luntz, a top Republican […]

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Privatized Death Panels

Filed in National by on August 11, 2009 40 Comments

In the conservative utopian fantasy world private insurance companies are warm, loving entities that have only your best interests at heart and can make bucketfuls of profits doing it. In the real world that I inhabit, insurance companies are entities that make money by taking your payments and denying you treatment when you become too […]

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This is How It is Supposed To Work

Filed in National by on August 10, 2009 10 Comments

The peripatetic Mike Stark went to a Town Hall Meeting for held by Rep. Tom Perriello in rural VA, and found an interesting dynamic:

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Briefing on the Progress of Health Insurance Legislation Tonite

Filed in National by on August 10, 2009 9 Comments

There is an event tonite in Newark to providing up-to-date information and some training on the current state of the health insurance reform effort:

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Conservative vs. Conservative

Filed in National by on August 10, 2009 32 Comments

Sarah Palin weighed in on health care reform last week by accusing the Obama administration of wanting to kill her parents and her baby. So, what do other conservatives have to say about Palin’s thoughtful addition to the health care debate? Newt Gingrich and Howard Dean went at it on health care this morning on […]

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I’ve Been Thinking About This All Wrong

Filed in National by on August 7, 2009 26 Comments

I’ve realized that I’ve been thinking about this health care reform thing all wrong, and I have the wingnuts to thank for it. I’ve been worried about Republican office holders and wingnut radio hosts stirring up anger and paranoia in their unhinged masses and that people might get hurt as a result. I’m wrong though […]

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Pearlstein Tells It Like It Is

Filed in National by on August 7, 2009 11 Comments

As a columnist who regularly dishes out sharp criticism, I try not to question the motives of people with whom I don’t agree. Today, I’m going to step over that line. The recent attacks by Republican leaders and their ideological fellow-travelers on the effort to reform the health-care system have been so misleading, so disingenuous, […]

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Has Violence Already Started?

Filed in National by on August 6, 2009 176 Comments

As has been documented before, the Republican party and astroturf lobbying groups have been encouraging people to disrupt townhall meetings of Democratic members of Congress. These tea party activists are part of the paranoid, far right wing base of the party and have been using some questionable tactics. Tactics like shouting down all questions, loudly […]

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Paul Krugman Simplifies Health Care Reform For You

Filed in National by on August 3, 2009 14 Comments

The invaluable Paul Krugman explains health care reform for easy understanding: The essence is really quite simple: regulation of insurers, so that they can’t cherry-pick only the healthy, and subsidies, so that all Americans can afford insurance. Everything else is about making that core work. Individual mandates are a way to prevent gaming of the […]

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Best Health Care System In The World!

Filed in National by on August 2, 2009 36 Comments

Newsweek‘s Jonathan Alter channels his inner blogger to defend our current health care system: Why should I be entitled to the same insurance that members of Congress get? Blue Dogs need a lot of medical attention to treat their blueness. I’m just a regular guy and definitely deserve less. I had cancer a few years […]

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Susan Collins Wants To Kill Your Grandmother

Filed in National by on July 30, 2009 10 Comments

The newest silly GOP talking point about healthcare reform is about the provision requiring hospitals to provide end-of-life counseling to people who wanted it. This proposal has turned into a strange and silly Republican talking point about encouraging euthenasia. Guess who first proposed this? Even by conservative standards, the argument is insane. It’s extremely common, […]

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What Is The Process To Get A Healthcare Reform Bill?

Filed in National by on July 30, 2009 13 Comments

My understanding of the legislative process is pretty low, but here is what is happening to the best of my understanding. Health care reform is not dead! It’s moving forward, but there is still a lot to do. There are 5 committees working on the health care bill – 3 in the House and 2 […]

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