It took less than a day for right wing talk radio to turn Ted Kennedy’s death into an argument against the public option. While filling in for Lou Dobbs on his radio show Tom Marr said, “Yes there will be bureaucrat saying no, 77 brain tumor, bye-bye. Get the pills ready, get the pain killers ready.” Of course, this is a complete lie.
Here is the audio courtesy of Media Matters:
Marr said, “The senator used everything possible to fight for over a year, and he fought a gallant fight. That is going to be denied and rationed if they get away with this government run option. Yes there will be a bureaucrat saying no, 77, brain tumor, bye-bye, get the pills ready, get the painkillers ready. You just can’t get it done. Wouldn’t it be something? Now you know they are going to use his name to try to force this turkey through Congress, which is really a low life trick to begin with.”
He continued, “But under the current healthcare proposal that the Democrats are pushing, and I guarantee you, there was no bureaucrat knocking on the door up there in Hyannisport saying we are going to come in now and tell you how to prepare and how to get ready…no no that wouldn’t be for Ted Kennedy, it wouldn’t be for the elites. They’ll have themselves taken care of. They’ll only want that for the rest of us. Although, I do that provision is going to be killed. It has been killed by the American people.”
If it is a dirty trick for Democrats to use to Kennedy’s name to pass healthcare reform, what is it when I right wing talk show host uses Kennedy as an example to distort healthcare reform? Marr’s whole rant was full of lies. First of all the public option will not be mandatory. It isn’t government run healthcare. Secondly, unlike the current situation where a health insurance company bureaucrat is making healthcare decisions, the government will not be standing in way between patient doctor relationships.
Marr tried to bring up death panels without using the term death panels, and he also advanced the lie that the wealthy and members of Congress will get better healthcare than the public option. If you have insurance you will keep it, the public option is not a government takeover of healthcare.
The Republican hypocrisy is in full bloom as they claim to support free markets, but are opposed to creating free market competition for the health insurance industry. Sen. Kennedy just died, but the shameless fear mongers feel compelled to continue spreading their lies.
we must fight and defeat the democrat liars and their dreadful bills. vote the scum democrats out.
[Reply]
We must fight the lies. Get it together and overwhelm the Blue Dogs, who are siding with repulicans for their own sake, with calls, letters, numbers at their town halls. Talk to those who are believing this crap and give them the facts. Some don’t want the facts, they want blood! I wouldn’t put it past some of the Senators and Representatives to side with that scum, not out of principle, but because they want Obama to fail, just like the racists in their own states.
Here is a copy of the Letter I Sent to my Senators and Representatives, as well as VP Biden and the White House.
LETTER TO THE BLUE DOGS
Dear (insert name of congress member)
Are you more concerned about re-election than your constituents? Are you willing to lie and deceive them for political gain? The fact that 45-53% believe lies is your responsibility and it is unconscionable. Are you actually willing to vote against a public option at the expense of your constituents health, their financial stability and our nations solvency?
The Insurance Industry will protect their profit margin, and the profits to come (mandatory participation) at all costs. Republicans need money from the Insurance Industry in order to take back congress and win the presidency. They need the public option to fail.
We are paying billions for insurance industry advertising, exorbitant salaries for the insurance industry to lobby against us to increase their profits and remove competition. Nothing prevents the Insurance Industry from buying up, buying out, or even starting co-ops to prevent real competition (e.g. blue cross/blue shield). They can claim co-ops “work” without decreasing their profit margin or “triggering” a public option.
Without a non-profit public option, the Insurance Industry will not lower costs, in fact it would increase the % of GDP that is already unsustainable. This will force tax increases to an unsustainable level, heavily subsidize Insurance Industry profits, bankrupt our country and the Democrats will be blamed.
The top 10 rated countries have universal coverage, require non-profit health care whether it’s public or private sector, and have sustainable % of GDP. Singapore, rated 6th, has the lowest % of GDP because it requires public health care to compete with private.
Because of profit driven Insurance we pay approx. $4-6000 more per person than any other industrialized country, yet we don’t have universal coverage and we are rated 37th as a nation for our Health Care (just above Costa Rica).
Colleagues who lie, or constituents who believe those lies, must never be allowed to dominate. If you are truly concerned about your constituents then you will vote for real reform, even if it means losing your job.
(several people have asked for permission to use this, they’ve sent it to Grassley, Baucus, and Klobuchar etc..anyone who wants can use this)
[Reply]