Lou Dobbs Show: The Public Option Would Have Killed Ted Kennedy

Last updated on August 10th, 2014 at 05:08 pm

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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.

Jason Easley

Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.

Awards and  Professional Memberships

Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association