"I disagree with you, but I'm pretty sure you're not Hitler." – Jon Stewart
Posted in Blog Post on Oct 16th, 2009
Rep. Alan Grayson-D(FL) of “the GOP’s plan is not to get sick and if you do die quickly” fame was on “Real Time with Bill Maher” tonight. His new take on the GOP’s health reform proposal is to allow Americans to bring a gun to doctor’s office. Where do I sign up? This guy, I [...]
Posted in Blog Post on Aug 29th, 2009
I’m re-posting this bit from Andrew Sullivan and David Frum because it is the single best piece I’ve seen on how to push back against conservative counter arguments against health reform. At this point health reform is the conservative position. I find myself again in agreement with David Frum. It was one thing to oppose [...]
Posted in Blog Post on Aug 28th, 2009
As Gleckman says it’s as much an ethical choice as an economic one. It says a lot about us as a country and what are values are. So, what do you think Jesus would do? It is interesting, and perhaps worth noting, that while political opposition seems to be hardening against the $1 trillion, ten-year [...]
Posted in Blog Post on Aug 25th, 2009
Nate Silver had a post about the poor (and perhaps intentionally bad) wording of survey questions about the public option. He find two that meet his criteria for properly worded unambiguous questions. The first is from Quinnipiac: There is still strong support for critical elements of the Obama/Democratic plan: 62 – 32 percent in favor [...]
Posted in Blog Post on Aug 24th, 2009
This is a national disgrace. There were population groups with much higher infant mortality than the national average of 6.78 per 1000 births. CDC Releases New Infant Mortality Data. The United States ranked 29th in the world in infant mortality in 2004, compared to 27th in 2000, 23rd in 1990 and 12th in 1960, according [...]
Posted in Blog Post on Aug 20th, 2009
It’s the same question all “journalists” should be asking themselves right now: Given the heinous dust that’s been raised, it seems likely that end-of-life counseling will be dropped from the health-reform legislation. But that’s a small point, compared with the larger issue that has clouded this summer: How can you sustain a democracy if one [...]
Posted in Blog Post on Aug 19th, 2009
This is why opponents of reform have engaged in a disinformation campaign, it works. The President needs to mount a full court press to try to reverse opinions before it hardens completely. Time is running out!!!! Damaging misperceptions One of the reasons why it has become tougher is due to misperceptions about the president’s plans [...]
Posted in Blog Post on Aug 19th, 2009
Since the GOP as announced their opposition negotiation and any health reform at all, the Obama administration may abandon trying to get any GOP support. I was wondering how long it would take them to realize the GOP has zero interest in good policy. Their only concern is how best to hamstring the President’s policy [...]
Posted in Blog Post on Aug 19th, 2009
Barney Frank pushes back against an idiot with a Hitler sign at his town hall meeting: Frank: When you ask me that question I’m going to revert to my ethnic heritage and answer your question with a question. On what planet do you spend most of your time? [....] You want me to answer the [...]
Posted in Blog Post on Aug 18th, 2009
Ezra opines about what might happen to the conference report, if the House and Senate versions don’t line up, and they most certainly will not: The Senate is trickier. But the conference report can’t be amended. It can’t be changed, or held up in committee. It can be filibustered, and it can be voted against. [...]
Posted in Blog Post on Aug 18th, 2009
From an Op-ed by Leonard Pitts Jr, from the Miami Herald on the town hall meetings and manufactured outrage: Conservatives would have you believe this pandemonium is spontaneous. Truth is, it’s about as spontaneous as a shuttle launch. The Times account tells us a banner appeared on the web site of Fox News host Sean [...]
Posted in Blog Post on Aug 17th, 2009
Grassley drew strong rebukes from Democrats after he seemed to suggest at one town hall that conservatives were justified in worrying that a provision in the House version of the legislation that pays for end-of-life consultations would lead to the federal government playing a role in deciding when to “pull the plug on Grandma.” Grassley [...]
Posted in Blog Post on Aug 17th, 2009
FiveThirtyEight: Politics Done Right: Life After the Death of the Public Option. Nate Silver believes the public option is dead and perhaps never really had a chance of passage. The policy implications aren’t really clear to me. I believe the public option was important in terms of cost controls. Nate does say that it may [...]
Posted in Blog Post on Aug 15th, 2009
Disease and Disadvantage in the United States and in England.pdf You hear horror stories about how bad the English National Health Service is. Not that anyone is suggesting anything remotely like the NHS for the US. But since it keeps being brought up by opponents of reform, let’s answer the question from the title. Not [...]
Posted in Blog Post on Aug 15th, 2009
Firedoglake » Iowa Dept of Elder Affairs Supports Pulling the Plug on Grandma?. Opponents of health reform took what was a non-partisan issue (that the GOP supported in 2003) and distorted it into “Obama wants to kill your Granny”. It was a disgusting distortion of an effort to give people assistance in taking control of [...]
Posted in Blog Post on Aug 13th, 2009
Nate Silver on the effectiveness of the health insurance reform protests. At the end of the day, health care reform is liable to succeed or fail based on the extent to which Americans — and the Congressmen they elect — are informed about the true nature of the bills pending before the House and Senate. [...]
Posted in Blog Post on Aug 12th, 2009
Dem Congressman Dennis Moore: I’ve Gotten Threats Over Health Care Bill | TPMDC. Gee, you think certain interests don’t want health reform discussed? The tactics that have been used like screaming, chanting and threats coupled with distortions and lies seem to form a pattern. It’s looks as if they want to shut down debate, because [...]
Posted in Blog Post on Aug 12th, 2009
From: Digital Roam. Fixing health care on the back of a napkin. (4 napkins actually) Health care: napkin #2. h/t Ezra Klein
Posted in Blog Post on Aug 8th, 2009
So according to State Rep. Rhonda “Church Lady” Storms, the Tampa and Pinellas 9/12 group members were mad because their attempt stack the crowd with their supporters was thwarted because it was already stacked by SEIU? Boo hoo hoo. I guess these people are completely immune to the irony of it all. I wonder how [...]
Posted in Blog Post on Aug 7th, 2009
I’m not sure I’d go as far as to say they’re political terrorists. But a few things are clear: The GOP and like minded conservatives are doing their level best to distort reform proposals into some kind of socialist Armageddon. Assorted nut jobs, tea baggers and birthers have seized upon this to vent all manner [...]
Date: 06/03/2009