political_talk

Glenn Beck & Rep. Steve King on the vote for health care reform

Rep. Steve King (R-IA)  discussed the vote on health care reform with Glenn Beck of Fox News on Beck’s radio show (March 2010). The vote was slated for a Sunday.

They intend to vote on the Sabbath, during Lent, to take away the liberty that we have right from God.

Beck responded with his usual googly-eyed nonsensical gibberish.

You couldn’t have said it better. Here is a group of people that have so perverted our faith and our hope and our charity, that is a — this is an affront to God. And I honestly, I don’t think anybody is like, “yes, and now what we’ll do is we’ll vote on the Sabbath.” But I think it’s absolutely appropriate that these people are trying to put the nail in the coffin on our country on a Sunday — something our founders would have never, ever, ever done. Out of respect for God.

So, you would think that no Republican ever called for a vote on a Sunday. You would be wrong. Via Think Progress:

On Palm Sunday in 2005, the Republican-controlled Senate passed a controversial bill to allow a federal court to intervene in the case of Terri Schiavo. The House passed the same bill shortly after midnight on Monday morning.

Via Think Progress.

Sen. Lindsey Graham on health care reform

In March of 2010, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) began referring to health care reform as a “suicide run”, making an attempt to compare it to a Japanese bombing run. This quote is from an interview Graham did on a local radio station.

Nancy Pelosi, I think, has got them all liquored up on sake and you know, they’re making a suicide run here,

Via Think Progress.

Rep. Paul Broun calls the Civil War the ‘Great War of Yankee Aggression’

On March 18, 2010, in his overly zealous effort to aid in defeating health care reform, Rep. Paul Broun (R- Ga.) made the following statement on the floor of the House of Representatives:

If ‘ObamaCare’ passes, that free insurance card that’s in people’s pockets is gonna be as worthless as a Confederate dollar after the War Between The States — the Great War of Yankee Aggression.

Sen. Tom Coburn tells seniors that they will die sooner because of health care reform

The outright lies, the myths, and the hyperbole flew during the battle for health care reform in 2009 and 2010. Including this fabricated myth from Sen. Tom Coburn (R- OK) who made this claim on the floor of the Senate in December.

I have a message for our seniors: “You’re going to die sooner.”

MICHELLE BACHMANN: A Covenant to Slit Our Wrists....

Speaking to the conservative group, Independence Institute, at a fundraiser in Colorado, Michelle Bachmann (R-Minn.) had this to say in reference to health care reform:

This cannot pass.What we have to do today is make a covenant, to slit our wrists, be blood brothers on this thing. This will not pass. We will do whatever it takes to make sure this doesn’t pass.

Slasher movie, anyone?

Right now, we are looking at reaching down the throat and ripping the guts out of freedom. And we may never be able to restore it if we don’t man up and take this one on.

---

Source: Colorado Independent, August 31, 2009

VIDEO & FULL TEXT: TED KENNEDY Speech at the Democratic National Convention 2008

Senator Edward "Ted" Kennedy's speech at the Democratic National Convention in Denver:

August 25, 2008

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, Caroline¹.

My fellow Democrats, my fellow Americans, it is so wonderful to be here.

And nothing -- nothing is going to keep me away from this special gathering tonight.

I have come here tonight to stand with you to change America, to restore its future, to rise to our best ideals, and to elect Barack Obama President of the United States.

As I look ahead, I am strengthened by family and friendship. So many of you have been with me in the happiest days and the hardest days. Together we have known success and seen setbacks, victory, and defeat. But we have never lost our belief that we are all called to a better country and a newer world. And I pledge to you -- I pledge to you that I will be there next January on the floor of the United States Senate when we begin the great test.

Thank you very much. Thank you. Thank you.

For me this is a season of hope -- new hope for a justice and fair prosperity for the many, and not just for the few -- new hope.

ALAN GRAYSON: I apologize to the dead.....

  

Rep. Alan Grayson (D-FL), apologized to the Republicans for saying that they want us to "die quickly" if we get sick.

(he said this to explain the Republican lack of support for health care reform)

I apologize to the dead and their families that we haven't voted sooner to end this holocaust in America.  

MICHELLE BACHMANN: SBHC and THE BAD SEX CLINICS

Michelle Bachmann (R-MN) has decided that health care reform will open up the schools for.....SEX CLINICS!

She has apparently interpreted a section in the bill as relating to "school based health clinics" (SBHC), to mean that schools will be offering abortions to students. Bachmann:

The bill goes on to say what's going to go on -- comprehensive primary health services, physicals,

treatment of minor acute medical conditions, referrals to follow-up for specialty care -- is that abortion? Does that mean that someone's 13 year-old daughter could walk into a sex clinic, have a pregnancy test done, be taken away to the local Planned Parenthood abortion clinic, have their abortion, be back and go home on the school bus that night? Mom and dad are never the wiser.

Section 2511 of the bill Bachmann refers to, does not mention abortion. It further states/enjoins: 

SBHC services will be provided in accordance with Federal, State, and local laws governing-- (I) obtaining parental or guardian consent; and (II) patient privacy and student records, including section 264 of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 and section 444 of the General Education Provision Act.

From HuffPost:

The concept of "school based health care clinics" was introduced under the notion that students achieve higher academic performance when they are healthy and receive adequate medical attention. According to the National Assembly on School-Based Health Care, if implemented SBHCs would give schools access to physicians "so students avoid health-related absense and get support to succeed in the classroom."

Seriously, Bachmann has some sanity issues.

ALAN GRAYSON: the Republican Health Care Plan is this......

Rep. Alan Grayson (D-FL) in his comments on the House floor on Sept. 29.

Grayson is, of course, referring to the actual lack of a Republican health care plan, and their ongoing obstruction of health care reform.

The Republican health care plan: don't get sick. So the Republicans have a back up plan in case you do get sick ... If you get sick in America, this is what the Republicans want you to do. If you get sick America, the Republican health care plan is this: die quickly!

VIDEO & TRANSCRIPT/TEXT: President Obama Eulogizes Ted Kennedy

Click here to read the transcript of President Obama's eulogy to Ted Kennedy..

 

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In Tribute - Ted Kennedy on Universal Health Care

Senator Edward Moore "Ted" Kennedy | Democrat 1932-2009

From a piece Sen. Kennedy wrote for Newsweek in July, 2009.

 This is the cause of my life. It is a key reason that I defied my illness last summer to speak at the Democratic convention in Denver--to support Barack Obama, but also to make sure, as I said, 'that we will break the old gridlock and guarantee that every American...will have decent, quality health care as a fundamental right and not just a privilege.'

Image Source: WikiMedia Commons

Oklahoma Republican, Sen. Tom Coburn, says government is not the solution to healthcare problems

Senator Tom Coburn | Republican

If you have ever wondered whether the Republicans are on the side of Big Insurance Corporations, as opposed to being  on the side of the citizens who pay their salaries and elected them to office (i don't think that corporations have the ability to vote in elections.....YET), here's a rather strong indication.

At a healthcare town hall meeting, a CONSTITUENT, weeping, told Sen. Coburn (R-OK) about the problems she and her husband are encountering with their healthcare insurer, who has refused to cover her husband's treatment for a traumatic brain injury.

As the woman continues to cry, and asks Sen. Coburn for his assistance, Sen. Coburn does tell the woman that his office would try to help her, but then, then he delivered this zinger:

The idea that the government is the solution to our problems is an inaccurate, a very inaccurate statement.

What he should have said, is that he receives too much money from the healthcare industry to care about the way that industry rides roughshod over it's subscribers in any meaningful way. In fact, throughout his political career, the largest single industry contributing to his campaign coffers is the healthcare industry.

Watch the video.

The final house bill has....

Bob Cesca | Democrat

Congress has repeatedly stated that they have not read the legislation on healthcare reform. In response, Cesca had this to say:

The final House bill has been available online since July. If congressional Republicans and Blue Dogs are incapable of reading a 1,000 pages by now, maybe "writing and creating laws" was a poor career choice.

Read HR3200.

Quotation: bobcesca.com

Grassley Flip-Flops on Death Panel Claims

Senator Chuck Grassley | Republican - Iowa

On August 7, during a town hall meeting in Iowa, Grassley endorsed the right wing's false claim of death panels.

 There is some fear because in the House bill, there is counseling for end-of-life," And from that standpoint, you have every right to fear. You shouldn't have counseling at the end of life. You ought to have counseling 20 years before you're going to die. You ought to plan these things out. And I don't have any problem with things like living wills. But they ought to be done within the family. We should not have a government program that determines if you're going to pull the plug on grandma.

Today, Sunday, August 23, on Face the Nation, Grassley admitted that the government wouldn't be pulling the plug on grandma.  He admitted that the legislation didn't include the outrageous death panel provision that would allow the government to determine who should live or die. [fabrication by completely transparent Republican tools]

 I know the Pelosi bill doesn't intend to do that. It won't do that

Watch the video clip of Grassley on Face the Nation..

Image Source: WikiMedia Commons
Quote Source: The Iowa Independent & The Huffington Post

Barney Frank on Arguing With Dining Room Tables

Congressman Barney Frank | Democrat

At a townhall meeting this past week, Rep. Barney Frank, had a revealing exchange with a woman in the crowd. The woman, representative of the kind of far right-wing craziness we've been subjected to recently, asked a question when called upon.

Woman in crowd, carrying a picture of President Obama defaced to make him look like Hitler:

Why do you continue to support a Nazi policy, as Obama has expressly  supported this policy, why are you supporting it?

Barney Frank responds thusly:

On what planet do you spend most of your time? As you stand there with a picture of the President defaced to look like Hitler, and compare the effort to increase healthcare to the Nazis, my answer to you is, as I said before, it is a tribute to the first amendment that this kind of vile, contemptible nonsense is so freely propagated.

Madam, trying to have a conversation with you would be like trying to argue with a dining room table. I have no interest in doing it.

View the video of the incident.

Image Source: Wikipedia
Quotation transcribed by Political Talk directly from the video.

Today's Dumbest Boob: Betsy McCaughey

Jon Stewart | Democrat

Jon Stewart dismantles more ignorant claims [re healthcare reform] by the right-wing, represented by former New York Lt. Governor, Betsy McCaughey. For more info, visit Media Matters.

 

Related: Awards
Betsy McCaughey

Rachel Maddow: The Pizza Parable aka They're Just Not That in to HealthCare Reform

Rachel Maddow | Progressive Commentator

During a recent episode of Maddow's show, Maddow demonstrated to us the utter futility of bipartisanship where healthcare reform is the end goal, through the use of a delightful parable about ordering pizza. Watch the video, and enjoy.

Referring to the contrarian Republicans in Congress and the Senate, Maddow concluded,

 They're just not that in to healthcare reform.

Image, Video and Quotation Source: MSNBC.com

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