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White House to Democrats: ‘Punch back twice as hard’ – Carrie Budoff Brown – POLITICO.com — None of this would have happened if the lazy Congress decided not to take a month vacation, would it?
Top White House aides gave Senate Democrats a recess battle plan on Thursday, arming the lawmakers with tips for avoiding disastrous town hall meetings while showing them polling on popular aspects of the reform effort.
Senior White House adviser David Axelrod and deputy chief of staff Jim Messina told senators to focus on the insured and how they would benefit from “consumer protections” in the overhaul, such as ending the practice of denying insurance
based on preexisting conditions and ensuring the continuity of coverage between jobs.They showed video clips of the confrontational town halls that have dominated the media coverage, and told senators to do more prep work than usual for their public meetings by making sure their own supporters turn out, senators and aides said.
And they screened TV ads and reviewed the various campaigns by critics of the Democratic plan.
“If you get hit, we will punch back twice as hard,” Messina said, according to an official who attended the meeting.
Meanwhile this is getting ugly. When you have a real unemplyment rate of perhaps 16-percent or higher, you don’t want this sort of thing to develop. At the end of the day, it’s something to do and fun for a lot of people. Bigger and bigger riots will happen. The vacation month just started.
If our goverment betrays us, acts other then in accordance to our wishes or we feel changes need to be made it is our obligation to overthrow our government.
If the Obama Administration doesn’t watch out, they will be seen as the Apollo Creed vs. the Republican Rocky Balboa.
Rocky (the republican) gets hammered but ends up winning the hearts and minds while Creed becomes the villain and is too beat up to go another round.
“None of this would have happened if…”
If they would have read the damned bill.
Hitler sending out the brown shirts…
to go out and meet constituents knowing there is an astroturf minority roots movement with an obstructing game plan and not be ready would be unwise.
this is simple the health care system as it stands is broken and getting worse by the day if we do nothing fewer and fewer people will have coverage every year and those that do will be spending more for it. if you don’t have a better plan to fix it(a plan that will get through into law remember you lost an election you are in the minority so it really needs to be a good plan). let the majority rule! keep in mind you guys did a lot of ruling when you had the majority>look where that got us.
how many republicans are not taking clunker stimulus money or will that just be republican governors?
Obama compared himself to Apollo Creed in one of the HIllary debates.
Oh, and by the way, since most of these Dvorak Bloggers (who fancy themselves knowing all) have actually missed the point entirely…
These protests are not just about what is and is not available through the government option, but…
About continuing government encroachment into every and all corners of our lives.
Why do we need a “Government Option”?
Why not just fix the system we already have?
How to fix the current system without paying trillions of dollars, and producing a better system throughout.
A) Treat insurance like a public utility. Have rate and coverage oversight same as we currently do for water and electricity. In a word, enact Usury laws for insurance companies, which will lower rates because they cannot gouge the customer.
B) If a person has a preexisting condition which makes insurance prohibitively expensive, they can go on Medicaid with full coverage.
C) Limit doctor lawsuit awards to ~150,000 dollars. If the patient needs continuing medical help, they can go on Medicaid.
The doctor may still loose his license due to incompetence or misconduct, but limit the award. This will lower the doctor insurance premiums dramatically which will lower costs.
D) Give huge fines to doctors who are found “padding the books”. Doing unnecessary surgeries or overcharging. Possibly jail time.
Problem solved!
Agreed that punch back is needed.
The government is fighting against the multi-Billion dollar Health Insurance industry.
This oligopoly of insurance companies are backed by their Republican proxies in government who are awash in grease money.
They have also hired professional demonstrators to “enact” a form of public outcry that their favorite doctor will be banished.
This is the shameful state of our union.
So why doesn’t the government do the simple fix?
BECAUSE THEY DON’T WANT TO!
Why not? Obvious! The Obama Administration isn’t doing the easy fix to our current system because they want us to become more dependent on the Government.
When you are in the military, you get:
A Government paycheck.
Food.
Shelter.
Health Care.
With the Obama Government, you get:
A Government paycheck.
Food.
Shelter.
Health Care.
In the Military, the Government owns you.
In the Obama Government, the Government will own you.
After all, when someone pays you, feeds you, shelters you, and keeps you healthy, they for all intents do own you.
Why aren’t they starting simple and light and going from there?
I’m not comfortable with the “Behemoth All At Once Plan”.
Healthcare needs reformed but do it at least a little gradually. If you do something huge and at all once, things can get out of control in a way that is not easy to resolve.
Self centered bunch of idiots. They only care about their own health care they are already fortunate to have. What about the millions who need at least something? These activists don’t go to these meetings to discuss this, they only go there to make their demands for their own sake. I like discussion that talks about how to solve the problem of providing some kind of basic care to the uninsured.
Discussion is what our Democracy is all about! These hooligans going to these meetings to disrupt (their only intent) is shameful. Let what they have to say be heard. Reminds me of the hoards who screamed “Crucify Him!” in Jesus day.
Amazing. Here on Dvorak, the consensus is against the Messiah. Seems his health plan is doomed.
#9
What you say makes a lot of sense. Don’t know why I’ve missed it before but definitely food for thought. Thanks.
You’re welcome. I’m glad someone here has on open mind.
Anything I can do to help!
#13 I would agree with you thus far. The Health care industry seems to have achieved it’s goals.
We are back to doing nothing about the cost of Healthcare and keep it as an American luxury.
Congratulations!
#15
Thanks. I recently decided that believing in this Obama dude is like walking blindly into a cave full of bats. It’s time to cut my losses and say goodbye to the dark side.
I’m sure JCD can afford lots of excellent insurance, so it’s easy to see how all he really cares about is the threat of having to pay a fair amount of taxes.
Obviously everyone else here has more than sufficient, affordable insurance, so it’s easy to see how all of you really only care about yourselves.
It all makes perfect sense to me and to tell you the truth, it’s good for my business.
Fuck everyone else, neh?
O ne B ad A ss M istake A merica
@ #7
Do you not see your hypocrisy?
First you say, “Why do we need a ‘Government Option’?” Then you describe your 4-step plan in which 50% of it ends up with more people going onto Medicaid.
Just so you know, Medicaid is a government ran program.
I do agree with your point A.
Point B – We’d just end up with insurance companies pushing people into Meidcaid when they get ill.
Point C – Doctors can already loose their license. Malpractice suits isn’t what’s REALLY the problem it’s your point “A” the insurance companies.
Point D – This already can happen. It’s not the doctors who pad the books but I’ll agree there is waste and fraud that needs to be cleaned up.
I think everyone would agree that NO ACCOUNTABILITY is what has caused most of the mess we are in. Albeit, Wall Street, Health Care, whatever the case, rampant greed has taken it’s toll.
The “key” problem with providing healthcare to all and preserving the healthcare you already have is FOR PROFIT MEDICINE removing %30 thru duplicate service, unhelpful competition, profit, etc.
The ONLY WAY to achieve significant CHANGE WE CAN BELIEVE IN is chopping out what is proving NOT TO WORK and installing SINGLE PAYER!!!
Obama in his insane desire to meet the repugs/”if I disagree you are a Nazi” party is providing ineffective changes at the edge that leave the money sucking problem at the core. I understand “some” of the changes in the current programs, don’t understand at all why it should cost more money.
Can’t provide dramatic changes while trying to placate the competing elements of the plan.
Heh, heh. Just saw Obama saying he wanted the people that caused the problem to “stop talking.” Yea. Why are they talking when Obama started by accepting their core needs? And why is healthcare fighting so hard when they are hardly being touched by the proposed plans?
Thats just how greedy they are, and how stupid the republicans and their core base is.
Those that have turned off by the incompetency of the process–you have my sympathies, but you are only encouraging continued bad government.
VOTE ALL INCUMBENTS OUT OF OFFICE.
((Ah Yea–this rant would have been against YOU, but #20 nailed you. What’s happening to you?))
Bobbo, are you taking writing skills from ECA?
Even if you save 1/3 from your hypothetical savings measures, you still haven’t addressed why health care costs are rising, so in a few years, you’ll be right back to the same spot, as the higher costs wipe out your savings.
Only now, since you’ve eliminated profit and competition, you will have fewer doctors and fewer hospitals.
#11
There are other solutions to get all people covered that do not involve the “government plan.” EVERYONE agrees that SOMETHING must be done about health care. However, there is a vast chasm of differences in what exactly should be done.
#22
There are many much smaller steps that can be taken that would not involve tearing down the health insurance industry as a whole. If a single-payer system is so great, then let one or more of the States implement it and let’s see how it goes before we force a potentially bad plan down everyone’s throat.
> VOTE ALL INCUMBENTS OUT OF OFFICE.
So in 2010 that will be mostly Democrats and in 2012 that will be Obama. I like it.
““If you get hit, we will punch back twice as hard,” Messina said, according to an official who attended the meeting.”
“Once vigorous measures appear to be the only means left of bringing the Americans to a due submission to the mother country, the colonies will submit.”
George III
Didn’t work then, won’t work now.
#20 Rambie.
Good comeback and analysis. See how easy it is to have a constructive conversation, and how much better it would be to examine and fix what need fixing?
I see this as a good thing.
Now, as to the points:
Point A: Thank you.
Point B: Reasonable, debated, and well though out guidelines for when someone ends up on Medicare will help the truly needy without overly burdening the rest of us. After all, most of these people end up in the emergency room and we pay anyhow (right, bobbo? You stated previously that your healthcare was the emergency room).
Point C: You missed the point entirely. Malpractice insurance has skyrocketed, and the costs are passed down to us. Peruse this excellent CBS report on exactly this subject.
http://tinyurl.com/sejgn
“Dr. Paul Tudder figures he’s delivered about 4,000 babies in 21 years, and in that time, he’s never been sued. … His premium was $23,000 in 2002. Then it jumped to $47,000. This year, he got a quote for $84,000.”
And who pays? WE DO! And there are over 900,000 doctors in the US. Do the math.
Point D: Related to point C. Doctors as a matter of business practice order far more test and do many unnecessary procedures simply to keep from being sued. “Look at all the test I ran! I did everything possible!” Even when these things were unnecessary, and only to cover their ass.
What we get my approach is affordable healthcare, universally available coverage, reduced excess, and competition for who can provide the best service at the most reasonable price.
All these things are missing from ObamaCare.
This is the only real opportunity for Healthcare reform with a leader with the will to push the insurance industry and public/industry outcry for relief.
Once the GOP snookers it’s way into government (and they will), you can assure yourself NOTHING will be done.
In the mean time, not only we keep Healthcare as a luxury, but US companies will have to compete with foreign companies that are not burdened with 20-30% annual increases in insurance costs.
The only entity that can stand toe to toe with the insurance industry is the Federal government.
There are really 5 health care plans and we are supposed to “support” whichever one our leader’s best judgement thinks is correct, then get out of the way, and don’t ask questions. As Obama said “I don’t want the folks who created the mess to do a lot of talking. I want them just to get out of the way so we can clean up the mess.” So those that are asking questions created the “mess”? Obama’s preternatural self confidence is creepy and his staff’s lock-step certainty in his yet to be proven abilities (outside of reading a TelePrompTer) is extra creepy.
What if Bush said “I don’t want those that allowed the terrorist attacks to do a lot of talking. I want them to just get out of the way so we can clean up the mess.” How would that have been covered in the mainstream press? What would those on the left have said? Would they have said a “punch back is needed”? But this discourse is OK because it’s now OUR guy dishing it out.
I thought that “dissent” was patriotic. What happened to that meme? What if Karl Rove said “if you get hit with a question on the war, hit back twice as hard.”? How would that have been covered in the mainstream press? Then again I’m still wondering where all the “Blood for Oil” and “Quagmire!” crowd has gone after the deadliest month in Afghanistan since the start of the war.
Bush never would have said that. It makes sense.
Dems – Push the health care plan through, screw the Republicans. Grow some testicles and let the Repubs jump up and down and hold their breath.
Republicans are a disgusting example of all that’s wrong with your country.