Month: August 2009
Poll: 86% Want Universal Coverage; 79% Want Government Option
Despite the carefully contrived optics — the cell-phone videos of deranged Tea-Baggers, Birthers and Deathers disrupting town hall meetings; the armed “right wing terrorists” posing menacingly outside the meeting halls; and signs depicting Pres. Obama as Hitler — and in spite of Republican propaganda about death panels and the rest, a new poll finds that huge majorities of American voters of all ages* remain solidly behind the Democrats’ two primary goals for health-insurance reform: insuring everyone and offering the public access to the same coverage available to elected officials, federal employees, the military and veterans:
POLL DATA
• Penn, Schoen and Berland Associates PDF
• Penn, Schoen and Berland Associates PDF
Nearly 8 in 10 Americans support a federal health insurance plan for those who can’t afford or can’t get private insurance, but only 37 percent define “public option” correctly, a new national poll found.
The majority of people polled — 86 percent — say insurance should be available to everyone regardless of health history.
And:
…79 percent say they believe a federal government health insurance option should be available for people to buy.
* Update: To be clear, the survey was paid for by AARP but the survey group of 1,000 Democratic, Republican and independent voters was not limited to AARP members. According to this pdf, the age range of those polled was 61 percent 49 years old and younger, and 39 percent 50 years old and older.
Grassley Lets Call for Violence Against ‘Little Hitler’ and ‘Washington’ Stand
During the public comment period of a town hall in Iowa this week led by Republican Sen. Charles Grassley, the ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee, an elderly veteran took the microphone and called for violence against the president and the United States government:
“The president of the United States, that’s who you should be concerned about. Because he’s acting like a little Hitler,” said Tom Eisenhower, a World War II veteran. “I’d take a gun to Washington if enough of you would go with me.”
Grassley — whose oath of office includes swearing fealty to the Constitution and thus the government, and who lives in Washington — pointedly did not disassociate himself from Eisenhower’s call to arms against the government. Instead, the senator responded with faint praise of Pres. Obama followed by a long, rambling spin through RNC talking points that included a laundry list of wrongs the president has perpetrated on the country in the scant seven months he’s been in office.
Among these complaints, a good many were actually perpetrated by Obama’s predecessor. In particular, it is rich that Grassley decried the “Federal Reserve dropping money out of airplanes,” when it was the Bush Administration that, in 2003, shrink-wrapped $100 bills in bundles and then flew 281 million notes weighing 363 tons — $12 billion — into Iraq, where it disappeared forever.
Sen. Grassley was the chairman of the Senate Finance Committee at the time, and never lifted a finger to investigate what is likely the biggest single-shot intra-government heist in world history.
But Grassley’s failure to distance himself from a call for destruction of the government is practically statesmanlike compared to the praise Rep. Wally Herger (R-Calif.) heaped upon a man at a town hall meeting last week who described himself as a “right-wing terrorist.”
“God bless you,” Herger responded. “There goes a great American.” Through a spokesperson, Herger has refused to apologize for endorsing terrorism.
These and other Republican pols are playing with fire. Their silence in response to calls of violence by extremists in their base is de facto assent to the threats — and their assent is now in the public record.
Quote du Jour
I’d much rather know if I’m secure in my job. But if I can’t know that, at least I can know the status of my pizza.
— Barry Glassner, sociology professor at the University of California, on the national obsession with tracking, quoted in USAToday.
GOP Rep. Herger Praises Self-Identified Right-Wing Terrorist As a ‘Great American’
In light of his statements during a town hall on Aug. 18, it would be good to hear whether Rep. Wally Herger, a Republican representing a rural district near the California-Oregon border, agrees that these killers are “great Americans.”
At the town hall, Herger — a Mormon and former oil executive who has served in Congress since 1987 — first stoked hatred for the U.S. government by right-wingers in the crowd of 2,000 by spuriously claiming that health-insurance reform is dangerous:
Quote du Jour
You know, make my day.
— Sen. Joe Lieberman, interviewed on CNN, about reports that actor Alec Baldwin could challenge him in 2012.
Frum: Seniors Are Already in Public Plan – Medicare – Govt ‘Could Kill Them All Now If It Wanted to’
A poll last week about who believes what lies about health-insurance reform proved to be a damning indictment of Fox News and of the insurance lobby’s use of the Republican Party’s propaganda machine to disinform the public about reforms.
“The thing that is so wacky about this debate is that it is already true that virtually everybody over 65 is enrolled in a public plan. The government could kill them all now if it wanted to.”
– David Frum
– David Frum
The NBC poll found that a whopping 75 percent of Fox viewers, versus 45 percent of the population overall, believe that Democratic reforms include provisions that would require senior citizens to be evaluated for euthanasia by “death panels.”
This lie, which was first floated by health-industry lobbyist Betsy McCaughey and Facebook blogger Sarah Palin and has been heavily promoted on Fox, has been disproved by non-partisan evaulators like Factcheck.org. And yet, like the good soldiers that they are, Republican pols and pundits have fallen in line to promote this disinformation to their followers.
The latest is Sen. John McCain (R-Maverick), who flushed away what was left of his credibility in an interview with George Stephanopoulos on ABC’s “This Week” yesterday:
Quote du Jour
“Dreams, they seem to cost money but money costs some dreams.”
—The Hold Steady, from their song, “Yeah Sapphire” on the CD, “Stay Positive”
Governor Says His Prayers Have Saved Florida
Everyone’s favorite pandering, self-loathing homosexual, soulless sell-out who will say or do anything to get elected, including marrying a woman to appear straight, gutting Florida’s environmental laws to appear pro-growth, and hugging Obama to appear progressive before denouncing him to appear partisan, is at it again. Charlie Crist is playing the God card in his race for the U.S. Senate.
I hope God won’t feel compelled to step up to the plate now and show Charlie who’s calling the shots
Crist said he isn’t trying to take credit, but he told a group of real estate agents Friday that he’s had prayer notes placed in the Western Wall in Jerusalem each year and no major storms have hit Florida.
Crist noted that just before his election in 2006, Florida had been affected by a total of eight hurricanes in 2004 and 2005.
“Do you know the last time it was we had a hurricane in Florida? It’s been awhile. In 2007, I took my first trade mission. Do you know where I went?” said Crist, a Methodist, referring to a trip to Israel.
He then told of going to the Western Wall and inserting a note with a prayer. He said it read, “Dear God, please protect our Florida from storms and other difficulties. Charlie.”
“Time goes on – May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December – no hurricanes,” Crist said. “Thank God.”
Last year, Sen. Nan Rich was traveling to Israel and Crist asked her to put a note in the Western Wall, a holy site in Judaism and a place where written prayers are traditionally placed.
“It was the same note, by the way, the same prayer,” Crist said.
This year a friend was going to Israel and he gave him a prayer to put in the Western Wall.
“You can do it on the Internet now, but I’d rather have it physically in there,” Crist joked.
I hope God won’t feel compelled to step up to the plate now and show Charlie who’s calling the shots. On the other hand, if the hurricane could just strike the Crist household, it might send the right message to the governor — to tone down the feigned religiosity.
Exotic Travel Beats Health Care Town Halls — Just Ask Your Senator or Representative
If you thought your representatives in Washington were going to spend their summer recess back home, hearing how you feel about the problems with American health care…well, you’re a sucker. In fact, many of them will have been as far from your district as it’s possible to be without space flight. Here’s a rundown of where your senator or congressperson (and their spouses — well, not Lindsey Graham — and staff members) spent summer vacation.
Ireland, Switzerland, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, China, Canada
July 31 – Aug. 13
- Rep. and Mrs. John Boeher (R-Oh.)
- Rep. and Mrs. Dan Boren (D-Ok.)
- Rep. and Mrs. Jo Bonner (R-Mich.)
- Rep. and Mrs. Dave Camp (R-Iowa)
- Rep. and Mrs. Tom Latham (R-Or.)
- Paula Wowakowski, Chief of Staff to Rep. Boeher
- Amy Lozupone, Deputy Chief of Staff to Rep. Boeher
- Danielle Maurer, Director of Member Services for Rep. Boeher
- Jennifer Stewart, National Security Advisor to Rep. Boehner
- Dr. Rob Summerlee, Attending Physician
- James Gottshall, Diplomatic Security
- Col. David Furness, USMC Office of Legislative Affairs Escort
- Maj. Speros Koumparakis, USMC Office of Legislative Affairs Escort
- Sgt. Jennifer Evitts, USMC Office of Legislative Affairs Escort
These travel junkets make the Obamas’ trip to Massachusetts seem downright utilitarian
Germany, Bahrain, Korea, Canada
Aug. 6 – 13
