THE HEALTHCARE BATTLE (THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN THE HEALTHCARE DIALOGUE):

• Under “It’s About Frickin’ Time:” Democrats are finally starting to put the screws to Senate Finance Chairman Max Baucus (D-MT).  As I have mentioned earlier, Baucus is in a position of great power…and he has received more contributions from the health care/insurance industries than any other senator…and so it should be no surprise that he is “working with Republicans” to remove everything from the health care reform plan that the insurance companies don’t want in there.  The Democrats’ response:  a secret-ballot vote every two years on whether or not the Finance Chairman should retain his/her seat.  Do you see that light flashing in the corner of your eye, Senator Baucus?  That’s your “career dissipation alarm“…warning you that if you don’t start thinking of the American people FIRST, you may lose one of the most powerful and prestigious positions in Congress.
• Business columnist Steven Pearlstein’s column, echoing much of my disgust over the dishonesty being propagated by opponents of health care reform, is getting a lot of mileage today.  I apologize to those readers who have heard me say this so many times: those of us who value honesty…we can understand “spinning” information to help support your side of an argument…what we CAN’T TOLERATE is outright lying to the American people.  His main points?  One…in NO WAY can the current plan be characterized as a “government takeover” of health care.  Two…there is a ZERO percent chance that the proposed “public option” would drive private insurance companies out of business.  Three…the reform will NOT cost one trillion dollars a year…it’s one trillion dollars over TEN YEARS.  He also dismisses the inane fearmongering over “rationing” and “government making your health decisions“…which should sound familiar if you’ve been reading the RLF lately.
• In the “We Are Such Chumps” department: In many ways, as Chad Terhune and Keith Epstein write, the insurance companies…HAVE ALREADY WON.  They paid the lobbyists and the PR firms.  The lobbyists paid the Republicans and Democrats to make sure the reform bill didn’t hurt the insurance companies bottom line significantly.  The PR firms convinced you that you should be worried about “rationing,” your grandmother, “socialism,” and turning into a Canadian.  The media picks up on your rationing/grandma/socialism/Canadian fears and goes berserk.  The Republicans and Democrats then use your “outrage” as a rationale to gut the reform plan.  So now, the plan which previously helped you a lot, and hurt the insurance companies only a little…helps you only a little and doesn’t hurt the insurance companies at all.  It’s a rigged game…and to all the ignorant Americans who did the insurance companies’ jobs for them…you played your part of “angry puppet” so perfectly, and please expect your premiums to go up a bit, so the insurance companies can recoup all the money they spent buying Congress and fooling you.
• Representative Thaddeus McCotter (R-MI) opposes health care reform for us “human-folk“…but supports it for your pets.  He has introduced legislation to allow pet owners to take a tax deduction for all their PETS’ health-related expenses.  Well, at least everyone on the hill has their priorities straight…
• Most Interesting News Item You Didn’t Hear About: Thirteen Congressional Republicans don’t want any more government “interference” in our insurance system…unless it’s at the state level, in which case “socialized, single-payer” systems are just spiffy.  Rep. John Kline (Minnesota), Rep. Tom Petri (Wisconsin), Rep. Buck McKeon (California), Rep. Peter Hoekstra (Michigan), Rep. Mike Castle (Delaware), Rep. Mark Souder (Indiana), Rep. Vernon Ehlers (Michigan), Rep. Judy Biggert (Illinois), Rep. Todd Platts (Pennsylvania), Rep. Joe Wilson (South Carolina), Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (Washington), Rep. Tom Price (Georgia), and Rep. Brett Guthrie (Kentucky) ALL voted to force states that opt out of any new “public insurance option“…to provide a single-payer alternative of equal value.  Huh?  What just happened?

THE TOWN HALL “PROTESTS:”

• A group of “protesters” at a Tampa Bay town hall, who admit they were spurred on by Glenn Beck, the Republican Party, and lobbyist-led conservative action groups…have now created a situation so hostile, un-democratic, and un-American, that it led to violence.   The mob, whipped into a frenzy by the hatred and violent proposals of the conservative media and by the designs of their corporate overseers, showed up utilizing what has now become a common playbook of disruptive tactics, along with signs bearing racist sentiments, and racist caricatures of the president.  It is reported that this led to an exchange of blows inside the building.  I opposed so much of what George W. Bush did as President…and was very vocal about my dissent.  But…such is the nature of politics…the other guy won.  The one thing I DID NOT DO, was to call for violence or the disruption of the democratic process.  The Rush Limbaughs and the Glenn Becks who are doing so, should realize that if any blood is spilt…it is on their hands.  Both their behavior, and the behavior that they prompt others to engage in is purely UNAMERICAN.
• At House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-CA) town hall…more of the same.  Journalists even spotted children in strollers bearing signs with swastikas on them and references to “fascism.”  There were young people giving mock Hitler salutes.  And again…the obvious sources are Beck and Limbaugh, who have been promoting the idea that the current administration represents fascism on par with Hitler’s regime.  As a history teacher…it’s insulting.  As a student of political philosophy…it’s laughably stupid.  I normally try to avoid abrupt statements of disgust, but in this instance, there seems no other way:  to compare Obama to Hitler, or the current government to “fascism,” is SO PROFOUNDLY STUPID and only reveals that the person performing the comparison knows NOTHING of history, government, or philosophy. For those who actually wish to learn a bit more about such things…here is one of my previous posts.
• His name is Rick Scott and I have mentioned him before…former hospital CEO…his hospital was found guilty of MASSIVE Medicare fraud…now founder of the Conservatives For Patients’ Rights group that is rounding up and “training” town hall mobs.  Well…it is a pleasure to watch CNN’s Rick Sanchez expose Scott for who he really is, and what he is doing:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jy8i8FbVFyU

• Still think the protests are just “naturally occurring?“  Check out this woman disrupting Congressman Steve Kagen’s (D-WI) town hall meeting.  She identifies herself as “just a mom from a few blocks away” who is “not affiliated with a political party.“  Can you guess who she really is?  If you guessed that she is a GOP operative…who worked for Kagen’s opponent’s political campaign…and who worked for the Republican Party of Wisconsin…and for the Republican National Committee…then give yourself a gold star. Here is the video.

THE MEDIA -- HACKS, PUNDITS, AND OTHER INVETERATE LIARS:

• I mentioned earlier, that Rush Limbaugh has taken to making comparisons between Obama and Adolph Hitler, saying “Adolf Hitler, like Barack Obama, ruled by dictate,” on one occasion and on another, “Obama health care logo is damn close to a Nazi swastika logo.“  The clips can be found here.  I’m quite nearly at a loss, when it comes to explaining on how many levels this is foolish…irresponsible…dangerous…and hypocritical.  Foolish, because there is factually NO similarity between Obama and Hitler…on ANY level.  Irresponsible and dangerous, because it is creating an increasingly violent rhetoric within the fringe elements of our society…an unstable and ignorant segment of the population who being confused into believing that the country is being “destroyed,” that Obama is some sort of “demon,” and that violent actions to stop Obama and the Democrats are “justified.”  It is the very definition and lowest possible depth of depraved incitement to violence.
• The National Jewish Democratic Council has called on House Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-VA), who is Jewish, to rightly denounce Rush Limbaugh’s comparisons between the president and Hitler.  As they point out…Cantor once said that more ‘Limbaughs’ were needed in the GOP, and so as a person who has made such a claim and as the only Jewish, Republican member of the House…they would like him to publicly reject Limbaugh’s comments which are a clear insult to those who lost friends and family members during the Holocaust.  Marc Stern, the acting executive director of the American Jewish Congress, said “I think everybody in the political system ought to eschew these remarks. I think this sorts of fire-bomb labeling is McCarthyism at its worst, whether from the left or the right… It is destructive of our politics. We don’t need talk show hosts of either stripe, making informed and intelligent debate impossible.“
• In yet another example…here’s Glenn Beck, putting forth the idea of poisoning House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.  Again…making or promoting threats of violence or assassination against public, elected officials is not funny, is irresponsible, and many cases…it is ILLEGAL:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=UudQuVOwSds

• And Mr. Beck…there is often an immediate consequence.  Remember when Beck recently said that President Obama was a “racist” who held a “deep-seated hated for white people?“  Advertisers Procter and Gamble, Lawyers.com and Progressive Insurance…no longer wish to run ads on Beck’s show.

MISCELLANY…A FEW BRIEF ITEMS:

• You’d think that everyone would be proud and excited that President Bill Clinton was able to fly to North Korea and secure the release of two AMERICAN CITIZENS.  In fact…I’d bet that if George W. Bush had pulled off such a feat, the conservatives would want a national holiday established to commemorate the event.  But no…since it was a former DEMOCRATIC president during a DEMOCRATIC administration…Republicans talking heads are struggling to find bizarre and nonsensical ways to criticize what can and should only be seen as a positive diplomatic mission.  Here, Jon Stewart points out the ridiculousness of former U.N. Embassador John Bolton’s criticisms and the coverage on CNN (or lack thereof) and FOX News:

• Blackwater, the mercenaries…I mean, the “contract soldiers” hired by Bush/Cheney to bolster forces in Iraq…turns out that many of them liked killing Iraqis for sport…and took videos…and the founder/president Erik Prince wanted to wipe all Muslims from the face of the earth…and he personally smuggled illegal weapons into Iraq…and they might have done some illegal arms deals…oh, and they might have murdered some of their own employees to keep them from talking to investigators.  The hits just keep on coming…
• The stimulus IS working.  Republicans…just say “thank you.”  Economic indicators up…stocks up…unemployment claims down…new housing starts up…consumer spending on the rise…new infrastructure projects have begun, contracts awarded.  Each time you continue to call it a “failure“…you’re only embarrassing yourselves.
• I REALLY enjoyed Bob Burnett’s column…where he identifies the ten, clear symptoms that the person you are listening to is a Republican who has lost all touch with reason and reality.  If they say any of these things…you can bet they’ve drunk the Kool-Aid (read Burnett’s column for the elaboration on each):

(1) George W. Bush kept America safe.

(2) History will vindicate Bush.

(3) The recession wasn’t Bush’s fault.

(4) America needs less government.

(5) All taxes must be cut.

(6) Barack Obama stole the 2008 election.

(7) Obama’s economic stimulus package was a mistake.

(8) There isn’t a health care crisis.

(9) Obama has weakened our nation.

(10) Obama is a racist.

And that’s all I have for now, so please have a fun and safe weekend, and I’ll see you back here on Monday.

DEFLECT -- The Sonia Sotomayor Confirmation Hearings:

• From the beginning, it was nearly a foregone conclusion…even the Republicans commented that Sonia Sotomayor’s confirmation was going to happen.  And now it has: by a vote 13 to 6, Sotomayor has been confirmed by the Senate Judiciary Committee as the first Hispanic Supreme Court Justice.  You only get one guess who the 6 “no” votes were.  Despite having the most extensive and impressive judicial record of any Supreme Court nominee in recent history, and despite having a record which shows little or no judicial activism, and despite a record that is as close to “bias-free” as we are likely to see, and despite having fewer cases reviewed and fewer cases overturned than almost every current Supreme Court Justice…Senate Republicans have tried to deflect attention away from other issues by turning the confirmation hearings into a circus replete with accusations of activism, racism, and liberalism.
• Senator Jeff Sessions (R-AL), ranking Republican senator on the committee…voted against Sotomayor.  Why would a man, who failed his own confirmation hearing due to a history of racist statements and actions, condemn Sotomayor?  Sessions said, “I don’t believe that Judge Sotomayor has the deep-rooted convictions necessary to resist the siren call of judicial activism.  She has evoked its mantra too often.” In other words, despite a long record of faithfully upholding precedent, and her statements that she will continue to uphold precedent…Sessions just doesn’t believe her, despite there being NO evidence to support his conclusions.  All I can say is, Jeff…is a good thing Sotomayor doesn’t make decisions the way that you obviously do.
• Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA)…also voted against Sotomayor.  Grassley said, “It seems to me answers to the questions she gave us about that don’t comport with what she actually said or adequate explanation overcoming doubts about her statements,” and added that he is concerned about her understanding of the functions of Congress and the Supreme Court as well as the Separation of Powers.  In other words…he doesn’t really even HAVE a reason beyond vaguely “not liking her answers”…and he is willing to ignore Sotomayor’s established tendency to follow precedent and rule according to the standing law of the land.
• Senator Jon Kyl (R-AZ)…voted against Sotomayor.  Kyl’s reasoning was even more inane than Grassley’s: “I did not make my decision quickly. But when we finished the session in which she failed to answer my questions regarding the Ricci case, I knew then she had a very big burden to overcome, because she had just blown it as far as I was concerned.“  So…because he didn’t like her answers on one topic, concerning one case, and arguably a very hard case (details regarding the complex issues involved in the case can be found here), and a case where she ruled in favor of following precedent (the Supreme Court’s overturning of her verdict is a clear example of judicial activism)…he’s going to vote against her.  Jon…it’s called “looking for any excuse” and it’s petty politics at its worst.
• In fact, the only Republican to vote FOR Sotomayor…was Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC).  Why?  He said she’s well-qualified…with a mainstream record…has shown she can avoid bias…and that “Her life story … is something that every American should be proud of, and if her selection to the Supreme Court will inspire young women, particularly Latino women, to seek a career in the law, then that is a good thing -- and I hope it will.“  That almost redeems him for some of the BIZARRE questions he asked her during the hearings…and of all the Republican senators mentioned, his comments…match up best with the ACTUAL RECORD.

DISTRACT -- The Gates Arrest:

• In a classic example of “distraction,” Republicans have decided to vociferously condemn President Obama’s statement from his recent press conference, where he said the police officers who arrested Harvard Professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. behaved “stupidly.”  How much has the GOP chosen to overplay this hand?  Representative Thaddeus McCotter, (R-MI.) has put forth a House Resolution, calling for President Obama to apologize to Cambridge Police Sergeant James Crowley, the officer who performed Gates’ arrest.  Really…?  Michigan is currently suffering 15% unemployment, and McCotter thinks his time is best spent offering up resolutions calling for apologies?  This, Representative McCotter, is the number one reason why you guys don’t get re-elected.  The resolution reads:

  “Whereas on July 16, 2009, Cambridge, Massachusetts Police Sergeant James M. Crowley responded to a 911 call from a neighbor of Harvard University Professor Henry Louis (“Skip”) Gates, Jr. about a suspected break-in in progress at his residence, which had been broken into on a prior occasion;

  Whereas on July 22, 2009, in responding to a question during a White House press conference President Barack Obama stated: “Skip Gates is a friend, so I may be a little biased here. I don’t know all of the facts involved in this local police response incident”;

  Whereas President Obama proceeded to state Sergeant Crowley “acted stupidly” for arresting Professor Gates on charges of disorderly conduct;

  Whereas, as a former Constitutional Law Professor, President Obama well understands that all Americans are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law, and their actions should not be prejudged prior to being fully and fairly judged by an appropriate and objective authority after due process;

  Whereas, President Obama’s nationally televised remarks may likely detrimentally influence the full and fair judgment by an appropriate and objective authority after due process regarding this local police response incident and, thereby, impair Sergeant Crowley’s legal and professional standing in relation to said incident; and

  Whereas, President Obama appeared at a daily White House Press briefing on July 24, 2009 to address his denouncement of Sergeant Crowley and stated: “I could have calibrated those words differently” but “I continue to believe, based on what I have heard, that there was an overreaction in pulling Professor Gates out of his home to the station.”

  Whereas, President Obama’s refusal to retract his initial public remarks and apologize to Sergeant Crowley and, instead, reiterate his accusation impugning Sergeant Crowley’s professional conduct in the performance of his duties;

  Now therefore be it

  Resolved, That the House of Representatives--

  Calls upon President Obama to retract his initial public remarks and apologize to Cambridge, Massachusetts Police Sergeant James M. Crowley for having unfairly impugned and prejudged his professional conduct in this local police response incident.“

• What makes this “controversy” even more unnecessary…is that President Obama was right.  First of all, we have to set aside the allegations that the police made their decision based on race, simply because there has been no evidence of any kind to substantiate this claim.  So evaluating the arrest on its merits (or lack thereof), here’s the timeline of events, according to the Cambridge police and Sergeant Crowley’s own report:  a 911 call comes in, and the caller mentions that it appears people might be breaking into the Gates residence, or that it might be the home’s occupants…police respond…Crowley radios in that he is talking to “a gentleman, says he resides here” who is being “uncooperative“…Crowley views Gates’ ID, confirms that Gates lives in the house…minutes later Gates is arrested for “disorderly conduct” for what Crowley writes in his report was “yelling.”  What makes Crowley’s decision go beyond simply being “unnecessary” and into the realm of “stupid?“  In Massachusetts…there have been a number of court cases clearly establishing that simply “yelling” at police DOES NOT constitute disorderly conduct.   For example, Commonwealth v. Lopiano, a 2004 decision, and Commonwealth v. Mallahan, a decision from last year, both involved similar incidents.  As the author of this commentary points out, “Arresting someone for doing something that isn’t illegal is pretty stupid.“  Yes, it is.
• Bill Maher was asked on CNN what he thought of the situation.  Here’s the clip (they address the Gates “controversy” after the discussion about the general intelligence level in America):

www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-lLQHn5GZ0

• On a happier note: President Obama, Professor Gates, and Sergeant Crowley are going to sit down, drink a beer, and discuss the matter.  I love this.  People…all people…even police, professors, and presidents, MAKE MISTAKES.  All people have disagreements and misunderstandings.  BUT…if people can sit down at a table over a round of beers (or tea, or coffee, or fruit smoothies…whatever your preference) and discuss the issues…then there is continued hope for an improved level of human dialogue, with more compassion, more civility, and more decency.

DISRUPT -- The “Birther” Theorists:

• You’ve all heard the ridiculous conspiracy theory by now.  Despite both the short form and long form Birth Certificates being made available, the birth announcement in the local paper, and the verification by the Hawaii governor and the Board of Health of said documents, as well as the doctors’ records of the birth…there are still some people out there who are crying, “Why doesn’t Obama just show us the documents?  He’s not an American citizen!“  And because these people are generally right-wing, fringe conservatives…many Republican legislators want to keep this ridiculous idea alive.  Oh…but most of them don’t want to be interviewed about it, because they know just how ridiculous it makes them look.  FireDogLake managed to catch this on film:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=g1o1p_ly7Yw

• Some other legislators…are much more shameless and don’t mind publicly stating their support of the conspiracy.  Senator James Inhofe (R-Okla.) said of the birthers, “They have a point…I don’t discourage it.” Sigh…
• However, a clearly disproven conspiracy is beneath even some of Obama’s most strident opponents.  Senator Jim DeMint (R-SC) has been extremely outspoken in his opposition to the President’s health care reform plan…but on the subject of the birthers: “I may have disagreements with [the president] on issues, but he is my president, he deserves our respect, and we need forget that nonsense…He is not only a citizen, he is our president.“
• Even BILL O’REILLY admits the rumor is “bogus“…oh, but he defends Lou Dobbs of CNN for discussing the theory and giving it a sense of legitimacy.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=x1zrcXCJzK0

• Of course…the GOP are not the only ones given to ridiculous grandstanding over petty squabbles:  In response to the GOP led resolution to require that all future presidential candidates provide proof of citizenship before running for the office…the Democrats have sponsored their OWN HOUSE RESOLUTION to declare Hawaii as Obama’s “official birthplace.”  Ummm…Dems?  Don’t stoop to their level -- just sit back and watch.

Again, I fault Republicans for playing this game NOW, when there are so many pressing issues that require immediate remedy.  Now, more than ever, it would serve the American public best if they were contributing practical and thoughtful solutions, or even if they would simply contribute sound ideas to improve the Democrats’ solutions.  But as I said…when the necessary leadership, creativity, and dare I say, maturity just aren’t to be found: sometimes the “Three D’s” are the only tools available to keep people from realizing that your political party has lost its way.