Myth 19: The American people are demanding “health care now.”
Wednesday, September 9, 2009 at 11:09PM Spokesmen for the Democrats’ “health care reform” proposals say that all those ordinary-appearing Americans waving hand-made signs are either operatives of powerful vested interests, especially insurance companies, or “political enemies” bent on destroying the Obama presidency.
Even people in conservative Montana are strongly supportive, and continue to adulate the President, according to mainstream media coverage of a forum he held in Belgrade, MT.
But poll numbers suggest otherwise. The percentage of people with “very negative” feelings about Obama has tripled since the beginning of the year, hitting 20% nationally, 23% in those older than 65 (Jonathan Weisman, Wall St J 8/20/09). Congressional approval ratings sit at 30% (Daniel Henninger, Wall St J, 8/20/09). A poll conducted Aug 4-9 found that 49% disapproved of Obama’s handling of health care, and 43% approved (Washington Examiner 8/14/09).
Although the Obama campaign made extensive, skillful use of the internet and social networking, David Axelrod, Senior Advisor to the President, sent an email on White House letterhead complaining of “viral emails that fly unchecked and under the radar, spreading all sorts of lies and distortions.”
The White House launched its own “chain email” and a new website, http://www.WhiteHouse.gov/realitycheck. AAPS has been hearing complaints from people who received “spam” from the White House, wondering how the White House got their email address. After a “riotous” response to the snitch mailbox for “fishy” misinformation, flag@whitehouse.gov, the government disabled it. “Reality check” might serve the same purpose.
Who is pushing the Democrats’ proposals? The people with the bullhorns and professionally made signs appear to be bussed-in, paid agitators from unions or left-wing advocacy groups. The town-hall meetings held by the Administration look “utterly stacked,” writes Peggy Noonan (Wall St J 8/15-16/09).
A number of the few people selected to ask questioners were shown to be campaign donors, Organizing for America volunteers, lobbyists for single payer, or union plants (WorldNet Daily 8/13/09).
Will Americans need to resort to samizdat to disseminate news ignored by the media? “Bill” and “Kathy” of Bozeman, MT, who don’t want their email address disseminated, write that the Montana event was held in a secluded, remote, difficult-to-reach hangar at the airport. The Administration shipped in tons of cargo, including chairs and thousands of dollars worth of lobster. Montana folks who wanted to protest—nurses, doctors, cowboys from around the state—were given a permit to assemble far away from the event, invisible to the media. A busload of SEIU members (Service Employees International Union) came in to disrupt their gathering and tried to start fights.
“Everything was orchestrated down to the last detail to make it appear that Montana is just crazy for Obama and government healthcare,” Kathy writes. “I felt I was not living in the United States of America, more like the USSR! … Bill and I have been around when Presidents or Heads of State visit. It has never been like this. I am truly very frightened for our country.”
So who is lined up behind the Administration? In addition to political advocacy groups, there’s the AMA, with $70 million in annual revenue from CPT-code–related materials. And the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) is spending $150 million on advertising to support Obama’s plan—compared to McCain’s $84 million for his presidential campaign (AOL News). Certain health insurers, such as UnitedHealth, that stand to benefit from forcing people to buy their product, gave some $19 million in political contributions, 56% to Democrats (Business Week 8/6/09). Against insurers who oppose government-run health care, Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA) and Rep. Bart Stupak (D-MI) have launched “Soprano-style tactics,” writes Newt Gingrich. On short notice they have demanded detailed information on executive compensation packages and business practices from 52 large insurance companies.
“In the spirit of Joe McCarthy,” Gingrich says, “Waxman and Stupak are attempting to use raw political power to silence their opponents” (Washington Examiner 8/21/09).
Attempts by the White House to set Americans against each other—“good Americans protecting the president’s health-care program” versus “bad Americans fighting it and undermining truth and goodness”—has not played well. “Americans don’t take well…to bullying, especially of the moralizing kind,” writes Dorothy Rabinowitz (Wall St J 8/15-16-09).
The response at town halls gives reason for hope, writes market strategist John Browne of Euro Pacific Capital. “It may be that the deep resentment expressed in town halls will embolden ordinary people to pressure Congress to stop the train. If that happens, America will begin the long and painful road towards economic restructuring, individual freedom and enterprise. Under those conditions, America would represent a great investment opportunity” (Asia Times).
Despite the fact that support for the Plan is down 21% in 3 weeks, Obama may still be right when he proclaims, “We’re going to get this done one way or the other” (Wall St J 8/21/09). Constituents’ outrage may not matter. To win the ultimate prize of a government takeover of medicine—thus setting what Lenin called the keystone in the arch of the socialist state—Democrats might risk it all, even their congressional majority (Jim Geraghty, National Review Online 8/13/09).
Additional information:
- “Waterloo,” AAPS News, September 2009.
- “The Nationalization of Your Body,” by Mark Steyn. SteynOnline 7/28/09.
- The Voluntary Way Is the American Way. AMA pamphlet c. 1950.
Reader Comments (7)
Anyone with incumbent behind their name on the ballet needs to be voted out of office. It is We The People versus the Politicians. It has changed from Republicans versus Democrats to Politicians versus We The People. TERM LIMITS is the answer, though they the Politicians will never vote against their job security, We The People still have the responsibility to get TERM LIMITS done. All we have to do is VOTE against all incumbents and the Politician Party will fall. They got us into this mess, now We The People need to get us out and TERM LIMITS is how we do it.
After we purge the system in about three elections, then we can monitor the good ones and the bad ones. Those who take bribes to bolster their status vs serving the people. Eventually We The People will again rule as stated in the CONSTITUTION of which I support.
The document lasted close to 150 years before selfish irresponsible Politians started messing it up. So for the last 80+ years they have nearly destroyed its pure intent. It is time to start putting it back in place. Thomas Paine gave us the answer in "COMMON SENSE", "TERM LIMITS". When a person starts to feel like they own the office instead of serving in the office they are abusing their power and the people they serve. They need to be expunged from their high and holy estate and drug back to reality and given again the title of "Joe Citizen".
LET FREEDOM RING ONCE AGAIN FROM THE MOUNTAINS TO THE SEA FILLED WITH FOAM.
IF YOU LOOK AT THE INCREASED COST OF HEALTHCARE INSURANCE OVER THE LAST 15 YEARS, AND FACTOR IN THE PERCENTAGE OF YEARLY INCREASES OVER THE NEXT 10 YEARS, HEALTH CARE WILL BE A MOOT POINT BECAUSE NOBODY BUT THE RICH WILL HAVE THE RESOURCES TO PURCHASE IT IN 10 YEARS. OUR ONLY WAY OUT OF THIS MESS IS WITH A SINGLE PAYER PROGRAM WITHOUT THE 30% PROFIT MARGINS THE INSURANCE COMPANIES ARE RAPING US WITH NOW. IN 10 YEARS WE WILL HAVE TO GO TO CANADA OR MEXICO FOR MEDICAL CARE
I live near the Canadian border. Some are ALREADY going to Canada for medical procedures. They have to pay for it, but it's a lot less than it is here since rates are capped.
Protestors who are either invested in the current system or closed-minded right wing freaks whose only goal is to sabotage the Obama administration... and the false dichotomies just keep on coming. By the way, does anyone else think it a tad odd that the elected officials enjoy and allegedly will continue to enjoy their own healthcare plans? Healthcare most certainly is a mess, but can we really afford to assume that this is the only way to fix it? Really? Why does the answer always seem to be "government?" When did we begin expecting the government to run everything, to solve every single one of our problems? Rhetorical question, by the way. Can we not go to the source(s) of the problem rather than take the gigantic bandaid from the federal government? Is anyone aware of the reasons for medical care being so expensive? It isn't just greedy doctors who are only out to make money. Believe it or not, some physicians actually give a crap about people. Ask them about insurance and the overhead it entails. Ask them about AMA regs. Ask them about malpractice insurance. I'm all for not having to shell out sixty more bucks on a hospital bill for that one tylenol but come on... there's more than one way to skin a cat. The federal government will do it with a dull razor and no shaving cream.
For what it's worth, the AMA represents a small segment of American physicians.
Recently President Obama had a televised "photo op" with a dozen or so AMA members.
They were decked out in white coats---- provided by President Obama's staff----so they would appear to be "real doctors" representing all doctor's support for government run healthcare .
Actually, they WERE real doctors and I assume they represented the American Medical Association.
They did NOT represent all physicians in the U.S.
80% of the physicians in the U.S. are NOT members of the AMA. ---so says Wikipedia and my doctor.
80% of all physicians in the U.S. are NOT members of the AMA (American Medical Association), according to Wikipedia and my doctor
I agree that this has become we the people agains a group of merritless self appointed political elites and would be tyrants, but if you think that congress is unreponsive now, just immagine what it would be like if we had term limits and every representative knew that they has only 2-4 years to line ther posckets and did not even have the option of facing the people in another election. Politicaians would have very short track records and could easily lie their way into office, unplug their answering machines and walk away after a couple of years with cherry political appoinments and wheelborrows full of cash for selling us all out. For me personally it is going to be much more gratifying to vote the bums out. The real issue is INTEGRITY and HONOR. I can;t immagine that there is a single person voting on this bill who believes it is within the bounds set on the power of the federal government by the constitution that they SWORE to uphold. If so, than they shouldhave to take a test demonstrating their understanding of that document before they are seated. But the first order of business is stopping this abominable power grab.