A few days ago I wrote a post titled The Conservative Plan: Don’t Get Sick. I don’t know if Rep. Alan Grayson, D-Florida, reads Mahablog, but if he does I don’t mind at all that he borrowed my title. It’s the truth.
Grayson, of course, is the congressman who made a splash yesterday when he said in the House,
“It’s a very simple plan,” Grayson said in a floor speech about health care on Tuesday night. “Don’t get sick. That’s what the Republicans have in mind. And if you get sick America, the Republican health care plan is this: die quickly.”
In the video above Wolf Blitzer seemed shocked, shocked that anyone would say anything bad about Republicans.
People keep saying Republicans have no health care plan. They actually do, but it’s a dysfunctional one that would make the situation worse instead of better. I’ve waded through the health care sections of the rightie think tanks and looked at the “legislation” Republicans are actually proposing, so I probably know about as much about the Republican health care plan as most Republicans.
The various health care plans being put forward by Republicans address two vital issues:
- They provide impressive talking points to repeat on cable news programs.
- They can be printed into respectable stacks of paper to hold up to cameras, accompanied by the declaration See? We do so have a plan.
As explained in the two posts linked in the previous paragraph, the crown jewels of the Republicans “plan” are these:
- People should pay more for their health care so they take better care of themselves and not need health care (in other words, don’t get sick).
- Allow the insurance industry to separate us into low-risk and high-risk pools. They can make bigger profits selling junk policies to the healthy, and if the unhealthy can’t afford their jacked-up premiums, that’s too bad (in other words, die quickly).
- Tax credits.
Seriously. The “purchasing insurance across state lines” scam falls under “separating us into low-risk and high-risk pools,” as explained elsewhere.
Perhaps the biggest flaw in allowing health care to be paid for by “free markets” is that there is no incentive for “free markets” to cure anyone. The health care industry doesn’t make money by curing you, but by what it can sell to you at a profit. Whether you live or die, you (or your heirs) still have to pay the bills.
And speaking of health care — I have the flu. Light posting for a while.
Great explanation of Republican plan. I really am enjoying the dust up from the Grayson comments. How those are any different from the ‘pulling the plug on grandma comments I fail to see. I do wish he had not made the reference to the Holocaust, however. Would love to see Jon S. do a selection of the things in addition to ‘you lie’ that Repubs have said on the floor of congress. Get well Maha, this may seem selfish when you are sick, but I will have trouble navigating this stuff without you!!!!!
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Its just amazing, CNN makes a big god dam deal out of Grayson’s over the top language but said nothing when Ginny Waite said this or when Virginia Foxx said this. I couldn’t get through the entire clip I was getting nauseous with rage. Funny I watch without FAUX without getting physically ill but I can’t stomach CNN. I found it amusing how all the bobbleheads were so offended that Grayson compared the deaths caused by the lack of coverage to the holocaust. Oh boy don’t use the holocaust out of context, someone might get offended. Get over it!
I watched part of the Grayson clip, and am impressed with the guy, and am totally unimpressed with the CNN stooges. Greenwald and Digby write a lot about the Village mentality, and there it is for all to see.
I guess “first they laugh at you” is the first stage of Democrats taking back the national discourse, and thank God for men like Grayson to lead the way. CNN=pap.
Get well Maha, this may seem selfish when you are sick, but I will have trouble navigating this stuff without you!!!!!
Seconded, all of it. Take it easy… we promise not to trash the joint while you’re resting.
CNN=pap.
Also seconded. Moonbat, thanks for the reminder that “first they laugh at you” can sometimes be a positive thing.
A little clarity here — Grayson’s reference was to “a holocaust” (lower case h, generic), not to “the Holocaust” (specific reference to the Nazi’s scouring of European Jewry). Let’s not confuse kleenex with Kleenex ™.
Feel better soon, maha!
Grayson is my new hero, even before I took the time to watch that CNN clip. My goodness, the Villager mentality in the Situation Room is something to behold, though I thought Grayson knocked it out of the park.
(On a related note, who at CNN put Carville in front of that background?! It made him look even more like Skeletor. For a second I thought I was watching Space Ghost Coast to Coast, or something.)
This story is the best thing I’ve heard out of Congressional Democrats since Barney Frank’s epic stance at a town hall meeting.
It’s about time one of them started saying what was on everyone’s mind and isn’t apologizing for it.
I couldn’t believe the way that the CNN talking heads ganged up on Grayson last evening. When was the last time they did that to a Republican?
It’s really a shame that Grayson didn’t have the presence of mind to point out to all involved in that panel that they didn’t spend large amounts of time and anguish on many, many more similar comments, and worse, from Republicans on the floor of the House. Michele Bachman is only the most obvious one to come to mind. But let a Democrat point out such things and hoooo boy, the country’s going to hell.
We need a medical research program that will clone Grayson and put 70 of him in the Senate and 400 in the House! Maybe then the Democrats will finally achieve something useful!
I put my money where my decision is: with Grayson. I encourage all to do so, and to send him a congratulatory message as ribbon on the package. He has hit the R’s right with the most painful blow of all: the undeniable truth. I am so glad I have the net. It connects me with reality in the best way.
Maha, best wishes on your speedy recovery. FWIW, I checked DCD today in their FAQ (acronym fatigue on aisle 9) and they say you can get both immunizations (seasonal flu shot and first H1N1 shot) at the same time. The second H1N1 is given 3 or 4 weeks later.
I have not yet found a good inoculation for Blue Dogs, but I think some of them have picked up a bad strain of distemper. I hope we can isolate them on the porch when the big progressive dog hunts in 2012!
We need a medical research program that will clone Grayson and put 70 of him in the Senate and 400 in the House! Maybe then the Democrats will finally achieve something useful!
I would offer to bear the dude’s children, but– whoops, too late.
One very important part of the Republican Plan has been left out of the reporting: “Be rich.”
Grayson is the congressman from a neighboring district, I wish he was mine. We have a Republican named Posey.
Greyson unseated Ric Keller, a contemptuous schmuch, bravoGreyson.Central Florida is pretty solid Republican, and I’m a bit suprised he won, but our economy was (is) tanking, and Americans take notice when they take a hit in the wallet.
maha,
Get better fast. We need you!!!
If a Democrat goes 50 miles and hour in a 55 mile-an-hour zone, he/she is treading near the limits of the law. This merits an investigation. Go 56 mph, and they’re lawbreakers and scofflaws – and you need full-blown Congressional hearings and all sorts of threats.
If a Republican goes 65 in a 55 mph zone, they’re trying to move the process ahead and might warrant a look-see. If they go 95 mph, they’re trying to speed through the process to save the taxpayer money. Any dead, or dying, are merely bystanders to fiscal responsibility and national security, like the dead hooker who argues with a Republican Congressman over the extra charge for every site in an around-the-world trip.
There used to be laws. Now, law is in the eye of the beholder. And the beholder is the MSM, who, like a bad ref, call fouls on one side, but turns a blind eye to the other. Hell, it turns two blind eyes.
Where was the wall-to-wall coverage of “truther’s” after 9/11 on MSM? Vitually none – not that there should have been. But “birther’s? Jesus, 24/7 in every medium.
And, it’s only going to get worse, kids….
The situation room? A bunch of clowns trying to create an air of importance.. Wolf with his, ” what about the death panels” question just shows what a bunch of mindless conservative puppets they are. Talk about beating a dead horse?.. How much mileage can you get out of sheer stupidity!
Pluky, ‘Let’s not confuse kleenex with Kleenex â„¢’. You are right. Sorry for the confusion. With that in mind, I am in love with Grayson
Maybe I just don’t get the big picture but, I read where the latest yearly defense budget will be around 632 billion dollars ,and of that, 153 billion will go toward Iraq and Afghanistan expenditures. I’m puzzled to understand how we can drop that kind of money into a moral and financial abyss and yet not be able to find the resources to provide a better quality of healthcare for our citizens.
I think somebody has got their priorities really screwed up..big time.
The situation room? A bunch of clowns trying to create an air of importance. I think it’s so symmetrical and natural how Grayson 6’5″ ends up with Wolf 4’2″. The good idea starts out tall and ends up short with wolf, crying “I’m too overpaid and who respects me nowâ€. He looks like old shrinking teevee host! There at the end of the table!Wolf. Wolf.
Wolf
Slips Maha some echinacea tea and chicken noodle soup ~
Wolf was the one interviewing Maha when I first heard of this site.
Wonder why he was so shocked at Grayson. Do you think he has read the repug plan or is it just a stack of blank pages they are waving?
There’s a thingy on national parks on PBS these days.
One of the things it says is how the logging industry was putting out ads saying if you make this a national park, you will lose jobs and only hurt yourself. It also said the logging industry was clearing 60 acres a day trying to get as much as they could before the land was bought by the citizens for a national park.
I am glad the citizens didn’t listen to them.
Swami, when you understand who” pushes the buttons” (and I’m sure you do), it’s easy to understand how they (we) squander so much on “defense”.
I guess Wolf Blitzer is a “teacup” poodle………
Maha, get someone to pick up some shiitake mushrooms, and google “dragon mist soup”, great for a cold or flu. ‘Hope you feel better soon.
This guy is great, we need another couple of hundred of his caliber in Congress to kick some republican butts.
Senators Rockefeller, Schumer, Stabenow and Widen of the Senate Finance Committee Sub-committee on Health, did a great job of pointing out that the Medical Industrial Complex’s contribution to Health Care Reform, according to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) is $20 BILLION and in return they will get $500 BILLION in TAX-PAYER FUNDED SUBSIDIES. Democratic Senators baucus, conrad, carper, lincoln and nelson voted with the republicans to kill the public option 09-29-09.Criminally corrupt politicians are the reason the U.S. is ranked near the bottom of every catagory when ranked next to other modern, industrialized nations. Time for publically funded elections. lieberman $12.6M, mcconnell $7.8M, baucus $7.7M, cornyn $6.7M, kyl $5.6M, grassley $5.4M, ensign $5.2M, conrad $5.1M, cantor $4.9M, nelson $4.9M, burr $4.8M, boehner $4.4M, hatch $4.4M, lincoln $4.1M, vitter $3.9M, carper $3.6M were paid by the Medical Industrial Complex to kill Health Care Reform. (Source: OpenSecrets.org, Aug. 09)Follow the Money: LinkCall Congress and demand, Single-Payer Health Care for All!(Toll Free # House and Senate)1-866-338-1015 _____ 1-866-220-00441-800-473-6711 _____ 1-866-311-3405Sign Single-Payer Petitions: Link LinkDon’t let the Medical Industrial Complex steal your Health Care from you and your family by donating huge sums of money to Crooked Politicians in order to maintain the Status Quo. Keep up the good fight.SEMPER FI!
There’s a thingy on national parks on PBS these days.
One of the things it says is how the logging industry was putting out ads saying if you make this a national park, you will lose jobs and only hurt yourself. It also said the logging industry was clearing 60 acres a day trying to get as much as they could before the land was bought by the citizens for a national park.
I am glad the citizens didn’t listen to them.
Hmmmm, interesting. Makes me wonder: If Ken Burns had made Sicko, would health care reform be a done deal?
*Sigh.* Probably not, because only us liberals watch PBS.
However, if Judd Apatow had made Sicko, at least the young folk would care.
I comment at the Wall Street Journal blogs as FoxMakesYouStupid.
*
44,700 + people die each year due to lack of insurance coverage. Many of them die in Emergency Rooms, because they waited too long to seek medical attention. Don’t lie to us about “just go to an Emergency Room, they have to take you…â€
Rep Grayson is outraged that the U.S. would allow this to happen. Republican politicians are opposed to changing the status quo, they get way too much money from the health care and insurance industries, just like some Democratic politicians do.
But there’s more to the unwillingness of the Republican pols to do the right thing for America, they want Obama (and the Democrats) to fail. They don’t care about those 44,700 + people, or their relatives and friends. They put party and power ahead of our country, and ahead of our less fortunate countrymen. It’s the Republicans that endorse Death Panels, only they do it by proxy, outsourcing it to the insurance companies.
I applaud Rep Grayson, and I pity the heartless supporters of the GOP.