Article
Fact Checking
[caption id="attachment_13826" align="alignright" width="320" caption="SC Republican Joe Wilson having an "angry white man" moment during Obama's health care speech"]
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There's so much to cover from last night's boner-inducing O-speech. Where to start?
Before we launch, let's address the South Carolina elephant in the room. What is going on with South Carolina? Do they put fluoride in the water there or do they opt for psychedelics instead? Maybe it's growing up in a state where sports teams name their mascots GameCocks and that irony in a Red State messes with their psyche. I don't know, but the SC GOP ain't doing so well and it seems like something either pathological or environmental is at play. Recap:
First, you have a philandering Republican Governor , then Republican Senator DeMint publicly pushing a health care failure that would "break" Obama. Then rumors of a closeted Republican Lt. Gov. Then the very right wing evangelical Chair of the S.C. Board of Education is discovered to be writing erotic porn on the web . Finally (hopefully not!) we have the topper last night: Republican Congressman Joe Wilson doing the very impolite, outside-of-protocol shout out of "You Lie" at the President during his address last night. Specifically, he was spontaneously reacting to Obama's claim that illegal immigrants are not covered in the health care reform bill.
What's been annoying in the post mortem since the Wilson blow up is the singular focus on how it is soooo outside of protocol. Decorum in the House, please. No sudden outbursts in such a respected institution, please. Can anyone recall the last time someone behaved in such an uncouth way? Tut, tut.
Um hello! How about some fact checking, please! HR 3200, the America Health Choices Act does specifically preclude illegal immigrants from coverage. Behold Section 246, page 143 of HR 3200 : "No Federal payment for undocumented aliens. Nothing in this subtitle shall allow Federal payments for affordability credits on behalf of individuals who are not lawfully present in the United States." Pant on fire alert! That's the postmortem people. Not only is he a total uncouth reactionary, but he's the liar.
The South Carolina GOP is such a hot mess right now and I have every confidence that there is a class next semester at Harvard to dissect it. So let's get back to the awesome O-speech last night.
Allow me the opportunity to say, it was just what the doctor ordered. Har har. No seriously.
The left needed to hear strong, affirming statements supporting the public option. The House has declared that without a public option, there aren't more than 60 votes to pass it. The liberal lefties heard some comforting words. Seniors and independents who have coverage needed to hear this won't affect their current coverage and/or needed to hear costs will be controlled. And with this target audience, he needed to definitively debunk the death panel and illegal immigrant coverage lies that have knocked O off his game. I think Obama was broader on the cost control piece and far more blunt and direct on the debunking of the lies.
Moderates in both chambers needed to hear that their voices, opinions and ideas would be welcomed (clearly a strategy to peel off moderate GOP'er Olympia Snowe and hopefully, her moderate GOP'er seatmate, Susan Collins). Even that old wingbag John McCain got a hat tip. Strategy or theater. McCain's comments today seem more theater than any indication there will be a real effort to earn more moderate-ish Republican votes. McCain says today in email: "While I respect the President’s point of view, and hope for an eventual compromise, I believe his proposal amounts to an egregiously expensive and expansive form of government-run health care." Cross him off the list.
Poor Hillary, however. Not a single acknowledgment of her groundwork or how the lies and deceit of 1993 sandbagged her plan for universal health care and set the stage for the showdown this week.
[/caption]There's so much to cover from last night's boner-inducing O-speech. Where to start?
Before we launch, let's address the South Carolina elephant in the room. What is going on with South Carolina? Do they put fluoride in the water there or do they opt for psychedelics instead? Maybe it's growing up in a state where sports teams name their mascots GameCocks and that irony in a Red State messes with their psyche. I don't know, but the SC GOP ain't doing so well and it seems like something either pathological or environmental is at play. Recap:
First, you have a philandering Republican Governor , then Republican Senator DeMint publicly pushing a health care failure that would "break" Obama. Then rumors of a closeted Republican Lt. Gov. Then the very right wing evangelical Chair of the S.C. Board of Education is discovered to be writing erotic porn on the web . Finally (hopefully not!) we have the topper last night: Republican Congressman Joe Wilson doing the very impolite, outside-of-protocol shout out of "You Lie" at the President during his address last night. Specifically, he was spontaneously reacting to Obama's claim that illegal immigrants are not covered in the health care reform bill.
What's been annoying in the post mortem since the Wilson blow up is the singular focus on how it is soooo outside of protocol. Decorum in the House, please. No sudden outbursts in such a respected institution, please. Can anyone recall the last time someone behaved in such an uncouth way? Tut, tut.
Um hello! How about some fact checking, please! HR 3200, the America Health Choices Act does specifically preclude illegal immigrants from coverage. Behold Section 246, page 143 of HR 3200 : "No Federal payment for undocumented aliens. Nothing in this subtitle shall allow Federal payments for affordability credits on behalf of individuals who are not lawfully present in the United States." Pant on fire alert! That's the postmortem people. Not only is he a total uncouth reactionary, but he's the liar.
The South Carolina GOP is such a hot mess right now and I have every confidence that there is a class next semester at Harvard to dissect it. So let's get back to the awesome O-speech last night.
Allow me the opportunity to say, it was just what the doctor ordered. Har har. No seriously.
The left needed to hear strong, affirming statements supporting the public option. The House has declared that without a public option, there aren't more than 60 votes to pass it. The liberal lefties heard some comforting words. Seniors and independents who have coverage needed to hear this won't affect their current coverage and/or needed to hear costs will be controlled. And with this target audience, he needed to definitively debunk the death panel and illegal immigrant coverage lies that have knocked O off his game. I think Obama was broader on the cost control piece and far more blunt and direct on the debunking of the lies.
Moderates in both chambers needed to hear that their voices, opinions and ideas would be welcomed (clearly a strategy to peel off moderate GOP'er Olympia Snowe and hopefully, her moderate GOP'er seatmate, Susan Collins). Even that old wingbag John McCain got a hat tip. Strategy or theater. McCain's comments today seem more theater than any indication there will be a real effort to earn more moderate-ish Republican votes. McCain says today in email: "While I respect the President’s point of view, and hope for an eventual compromise, I believe his proposal amounts to an egregiously expensive and expansive form of government-run health care." Cross him off the list.
Poor Hillary, however. Not a single acknowledgment of her groundwork or how the lies and deceit of 1993 sandbagged her plan for universal health care and set the stage for the showdown this week.
