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Here are a few amusing as well as horrifying quotes from Joshua Holland’s Alternet article "10 of the Nuttiest Statements Elected Officials Have Made in the Health Care Battle".
Sen. James Inhofe, R-Okla.
"I DON’T HAVE TO READ IT OR KNOW WHAT’S IN IT. I’M GOING TO OPPOSE IT ANYWAYS," he told Grady County Express Star. According to the report, "information provided by news media have helped [Inhofe] become a staunch non-supporter of the bill." In other words, his opposition is firmly grounded in whatever he’s picked up from the fair-and-balanced conservative media.
Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa:
warned that the House reform bill "CANCELS EVERY [HEALTH INSURANCE] POLICY" IN AMERICA. "[House Speaker Nancy] PELOSI’S AGENDA TAKES EVERY [POLICY] AWAY."
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IF THE FOUNDING FATHERS COULD STAND IN HERE TONIGHT," HE SAID, "THE TEARS WOULD BE RUNNING DOWN THEIR CHEEKS." He then compared busloads of protesters sent to Washington by deep-pocketed corporate lobbyists to Paul Revere.
Minnesota Republican Rep. Michele Bachmann:
THE HOUSE BILL WOULD MAKE PRIVATE INSURANCE ILLEGAL.
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"WHAT WE HAVE TO DO TODAY IS MAKE A COVENANT, TO SLIT OUR WRISTS, BE BLOOD BROTHERS ON THIS THING. THIS WILL NOT PASS. WE WILL DO WHATEVER IT TAKES TO MAKE SURE THIS DOESN’T PASS."
Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y.L
"NOT A MAJOR ISSUE AMONG THE AMERICAN PEOPLE." The Huffington Post points out that King based the claim on a poll that in fact found that Americans ranked the issue as the third most important, after jobs and the deficit.
Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-N.C.:
"THERE ARE NO AMERICANS WHO DON’T HAVE HEALTH CARE." Which would come as a surprise for the 46 million or so who lack coverage today. "We do have about 7.5 million Americans who want to purchase health insurance who can not afford it," she granted before urging people not to "GIVE THE GOVERNMENT CONTROL OF OUR LIVES."
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[said that reform on the other hand would be just like] AN AX-MURDERER CRAWLING INTO THE ROOM OF A SMALL, DEFENSELESS CHILD IN THE DARK OF NIGHT, ONLY MUCH SCARIER.
Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn.:
"A MINOR REVOLUTION" if lawmakers don’t heed the confused outrage of the tea-partiers. "THE INTENSITY ON THIS ISSUE ACROSS THE COUNTRY IS LIKE NOTHING I’VE SEEN IN A LONG, LONG TIME," he told CNN, adding that if health reforms squeak through, it’ll "WRECK OUR HEALTH CARE SYSTEM AND WRECK THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY."
Rep. Paul Broun, R-Ga.:
"DESTROY AMERICA AS WE KNOW IT TODAY."
INVESTOR’S BUSINESS DAILY
ran an editorial arguing that physicist STEPHEN HAWKING "WOULDN’T HAVE A CHANCE IN THE U.K., WHERE THE NATIONAL HEALTH SERVICE WOULD SAY THE LIFE OF THIS BRILLIANT MAN, BECAUSE OF HIS PHYSICAL HANDICAPS, IS ESSENTIALLY WORTHLESS." Hawking, still a Brit last time he checked, responded: "I wouldn’t be here today if it were not for the NHS. I have received a large amount of high-quality treatment without which I would not have survived."
"tenthers"
The gist of their "argument" is that the 10th Amendment says that powers that aren’t expressly given to the feds remain in the hands of the states.
"deathers"
Begun by veteran wack-a-loon Betsy McCaughey, a former lieutenant governor of New York, the infamous "death panels" were soon being touted by GOP hitters like Boehner and Grassley, who said, "WE SHOULD NOT HAVE A GOVERNMENT PROGRAM THAT DETERMINES IF YOU‘RE GOING TO PULL THE PLUG ON GRANDMA."
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Sigh. Maybe their Cadillac health care plan could provide them with just a tad more valium?
5 Comments
Thanks Joshua, but calling these statements nutty is being too polite. For those of us in the rest of the developed world who live with various forms of guaranteed health care, they’re insane. American narcissism is the most frightening aspect of its culture.
No..lots more..’g’. Not sure whether this is good news, or bad news.
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“Clinton, whose own attempt to pass a health reform package fifteen years ago did not pass either House of Congress, was asked by White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to make the pep talk, according to an aide familiar with the discussion. Clinton is expected to speak to Democratic senators at a closed caucus meeting, urging them to see past differences to pass compromise legislation, according to Democratic staffers. ”
http://blogs.abcnews.com/thenote/2009/11/bill-clinton-to-rally-senators-on-health-care-reform-.html%20%20?cid=ESPNheadline
I don’t think any Republican has read the Constitution. There are a few more things in there that say the Government should provide for general welefare of the people.
They always talk of tort reform which is against the very heart of the rights we were given to redress our greivences in a court of law, and over rules the Jury which is also provided to us.
Let me add everybody talks of the Constutution, but few have read it carefully and understood what the read.
Try boner Quoting the Constitution, then reading from the Deeclaration of Independence, the Republicans want this guy to be the Speaker of the House.
I liked the one Palin said about how the “socialized medicine” would force the deaths of Down’s Syndrome Babies…when just the previous year there was an article in the Independent (UK) about how the British Health Care System has resulted in a major upswing in women and families not aborting their Down’s Syndrome foetuses after ultrasound.
The care and support is so good that they opt not to abort.