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Wanted to share this piece from the AFL-CIO’s Stewart Acuff on the right and the battle for health care. Cross-posted from the Huffington Post.
Some of us progressives mistakenly thought that when Barack Obama and his campaign and mandate for change won overwhelmingly last November and we picked up seats in the House and when Al Franken became the 60th Democrat in the Senate that the new government would enact the change that was the substance of the election.
America’s whacked out radical rightwing, however, has not given up on their agenda to create greater and greater income and wealth inequality, to make the country’s public policy a captive of the bizarre free market ideas of novelist Ayn Rand, and to continue to have our health care determined exclusively by insurance corporations for their own profit while 50 million of us lack healthcare and its cost continues to drag down our economy.
So the August congressional recess has been a bizarre season of rightwing brown shirt tactics of real thuggery led by Dick Armey, Rush Limbaugh, Sarah Palin, and Newt Gingrich.
Wow! What a revelation! Just as Hitler’s brownshirts and Mussolini’s blackshirts intimidated the good people of Germany and Italy in the 1930′s, America’s radical right is attempting to shut down healthcare reform and change by intimidation and force and the power of the Big Lies — death panels, socialism, government healthcare doesn’t work. If you oppose the public plan in the healthcare proposal and you are intellectually honest, then you must favor destroying Medicare and Medicaid and the Veterans Administration and the several other completely government run healthcare systems.
In the most hypocritical tactic yet, the right has compared President Obama to Adolf Hitler.
I think some folks in the mental health profession would call this last tactic projection. They are projecting their own feelings on others.
This is not the time for handwringing and worry and trepidation for those of us who know how desperately our people need real progressive change, the kind of change that can raise living standards and the quality of life for average Americans and strengthen and enlarge our middle class and create an economy that works for all.
Now is the time for us to fight for our vision and our promise and for change, to fight for a healthcare system that ensures quality healthcare for all and checks the insane greed of the insurance industry, to fight to restore workers rights and restore the fundamental freedom in any Democratic society to freely form unions and bargain collectively.
When I say fight I don’t mean the thuggishness being used by the right. I mean peaceful, nonviolent mobilization that counters the Big Lies of the right, gives cover to weak Democrats and demonstrates convincingly that our ideas and policies are in the interests of a stronger, healthier, freer, and fairer America.
1 Comment
HOW TO “if” the Dem’s dare.
In keeping with Chuck Todd’s view, & on the Rachel Maddow
show,” regarding the four identified healthcare bill
myths, Rachel asked, “How do you move people, how do
you actually fight? (for the public option and a good bill.)
First you take it out of the realm of “talk” by removing
the myth factually. Feelings are based on, are generated
by, the underlying person’s values. (If they really don’t
care, no emotion.) Prove their value isn’t violated, the
emotion collapses. If its another value then they must
face that their emotion isn’t coming from “the myths,”
but something else, (like covert racism, or covert
Obama is anti-christ/illuminati disguised. or…
So, the solution is either in a preamble, a separate section,
or an amendment, to every proposed healthcare bill going
forward, a simple straightforward statement that applies
only to the bill in question. Let’s model it on the one
from Obama’s first executive order 13489 ** Sec 5 c
“c) This order is not intended to, and does not, create
any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable
at law or in equity by any party against ………..”
Possible model:
This Bill herein is not intended to, and does not, create
any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable
at law or in equity by any party:
For supplying this healthcare coverage to any illegal
immigrant.
For any government monies whatsoever, however raised,
(be it taxes, fees, rebates, claw backs, or premiums and
the like) being spent to cover performing or materially
assisting any abortion in this bill.
For the government take-over of the substantively
whole US healthcare system in this bill.
For the US government to financially force the private
insurers out of business in this bill.
For supplying the elderly, and/or handicapped, with
healthcare of lesser degree than generally made available,
or withheld, based upon their age or existing condition,
in this bill.
For decreasing existing healthcare coverage under
the US Gov VA and/or under the US Gov Medicare, in this bill.
For having a living will, or consultation for same,
being required, and/or irrevocable at will, in this bill. ***
For excluding funding of proven successful alternative
protocols, in this bill.
(I am not an attorney, not a doctor, and what I say
is neither to be construed as legal nor medical advise.)
Make it very easy for anyone to look it up, that’s
why putting something like this in a preamble, or
its own section, would be so powerful. How can a
Republican refuse to sign the bill with anything on
the included list as his cover rationale? The beauty
is in defusing the emotional sell and pins the Republicans
down to weaker and weaker fringe arguments that in the
end highlight their funding sources as dominant.
At the same time by referencing this bill specifically
it does not limit further changes by succeeding bills
in future years with the required votes to pass, so
it doesn’t preclude the far left from signing it either
**Pres. order 13489 found at fas.org/sgp/obama/presidential.html
***And I suggest a family discussion guide booklet
supplied online or by mail for topics and neutral
questions that stimulate discussion, and an
approved legal form with preset choices and add
your own spelled out choice box with ample lines
in every section, with a 30 day waiting period
before it takes affect after any governmental
consultation, only waive-able if a person is already
on life support, or an immediate death sentence
prognosis, and their primary significant other
person concurs,( spouse, child, contractually
named other.) And revocable at any time in writing,
or auditory recorded statement, by the signor.
(Such formats also provided.) Available to take
and do at home, well after any governmental
consultation. Not legally sign-able within 3 days
of the consultation. So notary must witness patient
signature and witness signature more than 3 days
later than gov consult.and not on or in gov facility,
(with same exceptions if critical situation.)
2. Has no one else noticed that end of life is
precisely the age group Medicare does cover?
and it already covers end of life planning I
believe? The living will in the current health
care bills is a bill aimed at those under 65 years
of age, right?
Doesn’t that make the “death panel discussion”
irrational to you? Granny is usually over 65.
And, Living wills are revocable. Yet no one points
this out. Again take away the basis for the
emotional reaction for the vast majority.
3. Do any of the bills’ versions address what
happens when someone reaches 65, yet? Do they
automatically move into Medicare and off the
public plan? Is there an overlap period for
the transition? Do they keep the same doctors?
Are all medical records made available to the
Medicare Dr’s/system immediately, following
the patient? and if the same doctors serve both
Medicare and the public option and how does this
affect physician’s pay sources? How many times
must procedures be used successfully long term,
to move from experimental, to covered for
everyone in the program? Will low cost options
like the Linus Pauling Protocol for heart disease
or the Johanna Budwig Protocol for cancer be
funded and included****? (both known/proven
for 20+years)
****At the least this will scare the hell out
of the pharma and be a great political bargaining
chip while informing the public. See Dr. Tomas
E. Levy’s book, “Stop America’s #1 Killer” — a
good interviewee, or Owen Fonorow’s book, “Practicing
Medicine Without a license? The Story of Linus Pauling
Therapy for Heart Disease” – another good interviewee.
Keep asking new questions that help inform us! and spread this info.
ES. http://www.rollerskatesunlimited.com