It's enough to make ya hurl...
Update: During a conference call with prominent progressive bloggers, the President admits he isn't up on the details. Per the Heritage Foundation:
During the call, a blogger from Maine said he kept running into an Investors Business Daily article that claimed Section 102 of the House health legislation would outlaw private insurance. He asked: “Is this true? Will people be able to keep their insurance and will insurers be able to write new policies even though H.R. 3200 is passed?” President Obama replied: “You know, I have to say that I am not familiar with the provision you are talking about.”
How can this not work?
The sign says "nt Obama".What is missing,is it a four letter word?
Posted by: PeterUK | July 21, 2009 at 10:37 AM
"nice try"?
Posted by: Eric Blair | July 21, 2009 at 02:52 PM
Sorry Eric,it has to end with a "t". Bent?
Posted by: PeterUK | July 21, 2009 at 05:58 PM
Dipshit can't even put his nose on straight.
Posted by: richard mcenroe | July 21, 2009 at 08:05 PM
I meant "nt" as in "nice try". You know, what they said about Windows NT.
Obviously, those are the last two letters of "President".
So, what I want to know, is, if the President isn't familiar with that section, and other congressmen are admitting that they didn't read the thing, then who the hell wrote it in the first place?
I mean, somebody had to.
I want to know their names.
Posted by: Eric Blair | July 21, 2009 at 08:45 PM
Dennis you can read the Tri-Committee bill here:
http://edlabor.house.gov/documents/111/pdf/publications/AAHCA-BillText-071409.pdf
Seeing as Obama didn't write it, members of several House committees did, and it's 1000 pages long, it's not surprising he hasn't committed the entire bill to memory.
As a rule of thumb though if criticism comes from the Heritage Foundation and/or the Investor Business Daily it bears as much truth as this.
Posted by: markg8 | July 21, 2009 at 08:46 PM
Maybe it's just because I'm anal-retentive, but if Mr. Obama is going to stump for its passage, I'm going to hold him to the less-than-completely-outlandish standard that he be somewhat familiar with the key provisions of the bill.
It's worth noting that Mr. Obama doesn't seem to know enough about the bill to determine just how far Heritage and/or IBD has strayed from the truth. Shit like that happens when you are unable or unwilling to put in the time and effort to know what you're selling.
Posted by: Dennis the Peasant | July 21, 2009 at 10:22 PM
Well Dennis I'd rather have a president who hasn't heard the latest BS from the idiot brigade than one who proudly commands it.
You're welcome to look up section 102 and decide for yourself if it would outlaw private insurance.
Posted by: markg8 | July 22, 2009 at 01:27 AM
Mark-
The veracity of Heritage's/IBD claim isn't the issue... The fact that the President didn't know whether the legislation he is supporting outlaws private insurance is the issue.
Posted by: Dennis the Peasant | July 22, 2009 at 09:12 AM
"Seeing as Obama didn't write it, members of several House committees did, and it's 1000 pages long, it's not surprising he hasn't committed the entire bill to memory".
What the teenage Law Professor,President of the Harvard Law Review can't hack legislation?
Posted by: PeterUK | July 22, 2009 at 10:34 AM
Obama doesn't know about any provision that outlaws private insurance Dennis because there is no provision that outlaws private insurance. Even the Heritage Foundation admits it. From your own link:
We are familiar with the passage IBD sites, and as we wrote last week, the House bill does not outright outlaw private individual health insurance, but it does effectively regulate it out of existence. The House bill does allow private insurance to be sold, but only “Exchange-participating health benefits plans.” In order to qualify as an ?Exchange-participating health benefits plan,? all health insurance plans must conform to a slew of new regulations, including community rating and guaranteed issue.
Those poor babies in the health insurance business are actually going to have to conform to rules! No more writing policies that bankrupt people or rescinding their insurance for no good reason right when they need it. The bill will also stop for-profit insurance companies from gaming the system, cherry picking the young and healthy, and dumping anyone who gets sick or hurt on the public plan.
The problem with you conservatives is you only care about politics and not policy. What "Obama doesn't seem to know" is just another ridiculous attack from the rightwing propaganda machine. Kind of pathetic when an ongoing conservative meme all year has been "X legislation is so big we never even had time to read it!"
The Tri-Committee bill, with very little modification, has been on the web since June 19th. We've been discussing healthcare reform legislation since Harry Truman was president. We US taxpayers pay good money for staff to help senators and house reps read and understand bills before they vote on them. Instead of hiring hacks who don't know squat about policy but work hard to raise money and get them elected, wingnut legislators ought to actually hire policy wonks instead of relying on nonsense published by propaganda mills like the Heritage Foundation. They wouldn't sound so stupid if they did.
Posted by: markg8 | July 22, 2009 at 12:08 PM
Obama doesn't know about any provision that outlaws private insurance Dennis because there is no provision that outlaws private insurance. Even the Heritage Foundation admits it.
Then why didn't the President simply say, "Health care reform will not outlaw private insurance under any circumstances"? If he was attempting to show the citizenry (a) he was on top of the legislation, or (b) that he wasn't attempting to outlaw private insurancee, he failed miserably. Which is, of course, MY POINT. Then again, it could just have been that Obama was, once again, shamelessly playing to his audience. He was speaking to a bunch of hand-picked progressive bloggers - a fair number of whom would like to see private insurance outlawed - and just couldn't bring himself to disappoint them.
Posted by: Dennis the Peasant | July 22, 2009 at 12:27 PM
Obama gains points in the GW Bush lookalike competition.
Posted by: Magnificent Bastard | July 22, 2009 at 12:51 PM
Dennis I don't know where you got the impression he was "attempting to show the citizenry" anything. He was talking to lefty bloggers to ask them for their help in promoting the bill.
He'll talk to the citizenry in his televised press conference tonight. Most wingnuts won't watch it, but they will latch on to some silly criticism written by some dumb Heritage Foundation or Nat'l Review hack and find it compelling enough to run with and thus make themselves look stupid all over again.
The whole dumb Heritage/IBD argument is so incredibly self defeating it's amazing. Let's suppose they gin up a controversy big enough to get Section 102 stripped from the bill and for-profit insurance companies don't have to meet the same minimum requirements as the public plan. You can keep your current plan if you like as the president says but seeing as there'd no longer be a provision mandating minimum coverage requirements in private plans ala the public plan, and they will no doubt still be more expensive, millions more of us will be clamoring to be allowed into the public plan. After while the only people left in the private plans will be ideologues who are too stupid or stubborn to realize they're paying Mercedes money for Chevette coverage.
Posted by: markg8 | July 22, 2009 at 04:55 PM
"The whole dumb Heritage/IBD argument is so incredibly self defeating it's amazing."
Good,talk us through it line by line.
BTW State medicine means rationing,so lose weight, don't smoke and don't drink and take what you are given like a good little drone.
Posted by: PeterUK | July 22, 2009 at 06:17 PM
Good,talk us through it line by line.
Just did you wanker.
And we already have rationing Petey. Did they lobotomize you or did you manage that on your own?
Posted by: markg8 | July 22, 2009 at 07:24 PM
No. I think your raging ego makes you think you can understand this bill,but its is too complex for you. Perhaps if you had stayed instead of running you might have pick a smattering of education.Sadly it wasn't to be.
Posted by: PeterUK | July 22, 2009 at 08:50 PM
Hey mark -
Enjoy. You voted for the WINNER!
Yes, you did.
I know you are an inquisitive sort - so why don't you go read up on "consequences, unintended".
That is unless you intended to help pull the trigger on the end of Western Civ. If that's the case, then just go about your business.
Got your keffiyeh yet? All the cool kids will have them, you know.
Begging bowls, too.
Posted by: TmjUtah | July 23, 2009 at 12:47 AM
Jesus, I don't know what's funnier, being criticized by a chickenhawk who never served himself or a desert rat boot pisser who thinks we're all going to be enslaved by desert rats from the middle east.
Posted by: markg8 | July 23, 2009 at 01:23 AM
Marky you lose points for the use of "chickenhawk".You after all, started running the day your draft papers turned up and you haven't stopped running since. So don't go projecting your self loathing on to others.
Posted by: PeterUK | July 23, 2009 at 05:24 AM
Petey once again your memory fails you or you're resorting to your favorite tactic, lying when you invariably find yourself on the losing side an argument.
As you well know, or should, if you had the memory of a gnat, I turned 18 in January 1974. The draft was suspended in 1973. On my birthday I went to the post office to register for the draft as every 18 year old male in the US was required to do so I'd have a card to burn in the event it ever resumed. I was listed 1H, i.e. on "hold".
I'm proud we ended that stupid war in Vietnam and I'm proud we're ending that stupid war in Iraq.
You on the other hand, have never told any of us at various blogs over the years what your military career consisted of.
I surmise by your complete lack of military knowledge as evidenced by your claims that helicopters are useless to transport troops in Afghanistan and that you were awed by the Flying Wing as a child in England that you are a chickenhawk. A warmonger who has never served, most likely from a long line of relatives who never served, who relishes war, never giving a thought to the costs for those who have to do the fighting and dying.
You fit the description punk, and until you prove otherwise, you are a the very definition of a chickenhawk.
Posted by: markg8 | July 23, 2009 at 08:43 PM
However Marky,you claimed to a done a runner from the draft,spent years in Canada. Which is why you don't have an education. All there on Flares where you used to stalk.
No the argument was and is,helicopters are not as efficient at high altutudes,Afghanistan is veeerry high up Marky. Nor are the efficient in the heat.Some can thus only operate at night.
Now,the BIB idea from General Garrity proud Operation Yellow Elephant operative
was to put a large army into Afghanistan by air to capture Osama bin Laden.How did that work out?
The use of chickenhawk by the Coward of the County is risible.
Get yourself a proper job kid.
Posted by: PeterUK | July 24, 2009 at 09:21 AM
Let's see the link Petey. All those old Flares posts are still there. C'mon dig it up, I want to see where I wrote anything about me dodging the draft by going to Canada dumbass. You can't because no such post exists.
You're a lying chickenhawk punk Petey without the guts or ethics to admit you made a mistake so you just keep digging yourself deeper. No wonder you love Bush and Cheney so much.
Posted by: markg8 | July 24, 2009 at 04:06 PM
Mark Garrity,Champion Runner.Mommy's little boy who missed out on life,using chickenhawk,you really are a star .
Don't speak of guts and ethics, you would not recognise them,you are just a blaggard. Shame you got barred from Flares,it was so funny watching you get it wrong.
Like the Tiger tanks at Kursk,what fun eh Marky?
Posted by: PeterUK | July 25, 2009 at 05:41 PM
Mark Garrity...gratuitous drunken insults...what fun eh Marky?
But still no link from Petey. *yawn* I won't hold my breath.
Posted by: markg8 | July 26, 2009 at 02:31 PM