Yet Another Ivy League Moron Misses The Point...

Is there something they put in the water at Harvard, Yale, Darmouth and the rest of the Ivy League?

Some sort of secret stupidity potion or something?

Darmouth educated ex-Harvard professor Robert Reich comes up with the Mother of All Brainfarts:

Why are these meetings brimming with so much anger? Because Republican Astroturfers have joined the same old right-wing broadcast demagogues that have been spewing hate and fear for years, to create a tempest.

But why are they getting away with it? Why aren't progressives—indeed, why aren't ordinary citizens—taking the meetings back?

Mainly because there's still no healthcare plan. All we have are some initial markups from several congressional committees, which differ from one another in significant ways. The White House's is waiting to see what emerges from the House and Senate before insisting on what it wants, maybe in conference committee.

But that's the problem: It's always easier to stir up fear and anger against something that's amorphous than to stir up enthusiasm for it.

Gee, anyone besides me able to see what actually constitutes the Fatal Flaw in the present push for health care reform?

I highlighted it. Not for you, mind you... But for Bob.

Remember: According to Bill Maher, he's one of the smart ones... 

Comments

[richard mcenroe]

Well, if there's no healthcare bill then obviously they can't pass one, can they? So what exactly was all that fuss about back before the recess? Ms. Pelosi?

And Harvard, that's the school full of millionaire's kids that went broke, right?

[markg8]

Maybe Reich hasn't been paying attention but the three house bills are essentially the same and have been on the net now for months. Kennedy's HELP Committee bill has been out a month and in conjunction with the Finance bill will constitute the full senate bill. Because the way senate committee jurisdiction works the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee can't produce a complete bill because Finance has jurisdiction over taxes etc.

Anybody who knows anything about these bills and how congress works knows that there are just a few differences between them all. How to structure payment of drugs, public plan or co-ops, tax and subsidy level for small biz at $400,000 or $500,000, tax increase of 1.9% for wage earners above $350,000 or $500,000, etc.

I've put up a broad outline of the House bill on this site in an earlier thread. Everybody I've sent it to, expert and layman alike says it fairly represents what the bill intends to do and is easy enough for laymen to understand. It relies mostly on instituting free market reforms in what is now a government protected monopoly insurance racket and changes for the better in the way we compensate providers for medical care. It is not a government takeover of the health care industry. It is nothing like the English government run hospital system and according to the CBO will not lead to a single payer system ala Canada. On the left if you're hoping it will you will be disappointed. If you're on the right claiming it will you're lying or being misled.

Misleading Americans and fucking up the country is what got conservatives thrown out of power. Continuing to mislead in hopes you can stop any reforms and keep the country fucked up as a way to regain power is not only incredibly cynical but really stupid.

[Dennis the Peasant]

Maybe Reich hasn't been paying attention?

You've got to be kidding me.

[markg8]

Does it sound like he knows what he's talking about to you? Maybe he ought to stop watching so much teevee. The media checks in with the teabaggers to find out where they're going to make a stink and then they show up and put the goons on camera because a fight is always must see footage in their eyes.

You'll be sad to learn not all town halls get shut down and there are very few Republican lovefests Dennis.

Here check it out:

http://tpmcafe.talkingpointsmemo.com/talk/blogs/markg8/2009/08/two-republicans-fall-flat-in-t.php

[Dennis the Peasant]

Mark-

He's been an almost daily contributor to TPM Cafe for forever. He gets a lot of stuff published at Huffington Post as well. And he's the only prominent Democrat I know of to publicly condemn George W. Obama's sell-out to PhRMA.

[markg8]

Frankly Dennis the $4 to $6 billion a year more Waxman says we can squeeze out of the drug companies in a deal Baucus may or may not have made with Tauzin that Obama applauded that may or may not be included in Baucus's bill and probably won't make it out of conference with the House isn't worth getting all excited about on our side and certainly isn't a deal breaker.

But I agree with you we should try to make direct government negotiations of drug prices part of the final bill. Get your conservative friends on the case. You'll have all kinds of Dems and seniors siding with you and you'll get to stick a thumb in Obama's eye.

[Steven]

Whatever it is they put in the water, I'll bet it's the same thing that causes them to mention their alma mater within the first 5 minutes of meeting someone.