The WaPo's editorial staff really needs to start reading its own paper. Maybe then they wouldn't be spouting Lewin Group bullshit like it's gospel without mentioning that "the Lewin Group is wholly owned by UnitedHealth Group, one of the nation's largest insurers."
I know this will shock you, but all those poor Canadians in the anti-reform commercials were lied to by the right-wing fucktards responsible.
This will also shock you, but Tim Pawlenty, who thinks he could be a contender in 2012, is busy spouting death panel nonsense. And tenther nonsense. Must quote Steve Benen:
We've seen this dynamic before. In fact, we saw it just a couple of years ago.Funny how that always seems to happen, innit?Mitt Romney was known as a relatively moderate Republican governor of a reliably "blue" state, who could present himself, with a straight face, as a pragmatic, sane policymaker. Then Romney decided what he really wanted was to be president. Sane, moderate pragmatism wouldn't win over the Republican base, so that persona would have to be cast aside. It was painful to watch, and ultimately ineffective.
Here we go again. Tim Pawlenty was also known as a relatively moderate Republican governor of a reliably "blue" state. And like Romney, Pawlenty has decided that what he really wants is to be president. So, in keeping with the predictable model, Pawlenty has decided to go full-on crazy to impress the type of folks who vote in Republican presidential primaries.
There's actually some news that will shock you. Bill O'Reilly acted as the voice of reason, not once, but twice. Seriously. Here he is kicking Tenthers' ideas in the arse, and here he is demanding insurance companies be regulated, thoroughly kicking Ann Coulter's stupid ass in the bargain. Quick - look out your windows for other signs of the Apocalypse! And of course wait for the inevitable "I never said that!" even though he did.
Meanwhile, Baucus and Conrad are busy rewriting their shitty legislation to prove to Rep. Wilson that undocumented immigrants really truly won't get any health care help at all, not a bit - even though it's cheaper to insure the poor buggers than hunt them out of the system:
As this GAO report notes, checkpoint systems like Baucus and Conrad want were implemented under the Bush Administration to ensure undocumenteds didn't get on Medicaid, and for every $100 they spent, 14 CENTS in Medicaid savings were achieved. It's wasteful and spiteful!Oh, and the Bushies' great illegal alien hunt netted a grand total of 8 undocumented immigrants for the bargain price of $8.3 million. You know, if these fucktards can't offer undocumented folks access to health care out of basic human decency, you'd think they'd at least plump for it because of the cold hard cash savings, but no. The fiscal conservatives don't worry about the price tag as long as they can give brown people a kick in the arse.
This genius revision comes as we learn just how much Baucus has been letting insurance companies write his legislation. Something his constituents should keep in mind the next time he's up for reelection.
In other news, some countries do indeed have long lines and rationing for health care. USA! USA!
Depressed after all that fuckery? Don't be. The House Progressives are girding for battle, and Rep. Raul Grijalva is a total health care hero. There's still a chance we'll end up with health care reform that doesn't suck.
I think Amato's observation about O'Reilly's "conversion" is a good one - it just shows how hypocritical these guys are. This is another thing we've seen before - when such regulations are nationalized, they are almost never nationalized to the best standards among the states. In such circumstances, states like Washington, with relatively good regulations, will no doubt find that they have worse insurance coverage, not better.
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