Comments on: Ben Cardin: Public Option? Didn’t Say, and I Couldn’t Ask http://firedoglake.com/2009/08/11/ben-cardin-public-option-didnt-say-and-i-couldnt-ask/ Firedoglake weblog Sat, 18 Feb 2012 00:09:33 -0600 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.2 By: laborite57 http://firedoglake.com/2009/08/11/ben-cardin-public-option-didnt-say-and-i-couldnt-ask/#comment-1953973 laborite57 Tue, 11 Aug 2009 23:51:48 +0000 http://firedoglake.com/2009/08/11/ben-cardin-public-option-didnt-say-and-i-couldnt-ask/#comment-1953973 <p>Funny that you would peg Ruppersberger as a machine Democrat without mentioning that Cardin is a career politician in a state with a strong Democratic machine. He comes from a family of Democratic officials and served in the state legislature as a young man. He even rose to become one of the top party leader in Annapolis. Then he served 20 years in the House before becoming a Senator.</p> <p>I like Cardin myself, but let’s not pretend he is anything other than a machine politician.</p> Funny that you would peg Ruppersberger as a machine Democrat without mentioning that Cardin is a career politician in a state with a strong Democratic machine. He comes from a family of Democratic officials and served in the state legislature as a young man. He even rose to become one of the top party leader in Annapolis. Then he served 20 years in the House before becoming a Senator.

I like Cardin myself, but let’s not pretend he is anything other than a machine politician.

]]> By: mntleo2 http://firedoglake.com/2009/08/11/ben-cardin-public-option-didnt-say-and-i-couldnt-ask/#comment-1953968 mntleo2 Tue, 11 Aug 2009 23:31:43 +0000 http://firedoglake.com/2009/08/11/ben-cardin-public-option-didnt-say-and-i-couldnt-ask/#comment-1953968 <p>As an older person I am not surprised at my generation acting like 2 year olds myself. They are the “me” generation, the YUPPIES, the one who sat at Be-ins and cried about the horrors of the world ~ and then began their stained glass/imported wine/organic tea businesses and used the money that on designer preschools for their kids, fancy Mercedes, and trips to Europe for the summer. Now they are scared because they are losing it all with the “investments” they made in the stock market and their fancy homes that are worth half of what they paid while they were flying high. </p> <p>I knew these people as my peers and let me tell you they ARE spoiled brats. They are 2 year olds. Because they got their educations for little or nothing, Mummy and Daddy didn’t have to mortgage their houses to pay for it, and they used government money to start their businesses, edged themselves out of paying taxes (since they are “entitled” to all the infrastructure that they expect <a href="http://www.itepnet.org/wp2000/text.pdf" rel="nofollow">the poor to pay for</a> and then not be able to use), and their student loans, if they had any, were for pennies on the dollar, if not downright grants that were given away for nothing except a little paperwork. </p> <p>I watched this all as a low income single mom with amusement and horror all wrapped up in the same smile. I cannot make any excuses for them. They are studiously ignorant they always have been, blaming the poor, pretending they weren’t racist when they were, and living the high life as they felt they were entitled to have while selling off everyone they could for a buck. </p> <p>I am sorry you young people have their mess. Just keep in mind there were lifelong activists like me and others my age who tried to stop it. We were just flicked off the map with the “greed is good” mantra. Please accept my apologies for my generation …</p> <p>Cat in Seattle</p> As an older person I am not surprised at my generation acting like 2 year olds myself. They are the “me” generation, the YUPPIES, the one who sat at Be-ins and cried about the horrors of the world ~ and then began their stained glass/imported wine/organic tea businesses and used the money that on designer preschools for their kids, fancy Mercedes, and trips to Europe for the summer. Now they are scared because they are losing it all with the “investments” they made in the stock market and their fancy homes that are worth half of what they paid while they were flying high.

I knew these people as my peers and let me tell you they ARE spoiled brats. They are 2 year olds. Because they got their educations for little or nothing, Mummy and Daddy didn’t have to mortgage their houses to pay for it, and they used government money to start their businesses, edged themselves out of paying taxes (since they are “entitled” to all the infrastructure that they expect the poor to pay for and then not be able to use), and their student loans, if they had any, were for pennies on the dollar, if not downright grants that were given away for nothing except a little paperwork.

I watched this all as a low income single mom with amusement and horror all wrapped up in the same smile. I cannot make any excuses for them. They are studiously ignorant they always have been, blaming the poor, pretending they weren’t racist when they were, and living the high life as they felt they were entitled to have while selling off everyone they could for a buck.

I am sorry you young people have their mess. Just keep in mind there were lifelong activists like me and others my age who tried to stop it. We were just flicked off the map with the “greed is good” mantra. Please accept my apologies for my generation …

Cat in Seattle

]]> By: JohnDoe http://firedoglake.com/2009/08/11/ben-cardin-public-option-didnt-say-and-i-couldnt-ask/#comment-1953956 JohnDoe Tue, 11 Aug 2009 23:06:19 +0000 http://firedoglake.com/2009/08/11/ben-cardin-public-option-didnt-say-and-i-couldnt-ask/#comment-1953956 <p>It’s funny/sick to hear these clowns whine about government programs. If it weren’t for actions of this kind, there would’ve been no Federal highway program and these knuckle-heads would still be driving on dirt roads.</p> <p>With regards to the whole “death panel” issue, well, legislation ought to be introduced that mandates that anyone in a coma that hasn’t left clear instructions as to what they want to happen to them in those circumstances will automatically undergo a sex change operation and gay wedding. Geez, haven’t any of these people had to deal with medical emergencies or relatives with critical illnesses? How can any marginally functioning mind turn “resuscitate /do not resuscitate” into a death panel?</p> It’s funny/sick to hear these clowns whine about government programs. If it weren’t for actions of this kind, there would’ve been no Federal highway program and these knuckle-heads would still be driving on dirt roads.

With regards to the whole “death panel” issue, well, legislation ought to be introduced that mandates that anyone in a coma that hasn’t left clear instructions as to what they want to happen to them in those circumstances will automatically undergo a sex change operation and gay wedding. Geez, haven’t any of these people had to deal with medical emergencies or relatives with critical illnesses? How can any marginally functioning mind turn “resuscitate /do not resuscitate” into a death panel?

]]> By: jedman http://firedoglake.com/2009/08/11/ben-cardin-public-option-didnt-say-and-i-couldnt-ask/#comment-1953913 jedman Tue, 11 Aug 2009 20:46:48 +0000 http://firedoglake.com/2009/08/11/ben-cardin-public-option-didnt-say-and-i-couldnt-ask/#comment-1953913 <p>Mike: I’ve lived in Towson for the past 15 years or so. While it may be have somewhat more Democrats than Rethugs, it’s pretty even, and I would guess that a lot of the Towson Dems are of the “moderate” variety. It’s a mostly white, mostly affluent northern suburb of Baltimore, with lots of private schools nearby (Calvert Hall, Notre Dame Prep, Boys Latin, St. Pauls, Loyola, just to name a few). Even the local “public” high school (Towson High School) behaves more like a private school. Back when Bob Erlich was just a House rep, his headquarters was in Timonium, just north of Towson. He’s still hugely popular in this area, and represents sort of the quintissential northern Baltimore County “hard workin’ no-nonsense white guy” that so many around here fall for. Our rep now is “Dutch” Ruppersberger, an old-fashioned machine Democrat who might as well be a Blue Dog.</p> Mike: I’ve lived in Towson for the past 15 years or so. While it may be have somewhat more Democrats than Rethugs, it’s pretty even, and I would guess that a lot of the Towson Dems are of the “moderate” variety. It’s a mostly white, mostly affluent northern suburb of Baltimore, with lots of private schools nearby (Calvert Hall, Notre Dame Prep, Boys Latin, St. Pauls, Loyola, just to name a few). Even the local “public” high school (Towson High School) behaves more like a private school. Back when Bob Erlich was just a House rep, his headquarters was in Timonium, just north of Towson. He’s still hugely popular in this area, and represents sort of the quintissential northern Baltimore County “hard workin’ no-nonsense white guy” that so many around here fall for. Our rep now is “Dutch” Ruppersberger, an old-fashioned machine Democrat who might as well be a Blue Dog.

]]> By: Kurt http://firedoglake.com/2009/08/11/ben-cardin-public-option-didnt-say-and-i-couldnt-ask/#comment-1953888 Kurt Tue, 11 Aug 2009 19:56:43 +0000 http://firedoglake.com/2009/08/11/ben-cardin-public-option-didnt-say-and-i-couldnt-ask/#comment-1953888 <p>To the Moderator…That’s nice. Can’t handle differing opinion so you don’t post my previous two posts. That’s really “open minded” of you.</p> To the Moderator…That’s nice. Can’t handle differing opinion so you don’t post my previous two posts. That’s really “open minded” of you.

]]> By: Raven http://firedoglake.com/2009/08/11/ben-cardin-public-option-didnt-say-and-i-couldnt-ask/#comment-1953884 Raven Tue, 11 Aug 2009 19:50:18 +0000 http://firedoglake.com/2009/08/11/ben-cardin-public-option-didnt-say-and-i-couldnt-ask/#comment-1953884 <p>Do you ever have to pull the “I’m a Marine” ace in the hole on these people?</p> Do you ever have to pull the “I’m a Marine” ace in the hole on these people?

]]> By: sporkovat http://firedoglake.com/2009/08/11/ben-cardin-public-option-didnt-say-and-i-couldnt-ask/#comment-1953883 sporkovat Tue, 11 Aug 2009 19:45:20 +0000 http://firedoglake.com/2009/08/11/ben-cardin-public-option-didnt-say-and-i-couldnt-ask/#comment-1953883 <blockquote><p>It takes nonsensical and emotional issues to make average Americans do the bidding of wealthy Republics for no actual benefit to themselves. </p></blockquote> <p>its amazing that it takes next to nothing to make ostensible ‘progressives’ root for passage of faux reform that <strong>mandates</strong> the purchase of crappy, for profit insurance, and strips $35 billion dollars away from Medicare over 10 years?!?!</p> <blockquote><p>WASHINGTON — A bipartisan group of senators agreed tentatively Tuesday on a plan to <strong>squeeze an additional $35 billion out of Medicare over the next decade and<em> larger sums in the years beyond</em></strong>, according to congressional officials, a step toward fulfilling President Barack Obama’s goal of curbing the growth of health care spending.</p></blockquote> <p><a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/07/29/politics/main5195016.shtml" rel="nofollow">http://www.cbsnews.com/stories.....5016.shtml</a></p> <p>if you plan on gettin’ old, thats voting against your interests, allright.</p>

It takes nonsensical and emotional issues to make average Americans do the bidding of wealthy Republics for no actual benefit to themselves.

its amazing that it takes next to nothing to make ostensible ‘progressives’ root for passage of faux reform that mandates the purchase of crappy, for profit insurance, and strips $35 billion dollars away from Medicare over 10 years?!?!

WASHINGTON — A bipartisan group of senators agreed tentatively Tuesday on a plan to squeeze an additional $35 billion out of Medicare over the next decade and larger sums in the years beyond, according to congressional officials, a step toward fulfilling President Barack Obama’s goal of curbing the growth of health care spending.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories…..5016.shtml

if you plan on gettin’ old, thats voting against your interests, allright.

]]> By: Badwater http://firedoglake.com/2009/08/11/ben-cardin-public-option-didnt-say-and-i-couldnt-ask/#comment-1953879 Badwater Tue, 11 Aug 2009 19:38:56 +0000 http://firedoglake.com/2009/08/11/ben-cardin-public-option-didnt-say-and-i-couldnt-ask/#comment-1953879 <p>No one will hear the facts if the purveyor can’t get coverage. The networks are going to feature the charismatic over the bland every time. Noot gets on the air as much as he wants. Which Democrat, outside of Obama, can do that? The Republic message dominates the news and will become the perceived truth unless corrected. That takes coverage and that requires charisma.</p> No one will hear the facts if the purveyor can’t get coverage. The networks are going to feature the charismatic over the bland every time. Noot gets on the air as much as he wants. Which Democrat, outside of Obama, can do that? The Republic message dominates the news and will become the perceived truth unless corrected. That takes coverage and that requires charisma.

]]> By: NelsonAlgren http://firedoglake.com/2009/08/11/ben-cardin-public-option-didnt-say-and-i-couldnt-ask/#comment-1953877 NelsonAlgren Tue, 11 Aug 2009 19:27:21 +0000 http://firedoglake.com/2009/08/11/ben-cardin-public-option-didnt-say-and-i-couldnt-ask/#comment-1953877 <p>It doesn’t take charisma. It takes someone that knows the facts and is committed to upholding Democratic values. McCaskill sure isn’t one.</p> It doesn’t take charisma. It takes someone that knows the facts and is committed to upholding Democratic values. McCaskill sure isn’t one.

]]> By: Clavis http://firedoglake.com/2009/08/11/ben-cardin-public-option-didnt-say-and-i-couldnt-ask/#comment-1953876 Clavis Tue, 11 Aug 2009 19:25:46 +0000 http://firedoglake.com/2009/08/11/ben-cardin-public-option-didnt-say-and-i-couldnt-ask/#comment-1953876 <p>Mike, you ask a key question: ” Is there anything these people will not believe about Democrats and President Obama?”</p> <p>I believe it might be instructive, or even constructive, to ask this of the Birth/Deathers outside town halls. Ask them — “Is there any negative story about President Obama that you *wouldn’t* believe? What if I told you he was coming to your house, RIGHT now, to rape your wife and children? Would you believe that? What’s your limit to how evil and crazy and America-hating you think this guy is? Do you think he has tentacles and horns and hooves?”</p> <p>It would be interesting to see one of them simultaneously attempt to sell their brand of crazy while insisting that their crazy isn’t nearly as crazy as *REAL* crazy…</p> <p>Thanks for your efforts.</p> Mike, you ask a key question: ” Is there anything these people will not believe about Democrats and President Obama?”

I believe it might be instructive, or even constructive, to ask this of the Birth/Deathers outside town halls. Ask them — “Is there any negative story about President Obama that you *wouldn’t* believe? What if I told you he was coming to your house, RIGHT now, to rape your wife and children? Would you believe that? What’s your limit to how evil and crazy and America-hating you think this guy is? Do you think he has tentacles and horns and hooves?”

It would be interesting to see one of them simultaneously attempt to sell their brand of crazy while insisting that their crazy isn’t nearly as crazy as *REAL* crazy…

Thanks for your efforts.

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