Comments on: Talking Health Care Reform With Matt Taibbi http://firedoglake.com/2009/08/25/talking-health-care-reform-with-matt-taibbi/ Firedoglake weblog Fri, 17 Feb 2012 20:56:52 -0600 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.2 By: Zaid http://firedoglake.com/2009/08/25/talking-health-care-reform-with-matt-taibbi/#comment-1964797 Zaid Wed, 26 Aug 2009 16:12:05 +0000 http://firedoglake.com/2009/08/25/talking-health-care-reform-with-matt-taibbi/#comment-1964797 <p>And none of you heard it from me, but looking for links between the Democratic establishment and its think tank network and the big industries would be very helpful</p> And none of you heard it from me, but looking for links between the Democratic establishment and its think tank network and the big industries would be very helpful

]]> By: Zaid http://firedoglake.com/2009/08/25/talking-health-care-reform-with-matt-taibbi/#comment-1964796 Zaid Wed, 26 Aug 2009 16:06:17 +0000 http://firedoglake.com/2009/08/25/talking-health-care-reform-with-matt-taibbi/#comment-1964796 <p>Zaid Jilani from ThinkProgress in here. Wonderful piece, hope I won’t be pushed to back a crap bill</p> Zaid Jilani from ThinkProgress in here. Wonderful piece, hope I won’t be pushed to back a crap bill

]]> By: splashoil http://firedoglake.com/2009/08/25/talking-health-care-reform-with-matt-taibbi/#comment-1964594 splashoil Wed, 26 Aug 2009 01:38:46 +0000 http://firedoglake.com/2009/08/25/talking-health-care-reform-with-matt-taibbi/#comment-1964594 <p>Today I phoned my Senators Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell and my Congressman Rick Larsen. No one will comment on or state a position on bulk price drug negotiations! All are receiving the “thank your..” ads on tv from big pharma. The more this is looked at, anything short of single payer is not worth fighting for. I can’t buy the new Rolling Stone yet but will look again tomorrow. I was calling about the “public option” but no more. There is a smell suggesting we are dealt a losing hand.</p> Today I phoned my Senators Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell and my Congressman Rick Larsen. No one will comment on or state a position on bulk price drug negotiations! All are receiving the “thank your..” ads on tv from big pharma. The more this is looked at, anything short of single payer is not worth fighting for. I can’t buy the new Rolling Stone yet but will look again tomorrow. I was calling about the “public option” but no more. There is a smell suggesting we are dealt a losing hand.

]]> By: tfitzaz http://firedoglake.com/2009/08/25/talking-health-care-reform-with-matt-taibbi/#comment-1964589 tfitzaz Tue, 25 Aug 2009 21:25:10 +0000 http://firedoglake.com/2009/08/25/talking-health-care-reform-with-matt-taibbi/#comment-1964589 <p>Thank you Matt for your excellent work this past year.<br /> Chris Hedges has an excellent piece over at Commondreams.org, This Isn’t Reform, Its Robbery. <a href="http://www.commondreams.org/view/2009/08/24-1" rel="nofollow">http://www.commondreams.org/view/2009/08/24-1</a></p> Thank you Matt for your excellent work this past year.
Chris Hedges has an excellent piece over at Commondreams.org, This Isn’t Reform, Its Robbery. http://www.commondreams.org/view/2009/08/24-1

]]> By: selise http://firedoglake.com/2009/08/25/talking-health-care-reform-with-matt-taibbi/#comment-1964566 selise Tue, 25 Aug 2009 19:40:34 +0000 http://firedoglake.com/2009/08/25/talking-health-care-reform-with-matt-taibbi/#comment-1964566 <blockquote><p>If we accept the fix is in, shouldn’t we be bailing on this whole process and the bad bill it will produce? </p></blockquote> <p>hell yes.</p> <p>the only reform we can trust this government with is the kind of reform that doesn’t depend on the details of their insurance industry regulation (which can be too easily gamed behind closed doors).</p>

If we accept the fix is in, shouldn’t we be bailing on this whole process and the bad bill it will produce?

hell yes.

the only reform we can trust this government with is the kind of reform that doesn’t depend on the details of their insurance industry regulation (which can be too easily gamed behind closed doors).

]]> By: sporkovat http://firedoglake.com/2009/08/25/talking-health-care-reform-with-matt-taibbi/#comment-1964551 sporkovat Tue, 25 Aug 2009 19:08:46 +0000 http://firedoglake.com/2009/08/25/talking-health-care-reform-with-matt-taibbi/#comment-1964551 <blockquote><p>So maybe the next step is voting people out. If Dems see progressives voting for principled third party candidates, and that costs them seats in Congress… maybe that will get their attention? </p></blockquote> <p>maybe it is time to <em>finally</em> try something new, and place ‘progressive’ principles over the misplaced devotion to the fickle, useless Democratic Party.</p> <p>its easy, really - if a politician sells you out on health care and Bush’s stupid, lost wars, or whatever you issue is, <em>don’t vote for them!</em></p> <p>if they are proposing a health insurance reform plan that causes affected industry stocks to go up 20%, then it’s simple, work to take the plan down and don’t support those who passed it. </p> <p>and pwagmatists, the individual mandates will be bad news for the Donkey Party for years to come - they will be hated, and you’ll get then blame. an arcane, policy wonkified ‘Public Option’ that is defective by design will be no protection.</p> <p>all the blandishments from ‘pragmatists’ about the need to root for the Least Worst have got us where we are today, with an utterly unresponsive political class, barely distinguishable between (R) and (D) factions.</p>

So maybe the next step is voting people out. If Dems see progressives voting for principled third party candidates, and that costs them seats in Congress… maybe that will get their attention?

maybe it is time to finally try something new, and place ‘progressive’ principles over the misplaced devotion to the fickle, useless Democratic Party.

its easy, really – if a politician sells you out on health care and Bush’s stupid, lost wars, or whatever you issue is, don’t vote for them!

if they are proposing a health insurance reform plan that causes affected industry stocks to go up 20%, then it’s simple, work to take the plan down and don’t support those who passed it.

and pwagmatists, the individual mandates will be bad news for the Donkey Party for years to come – they will be hated, and you’ll get then blame. an arcane, policy wonkified ‘Public Option’ that is defective by design will be no protection.

all the blandishments from ‘pragmatists’ about the need to root for the Least Worst have got us where we are today, with an utterly unresponsive political class, barely distinguishable between (R) and (D) factions.

]]> By: pdgrey http://firedoglake.com/2009/08/25/talking-health-care-reform-with-matt-taibbi/#comment-1964539 pdgrey Tue, 25 Aug 2009 18:57:18 +0000 http://firedoglake.com/2009/08/25/talking-health-care-reform-with-matt-taibbi/#comment-1964539 <p>I understood, I just meant, I and other people I know, ( I guess we are really in the lower class), haven’t had a vacation in years.</p> I understood, I just meant, I and other people I know, ( I guess we are really in the lower class), haven’t had a vacation in years.

]]> By: TezSez http://firedoglake.com/2009/08/25/talking-health-care-reform-with-matt-taibbi/#comment-1964529 TezSez Tue, 25 Aug 2009 18:47:24 +0000 http://firedoglake.com/2009/08/25/talking-health-care-reform-with-matt-taibbi/#comment-1964529 <p>Matt, Awesome piece. You cut to the chase and it’s screwed up. I wonder how we change the language and reframe the argument. It seems it has something to do with Freedom. Image no one staying in a job they hate just so they have health coverage. Or self-employed folks not worried about how to find and/or afford coverage. We all have preexisting conditions if we live long enough. The privateers are doing it again. I see a bailout for the insurance and drug companies that is going to make the Wall Street money grab seem demure. </p> <p>But I digress, the RS piece was inspiring and incisive. Thanks.<br /> tez</p> Matt, Awesome piece. You cut to the chase and it’s screwed up. I wonder how we change the language and reframe the argument. It seems it has something to do with Freedom. Image no one staying in a job they hate just so they have health coverage. Or self-employed folks not worried about how to find and/or afford coverage. We all have preexisting conditions if we live long enough. The privateers are doing it again. I see a bailout for the insurance and drug companies that is going to make the Wall Street money grab seem demure.

But I digress, the RS piece was inspiring and incisive. Thanks.
tez

]]> By: Socked Salmon http://firedoglake.com/2009/08/25/talking-health-care-reform-with-matt-taibbi/#comment-1964517 Socked Salmon Tue, 25 Aug 2009 18:40:49 +0000 http://firedoglake.com/2009/08/25/talking-health-care-reform-with-matt-taibbi/#comment-1964517 <p>I think your question contains its own answer: they never wanted REAL reform of the health care industrial complex. If we regard what is unfolding as reality, the reality was to devise a plan to keep all the profit driven stakeholders on board and trumpet whatever results as “change you can believe in”.</p> I think your question contains its own answer: they never wanted REAL reform of the health care industrial complex. If we regard what is unfolding as reality, the reality was to devise a plan to keep all the profit driven stakeholders on board and trumpet whatever results as “change you can believe in”.

]]> By: Clavis http://firedoglake.com/2009/08/25/talking-health-care-reform-with-matt-taibbi/#comment-1964502 Clavis Tue, 25 Aug 2009 18:20:08 +0000 http://firedoglake.com/2009/08/25/talking-health-care-reform-with-matt-taibbi/#comment-1964502 <p>Maybe people who are already drinking the Kool-Aid won’t care if you expose the Atwater tactics, but there are a lot of middle-of-the-road people out there who WOULD benefit from having a little protective education about such tactics and techniques.</p> <p>There are the people who gleefully utilize the techniques, and then there are the people who are the victims of those techniques. My goal is to enlighten and therefore inoculate (to some degree, at least) the victims.</p> <p>Thanks again for your works of — dare I say it? — true journalism.</p> Maybe people who are already drinking the Kool-Aid won’t care if you expose the Atwater tactics, but there are a lot of middle-of-the-road people out there who WOULD benefit from having a little protective education about such tactics and techniques.

There are the people who gleefully utilize the techniques, and then there are the people who are the victims of those techniques. My goal is to enlighten and therefore inoculate (to some degree, at least) the victims.

Thanks again for your works of — dare I say it? — true journalism.

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