Health Care Policy Sparks Squabbling On "Morning Joe" (VIDEO)

Hoo, boy! Things got crazy caffeinated on the Morning Joe show this morning, when MSNBC's lovable Our Gang of popnewstainment invited irascible old sometimes-Pennsylvania Senate candidate Chris Matthews on the show. Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski were cold chillin' in some Miami Beach coffeehouse -- sorry, folks, I simply have NO IDEA what brand of coffeehouse it might be -- when suddenly everyone started using the word "pussyfooting" every other second, which led to a lot of classic MSNBC on-air bickering.

At issue was health care. Chris Matthews came at it from the Michael Steele "DO THE DEAL" school of deal-doing and not-things-through-thinking. Scarborough, who's got a book about the GOP returning to cost-hawkery that needs pimping, responded by laying down a tremendous concern-troll performance art piece. He's just so CONCERNED about expenses! And so INVESTED in pretending that the public doesn't want a public option! Scarborough says that Congress can't just "cut a check" and they need to concentrate on a health care plan that curbing costs first. "If 47 million uninsured Americans can be part of that, that's fine." Yes, uninsured Americans: BE A PART OF THAT, MAYBE.

Then Brzezinski tries to do a little oral version of the "TO BE FAIR" paragraph, leading Chris Matthews to spit back that she, too, was "caught up in all this pussyfooting." He's right! But big mistake, because all that did was crank up Brzezinski's outrage glands, causing her to secrete an almost unwatchable amount of studied high-dudgeon.

Brzezinski, eventually, swallowed back her ire, and kicked to commercial noting, "Morning Joe, brewed HOT, by Starbucks." OH! STARBUCKS! Maybe they were sitting in a Starbucks!

[WATCH]

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Comments

[zepfan81]

I think Chris was right, but Mika also made good points. Chris could have gotten his point across better though. He was a bit cranky for no reason.

[vippy]

For those lucky people who draw a big paycheck healthcare coverage is no problem and they do not understand what the average person has to endure. One simply cannot afford to have half of a paycheck gone for this item alone. Paychecks for the average person simply don't rise while everything is going up, life's necessities. So one hopes that an illness won't come along and destroy
everything. Sad that is and this here in the USA.

[expired]

Dear MoveOn member,
Health care reform is in trouble in the Senate.

Conservatives in Congress, including some Democrats, are trying to kill Obama's public health insurance option not by opposing it outright, but by pushing weak half-measures and calling them "public plans."1 The latest is a proposal for small, regional "co-ops" that would have no chance of competing against insurance companies to bring costs down.2

If we act immediately, we have a good shot at defeating ploys like the "co-op." The key is to make it clear that we support a strong public health insurance option and lay out exactly what that means.

[Paul Baack]

Chris Matthews' point, which I don't think he made all that artfully, is that we need to COMMIT to the idea of universal health care, before we even start getting into the how're-we-­going-to-d­o-it phase of the program. Conservatives can keep things from even getting started by harping about costs, before conceding as to whether they actually want it... or not.
I don't know if this is standard "conservative" philosophy, or, probably more accurately, "right-wing" thinking, but implicit in their argument is the idea that the weak SHOULD fail. The old, the chronically ill, the disabled, etc. have a moral obligation -- and a patriotic duty -- to die. In public discourse, conservatives dance around this idea without actually saying it, but it's part and parcel of their Social Darwinist view of how the world works. Of course, that's no way to sell books, or Starbucks coffee, so it's easier just to put an infinitely regressive "how are we going to pay for it" roadblock in front of the path. (To be fair, it's the same way hard-left liberals attack the space program's plans for a return to the moon or a manned mission to Mars.)

[grasyknol]

"but implicit in their argument is the idea that the weak SHOULD fail. The old, the chronically ill, the disabled, etc. have a moral obligation -- and a patriotic duty -- to die."

Paul, I quote you because I think you really have gotten to the heart of it. Fred L. and the spinners spend a lot of money to cover up what is at the core of their argument. The strong survive and the weak perish. That sums it up.

[expired]

Dear MoveOn member,
Health care reform is in trouble in the Senate.

Conservatives in Congress, including some Democrats, are trying to kill Obama's public health insurance option not by opposing it outright, but by pushing weak half-measures and calling them "public plans."1 The latest is a proposal for small, regional "co-ops" that would have no chance of competing against insurance companies to bring costs down.2

Available to all of us: A strong public health insurance option should be available to anyone who chooses to participate. If you like your current plan, you can keep it; if you want to participate in the public health insurance plan, you can choose that.
A national plan with real bargaining clout: In order to truly control costs and compete with private health insurance plans, a strong public health insurance option must be available nationwide.
Ready on day one: Every day we wait on real reform, health care costs continue to rise. A strong public health insurance option with a broad network of providers right out of the gate is key to building a competitive program that will help control costs.
A truly public plan: To ensure it's held to the highest standards of accountability, a public health insurance option must be truly publicly run—accountable and transparent to Congress and to voters.
If thousands

[Ant]

So we let 47 million Americans and counting go uninsured and have costs continue to rise for people with health insurance because it costs too much to reform the system? It doesn't matter what the costs are; everyone should have some form of health insurance.

[TrueThis]

Thank you Chris Matthew!! Joe is so jealous and very envy of President Obama and Mika is such a follower....I never seen a weaker Democrat when it comes to her.

[chrissy22]

why do they travel together cant she defend herself in the studio with willie

[doctorkosan]

It is less a question of cost and more of one of priority. If we as a nation are what we proudly proclaim, then we should have a national health system covering all citizens. Just like other advanced nations on the planet.
The issue of cost then becomes the problem to be manged. It is done with higher taxes on the rest of the planet. I suggest there are whopping loads of cash to be had in our defense budget to mitigate the cost. Also taking the profit out of the "business" of the insurers would be a further off-set. These represent a good start to changing the nations priorities.

[MJinCanada]

And the increase in taxes isn't huge either. I think Canada's "tax freedom day" comes about three weeks after the US one. And it isn't all spent on health care -- we have a whopping great amount of country to tie together with infrastructure. Mind you, we've never spent billions on defense systems that don't work (although we did scrap the Avro Arrow in deference to Norad).

[illinoisan]

Mika insists she's on the left but saying so doesn't make it so. I've been watching their show for months and she's lead alto in the right wing's amen chorus.

[lochnessmonster]

So you are a glutton for punishment?

[scottymac11]

As Scarborough speaks the mesmerized Mica gazes adoringly. When Mathews speaks spite fills her eyes. Her part in the show is to listen to Joe and nod approvingly. They spent the segment trying desperately to cloud the Mathews point that this gets done when we go for it. What ever the obstacles are This is America we will resolve them if committed to the task. This is something that has to be done regardless how much lobbying cash goes to congressman's pockets

[BSBradley]

I'm a doctor in private practice. Once I rejected the notion of Universal healthcare plan for Americans. Over time I became more steep in the business of insurance so > 50% of my office became setup for business, less than half for hands-on care. I became disenchanted with private insurance. Today I favor a single, government run healthcare payer, with one set of rules, one set of guidelines, electronic patient records. I can reduce my staff by 50% (saving costs). Patient compliance with therapies and scheduled appointments can be closely monitored. Meds and pharmacist oversight can be more easily tracked, reducing time devoted to gathering information. The government while seeking to eliminate unnecessary treatments will be more responsive to subscribers since it is subscribers who can vote failed legislators out of office. With insurance companies subscribers remain at the mercy of corporate execs and managers who are in the pockets of their own self-interest and shareholders. And at the age of 66 I have medicare. So far the system has worked flawlessly for me and my provider (their words). As for the expected complaints about discounted payments with medicare, wise up. The insurance industry discounts and bundles most fees as much as 50%. My fees are below the mean for the region I practice in. As far as interfering with capitalism.. I say it is about time. Unregulated capitalism is what has brought America to its knees.

[MJinCanada]

Good for you! Most Canadian doctors wouldn't ever trade universal health care for your stacks of paperwork. They can order whatever tests are necessary without worrying about who's going to pay.

[BolaMuyis]

Chris Matthews is right on this. Every American who works is entitled to health care period. If we can find money to waste on some phony war what about the citizens of this great nation. Joe has a point but health care for the average american is a must. We just need to find a way to get this done.

[jsgaetano]

Even non-employed Americans deserve health care. It's a civil right.

The conservatives simply want to dump the unemployed, disabled, childred, students, retired, etc under the bus, and pass the savings on to the insurance companies.

[intelliwoman]

I am not unemployed, disabled, or retired.

I am 52, work 2 jobs, and have worked all my life.

I also have NO ACCESS TO HEALTH CARE. My employer dropped our group plan over a year ago WHEN SHE TURNED 65 and had access to medicare. Everyone else in my office was able to go on with a spouse or is also Medicare eligible. Not me

I have a pre-existing condition Type II diabetes. Because I am over 50 and have a pre-existing condition no private insurer will cover me. My state's high risk pool will cover me for 50% of my monthly income, but will not cover my pre-existing condition for 6 months

Were I to quit working, and get a denial of coverage letter from a private insurer, I would be entitled to 100% free government paid, good quality health care. As it stands now, I will die either dead or disabled within a year or 2.

GO CHRIS MATTHEWS (by the way I live in PA, his home state)

[Artos]

There is a way. End the phony war in Iraq today, bring home our troops with the same speed with which they invaded. They can get out just as fast as they got in. End our involvement in Afghanistan. Withdraw American troops from every nation other than our own. Guard our own borders for once. Stop giving away our money to foreign countries that spit in our faces. Stop handing out money to the wealth, instead fine them heavily for their corrupt practices. That will save us billions upon billions first of all. Then put an end to price fixing and gouging by the drug and medical industries. Make any activity designed to deceive and cheat HMO or insurance customers illegal. instead of waiting until these criminals have already found new methods to cheat patients, look ahead at what they might do and make laws to prevent it or go even further and set their business practices and agendas for them and do not let them veer from them. If they do punish them. It is high time we set things aright.

[BOin08]

What about those of us who don't work? We need health care, too. I just want you to pay for it. And like it.

[zest]

Why are they in Miami Beach in June; no one else is.

[hang319]

He's trying to sell books!!

[urnumbersix]

Why-O-Why does no one actually listen to what Obama says???

He said, very clearly, at his press conference on Tuesday that one of his "non-negotiables" was that health reform must LOWER COSTS. He described how. He also said that he wants it to be DEFICIT NEUTRAL. And described how.

So How in Hell does GOP talking points in OPPOSITION to health reform (I include Mika in GOPs.) become "costs" and "deficit?" (CBO's monetary scores were on incomplete Congressional legislation.)

In one way, "if that's all they got" it's good news in the long run for Obama. On the other hand, the media is constantly (purposely?) twisting Obama's words! Even Chris' wonderful defense missed that.

The comeback should be "that's exactly what Obama said he was going to do - so, I repeat, do you want health reform to get done - or do you want to keep pussyfooting around?"

[Artos]

These people like Joe and Mika as well as all the other Conservatives who oppose Health Care reform don't really care about their facts. These are merely a ploy meant as usual to obfuscate and cloak the fact that they are in the pay of these health care industries. They could care less if anybody else has adequate health care, because they aren't worried about having health care since they are well off enough to have it. We are essentially paying for them to have it by watching their stupid news shows. We can't even afford it ourselves but we enable them to have it when we indulge in turning on their Channel which brings in revenue from commercials. If we didn't watch them they would be the poorer for it and maybe just maybe they would go begging for an income to pay for their health care. in which case they might then learn what it means to not have it. One could only hope.