Steven Pearlstein: GOP Propagating Falsehoods In Attacks On Health-Care Reform

washingtonpost.com:

As a columnist who regularly dishes out sharp criticism, I try not to question the motives of people with whom I don't agree. Today, I'm going to step over that line.

The recent attacks by Republican leaders and their ideological fellow-travelers on the effort to reform the health-care system have been so misleading, so disingenuous, that they could only spring from a cynical effort to gain partisan political advantage.

Read the whole story: washingtonpost.com

Comments

[Burkelbile]

Most read in a long time and another Pulitzer-worthy column from Pearlstein.

Everyone should be required to read and discuss the contents of this piece.

[Gr82bRight]

Who buried the story of the St. Louis town halls fights between Obama's SEIU & ACORN Union Thugs, the Democrat Thugs and the young black Conservative that they all beat up? Were there arrests of the Union members made? Will Obama be liabel for calling the Unions and inciting violence?

[HST]

With GOPers it is always party first country last wrapped in a flag.

[sonoffestus]

As the world moves forward, the States fight to remain lost in the past.

[ohmetoo]

Well here is the truth

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0Su9lEHVA8

Their strategy is to confuse and exhaust their prey! Bingo that along with diluting the pool year after year.

Call Congress and feed them your thought on this matter 202-225-3121.

[Mark Twaine]

It will get to the point that no one will believe anything a white person says if someone doesn't stop these GOP liers!

[vascopyjama]

It won't be long now before the Republicans organize mass book burnings.

[kevinabt]

Lets just point out some of the most obvious and easy to grasp falsehoods from this article.

"On an annual basis, that translates to about $140 billion" - That would be about $400 per person per year. Either everyone is getting one regular check up and 1 in 1000 people are getting surgery or the real cost is going to be much more than that.

"important changes that require everyone to give up something in order to make everyone better off." - True that everyone will give up something. Not true that everyone will be better off. If you are already covered for health care, you are paying for something you don't use. If your new government operated health care is less good than your old health care, you are not better off. If you lose your job because the business you worked for had to spend your salary on mandatory insurance for the other 5 employees, you're not better off.

"Under any plan likely to emerge from Congress, the vast majority of Americans who are not old or poor will continue to buy health insurance from private companies, continue to get their health care from doctors in private practice and continue to be treated at privately owned hospitals." - There is major concern that this option will be lost for some or all of the people who want it. We don't yet know the full details of the constantly shifting plan, so people are anxious and very vocal.

[catgirl212]

Single payer! Take out the bloodsucking middlemen and -women!!!!! They don't care if we live or die.

[ceoco]

You all will get old some day , well maybe?

[middleoftheroad]

What about the falsehood that the
Middle class won't see their taxes raised? There is no way we can pay for their program. Simple math, even the CBO says it. And that there is teal choice and that there won't be care rationing. Bit I guess that little stuff does not matter.

[kevinabt]

That was a patent lie the moment it came out of Obama's mouth, of course taxes are going up, for everyone. The low and middle income people will be hurt most by them though, particularly the taxes on carbon (electricity, transportation, heating) which are a much larger proportion of a poorer person's expenses. The inflation tax is going to be terrible as well, fixed income and wage earners are hurt a lot by it (retirees, people on the dole, hourly workers).

[Buddy McCue]

That little stuff is fabricated by the Right in order to defend the status quo.

[swift goat pet for truth]

And if we keep the status quo, what?

Seriously, no one knows what will happen because there is no plan yet.
And even if there were, no one knows the outcome.
But every other industrialized country does better, so you are saying America is not as competent as every other industrialized country in the world.

What everyone DOES know is that if we do nothing, the cost for everyone goes up. About double every ten years. We know that because that is what happened the last 20 years.

We also know, because we have the evidence of the last dozen years, that Medicare is a government run plan that does better than private insurance. And that the VHA is also a government run plan that does even better than Medicare. Those are FACTS.

As for rationing, we have it now. And our rationing causes more death and more suffering per capita than any other industrialized country. That is also a FACT.

Believe what you want, but it does not change FACTS.

[MarkInEugene]

Will wonder's never cease....that is ALL the GOP does is propagate falsehoods­....!!!!!!­!!!!!!

[swift goat pet for truth]

But they are such nice sounding falsehoods.

So nice sounding, they ought to be true....
Like Disneyland.

[Deja Peterson]

this is a battle the republicans will lose and lose badly. just sit back and watch because when healthcare reform does pass, the republicans will choke.

[AllieMD]

What part of this do you not understand? The Dems have the WH and Congress since 1/20 - they could have voted in any plan they wanted - and the Republicans couldn't do a thing about it. The Dems CHOSE to not do it. They have you so caught up in seeing out of power Republicans as the enemy so you don't see the enemy within.

[Buddy McCue]

We have always fought among ourselves; that's nothing new you know.

Don't tell us what we "don't see," just because you're slow to see it.

[swift goat pet for truth]

And the whole world is just so black and white.

[MacQ]

I have already turned myself in to the government as a potential threat, having posted opinions that were "fishy" according to the white house.
I see HuffPo is conveniently ignoring the "FISHY" issue.
I just dropped by to see how you'd spin it here. Not surprised it's nowhere mentioned.
At least not prominently.
But then there's really big news like Sarah Palin made a statement about something. And I bet Michelle wore a great dress to wherever she went today. And surely rush limbaugh said something.
Interesting.

[HST]

"I have already turned myself in to the government as a potential threat, having posted opinions that were "fishy" according to the white house."
And if you would've done that the last 8 years Bush would wiretap your phone and/or throw you in gitmo. NOW you're worried! How selective of you.

[MacQ]

I had no problem with them listening for terrorist activity. THey can listen to me all they want for that. (and PS: your hero decided to continue doing that).
I DO have a problem when they want you to report my opinions and when they're looking for people who disagree with Mr. Obama.
it's really quite different.
But continue along with your illusions if it makes you happy. Maybe you'll disagree with him one of these days.

[Wm16Jn]

From all sides I hear that Medicare will be significantly cut to support other components of the health care reform package. Yet AARP steadfastly supports the initiative. It doesn't seem the seniors are getting their money's worth from this lobby which says it represents their interests. What am I missing?