College Student Challenges Obama To An "Oxford Style" Debate On Health Care At Colorado Town Hall (VIDEO)

At President Obama's Colorado health care town hall Saturday evening, a questioner challenged him to an "Oxford style" debate.

"I'm going to call on this gentleman," Obama announced "because he's been waving, and he shouted at me a couple of times. I just want proof here that I'm happy to get a good debate going."

Political science student Zach Lahn responded, to laughter, "My question is this -- and also, I'd love to have a debate just all out, any time, Oxford style if you'd like. I understand... I'm willing to do that -- but my question is this..."

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Comments

[jasongrundy]

He was a fake and OBAMA still nailed it!

[raviandsonia]

Obama Questioner Was A Staffer For A GOP State Senator

http://coloradopols.com/diary/10079/sen-brophys-aide-gets-press-for-student-obama-debate-challenge

[00Ruth7]

http://twitpic.com/ebqep

Zach deleted his LinkedIn Profile because the Huffington Post users found out about this Republican connection.
But i took a screenshot :)

[Boleyn]

Laughable. So many of the comments here are just trying so hard to pick apart this kid. He did nothing wrong, he didn't throw a shoe, he didn't swear, he didn't disrupt the president---he just asked a question. And so what if in fact he is a Rep staffer. Really, so many of you are a bit touchy when someone may (gasp) not agree Obama. Furthermore, did anyone else see how ridiculous Obama's analogy to competition between the USPS and FED-EX, UPS was? Last I read the USPS was in deep financial trouble and thinking of dropping Sat service. Haven't heard about FED-EX or UPS having financial problems. If the table was turned and this was a Republican president you would have lauded this kid as what is right with America and it is the duty of our young to question their elders. If you don't believe this double standard exists look at the youtube clip of Nancy Pelosi calling anti-war protester good Americans (Jan 06) versus calling those against govt healthcare "unamerican". In the most literal sense the only "unAmerican" protest I've seen lately were the marches by illegal immigrants a few years ago. Why are so many of you OK with your fellow Americans being labeled "unAmerican" when we have non-citizens marching in the street?

[Mason Easley]

The president stomped the question down in the first 10 seconds of answering it. Fed Ex and UPS compete against uncle same and do just fine.

[JohnPalladino]

Zach Lane, the university of Colorado- Boulder student who “challenged “President Obama to a “oxford” style debate on health care, shows the very small minority of which has disrespect to our Nation institutions and to elders and individuals, I was ashamed of this young’s man disrespect for both the lack of respect of the office of the President as well as the man in that office by challenging him to a debate during the Town Hall meeting in Grand Junction, CO on Saturday August 16.. As an alumnus of the University of Colorado, I am also ashamed that he mentioned his affiliation to the school.
I was there at the Town Hall meeting, and this fellow was clearly seeking his 15 minutes of fame, He was yelling and screaming at the President to call upon him, (so he could be heard above those other 1600 other individual in the meeting which had questions. Lane got his 15 minutes of fame.
Shame on Zach Lane. He owes both the President and the others in attendance an apology for both his disrespectful behavior on Saturday.
By the way his question was very good question which was answered in part prior to his question being asked and further expanded upon by the President, yet he stated after the town hall meeting that the President did not answer his question.

[jones]

I'd have alot more admiration for this guy's bravado if he'd been in Afghanistan or Iraq....but no, he's nothing more than a punk-a%s trying to get attention. Coward.

Get tough Obama! Washington is corrupt. We are praying for ya.....

[Ken99]

I'm posting this in a number of places in the hopes of stirring up a real discussion. Giving over half the reporting time to bunkum and false claims is not balanced reporting. Please read on:

This health care stuff is such nonsense with dishonest questioners not disclosing who they actually represent. This is no way to approach such an important discussion.

As a Canadian, I would not want to say that the Canadian system is without problems but my grandmother lived to about 95, my grandfather 92, his sister died at 102, my mom got help for her heart condition and lived to 89, my nephew had cancer treatments in his teens and today his is 50 and the government plan picked up the cost and not his parents. When I was 55 I had my mitral valve repaired robotically. God bless the Canadian medical system. I blogged on this http://rockinontheblog.blogspot.com/2009/07/sometimes-im-happy-to-be-canadian.htmltml

Americans have got to hear the truth. This is not a black and white issue. Furthermore, Americans, who live in the greatest country in the world, deserve better than a second rate system. Sorry but with about 45 million Americans not covered, the U.S. has a system clearly running behind others in the world. Carefully examine what others are doing in the world and then do it better. Now that is the American way. Good luck!

[booksnmoreforyou]

Zach's Twitter page is viewable at http://74.125.47.132/search?q=cache:hV8A47IU2zgJ:twitter.com/zach_lahn+Zach+Lahn&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us

My favorite tweet of his there is:

Awesome Video: Missouri Car Dealer Gives Away Free AK-47 With Every Truck Purchase!! http://bit.ly/e3ct2 #tcot #hhrs #sgp #nra #gop

[00Ruth7]

I am @Zach_Lahn him on twitter and he didnt respond yet :(
I just retweed that car dealer thing. he is gonna be angry

[zeezan]

Zach Lahn, bogus college student, has described himself on Twitter as "Determined Christian Conservative in CO, home state of IA not stopping until everyone agrees w/me Pro-Life, Pro-Guns, Pro-Reagan, Anti-Big Gov." Real open-minded guy.

[tierone]

Isn't this the bogus college student who turned out to actually be a GOP staffer?

[gamoonbat]

Yes

[kenaldo]

Most Political Science majors become Staffers at some point. that doesn't make him a bogus college student.

[Dutschke]

My first problem with the issue is, that it raises the specter of "profitability".

Why does health care have to be profitable? Shouldn't the priority be about keeping people healthy and getting them healthy regardless of the profitability?

After all, It was the republicans, who began to talk about "death panels" and such, basically claiming that people who aren't "worth it" would have to be put down if they are too expensive (translation: not profitable) for the system.

Suddenly, republicans, like Zach (see: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/08/16/obama-questioner-was-a-st_n_260598.html) are about "competition" and "profitability". Which way will it be?

Health care & profitability create a natural conflict of interest: Sick people aren't profitable.

Whether health insurance can also be profitable (which essentially means that all the money people pay for insurance coverage is more than all the people actually use up by taking advantage of their coverage) remains to be seen, it should not however be a priority for us as a society over the health of our people.

[LiberalDemIda]

That's why ProfitCare, which we have, is immoral and unethical. It flies in the face of the Hippocratic Oath, but by its usefulness in circumventing the Hippocratic Oath, it does get a few greedy doctors off the hook, doesn't it?

[tarnold-]

LiberalDemIda: ProfitCare isn't immoral or unethical. Profit motives and the free markets have consistently proven to be the most effective and efficient providers of care, services and products ever. By contrast, over the longer-term, socialistic or communal type programs (even government ones) have proven inefficient and ineffective. Neither is perfect and both have faults, but free market solutions, with a little government regulation, consistently provide the best solutions. Government provided solutions almost never provide the best solution to these sorts of problems. Witness Medicare, which is completely bankrupt or Social Security, which has been bankrupt for many years and is now on fumes. Witness the news out of Canada http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/doctors-see-urgent-need-for-health-care-fix/article1255045//) and the UK where both countries are lamenting that their respective health care systems are sick and in need of immediate attention to save them. What we need is considerably less government intervention in healthcare. I have worked in the field for 17 years at all levels.

[Soundofthunder]

So it's a debate based on a type of footwear. I prefer Crosstrainer-style, although I can see merit in Slipper-style.

SOT

[OscarthePug]

Let's see, here we have Mr. Zack Lane, college student at the University of Colorado, challenging the President of the United States to an Oxford style debate, subject not specified, but one would assume it to be about the non-competitive elements of the unresolved healthcare legislation working its way through Congress. President Obama, politely, took the question and complimented the young man for having the audacity (hutzpah) to confront him. Only an extremely confident and intelligent politician would respond in such a manner. The President undoubtedly gained some support and the kid probably attracted one or two ladies.

Increased competition in a fair marketplace would definitely reduce prices, but we are dealing with healthcare products and services and those are not being provided in a fair marketplace. In the middle of the providers of value and the consumer is a useless but powerful middleman who, like a traffic cop, directs the flow of payment for those goods and services.

There is plenty of waste that easily can be squeezed out of the system but in order for it to work properly, in accord with basic economic principles, that Mr. Lane was so quick to jump on, we must remove the biggest inefficiency and element of waste, that being the useless health insurance industry.

I hope that Zack Lane is able to obtain affordable medical care for himself and his family in our country - the largest economy in the world - free market, dynamic, entrepreneurial and broken. Good luck, Zack.

[spytheweb]

I say kill the insurance companies, the winner will be the American public. Everybody in, everybody pays into the pot and when you get sick you go into the pot and pay for the treatment, nobody is denied. No insurance companies saying no, no sky high premiums, no 100 million dollar golden parachutes for CEO's. You also must have cost controls. Set prices for doctors, hospitals and drugs, pay doctors bonuses for keeping their patients well.