Memo To Rahm: Do You Think We're MotherF#@kin' Stupid?

In the past few days, a disturbing reality has come into razor sharp focus -- the White House may be completely willing to go along with the lobbyist funded Senators on selling out real health care reform for America.

If anyone wanted to hold on to the illusion that perhaps President Obama was actually doing a head fake with 'moderate Democrats' in his call  suggesting that they shouldn't be attacked for taking huge amounts of health industry money in exchange for creating faux reform legislation that would entrench and benefit the private insurance industry, Rahm Emanual made it clear on Monday that the compromise is a pre-approved condition at the White House.

According to the Wall Street Journal:

It is more important that health-care legislation inject stiff competition among insurance plans than it is for Congress to create a pure government-run option, White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel said Monday.

"The goal is to have a means and a mechanism to keep the private insurers honest," he said in an interview. "The goal is non-negotiable; the path is" negotiable.

His comments came as the Senate Finance Committee pushed for a bipartisan deal.

The White House and Congress need to get the message loud and clear that so many of us have waited so long for real health care reform that we're in no mood to watch the compromise that The Public Option already represents crumble in front of us.

Eight years of the blatant corporate governance of George Bush and Dick Cheney don't make the slick, two faced corpora governance of people like Rahm Emanuel and Max Baucus go down any smoother.

We know the lies about how awful the rest of the world's health care is and how great we have it in the U.S.A. with our freedom to go bankrupt. We know that we're the only modern nation in the world where the private insurance industry is allowed to choke profits out of its citizens. Thanks to defiant American voices like filmmaker Michael Moore, we get it.

Let's give credit to Barack Obama for making us feel like we could make a difference -- like we could WIN this time. That's a powerful feeling; just ask our brothers and sisters in Iran. Are we Americans ready to show 1/100th of the courage that they showed when they braved police and bullets to let their government know they demanded change?

Are you willing to at least pick up the phone and tell the White House what you think?

On his 100th day in office, Barack Obama said:

You're who I'm working for every single day in the White House. I've heard your stories; I know you sent me to Washington because you believed in the promise of a better day. And I don't want to let you down.

You're letting us down, Mr. President.

Here's my two latest videos.

 

Follow Lee Stranahan on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Stranahan

Comments

[RoloTomassi]

I agree with the sentiment expressed here, but I now believe that this is just one facet of our new president's non-populist attitude and blatant acquiescence to the corporatist factions that hamstring the average US citizen at every turn. Looking at how all of this is playing out, in healthcare reform, the continuation of war and GWB policies, the failure to dismantle the BushCo efforts towards unitary executive power, and the despicable political kowtowing to Wall St., it all begins to solidify into an image wholly unlike the persona he projected during the campaign.

Which is--if we are honest with ourselves--typical for US politicians.

So, note to fellow liberals / progressives: this is what we get when we embrace and support a no-details, highly skilled rhetorician who secretly embraces the very corporatist factions that harm us most.

This is NOT change--this is deception, plain and simple.

[InOv8]

Sadly, what comes to mind is: "Meet the new boss, Same as the old boss".

[RoloTomassi]

Indeed; the Who has called the tune....

[JWheels]

I think Obama and Rahm are unwittingly sowing the seeds of a 2012 primary challenge.

[deutchs]

I hope that it leads to a viable third party.

[denny8844]

You are all dreamers if you think this administration is any different The real deciders are the monied lobbyist interests Sorry Kool Aid afficianados but the reality is hard to take at times

[wanked]

Lee thank you. I am also newly uninsured with a not so great medical history. I wake up early every day so that I can spend a few hours writing, calling, and bloging for a single payer option. I am ashamed and enraged at what our corporate system of governance has become. I will fight to the end ...NO HOSPITAL is gonna take MY HOUSE that I have worked my whole life for. Rahm Emanuel can GO TO HELL>

[PhilipTaylor]

Healthcare FACTS!

1. America PAYS OVER 130% MORE FOR HEALTH CARE THAN MEDIAN FOR MEMBER STATES OF THE OECD. A country where Healthcare is a FOR-PROFIT CENTER!

2. We have about 15% of Americans NOT Covered. No concern for our people!

3. We could save 50% OF OUR TOTAL COSTS WITH SINGLE-PAYER REFORM COMBINED WITH REMOVING WASTE, OVERTESTING, AND OVERCHARGING! GREED DRIVEN SYSTEM!

4. Americas quality of Health Care is rated on par with P00R CUBA and below Chile and Costa Rica! Not Patient Oriented but MONEY MONEY MONEY Oriented so we live shorter and less healthy lives!

[Matt Herlihy]

Nice post. I encourage everyone who has a facebook profile to change their picture to:

http://img193.imageshack.us/img193/8017/publicoption.png

And also invite your friends to as well.

[TaosJohn]

Way to go, Lee. These bastards have no shame. "Letting us down" is awfully mild of you, too, I have to say. KEEP THIS UP, bro'. They need to be hit over and over.