Obama at Ft Hood
There is a reason why we elected President Barack Obama. This is a strong speech.
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The Errington Thompson Show 10-31-09
It’s another beautiful day in the neighborhood on the Errington Thompson Show. It’s Halloween, but that’s not what’s scary. Mark Karlin from Buzzflash.com is Errington’s guest. They discuss the frightening audacity of Walmart, the largest American employer in China, and subsidizing the Chinese economy while some of Walmart’s employees here on American soil receive food stamps and Medicaid. Other freaky topics include Dick Cheney’s surprise appearances, surfacing from “undisclosed locations” for just enough time to “dis” President Obama with that special Republican flair for hypocrisy.
Realistic plans for Afghanistan come up, but the main focus of this Halloween show is the unpredictable state of healthcare, as it bounces around the House and Senate, bandied about by Joe Lieberman and Evan Bayh, both of whom have wives whose professional interests in insurance companies and big pharmaceuticals make health care personal and profitable. Come for the spooky Halloween tunes and stay for the serious discussion of real goblins and ghouls. This one’s a treat.
The Errington Thompson Show 10-24-09
Now this is good stuff.
What tribal stage are you in?
This is a cool and informative video. I think that it is well worth your time. It is about sociology and social networks.
The Dallas Cowboys played their best game in over three years
Wow. Did you see that? The Dallas Cowboys did not choke under pressure. Tony Romo did not throw a critical interception, nor did he have a critical fumble. As a matter fact, he took care of the football (only one interception) and made throws when he had to. This is a new Tony Romo. He threw for over 300 yards. The Dallas Cowboys’ defense came up huge. Four sacks. Two interceptions. They held the explosive Philadelphia Eagle offense to only 16 points. Simply magnificent effort, but I need to see more consistency from the Dallas Cowboys. They seem to have done better in the turnover ratio but they have to fix the penalties.
More later.
Kelly Clarkson
Artist: Kelly Clarkson
Tune: Already Gone
Eight-year-old plays cello at the White House
I played the cello for four or five years. Maybe my cello was broken, because it never sounded like this. Cellists Alisa Weilerstein and 8-year-old Sujari Britt perform Luigi Boccherini’s Sonata for Two Cellos in C Major, 1st movement: Allegro moderato. November 4, 2009.
Reform passes the House
This was supposed to be the easy part. The House was the slam dunk. It wasn’t that easy. Healthcare Reform has come, nonetheless. I will have to have some wine and a weekend to review everything that is in the legislation, but I’m thinking about taking back all of the bad things that I have said and thought about Nancy Pelosi and her lack of leadership skills.
From CNN:
The House of Representatives on Saturday night passed a sweeping health care bill by a vote of 220-215.
Earlier, the House passed an amendment to pending health care legislation that prohibits federal funds for abortion services in the public option and in the insurance “exchange” the bill would create.
The vote passed 240-194.
NFL week nine: a little prognostication
The Washington Redskins versus the Atlanta Falcons. The Atlanta Falcons come off of two disheartening losses. The Atlanta Falcons know, as we all know, that they are a good football team. They have to prove it against the (insert your adjective here) Washington Redskins. Many of the Washington fans are pointing to Jason Campbell, thinking that he is the problem. That’s not how I see it. The offensive line for the Washington Redskins has simply been terrible. Jason Campbell has not had enough time. Look for Atlanta to win at home.
The Arizona Cardinals versus Chicago Bears. What happened in Arizona? They looked very good against the New York Giants. They were able to shut down the Giants’ running game. They played defense. The struggling Carolina Panthers ran all over the Arizona Cardinals. Kurt Warner had five interceptions! You can’t win football games like that. On the other side of the ball, Jay Cutler has been mediocre at best. The Chicago Bears have not been running the football all that well. I’ll take the Chicago Bears at home, even though I feel that the Arizona Cardinals are going to wake up at some point in the season, remember that they are the defending NFC champions and begin to play like it.
The Baltimore Ravens versus the Cincinnati Bengals. This could be a GREAT game. Did you know the Cincinnati Bengals are leading their division? Just a couple weeks ago, the Cincinnati Bengals ran over the Ravens. Cedric Benson ran for over 120 yards. Last week, the Baltimore Ravens found their defense and beat up the undefeated, previously undefeated, Denver Broncos. The Cincinnati Bengals’ defense is sixth in the NFL in points allowed per game. They allow only 18.3. If the Bengals are able stop the Ravens’ rushing attack and generate some offense, they may be able to squeak out a victory. Now, this will be a close game. I like Ray Rice, but I’ll stick with Carson Palmer and the Cincinnati Bengals.
The Indianapolis Colts versus the Houston Texans. Houston is playing some good football. They’ve found a running game. Matt Schaub is really playing well in the pocket. In order for Houston to the win, they’re going to have to get some pressure on Peyton Manning and force some turnovers. I think the Houston Texans will miss their tight end Owen Daniels who is out for the season after a knee injury suffered last week. Look for Peyton Manning and the gang to find a way to win, again.
The Jacksonville Jaguars versus the Kansas City Chiefs. The Kansas City Chiefs are currently going through an episode of Sally Jessy Raphael. Larry Johnson is so far in the doghouse that some fans of asked the team to release him so that he would not be able to hold their all-time rushing record. Jacksonville, on the other hand, has been up and down, to say the least. They played a completely unmotivated and lackluster game against the Tennessee Titans and get handed a 13-30 loss. Jacksonville needs to gain an identity. Are they a running team? I thought they were a tough-nosed defense of team, but that hasn’t held true for over a season and a half. Look for Jacksonville to struggle but to pull out a victory.
The Miami Dolphins versus the New England Patriots. Miami has really made the most of what they have. They have a young quarterback who is struggling. They really don’t have any big-play receivers. They have a fabulous running game and that’s about it. Their defense is mediocre at best. Is that good enough to beat Tom Brady and the New England Patriots? Maybe. The offensive line of the New England Patriots is not great. They are okay at best. They still have great receivers. If Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown can control the game and Joey Porter, if he can close his mouth for half a second, and Jason Taylor can play like they did five years ago, the Miami Dolphins can pull out a victory. I just don’t think it’s going to happen. The Dolphins need a couple more players. I look for the patriots to jump out to an early lead and take the Miami Dolphins out of their run game. New England Patriots cruised to an easy victory.
The Green Bay Packers versus the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Tampa Bay is still struggling. They really don’t have a quarterback. They’ve lost their defense of identity. The Green Bay Packers have a great offense. They really only need a couple more pieces to become an elite team, in my opinion. The Packers need to shore up their offensive line and get a solid, durable running back. They have their quarterback, Aaron Rodgers. If Green Bay can control the ball and keep Aaron Rodgers up right, they should roll to an easy victory.
Now the late games –
The Carolina Panthers versus the New Orleans Saints. Don’t believe what you saw last week with the Panthers. They aren’t fooling me. I don’t think that their running game is back. I don’t think that the problems they have shown all year on defense has been solved. In order for the Panthers to keep this game competitive, their defense has to slow down the most explosive offense in the league. I don’t think the front four for the Carolina Panthers can match up with the offensive line for the New Orleans Saints. Look for Drew Brees to have a big day. (I wish he was on my fantasy team.) The New Orleans Saints remain undefeated.
The Detroit Lions versus the Seattle Seahawks. Unless the Detroit Lions rail before some early turnovers, this game is over by the the first quarter. Matt Hasselbeck will try to in this game early. Look for deep plays and lots of screen passes to Julius Jones. The Seattle Seahawks cruised to victory at home.
The New York Giants versus the San Diego Chargers. Just three short weeks ago, I thought the New York Giants were cruising to another division title and a deep run into the playoffs. Their offense and defense were clicking. The Giants have lost three straight. Eli Manning, who took great care of the ball last year, is starting to throw some interceptions. Is he missing Plaxico Burress? I think the Giants are hurting on both sides of the ball. The defensive front four are not controlling the line of scrimmage like they did last year and the year before. They have lost some key players in the secondary but the secondary was dependent upon the defensive line to put pressure on the quarterback. Philip Rivers should have a big day pushing the ball down the field. The woes for the New York Giants continue. Now, I say this in spite of the fact that I don’t think the San Diego Chargers are very good team. I think they’re in the middle of the pack, but Philip Rivers is playing well. The Chargers by 10 points.
The San Francisco 49ers versus the Tennessee Titans. Can Vince Young continue to play well? He did a very good job of taking care of the ball last week. I don’t see the defense of Mike Singletary being as generous. I see pressure coming from everywhere, including the locker room. The Titans are going to have to roll out Vince Young in his second start. On the other side of the ball, San Francisco 49ers took Alex Smith out of storage to try to resurrect their season. He’s played fairly well. If he can control the ball (no interceptions) against an anemic Tennessee Titans defense the 49ers should have a good game and win.
Sunday night game –
The Dallas Cowboys versus the Philadelphia Eagles. Classic NFL. The NFC East division is on the line. I have no idea what to expect. Both teams in the last several weeks have played some very good football and some very bad football. Which Philadelphia Eagles team are we going to see? Are we going to see the team that struggled against the hapless Washington Redskins team and was simply awful against the Oakland Raiders? Or are we to see the team that basically destroyed the New York Giants? The same can be said for the Dallas Cowboys. Remember it wasn’t that long ago that the Dallas Cowboys had to go to overtime to beat the winless Kansas City Chiefs. In order for the Dallas Cowboys to win they have to protect the quarterback. Tony Romo has to have time to see the field. I am hopeful that the Dallas Cowboys will move Roy Williams to slot where I think he can be more effective. The Dallas running backs need to run hard and strong. There needs to be an excellent mix of run and pass so that the Cowboys stay out of third and long. From the defensive standpoint, the Dallas Cowboys must keep Donovan McNabb in the pocket. They must generate lots of pressure from their front four. Jackson and Westbrook are the two key players. The Dallas Cowboys must control these players in order to win. The Philadelphia Eagles formula for winning has been the same for the last 15 years. The defense creates turnovers and field position and the offense strikes quickly. Look for Felix Jones and Martellus Bennett (TE) to have big games. I think the Cowboys will use two tight ends and one wide receiver package for a good deal of the game. The Cowboys by seven.
Monday Night Football –
The Pittsburgh Steelers versus the Denver Broncos. Now that should be fun. Look for the Pittsburgh Steelers to get after the Denver Broncos offense. I think there will use the same type of scheme that we saw from the Baltimore Ravens. I would like for the Denver Broncos to beat the Pittsburgh Steelers just because I have a long-standing disdain for the Steelers, but I don’t think it’s going to happen. I look for the Pittsburgh Steelers to run the ball effectively and throw out a play action pass. They’ll get the ball downfield to Santonio Holmes, who I think will have a big game. The Denver Broncos don’t push the ball down the field and I think this will hurt them against a fast Steeler defense. I look for the Steelers to win by four or five points in the thin air of Denver.
Healthcare debate in the House coming down to the wire
Here is the debate on Capital Hill. The Republicans are trying to do everything that they can to stop this.
From TPM:
Speaker Nancy Pelosi and House Democratic leaders just emerged from a closed-door caucus meeting that included a personal appearance by President Obama confident the House will pass a sweeping health care reform bill today.
Addressing reporters outside the caucus meeting room just now, Pelosi looked back briefly before announcing what seemed like a deal to pass reform.
It was three years ago today that Pelosi led Democrats to retake the House after more than a decade of Republican control. She said the date was “appropriate.” (more…)
President Barack Obama goes to the Hill:
President Obama is calling on representatives to pass the sweeping health care reform bill scheduled for a floor vote tonight.
“This is our moment to live up to the trust that the American people have put in us,” he said in a public address on the grounds of the White House just now.
“I urge members of Congress to rise to this moment, answer the call of history, and vote ‘yes’ for health insurance reform for America,” Obama said. (more… )
Where are we on Healthcare?
These guys are depressing me (Larry Kissel is a no vote? I gave money to this man! I thought he was a progressive. Damn it.):
From McJoan: David Dayen has done tremendous work today keeping track of public statements from House members in health care.
These are those he has as definite no votes:
Adler, Baird, Boren, Bright, Childers, A. Davis, L. Davis, Gordon, P.Griffith, Herseth Sandlin, Kissell, Kosmas, Kratovil, Marshall, Massa, Matheson, McMahon, Melancon, Minnick, Peterson, Skelton, Stupak, Tanner, Taylor, Teague
Normally, I don’t recommend calling representatives other than your own. But there’s a big exception on that list for the netroots community. While Larry Kissel wasn’t among the candidates on Daily Kos’s Orange to Blue list last year, but over the last few years, netroots activists donated $485,795 to the Kissel campaign for Congress. If you were among those who donated, I don’t think you’d be out of order in calling and asking for a refund. And if you live in the district of one of those other members, and you don’t agree with their no vote, please call them tonight and tomorrow to let them know.
Particularly Brian Baird, who I have heard might be wavering. Here’s a list of those members that folks on the Hill think are those we need to focus on over the next day.
Arcuri, Baird, Bean, Boyd, Carney, Donnelly, Kaptor, Kucinich, McMahon, Scott Murphy, Nye
Vice President Biden is making phone calls to these guys, maybe you should, too? If one of the above is your representative, Call or e-mail and let him or her know you support H.R. 3962, and you’ll be watching their vote.
Bonnie Raitt – “Pride and Joy”
Very tired. Work has been emotionally draining. The Congressional Democrats have overwhelmed me with their lack of intestinal fortitude.
This is a tribute to Stevie Ray Vaughn.
Artist: Bonnie Raitt
Tune: Pride and Joy
Breaking News: Shooting at Foot Hood (Update)
I have only been on one military base – Foot Hood. This shooting is very, very sad.
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Update from MSNBC:
At least one U.S. soldier opened fire Thursday at Fort Hood, Texas, killing at least 11 people and wounding 31 others, military officials said.
One gunman was shot to death, and two other soldiers were in custody, Lt. Gen. Robert W. Cone, commanding general of the Army’s III Corps, told reporters.
Cone gave no further details on the dead gunman. A senior Obama administration official told NBC News analyst Roger Cressey that one of the suspects who was in custody was an Army major. (more… )
NBC News’ Pete Williams reported that U.S. officials identified the gunman as Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, an Army psychiatrist [ed. note - emphasis is mine] who had been promoted to major in May. Defense officials said Hasan, 39, arrived at Fort Hood in July after practicing for six years at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, which included a fellowship in disaster and preventive psychiatry.
Hasan was scheduled to be deployed to Iraq on Nov. 28, officials said. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas, said military officials had told her that Hasan was “pretty upset” about his deployment orders. (more… )
This is very sad.
Can the Cowboys fire Williams now?
Look, I’m a little resentful of these high paid sports figures. I went to school for what seemed to be 100 years in order to become a trauma surgeon. I’m well-paid. But when I compare myself to Alex Rodriguez my paycheck looks somewhat measly. I do find some comfort in stating that at least Alex Rodriguez is producing. Roy Williams, number one receiver for the Dallas Cowboys, is a completely different story. What a disaster.
From ESPN:
No. 2 is Miles Austin, who has produced like a Pro Bowler since moving into the starting lineup. Austin has set an NFL record with 482 yards in his first three starts, scoring on five of his 21 receptions during that span.
Compare that to Williams’ statistics in 16 games since arriving from Detroit in a blockbuster deal: 33 catches, 447 yards and three touchdowns.
Considering those numbers, how could Williams possibly still see himself as the Cowboys’ No. 1 receiver?
“He gets the ball thrown correctly his way,” Williams said of Austin. “I’m stretching and falling and doing everything. Everybody [else] who’s been here’s balls are there. Our footballs [from Romo to Williams] are everywhere right now.”
Williams has caught only 14 of 37 passes thrown his way this season. Only four receivers in the league who have been targeted at least 25 times have caught a lower percentage of passes aimed at them.
The guy runs mediocre routes. He has little or no separation speed.
BTW, the Yankees are slowly bleeding the Phillies to death. Death by 1000 cuts. A run here, two runs there. In the bottom of the fifth, the score is 5-1.
Grab bag: elections and stuff
After every election, it’s just like McDonald’s selling hamburgers, pundits are going to try to look for some overarching theme that will tie all the elections together. The fact that there was low voter turnout and low voter interest seems to get an asterisk. I don’t think that there is any overarching theme. If there’s any theory, I’ll go with the theory that all politics is local.
In Maine: the voters in Maine decided that discrimination against gays and lesbians was okay. The gay marriage initiative was defeated.
Michael Bloomberg, after changing the rules and spending over $90 million of his own money, won a close election for mayor of New York City. It must be nice to be a billionaire.
In Virginia, the Republican candidate easily won the governor’s mansion.
In probably what was the most contentious race, New York’s 23rd Congressional District, Doug Hoffman was running as a conservative third-party candidate. Bill Owens, the Democrat, won 49% of the vote. The last time a Democrat held this seat was over 100 years ago. Look for much prognostication over this race.
On a completely different note, I did go see Michael Jackson’s This Is It. Absolutely fabulous.
Here’s what Kos took from yesterday -
There will be much number-crunching tomorrow, but preliminary numbers (at least in Virginia) show that GOP turnout remained the same as last year, but Democratic turnout collapsed. This is a base problem, and this is what Democrats better take from tonight:
- If you abandon Democratic principles in a bid for unnecessary “bipartisanship”, you will lose votes.
- If you water down reform in favor of Blue Dogs and their corporate benefactors, you will lose votes.
- If you forget why you were elected — health care, financial services, energy policy and immigration reform — you will lose votes.
Tonight proved conclusively that we’re not going to turn out just because you have a (D) next to your name, or because Obama tells us to. We’ll turn out if we feel it’s worth our time and effort to vote, and we’ll work hard to make sure others turn out if you inspire us with bold and decisive action.
The choice is yours. Give us a reason to vote for you, or we sit home. And you aren’t going to make up the margins with conservative voters. They already know exactly who they’re voting for, and it ain’t you.
HBO Special
Edward Norton (The Hulk) has produced a documentary which will be airing on HBO tonight. The documentary is called By the People. It is about Barack Obama’s presidential campaign. This looks like a must see.
Rape victim confronts Senator Vitter
Now, this is getting something from a blog that got something from another blog and now, I’m giving the information to you. The good news is that you don’t even have to wash your hands. Just read and be revoked by Senator Vitter.
From Think Progress– Rape Victim Confronts Vitter Over His Vote Against Franken’s Amendment Holding Contractors Accountable:
Last month, Sen. Al Franken (D-MN) proposed an amendment to the 2010 Defense Appropriations bill that would withhold defense contracts if companies “restrict their employees from taking workplace sexual assault, battery and discrimination cases to court.” Although the amendment passed, 30 Republican senators voted against it.
One of the Republicans singled out for especially harsh criticism following the vote was Sen. David Vitter (R-LA), who has a track record of siding againstwomen’s rights. The Huffington Post’s Sam Stein reports that at a town hall meeting this past weekend, a constituent confronted Vitter about his vote. The woman, a rape victim, demanded that he explain why he opposed Franken’s amendment. Vitter refused to give her a straight answer.
As Sam Stein noted at the HuffPo–”The exchange was contentious, heart wrenching, and potentially damaging.”
WOMAN: It meant everything to me that I was able to put the person who attacked me [behind bars]. And what allowed me to do that was our judicial process. I showed up in court every day to make sure that happen.
VITTER: And I’m absolutely supportive of any case like that being prosecuted criminally to the full extent of the law.
WOMAN: But there are rape victims who are being kept silent.
WOMAN: But how can you support [a law] that tells a rape victim that she does not have the right to defend herself?
VITTER: Ma’am The language in question did not say that in any way shape or form.
WOMAN: But it is unconstitutional to have a law that says a woman does not have a right to defend herself.
VITTER: You realize Mr. Obama was against that amendment that his administration was against that amendment
WOMAN: But I’m not asking Obama. I’m asking you.
VITTER: Do you think he’s in favor in rape?
WOMAN: I’m asking you Senator. What if it was your daughter who was raped? Would you tell her to be quiet and take it? Would you tell your daughter to be silent?
Opt in or opt out — let’s flip a coin
According to a recent article in the Washington Post, many of the healthcare policy decisions that we think are being made in Washington will instead be made in your state capital. Is this a good thing? I think not. In my opinion, politics is about not making decisions. Politicians almost never get voted out of office for indecision or inaction. Instead, politicians get voted out of office for making decisions that are unpopular. If you have a large enough constituency it really doesn’t matter what decision you make. Someone’s not going to be happy.
So, let’s apply this to healthcare reform. It appears that the Democrats are trying to make as few decisions as possible. This way, they get maximum benefit (hey, we passed healthcare reform) with minimum blowback because the details are left up to states. In my way of thinking, this means that many of the battles that were fought in Washington need to be re-fought in Raleigh, Albany, Atlanta and Austin. Let’s assume that all states actually make decisions. The healthcare in Texas can be vastly different than the healthcare in North Dakota or in Hawaii. Is this what we wanted when we started the discussion on health care reform? Don’t think so. This is garbage. This is an unwillingness to step up to the plate and do the right thing. The Democrats should be ashamed of themselves.
From a minority perspective, states have let us down time and time again. One only has to look at civil rights, unequal pay and gender discrimination to see that states don’t always step up to the plate and do the right thing. Sometimes, states have to be forced into making the correct decision especially when it comes to the poor and minorities. This healthcare reform has everything to do with the poor and minorities. These are the groups who are most affected by no health insurance or by inadequate health insurance.
The opt in or opt out option reminds me of the Hokey Pokey. It’s a child’s game. This is not providing health care reform nationwide. This is providing an opportunity to get healthcare reform nationwide. An opportunity? I think when you live in Massachusetts or Connecticut or even Oregon you have some expectations that your state will make the right decisions with regard to healthcare. In South Carolina, there is no expectation of adequate decision-making in the state capital. The governor was using state funds to fly to Brazil and then fly home to get his hair cut, yet legislators cannot make up their mind whether he should be impeached or not. That was easy. Healthcare is hard. They’ll never be able to make the right decisions for their constituents. In Texas, the state where I grew up, I know the mindset. Many Texans believe in perfect Reaganesque fashion that all government is bad. The disadvantaged will then continue to be out in the cold while conservatives will write opinion pieces in the local papers about how Obama’s health care plans were a complete and total failure, when they in fact did not institute any healthcare reform themselves.
Democrats in the House and the Senate, what are you doing? You guys are giving me chest pain and at my age, if I mention chest pain someone’s going to throw me on a gurney and roll me into an angiography suite. We want real healthcare reform. Nationwide!
The Canary in the Financial Coal Mine Was a Woman
I’ve written about the financial meltdown from a couple of different angles. I even talked about Brooksley Born, who was the canary in the financial coal mine. She tried to warn us against unfettered greed and scant, if any, regulation. My friend, Linda Monk, has picked up on this association and has an interesting twist on why Brooksley was not listen to by the financial bigwigs.
From HuffPost:
On the day of the dead, Nov. 1, the news media reported the story of CIT’s* impending bankruptcy. Cassandra, take a bow. This time, her name is Brooksley Born. She saw it all coming almost 20 years ago.
Born was the lone woman in a group of powerful men when she tried to persuade Congress to regulate the novel financial instruments known as over-the-counter derivatives during the 1990s. She served as head of the Commodities Futures Trading Commission, and legally had jurisdiction over the side bets that banks and insurance companies made with each other to hedge their risky investments. Except nobody was keeping score, and nobody was required to actually have money on hand to pay up. Born thought that should change, because too much of the American people’s money was at risk.
She was defeated by the financial titans of Robert Rubin, Larry Summers, and Alan Greenspan — at the time Secretary of the Treasury, assistant secretary, and chairman of the Federal Reserve. The triumvirate portrayed her as that worst of all possible beasts in Washington officialdom, a “difficult” woman.
Greenspan believed “The Market” would police itself of fraud because he was a devoted acolyte of Ayn Rand, the radical individualist and author of Atlas Shrugged. Not exactly an inspiring metaphor for a Fed Chairman during a global economic meltdown.But as Born knew, fraud is the mortal enemy of any supposedly free market. Unless investors can be confident that their money is safe from fraud, capitalism cannot survive. A system rife with fraud is a death star, imploding upon itself. Derivatives, houses, tulips–the object of the exchange does not matter if the information it is based on is knowingly false. Such a system is based on patsies, not investors. (more… )
A Parity of Joe Lieberman on Face the Nation
Now, this is funny:
Schieffer: Holy Joe thanks for coming
Lieberman: thank you very much Bob
Schieffer: So the Democrats may pass health care reform public option – what do you think?
Lieberman: I’m all for health care reform but we have to worry about the state of the economy in 20 years and a public option might help people and save lives in the short term but in the long run it will run up the debt and destroy America
[ shakes jowls vigorously ]
Schieffer: but most people like it
Lieberman: sure they do but this crazy idea that people deserve health care just came out of nowhere!
Schieffer: Liberals say we need it to save lives
Lieberman: true but we must be ready to kill the many to save the few who make our incredibly fragile economy the envy of the world
Schieffer: will you filibuster a public option?
Lieberman: I will – I must stop this horrific idea that the government would create an entitlement for health care
[begins weeping]
Schieffer: you think people are not entitled to decent health care?
Lieberman: not if they are not as wonderful as I am
Schieffer: is anyone in America as terrific as you?
Lieberman: touchdown Jesus
Schieffer: but your filibuster could kill all health care reform
Lieberman: oh no I’m not the one who would do that – those horrible people who push for the public option are — they are mean and say if you
are not for the government insurance you must be a bad person (more… )
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Errington C. Thompson, MD, is a surgeon, scholar, full-time sports fan and part-time political activist. He is active in a number of community projects and initiatives. Through medicine, he strives to improve the physical health of all he treats...
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