GOP Counters Obama AARP Healthcare Town Hall
By Paul Bedard, Washington Whispers
Senate Republicans beat President Obama to the punch. Just hours before he planned to hold an online healthcare town hall with AARP members, the Republicans told Whispers that they have already talked to 1.3 million Americans in their own nightly healthcare town halls. It's just the first step in what both Democrats and Republicans say will be a heated and very busy August recess when lawmakers and special interests groups plan to flood the airwaves, phone lines, and even county fairs with their pitches for and against Obama-style healthcare.
The GOP leadership on July 6 set a goal of talking to 1 million Americans before the August recess began, and insiders suggest that the Republicans will end the campaign by talking to nearly 2 million. Some 16 Republican senators took part in the nightly effort, participating in hourlong calls to thousands. Senate Republican Conference Chairman Lamar Alexander, for example, reached out to some 45,000 in Tennessee and got half of those on the phone. During the calls he took several questions on the Obama healthcare plan and the GOP alternatives.
With just a little more than a week before Congress recesses, both political parties and their surrogates are drawing up plans for the summer battle over healthcare reform. "The race will now be on to see who can get home and shape the debate at town halls and other public events," said a key GOP leadership aide. The Republicans plan to step up their warnings that the plan will cost too much, result in higher taxes, and hurt the quality of healthcare. The Democrats are planning to push their claims that the time is ripe for reform and that costs will rise unless there is large-scale reform.
Outside groups also intend to get involved. The Obama support group Americans United for Change, for example, has just cut a TV ad that accuses the Republicans of slowing the healthcare debate in order to kill reform. The ad is titled "Snail," and a spokesman said the ad is meant to expose "the GOP's 'slow it down' talking point on healthcare reform for what it really is: a concerted strategy for killing reform altogether and perpetuating the status quo for another 15 years."
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Tags: AARP | healthcare | Republicans | Barack Obama
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Reader Comments
Look in the mirror
We are looking more like the Europeans and the former USSR every day.
Healthcare
There are millions of people, 52% of Americans, according to July 27, 2009 Zogby poll, that disagree with a universal healthcare plan where the government would provide health insurance for everyone. The other 48%of the people have to be asked, "Have you ever dealt with a public agency?" If you have, whether it is the local post office, the Department of Aging, the Department of Public Welfare, Medicare, Social Security or any other, trying to even get a person on the phone, which is often the first step, is next to impossible. Would you rather have this option during a medical concern or have the option to call your primary care's emergency number or going to the emergency room?
If we think the emergency rooms are a headache now, wait until everyone is on government-sponsored healthcare. The lines will be longer, the wait will be longer, and the quality of the care will go down tremendously because all of the doctors are being paid the same. The hospitals will be filled with second-rate doctors who were able to get into medical school that could not before because all of the quality doctors will have left the system due to outrageous bureaucratic restrictions and pay reductions.
Of all of the information that is out there, I have not seen a good itemized source of who these uninsured are. I know there are indigent people who need healthcare. I get that. Do they not get Medicare? If that is not adequate, then reform Medicare! Who is included in these statistics of the uninsured? The White House is not clear on this. Reports have shown that this includes people who are out of work for a day, a week or a month, which grossly inflates the number they are reporting. There are thousands of people who have chosen not to have healthcare insurance. They participate in the "pay-as-you-go" method of healthcare. This is their choice, yet they are reported as victims of the healthcare system and yet, they do not want it. So, who are all of these uninsured? Please identify yourselves. We would love to hear from you. The only people I hear talking about a need for insurance for the uninsured are the pundits who all have insurance.
This has me so fired up, I finally started a blog.
read more at homebasedpolitics.blogspot.com
Health Care
In all fairness we should experiment with this health care program before putting it into full swing.
I propose for the first couple of years only federal employees including congress and their families are to be covered under this program. When one of them needs medical treatment it is put before the American people as to the treatment they get (by popular vote). They must abide by the decision of the people. They would not be allowed to use outside insurance or pay for it from their own pocket. After two years, the surviving Congressmen can then vote on the outcome of the bill.
Sounds like the fair way to do things.
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