Republican Response to the Presidential Address?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Health reform is not urgently needed. 85% of this country has healthcare and most of the people who don't have it choose not to have it. What does need to be reformed is dropping someone from a plan because they are sick--I haven't personally seen this but if this is possible..it shouldn't be. I think preexisting conditions should also be worked on but much in the way like car insurance ex. you can't find out you have cancer and then want to sign up for insurance that makes no sense but if you are insured you should be able to switch plans without penalty due to a prexisting condition. That is reform I am interested in and reform that the Republican party has discussed. I am not interested in any form of government plan. Think of this way. The government breaks up businesses that are too big because it throws out competition. Why would it be fair competition to have the government which is larger than any business and oh by the way doesn't have to make a profit to be in the insurance game. This will hurt all taxpaying Americans who have paid for their insurance year in and out. The only people who will benefit are the losers who refuse to pull their own weight-those people should be thrilled.

Why do you think they choose not to have it? Maybe because it's too expensive for someone making a low salary and they'd rather pay their rent/mortgage, have a place to live, and hope they don't get sick?

I get all your other points. I don't necessarily agree but I "get" them. But saying that someone who can't afford health insurance is making a "choice" and therefore implying that they are of no concern? No, that's a ridiculous argument. If I work as a home health care aide taking care of senior citizens at low pay and decide to pay for food and lodging and then having nothing left for health insurance, why do I deserve to be dismissed by you like this?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Who is this joker? Charles Bustany?

Clearly, the Republicans are not willing to put up a leader to speak to America. I guess they don't have a credible plan any leader is willing to personally stand behind.

Just in case there is a plan somewhere, I went to the web site he mentioned. It is practically devoid of content - just a few pages of platitudes. I was glad to see that some republicans managed to staple together a half inch of paper to wave at the President, though. That gives me hope that there is a plan out there (ha!)

Hey, the last I heard, you Dems now control the house, the Senate and the White House. Why don't you stop blaming the Republicans for health care not going through? The fact is, you've got five different plans floating around in the house, not enough votes in the Senate and a bunch of squabbling within your own party.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Who is this joker? Charles Bustany?

Clearly, the Republicans are not willing to put up a leader to speak to America. I guess they don't have a credible plan any leader is willing to personally stand behind.

Just in case there is a plan somewhere, I went to the web site he mentioned. It is practically devoid of content - just a few pages of platitudes. I was glad to see that some republicans managed to staple together a half inch of paper to wave at the President, though. That gives me hope that there is a plan out there (ha!)

Hey, the last I heard, you Dems now control the house, the Senate and the White House. Why don't you stop blaming the Republicans for health care not going through? The fact is, you've got five different plans floating around in the house, not enough votes in the Senate and a bunch of squabbling within your own party.

The Republicans know something about that, eh?

The party is being blemished by a bunch of losers who keep making flipping a-holes out of themselves by screaming like petulant children. When you have no ideas, just yell louder than the other guy! Many Republicans are embarrassed as hell by the idiots front and center right now. If you aren't, you're probably screaming, too.

[jsteele]

Anonymous wrote:
Hey, the last I heard, you Dems now control the house, the Senate and the White House. Why don't you stop blaming the Republicans for health care not going through? The fact is, you've got five different plans floating around in the house, not enough votes in the Senate and a bunch of squabbling within your own party.

The Dems can easily deliver a majority in each chamber but Senate Republicans won't allow an up or down vote. Therefore, Dems need at least 60 votes and only have 59 (including two independents). So, as a result, the Democrats don't control the Senate in the sense that they can pass anything they want. However, if they choose to use reconciliation, they will only need 51 votes. However, we may all go deaf from the Republicans screams of outrage.

When the Republicans were in the majority, they threatened to change Senate rules to disallow filibusters. Now that they are in the minority, they use it on almost every vote. Ironic.

[Anonymous]

I would like to know where are the republican Christians on this issue. It is a moral issue as well. If everyone can agree insurance companies cannot drop someone from a plan because they are sick and must cover pre-existing conditions and the only argument is about public insurance, then people really are putting the insurance companies over peoples lives .
PEOPLE are DYING because they do not have access to insurance, just because I have insurance does absolve me responsibility

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Who is this joker? Charles Bustany?

Clearly, the Republicans are not willing to put up a leader to speak to America. I guess they don't have a credible plan any leader is willing to personally stand behind.

Just in case there is a plan somewhere, I went to the web site he mentioned. It is practically devoid of content - just a few pages of platitudes. I was glad to see that some republicans managed to staple together a half inch of paper to wave at the President, though. That gives me hope that there is a plan out there (ha!)

Hey, the last I heard, you Dems now control the house, the Senate and the White House. Why don't you stop blaming the Republicans for health care not going through? The fact is, you've got five different plans floating around in the house, not enough votes in the Senate and a bunch of squabbling within your own party.

You need to take a civics class.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Health reform is not urgently needed. 85% of this country has healthcare and most of the people who don't have it choose not to have it. What does need to be reformed is dropping someone from a plan because they are sick--I haven't personally seen this but if this is possible..it shouldn't be. I think preexisting conditions should also be worked on but much in the way like car insurance ex. you can't find out you have cancer and then want to sign up for insurance that makes no sense but if you are insured you should be able to switch plans without penalty due to a prexisting condition. That is reform I am interested in and reform that the Republican party has discussed. I am not interested in any form of government plan. Think of this way. The government breaks up businesses that are too big because it throws out competition. Why would it be fair competition to have the government which is larger than any business and oh by the way doesn't have to make a profit to be in the insurance game. This will hurt all taxpaying Americans who have paid for their insurance year in and out. The only people who will benefit are the losers who refuse to pull their own weight-those people should be thrilled.

Totally agree with the items bolded above. Also, if there is 600B in waste and inefficiency, what are we waiting for? You don't need legislation to become more efficient, crack down on fraud, etc. I have not faith that the govt can correct waste and inefficiency, but I would sure like to see them try. If they can get that right, then lets talk about expanding coverage to the truly needy.

Amazing that some people only want the government to do something for the truly needed after they see improvements for themselves first (that are in such an economic/employer situation to be insured themselves)...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Who is this joker? Charles Bustany?

Clearly, the Republicans are not willing to put up a leader to speak to America. I guess they don't have a credible plan any leader is willing to personally stand behind.

Just in case there is a plan somewhere, I went to the web site he mentioned. It is practically devoid of content - just a few pages of platitudes. I was glad to see that some republicans managed to staple together a half inch of paper to wave at the President, though. That gives me hope that there is a plan out there (ha!)

Hey, the last I heard, you Dems now control the house, the Senate and the White House. Why don't you stop blaming the Republicans for health care not going through? The fact is, you've got five different plans floating around in the house, not enough votes in the Senate and a bunch of squabbling within your own party.

You need to take a civics class.

Another poster here.. what was inaccurate about the above? Please explain. Thanks.

[jsteele]

Anonymous wrote:
Another poster here.. what was inaccurate about the above? Please explain. Thanks.

The poster apparently never heard of the filibuster. Nor does the poster appear to understand the committee process.

[Anonymous]

jsteele wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Another poster here.. what was inaccurate about the above? Please explain. Thanks.

The poster apparently never heard of the filibuster. Nor does the poster appear to understand the committee process.

Jeff, I am the PP who apparently needs a civics class. The democrats could still push health care through via reconciliation, could they not?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

jsteele wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Another poster here.. what was inaccurate about the above? Please explain. Thanks.

The poster apparently never heard of the filibuster. Nor does the poster appear to understand the committee process.

Jeff, I am the PP who apparently needs a civics class. The democrats could still push health care through via reconciliation, could they not?

Yes, but that's widely looked upon as an abuse of power. It was written specifically for the budget process. Clinton tried to cram HillaryCare through by using it, but I think even the Dems refused to let him do it.

[jsteele]

Anonymous wrote:
Jeff, I am the PP who apparently needs a civics class. The democrats could still push health care through via reconciliation, could they not?

Yes, and this may well be the plan. Way back in April Obama agreed with Senate leaders that reconciliation would be used after Oct. 15 if a bipartisan agreement had not be reached. Assuming that agreement is still in effect, and since no agreement seems likely, reconciliation will be triggered in about a month. I haven't heard anything about that agreement for months, so it's possible its no longer valid or that I'm the only one who remembers it. Here is a NYT article about it:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/25/us/politics/25budget.html

However, Republicans have laid a lot of groundwork to make reconciliation seem worse than it is. They have convinced the media that it is the "nuclear option" when the "nuclear option" was actually the Republican plan to do away with filibusters. The Republicans themselves have used reconciliation many times without much controversy. Regardless, if Dems used reconciliation, there would be great howls of outrage from the right.

[Anonymous]

The republicans have used reconcilliation very little and not for something that would take over 20% of our economy. At this point I am like go ahead and do it--it will mean that Obama will be out for sure.