Spratt Silent, Obama Speaks On His Behalf
U.S. Rep. John Spratt isn’t talking about his vote to approve President Barack Obama’s controversial socialized medicine plan.
“He voted for it,” Spratt spokesman Chuck Fant said bluntly in a voice mail message left for FITS Monday, informing our reporter that she could “call back if she had any additional questions.”
Well she does (and she did call back), so we’ll let you know what else – if anything – Fant has to say on Spratt’s behalf when (if) he gets back in touch with us.
Of course, while Spratt is remaining silent on his controversial vote, the campaign organization of President Barack Obama is shouting it from the rooftops.
Take a look at the following email, which was sent Monday from Obama’s “Organizing for America.”
Friend –
Last night, your representative, Rep. John Spratt, cast a courageous vote to help pass comprehensive health reform. After months of debate and decades of false starts, this was the biggest step yet on the path to making real health insurance reform a reality.
But before health reform can become law, it must pass one more time through the House of Representatives. The insurance companies will be throwing everything they can at changing Rep. Spratt’s vote for the final round, so it’s crucial that we publicly show that the voters in your district support reform and are counting on Rep. Spratt to stand firm (emphasis original).
One of the best ways to help is to write a letter to the editor of a local newspaper thanking Rep. Spratt for supporting health reform. Can you write one today?
You don’t have to be an expert to write a very powerful letter. We’ll provide helpful information about the House bill and health reform. But the best content comes from you.
You can tell your personal story about why health reform matters to you, your family, and your community. You can write about how important it is that our representatives stand with their constituents and not the special interests — as Rep. Spratt did last night. What matters the most is that you write from the heart and speak out as a concerned citizen at this crucial time.
With reform’s passage out of the House, there are three major steps left, and it’s going to be a fight the whole way: the Senate will soon vote on their version of bill, then there will be a last round of negotiations to combine them, and then a final vote in both the House and Senate.
Your words could mean all the difference as we take the next steps toward passing reform this year.
Get started here:
http://my.barackobama.com/HouseVoteLTE
Thank you,
Mitch
Mitch Stewart
Director
Organizing for America
What Obama’s minions don’t tell you is that Spratt just voted to cut Medicare benefits to thousands of seniors in his district, and saddled the rest of his constituents with a $4,000 increase in their annual medical bills – all to facilitate a government takeover of the health care industry.
That’s “courageous?”
Please …
We absolutely need health care reform in this country, but the goal shouldn’t be a costly government takeover, it should be a crackdown on fraud and abuse, a reform of the current delivery/ eligibility system, a relaxing of regulation and the implementation of private health accounts.
That’s what a free market Republic would do, at least.
Anyway, if you would like to send Rep. Spratt a message of your own regarding his “courageous” vote in favor of Obamacare, then you can “get started” on that yourself by clicking here.
Comments
By Crooner on November 10th, 2009 at 1:38 pm
I remember back in the socialist days (1960s and ’70s) when nearly all hospitals were non-profits. Most of the health insurance companies were, too.
Was that free market or not? Should the health of our nation’s citizens be subject to profiteering?
By Rufus Pinochle on November 10th, 2009 at 1:40 pm
Our president’s standard of courage is no doubt shaped by all the courageous “present” votes he cast in the Illinois legislature.
By Liberty For Me on November 10th, 2009 at 1:55 pm
This shit is so surreal..It is just like “V”..what do they have on these people to make them act like puppets?? Surely all these people are not this stupid.
By OnNoNotAgain on November 10th, 2009 at 2:09 pm
Does this bill include the provision that private hospitals (like Catholic hospitals) will be forced to perform abortions or lose federal funding?
As much as I like Spratt, that might be a deal-breaker for me.
By Ynot on November 10th, 2009 at 2:22 pm
It’s like everything else going on. We are going to end up a third world country designed by our esteemed , elite leaders.
By PasserBy on November 10th, 2009 at 2:40 pm
I just don’t think we can afford it. What are the odds that someone could tie this thing up in the Senate or the Courts until after the 2010 elections? If there are enough new faces in Congress, maybe it can be repealed before it’s put into place. Once its cemented down, I don’t think we’ll ever get rid of it, bad or not.
By internet market on November 10th, 2009 at 3:16 pm
They need to help write the letter considering our education sucks. Enjoy the vote while it last spratt
By Liberty For Me on November 10th, 2009 at 3:26 pm
Crooner you are an idot…
By Rick on November 10th, 2009 at 3:27 pm
People, take the long view…as I told a young twenty something just today, Thanks for voting for Obama. Here I thought I would work until I was 70 and then see about retiring. Instead, with my health care covered, I now see I’ll be able to retire much sooner. I thanked him for accepting the debt and the reduced ability to provide for his family just to be kind to an old man. When these young clowns that love Bambi find out they’ve just gotten a huge debt load and another ongoing social program that ultimately means they’re children will suffer for….well we’ll see how altruistic they are then.
By pedr on November 10th, 2009 at 3:38 pm
Spratt’s email is conveniently not working. I think Huckabee said it best;
“There is no longer any doubt who Democrats in the House answer to—and it’s NOT their constituents back home. They let Nancy Pelosi break their arms and domesticate them so they would ignore unemployment, deficits, and a war and push forward with a 2300 page health care bill that they didn’t read and don’t understand. I hope their real bosses—the voters—will remove them from office and send them the message that they need to take a good look around the Capitol this December and enjoy the Christmas decorations since the voters will make sure that it’s their last Christmas to be seeing them as a Congressman.
Nancy Pelosi and Barack Obama’s Saturday Night Fever is an outrageous betrayal of their promises and the principles of good government. They will only hear one thing—the sound of election returns that send them home. Find out how your member voted and thank them if they remembered to vote for you and let them know that you will dedicate time, money, and energy to their defeat if they voted to give their seat to Pelosi and Obama. “
By medstudent on November 10th, 2009 at 4:42 pm
$4,000 increase to to his constituents’ medical bills? I’d like to see your sources on that number.
By CNSYD on November 10th, 2009 at 4:47 pm
The health care industry has no one to blame but themselves. This includes doctors, hospitals, ambulance chasing lawyers, insurance companies and drug companies. Had they worked to contain costs rather than lining their pockets, they would not have left the back door open for government to come in.
By ethel krabitz on November 10th, 2009 at 5:05 pm
Spratt must go
By Clint on November 10th, 2009 at 5:40 pm
I agree, Spratt must go.
By Crooner on November 10th, 2009 at 5:46 pm
Liberty:
What is idot about what I posted? Do you really think that health insurance companies, who do nothing but profit off of the fact that we all need medical care, add ANYTHING to our society? They are just the middle man in this, taking their cut.
I don’t think this bill is any good, either. It appears to me to be a government subsidy for health insurance companies.
By WakeUp09 on November 10th, 2009 at 7:17 pm
I am furious about this vote! I will actively campaign for Rep. Spratt next election… His REMOVAL from office! I hope that Spratt’s support of this DOA legislation to the Senate was worth his seat!
By CNSYD on November 10th, 2009 at 7:30 pm
Crooner, you are right on. Go to a doctor or hospital without insurance and you are charged the highest rates. Have insurance who has “negoiated rates” and you get the exact same service/procedure for less money. That’s fair? If the provider can do it for less when insurance is involved, they can do it for less all the time.
By mbmxyz on November 10th, 2009 at 9:00 pm
Riddle me this. How is it that all-blue Taxachusetts, which has something like Obamacare, is the rich state (income per capita in 1999 was $25,952 and $62,383 per household in 2007) and the Palmetto State is the poor cousin (income per capita in 1999 was $18,795 and $45,508 per household in 2007). (Figures from US census) SC sure is doing something wrong. Get your cracker heads out of the Carolina sand.
How in hell are we going to keep jobs in this country when our industries are covering the exorbitant cost of US health care for their employees. Health insurance adds $1500 to $2000 to the cost of GM cars. Are we surprised they went under. In Canada, our northern neighbor, the cost of health care is 83% lower than here; In Switzerland, the country with the second most expensive health care system in the world, health care is 64% cheaper than here. Jobs are not just going to India and China. They are moving to Canada and Europe too. And why not? What business can afford pay these costs? And what does FitsNews want to do?
“We absolutely need health care reform in this country, but the goal shouldn’t be a costly government takeover, it should be a crackdown on fraud and abuse, a reform of the current delivery/ eligibility system, a relaxing of regulation and the implementation of private health accounts.
That’s what a free market Republic would do, at least.”
Throw back a double shot of good whiskey. (For me, Gordon’s Gin over ice with a wedge of lime works well.) You need strong medicine to face what we have to do.
Do you have any evidence that private health accounts and less regulation will reduce health costs? (By the way, isn’t cracking down on fraud and abuse more regulation?) Your contradictory, cockeyed, conservative theories will not cut it.
John Spratt is doing the right thing. You, on the other hand, seem happy to let the health care industry bankrupt our free Republic. Not much freedom in the poorhouse guy.
By No Way! on November 10th, 2009 at 9:16 pm
Spratt will go the way of Obama, He will go home in 2-3 more years. I would as soon sem Obama move back to the motherland with brother Zububu.
By Liberty For Me on November 10th, 2009 at 11:41 pm
You people cant seem to get any gray matter to have a spark…why is hospitalization so expensive ??? How is it different than say 1965 ??
Crooner..Clue…almost 65% of hospitals are still non profit.It has nothing to do with it
By Liberty For Me on November 10th, 2009 at 11:57 pm
We have no free market in healthcare!!!!!!!!!
We have a one party government..The Big ASS government Party
We promise free housing,money and healthcare on one side of it and corporatism on both sides.Why are med stocks rising on news of the bill passing the house?? Because they all have their hands in it to make money.
Goldman Sachs execs are in both cabinets..for many years…You people spill hate towards each other and the enemy is the government…They want the distraction of party fighting.Its all about power and money and the people not getting any.Think about it?? why would an aspirin cost $20 in a non-profit hospital??..and how do life long politicians get so rich on $150,000 a year??
By Designated Driver on November 11th, 2009 at 12:12 am
I got a message for John Spratt … hey, suck this you stupid mofo. Too bad we’ve got to choose from Rich John and Rich Mick next year. Neither of them have any idea how much the little guy suffers in their district.
By Isaac Bickerstaff on November 11th, 2009 at 10:27 am
John Spratt needs to go. We need a Michelle Bachman-esque representative to bring the 5th District back to its days of glory, power and wealth. How many more mills have to close in Rock Hill before we realize that our Chinese overlords, Hussein Obama and John Spratt are trying to enslave the God-Fearing people of SC?
We need more free marketers like Mark Sanford and Jim Demint in charge so we can keep the economy in SC strong and vibrant, unlike Masshole.
By Designated Driver on November 11th, 2009 at 12:01 pm
I didn’t know there were any mills left in Rockhill
We don’t wanna be the bitches of the Chinese. I hear they’re pretty “small”
By OnNoNotAgain on November 11th, 2009 at 2:57 pm
Isaac.
Spratt trying to “enslave” Americans?
Get help man.
A Michelle Bachman-esque Rep?
Good lord.
It just isn’t going to happen.
The Fifth District is a lot different from the folks who share your floor at the ward. Apparently going on the Internet and fabricating and fantasizing is a new form of group therapy.
Ring the little bell and tell the nurses to stop snapping the pills in half or something.
By jazzgrrrl25 on November 11th, 2009 at 5:15 pm
SOCIALISM? $4,000?
please, get your facts straight. it is not socialism or a government takeover…the government will not own the hospitals, pay the doctors, dictate procedure, ect…it is simply a competitive measure against the reaming we’ve been taking from the big business of healthcare.
i’m all for capitalism, but making a profit on the backs of others misfortune and ill health is unconscionable…not every business should be for profit…and, that our gross national monies tallies over 15% for healthcare is absurd.
you want to make money?…make widgets, build things, play baseball, write a book…don’t gamble on peoples’ well-being…paying 44 dollars for bandages in a hospital that i can buy for 2.68 at the corner store is both obscene and immoral.
these blowhards that are so against the reform are the very people who had the opportunity over the last eight years to present a solution, and, they are the very people who have pocketed monies from the health care and insurance industries…demint with over 500,000 dollars, ect.
By Skidmarks on November 11th, 2009 at 6:55 pm
Medicare costs have to be reduced. Too bad. But the costs have to be cut.