C-SPAN, which has been boring America to death for more than 30 years with an endless stream of monotonous government hearings, is challenging President Barack Obama to make good on one of his many broken transparency pledges – the promise of televised health care negotiations.
The national cable TV network – which is owned by the cable industry – is momentarily shedding its drab, non-controversial image by imploring Congressional Democrats open the doors to their conference committee negotiations on competing versions of Obama’s socialized medicine proposals.
In violation of all that “hope and change” razmataz, Obama and his Congressional allies have conducted months worth of health care negotiations behind closed doors, ramming final versions of the legislation through both Chambers of the U.S. Congress on straight party line votes.
All without debate, mind you … and without sufficient time for lawmakers to even examine the legislation.
That’s apparently going to continue, according to recent published reports.
“Top Democrats are prepared to short-circuit the traditional legislative process and exclude their Republican counterparts during final congressional health care deliberations,” reads a recent report from … CNN?
Yeah … imagine what FOX is saying.
Anyway, during a January 2008 debate, then-Senator Obama said that the debate over health care would include “bringing all parties together, and broadcasting those negotiations on C-SPAN so that the American people can see what the choices are.”
Looks like that’s yet another promise he’s going to break …
UPDATE: In case you were wondering, C-SPAN stands for Cable-Satellite Public Affairs Network. Trust us, you’ll thank us when it comes up at your local pub’s Trivia Challenge …
By RedDeliciousMac January 5, 2010 at 4:46 pm
Dependency does not equal healthcare.
By Pat Hendrix January 5, 2010 at 5:30 pm
Look two posts down and you can find a glowing endorsement of censuring “You Go Girl” Graham for working with Dems. Then you have a lament that the Dems are not inviting the Republicans over to “participate” *cough* in the process for HCR.
It’s over. It will pass. Like Medicare and Social Security, you will scream communism and judgement day is here, but the most you will get out of it is a few house seats and another instance where you were on the wrong side of history.
That must suck and stuff.
By heyward January 5, 2010 at 8:55 pm
So are you candidly admitting, Patrick, that Obama is indeed a LIAR?
After all, Obama claimed that he desired foremost “transparency” and would fight to enable CSPAN to video health care deliberations.
Does brazenly lying to the American people place Democrats and Mr. Obama on “the wrong side of history?”
By lacey January 5, 2010 at 8:57 pm
Apparently Democrats are very comfortable and familiar with the practice of openly lying to the American people.
At least Obama keeps his promises to terrorists—GITMO will be closed.
Right, Pat?
By Alec January 5, 2010 at 11:09 pm
Yeah, Pat – ’cause, those two programs are going just dandy! And Lord knows government health care is just golly-terrific all over the world.
As for “the wrong side of history,” I think it’s fair to say that’s where communism ended up. And communism does, in fact, include the grand promise of government-run health care for all comrades.
Finally, Lindsey Graham does not count as a Republican – he and Hugh Leatherman got that going on together. No….wait….don’t GO there, Sic!
By Liberty For Me January 5, 2010 at 11:48 pm
Gee… The citizens cant see a bill that will totally change the power structure of the country.That does not seem tyrannical does it??…
It is so comical that people can actually state and somehow convince themselves that we don’t live in a socialist country.By what standards they can do that is beyond me.
What is also funny is the amount of Hitler screaming the republicans do…Like Bush was any leass of a socialist.Bush put us in third gear,Obama onto overdrive….Now lets see how long it takes to steer into a tree.
By roofus January 6, 2010 at 8:32 am
Pat– In case you haven’t read–Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, and the US Post Office–all government run–are BROKE!
So far the government has proven–it can’t run a business.
But then again, my kids do believe in Santa…
By Pat Hendrix January 6, 2010 at 10:08 am
Medicare, Medicade and Social Security are not broke. They have been actively plundered by both parties for several decades. Even then, they can be fixed with simple adjustements.
Now have the courage of your convictions and tell all the “comrades” *sigh – moron* meaning your parents that their social security is going to be revoked. See how that works out.
And Lacey, yes gitmo will be closed. Too bad Obama will be sending prisoners to super max prisions and not “Art Therapy” in Saudi Arabia.
By Joe January 6, 2010 at 10:18 am
Pat –
I agree with you. I think it’s a great idea for the government to pay off legislators for votes in order to ram a health-care “reform” bill through that no one wants. Behind closed doors. After all, we see what a great job they have done since taking over the automobile industry…..
By Carolinabeve January 6, 2010 at 10:25 am
Liberty For Me, you are so right! The Bush supporters of George The Lesser, never saw what was coming, Bush killed the Constitution, Obama will bury it, and the fight between right & left will continue, as the sheep are led to slaughter…So sad for the Republic
By roofus January 6, 2010 at 10:36 am
Obama lied and transparency died, right Pat?
By roofus January 6, 2010 at 12:21 pm
Pat, are you denying that OBAMA LIED about keeping health care negotions transparent and televised on C-SPAN?
By roofus January 6, 2010 at 4:48 pm
Pat, you’ve been very silent all afternoon. It’s tough carrying water for a liar, isn’t it?
By T4 January 6, 2010 at 10:35 pm
Pat raises an interesting point. Back in 2003, a controversial piece of legislation was pushed by the Bush administration called the Medicare Modernization Act, which among other things, allowed private insurance companies to market and sell their own versions of Medicare. In an effort to deceive lawmakers, a Bush administration official, Thomas Scully witheld the actual projected cost of the bill, which is now projected to cost tax payers 1.2 trillion within 10 years of activity.
So, my question: Where was all of your outrage when your FICA taxes increased considerably in 2003?
By the way Roofus, thanks to Medicare Advantage, private insurance companies now get to package and sell their own incredibly confusing and inefficient Medicare coverage, which costs the government more to subsidize, but offers the same services as traditional Medicare. While the private plan has encouraged competition, it has completely failed to reduce health procedure costs and Rx drug coverage costs. Also, Medicare Part D (drug coverage) is completely regulated/sold by private insurance companies because the government can’t negotiate with private drug companies – which should have been the entire point of Part D.
Also Alec, I presume by “comrade” you’re referring to Russia’s failed communist government – a little FYI, communism did not lead to Russia’s demise, poor leadership and foreign policy did.
By Liberty For Me January 6, 2010 at 10:50 pm
Alec….in other words T-4 said yeah for communism.You just need to impliment it better than Russia.I bet we can do that..Look at all of the socialist models.Every one has been a successful.(In killing people and Liberty)
By T4 January 7, 2010 at 4:25 am
Liberty, I’m not a proponent of communism (the Cold War is over, McCarthy). My point was to assess the situation before jumping to conclusions, but I digress. You’re right; historically, following a communist “model” is not an attractive option. But are models always necessary? The U.S. is the only industrialized country in the world without a universal healthcare system, but we continue to hold on to our predominantly privatized system nevertheless: we have no “model.”
By Phil January 7, 2010 at 2:33 pm
Does anyone really believe that “all the parties” would be willing to sit at a table where the fate of healthcare was being televised?
Seriously?
What’s an insurance exec going to say – “we don’t want a public option because we don’t want our profit margins and market share eroded?”
By Liberty For Me January 8, 2010 at 9:46 am
We have a perfect model….Freedom.We have not had a free market medical system in decades.If we abolished government intervention (socialism and corporatism)even the poorist people could easily afford a doctors visit and medicines.
You live in a fixed realm of thinking.Try to understand real economics and liberty and the answers for everything come easy.Once you are indoctrinated with socialism…(which for some reason you think is soo much different than communism)it stops you from being able to see the real solutions.
The reason we have socialism is control and dependency to acquire more power.You think we need even more dependency …but the true answer is the opposite.Try using your brain and not being a drone to simplistic answers.Its the same brainwashing as the Republicans wanting to attack every country in the world because they are too shallow to see the truth.
By T4 January 8, 2010 at 1:46 pm
Liberty, you should change your name to “Simpleton” – more appropo. Capitalism means freedom to all, including the corporations you speak of. Currently insurance companies (private and public) reimburse at lower levels than doctors charge. In short, you’re wrong. With no regulation doctors could charge their true fee, not a lesser fee.
Here’s an idea: shadow a healthcare administrator for a bit – they may just “hit you up with some knowledge.”
By Liberty For Me January 9, 2010 at 12:21 am
T-4…You smug socialists think you are smart.Then really get angry when you finally find out how people are laughing at you behind your back.
I don’t even need to comment on your knowledge of simple economics…You must have spent thousands at Disney getting your degree…WOW…
By T4 January 9, 2010 at 1:11 pm
Liberty, I have no degree; I’m a welder. Two heavy weights on the backbone of this country: an influx of college degrees flooding an already restrictive job market and; unskilled labor. I entered into a skilled labor setting, which has benefitted me, and perhaps proved more stable than a college degree (especially in the past two years). And a again, I’m not a socialist, simply a realist who knows everyone can’t work for a marketing firm, or aspire to lofty pretensions of becoming a lawyer or a doctor. I hope you’re right, Liberty. It would be great for insurance companies to recognize the struggle many Americans endure day-to-day, thus lowering premiums, etc. However, the market will never control premiums, friend. Sorry to get you so worked up.
By free04 January 10, 2010 at 11:21 pm
T-4 blue collar workers are the backbone of this country, but health insurance companies during the past 5 years have recorded a profit margin of about 2.8% well below almost any other public company and I would expect well below the profit margin of the company for which you work for. Would you like for the government to come in and nationalize all the welders in America and tell you what you can make and how much you can charge, I doubt if your company or you would put up with that nor should the medical field or the American people.
By the way people communism and socialism are two different things.
By Dennis January 23, 2010 at 3:32 pm
As you all continue to wave around the “communist” and “socialist” labels.. perhaps you can take a moment and define what “insurance” is.. If you don’t see anything wrong with a system designed to take as much as they can get from you, while doing their best to stop you from using it.. your all just nuts.. Define what the “insurance system” we currently have is, and give it a political label, if you can.
By john diver March 7, 2010 at 9:57 am
The problem with health care in U.S. is that most of our current public servants are more interested in serving themselves than serving their constituents. There is no need to pretend to have to re-invent the wheel here. Simply model the U.S. health care system after the ones in Canada, and U.K., and Japan, and Germany! Thank you.