Rep. Mike Pence and Americans for Prosperity team up to rally the troops
Conservatives are desperate. They understand that health care reform is going to pass, perhaps even this week. To that end, their corporate sponsors are ramping up the pressure and trying to whip enthusiasm to oppose it.
Tonight, Americans for Prosperity sponsored a tele-town hall meeting with concerned conservatives looking to defeat the House vote on health care reform tonight. Their special guest was Indiana Representative Mike Pence, who called on listeners to "pray for the battle", to call their Congressman and remind them that "no one wants this monstrosity to pass."
Americans for Prosperity, you might remember, is the astroturf non-profit lobbying arm of the Scaife empire and Koch Industries. Director Art Pope is a champion of oil and tobacco interests. They partner with organizations like the 912 Project to defeat anything that might resemble the will of the people. Rachel Maddow did a terrific takedown of their operation and the bankruptcy of their campaign against health care last summer.
Some highlights:
Tearful caller Pam is frustrated because her representative, Brad Ellsworth (D-Indiana), sent her a response indicating that he had decided how he would vote. Frustrated that her representative doesn't listen to her, she appeals to Rep. Pence for ideas. His response: "Write a letter to the editor."
Beverly in Nevada wanted to know "what it is this President does not understand? The American people do NOT want this health care bill." Hmm. Beverly might want to read this AP-GfK poll, where only 4% oppose any health care reform, and the largest number of respondents believe the system needs drastic changes.
The best moment might have been toward the end, when Pence rallied the troops for what he knows is a lost cause, and used this talking point:
"Once the American public becomes dependent on the federal government during that most vulnerable moment of illness of a loved one, a spouse, a parent, a child, a grandchild, those on the elite leadership of the left know...they’ll never let it [public healthcare] go."
Damn right.
As a final note, he calls for women to pray for the battle, those in the battle, wisdom for the Democrats. If the bill passes, will they see it as a sign from God?
I somehow doubt it.
An audio clip of the call's end is below. The full audio is here.
So what's the angle? "Public health care harms our troops"?
It's called total panic.
I'm hoping that after the final healthcare vote, the right side of the room falls to the floor in a wiggling fit like a bunch of crack whores needing a hit.
Vote GOP and move forward to the 18th Century.
However, they've already eaten all of your food, drunk all of your beer, made a mess all over the house, and stolen your wallet.
If they really wanted to consolidate power, they should be pushing for the public option...
That's what people want, real health care reform.
Of course, Pense et al will not push for the PO, even though it would mean swelling their ranks enormously, because they DON'T want any profits taken away from their corporate masters.
In this way, they remain slightly worse than the Dems.
Slightly.
The poor and the sick should take care of themselves. God is tired of hearing them complain.
Is he saying that women are not in the battle? OMG!
That is like the priest telling the battered-wife to pray for the 'wisdom' to stop angering her abuser. (true story from my family archives)
I pledge allegiance to the Constitution of the United States of America, and to the republic which it established, one nation from many peoples, promising liberty and justice for all
Funny thing about a name like Pence
You ain't gonna be very prosperous with the equivalent of pennies.
Diabolus est Deus Inversus
I am really getting sick of the talking point "nobody wants health care reform". Almost everyone does want health care reform. A huge number of people think this bill does not nearly go far enough to control or eliminate the for profit corporations. They use that number to make the totally false claim that the same people do not want any reform. They know this claim is false but it keeps getting repeated.
The lying bastards, now how would they know that? Well Karl Rove used to say "we create our own reality" but still the polls say the overwhelming majority of people think health care needs overhauling. The majority of people want the public option. I guess the Republicans think they can brainwash the public but it doesn't seem to be working that well.
I can't be sure if the Democrats will hold on to every seat but I do know that if they fail to pass health care reform it will be catastrophic for them this November.
Maybe the Reslugs will do all Americans a favor and leave the country with their Lard-Ass, Limp-dick leader.
... where they will be decimated by an earthquake or tsunami, whereupon we can opine that God is punishing them.
Its great to see these wonderful patriots stand up and rail against the government. It makes SO much sense to have anti-government minds running our government! America...What a Country!
that they elect people to govern who hate government. Which makes a self-sustaining cycle of bad government and angry voters who blame the other side.
Gotta love that far-away true-believer look that Pence effects. Masking the little peanut brain inside. Sad to say he's from my state.
Isn't he the guy who compared an open market in Baghdad, where he was being protected by hundreds of fully armed and armored US soldiers, while wearing a flak jacket, to a county fair in Indiana?
I've had a problem taking this guy seriously ever since then.
Yep, that's him. he's an idiot, he's always been an idiot, and he will always be one. and he wants to be President!
in getting even the most elemental reforms in place Pence is right, they aren't going to give it up. Nor should they. The Republicans are right to fear this. In fact, like Oliver, the people are going to say; "Please sir, I'd like some more". And they are going to vote for the people who will give it to then. All's they need is a taste of what single payer might be.
Hasa Diga Eebowai
"Americans for Disparity" is more like it.
They want only two classes, the ultra rich and the poor who pay all the taxes.
"We wanna help those in the lower class get out of it, and those in the middle class to stay there."
Nothing ruins the view like poor people. There is a construction project near where I live, and it is constructing apartment buildings for seniors with limited resources. Nearby is a residential neighborhood considered (by local standards as) wealthy. You would not believe the whining and wailing and gnashing of teeth from the "wealthy" about having to look at the new buildings. To shut them up, the authorities had a berm constructed from soil on the site and had trees planted on it to block the view from the residential neighborhood. If the "wealthy" here really were wealthy, they probably could have bribed this project into oblivion. Ha, ha.
The 9th District Court of Appeals has rejected Michael Newdow's claims that the words 'under God' in the Pledge of Allegiance violate the Establishment Clause. (The Supreme Court ruled that Newdow had no standing to make the plea on behalf of his daughter back in 2004.)
The whining the lying, the stupidity. These people are fucking idiots.
they don't have the morals or the intelligence to make sound rational decisions. They just wear me out.
republicanism/conservatism is a mental illness it has killed our economy,and ruined the lives of millions of people.
This is rich. A sermon from Mike Pence in support of the demonic church of the conservative 666 (Ronld666Wilson Reagan) wants some ignorant people to "pray" they never get a public option for healthcare. Because, if they do, they'll never want it to go away. This is real comic book material. I can use it.
Up,up and away.....
Not quite.
This bill may pass. The democrats are feverish about wanting to show that they can pass something - anything.
But this bill is not healthcare reform.
It has nothing to with care.
It has nothing to do with reform.
It isn't even about health.
It is a bill by and for predator insurance companies.
Yes but it opens the door a crack, and sometime down the road some real reform may pass. That's why they have to kill every bit of it. The line that "they'll never let it go" says it all about what fears bounce around in their squirrel minds.
It's clear, by their every ungodly act, that not a one of these GOPer's actually believes in a god (if they truely did believe, that believe would have the power to influence and moderate their behavior). But appeals to faith and godliness sure makes a good and handy tool of manipulation that they get a lot of mileage out of. Makes for good theater, too.
Americans for the Propserity of Insurance Racketeers.
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