Nancy Pelosi and Steny Hoyer: ‘Un-American’ attacks can’t derail health care debate
…[I]t is now evident that an ugly campaign is underway not merely to misrepresent the health insurance reform legislation, but to disrupt public meetings and prevent members of Congress and constituents from conducting a civil dialogue. These tactics have included hanging in effigy one Democratic member of Congress in Maryland and protesters holding a sign displaying a tombstone with the name of another congressman in Texas, where protesters also shouted “Just say no!” drowning out those who wanted to hold a substantive discussion.
Let the facts be heard
These disruptions are occurring because opponents are afraid not just of differing views — but of the facts themselves. Drowning out opposing views is simply un-American. Drowning out the facts is how we failed at this task for decades.
…
This month, despite the disruptions, members of Congress will listen to their constituents back home and explain reform legislation. We are confident that our principles of affordable, quality health care will stand up to any and all critics.Now — with Americans strongly supporting health insurance reform, with Congress reaching consensus on a plan, and with a president who ran and won on this specific promise of change — America is closer than ever to this century-deferred goal.
This fall, at long last, we must reach it.
Mike:
Sounds to me like Democrats have already made up their minds on health care “insurance” reform (notice the change from earlier health care reform) and are now attempting to “explain” their decision rather than “listen” to their constituents.
JWF:
First of all, Americans are not in support of ramming this legislation down our throats and in fact a mere 25% agree with Pelosi’s view that insurance companies are to blame for high costs. Pelosi and Hoyer may also want to clue themselves in to the fact their approval rating stands at a rock-bottom 14%, and this snide condescension sure won’t help.
Furthermore, who is it that’s waging an ugly campaign? It sure isn’t the right.
HRC:
Oh yeah. Medical care in America is world renowned for its lack of quality. People from every corner of the planet travel here to experience for themselves how bad it can be.
Make no mistake. Pelosi and Hoyer are not interested in a conversation with you if you disagree with them. If they were, they would have been listening to you long before now. They would have taken the independent study of the Lewin Group under consideration instead of perpetuating the outright impossibility that the presence of a government-run plan won’t cause people to lose the plans they already have and like.
If they really wanted a conversation, they would explain in detail how their belief that Obama care will lower costs through more preventative care even though the CBO has said that health care costs are far more likely to rise.
They can’t do either of those things because they do not have substantive answers to them. And the only way to answer direct, deliberate falsehood shouted through the megaphone of the MSM is to shout back when we have the chance to do so.
What Pelosi and Hoyer have entirely forgotten is that the sort of rowdiness they’ve seen at their town halls…wait. Let me correct that. Only Hoyer has seen any sort of rowdiness at all at a town hall meeting. Speaker Pelosi has spent her recess thus far wining and dining big-money campaign donors. I mean that literally. So what Steny Hoyer has forgotten is that the rowdiness that he saw at his town hall meeting is how democracy has always been done in this country. Jules Crittenden reminded me of that this past week. The notion of the bucolic New England town hall meeting was never true. They have always been boisterous. The only time you get a sedate town hall meeting is when they’re scripted to a fare-thee-well and take only pre-digested questions from pre-selected questioners.
August 10, 2009 - 08:44 AM on August 10th, 2009
I sincerely hope that these democrats will continue this mean spirited rhetoric. It just proves that they are power grabbers willing to do anything to silence the masses.
Even those not politically inclined will notice this is not right. America is about freedom of choice and our elected officials are public servants responsible for answering to US, the voters, not to dictate to us.
Keep it up Dems. Please. I want NObama out of office.
August 10, 2009 - 09:30 AM on August 10th, 2009
While some of the things being said at these town hall meetings are not factual, lets not forget that if the administration had its way there would not even be any public debate happening now. They were going to pass it without any chance for public debate.
Whats going on in these Town Hall meetings comes from real anger and fear. I blame the party in power for that. Reckless spending, rushing through legislation, political doublespeak, and now calling concerned citizens names and questioning their patriotism is not how you win friends and influence enemies.
The democrats started the year with a clear mandate, a plurality of Americans agreeing that reform is needed, they control both houses of congress, the media unashamedly gives them favorable coverage, but they still managed to screw it up.
If they can’t manage to pass health care reform under those ideal circumstances how could they manage it?
August 11, 2009 - 09:58 AM on August 11th, 2009
Happy to oblige, BoneBone
You’re a traitor and a liar. Just like all your micro-minority kind are.
There will be National Health Care. And there’s nothing you can do about it.
August 11, 2009 - 07:18 PM on August 11th, 2009
Oh Captainkona, you hurt my feelings with your mean name calling. But fortunately for me I learned a long time ago that sticks and stones may break my bones but names will never hurt me.
Oh yeah, and it appears as if you have a reading comprehension problems. Oops.
August 11, 2009 - 08:18 PM on August 11th, 2009
I can’t recall when I saw such an outrageous, egregious example of arrogance and hypocrisy combined as we are now seeing shamefully displayed by Marie Antoinette Pelosi and her ilk.
Even if the opposition to the Nobamacare was organized, so what? When they organized their protests, disrupted Bush and other GOP affairs, they were perfectly fine with it. When they undermined Bush and questioned authority, not only was that okay, that was patriotic according to them, even while we were at war. Now that the tables are turned it is Un-American? Huh? WTF?
I not only think Pelosi is insane, now I think she is a criminal. She should not only be thrown out of office, she should be imprisoned for the rest of her life. She is a dangerous consitutional criminal, imo. She aggressively, arrogantly, and egregiously violates her oath of office every day.
August 11, 2009 - 08:20 PM on August 11th, 2009
“CAPTAINKONA”
A passing troll. But for the record, the “traitors” are the vermin in Washington and elsewhere who are trying to destroy the America our founders created and turn it into “Amerika”.
And if you are on their side, then so are you, you boll-weevil pos.
November 16, 2009 - 08:16 AM on November 16th, 2009
[...] Item Number Three: Democrats are pitching a fit over plans to burn Nancy Pelosi in effigy at an anti-PelosiCare rally in Virginia. I really don’t see what the big deal is. Burning politicians in effigy harms no one, and has a long history in political protests. IDK, maybe it’s just because Democrats are a bunch of whining cry-babies who consider any criticism of them to be “Un-American.” [...]