Protesters Trash Health Care Reform

Democrats Met With Anger over Prospect of Higher Taxes, Government-Run "Obama-Care" on Eve of August Recess

(CBS)  The debate over health care reform has been raging in Washington for weeks. But outside the nation's capital, this healthy discourse has grown loud with vocal protests.

Is this just some less-than-polite heckling or political maneuvering? CBS News correspondent Wyatt Andrews reports.

It's happening almost everywhere as Democrats try to defend their plan for health care reform.

Angry protestors in Philadelphia shouted down both Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and Sen. Arlen Specter.

On Saturday in Texas, demonstrators against what they called government-run health care surrounded Democratic Rep. Lloyd Doggett and followed him out to his car, shouting "just say no."

The crowds are partly the result of conservative Web sites asking for turn out at town hall meetings - including three tonight in Virginia, Mississippi and South Carolina. Hundreds of events by both Democrats and Republicans are being targeted in every state.

But the turnouts also reflect the real fear over the increased taxes and government controls that are part of the health bills being considered in Congress.

"They know that that means somebody's taxes are eventually be used to pay for this - and they are worried that that's their taxes," said Max Pappas of the conservative Web site Freedom Works.

Political analysts say Democrats face a very tough August recess. Beyond the shout-downs, anti-reform forces have also mounted phone campaigns

"It's all the calls that are flooding in to the district offices of members of Congress," said CBS News political consultant Marc Ambinder. "And I bet that a lot of these calls will be negative."

Avoiding this kind of uproar is why Democrats wanted to pass health reform before August recess. Democrats are going out without a final bill to defend - and facing opponents trying to kill what they call "Obama-care" with this show of August heat.

[1_rabocse]

A health care reform is what the country needs. There is too much non-sense being spread out there and the facts need to be made public. The government is not trying to control health care, but make it available for people who can not afford it. Like a good government it is trying to help the people, unlike before where corporations get all the benefits. I have health insurance, but would not mind some type of public health system in place i would probably even switch. My plan is too expensive anyways almost a $100a month and the co-payment is high. this past week i got a back injury that still cost me a pretty penny even though i have insurance. The private industry is scared of competition and that is a fact, the worse they fear is public care that might be better than what they offer. For those who do have insurance and feel this is not an important issue just ask yourself what if you are laid-off or your company cuts your benefits will you be able to afford health care?? This Bill Moyers Interview with a former Insurance company Employee helps clear some questions if you want more information listen to it. http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/07102009/watch2.html
and please stop with the whole communist and socialist non-sense because of government ran health care, there is medical and medicare which is ran by YES the US government.

[1_rabocse]

A health care reform is what the country needs. There is too much non-sense being spread out there and the facts need to be made public. The government is not trying to control health care, but make it available for people who can not afford it. Like a good government it is trying to help the people, unlike before where corporations get all the benefits. I have health insurance, but would not mind some type of public health system in place i would probably even switch. My plan is too expensive anyways almost a $100a month and the co-payment is high. this past week i got a back injury that still cost me a pretty penny even though i have insurance. The private industry is scared of competition and that is a fact, the worse they fear is public care that might be better than what they offer. For those who do have insurance and feel this is not an important issue just ask yourself what if you are laid-off or your company cuts your benefits will you be able to afford health care?? This Bill Moyers Interview with a former Insurance company Employee helps clear some questions if you want more information listen to it. http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/07102009/watch2.html
and please stop with the whole communist and socialist non-sense because of government ran health care, there is medical and medicare which is ran by YES the US government.

[djemge]

Re: contribution request e-mail from
Bill Miller, Senior Vice President and National Political Director
U.S. Chamber of Commerce
I disagree with your effort. My wife and I have a very sick teen daughter. We have very good health insurance through our employer. Our insurance benefit has run out for the year and we are now facing $60,000 worth of medical bills unless we have help with a government program. We see the high quality health care our son has with the U.S. Army and my retired father-in-law has with the U.S. Navy - we would like to have this type of healthcare for our family. Canadians and other European citizens are generally happy with their government healthcare (87% polled) and would not want a U.S. style system. It is only the financially well off from European countries that can afford to come to the U.S. for a tailored medical service. There are plenty of wealthy U.S. citizens that go to European countries and pay for what they perceive as a tailored medical advantage. Concerning long waits to see a doctor, our family currently has to wait 3 weeks for primary care doctor appointments, a month or more for a specialist and up to 24 hours in Emergency rooms for our daughter ? and we have what is considered good medical insurance! Our U.S. system is lousy and hurts the average citizen! Your political agenda is not helpful in solving the problems my family is currently facing. A retired neighbor pays triple for COBRA insurance than when he worked - $1,500 per month. A tax cut would not help my neighbor or my family in our current medical crisis. Your agenda misses the mark!
Q. Emge

[nakwaman]

What do you say about this clip?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e62DGZPG0_0

Obama, I hope you know what you do...

[jokr8790]

Patriotism, especially the kind espoused by Majesty (whoever that is) is the first and last refuge of the scoundrel.

[DavidHBrill]

For starters, I think people can have divergent views without demonizing one side or the other. People's anger over the government's health reform plans is perfectly reasonable. We?ve got a serious recession, a trillion dollar deficit, and unemployment near 10 percent. Plus, the plan President Obama seems to favor is one that eventually will lead to a U.K.-style system rationing care. There are numerous examples (Canada, Great Britain, Sweden and Massachusetts to name of a few) of long waits to see doctors and 6-12 month (or longer) waiting periods to have major procedures performed. It is very legitimate that people are not willing to accept being denied care because some government bureaucrat thinks the cost of a certain drug or procedure is too high. I've written an article on my blog on health care reform that talks about a better way of reforming health care without rationing and causing another $1-2 trillion in debt. The blog is www.brillsdiscontent.wordpress.com. Take a look and I welcome comments whether you agree with what I wrote or not.

[ttinsly]

Hey Pentagon!

Just keep on allying yourself with the multinationals. Keep allowing the Military Industrial Complex to ally itself with the multinationals that no longer have any interest in the long term stability of the country. Keep on putting on that war debt on the country until we are so drowned in debt that the country sags into a banana republic. Just keep on doing it. Keep on supporting Mr. Knight the Blackwater former president, and insurgency movements in Columbia and the other movements supported in your name as reported by Sibel edmonds recently. Keep on!

Keep on supporting these corporations that want even more of our economy going into health care. Keep on supporting a media that says nothing of interest. Keep on keeping silent about the absolute degradation of democracy that has taken place in this decade. Keep on!

You are your own worst enemy! Let's ride this and your game will end up being our game too. Unfortunately, we will all lose. But your strategy will result in your real enemies winning or really most likely nobody winning. So what does it matter? Your end game is seeing this country collapse because this economy is ridden with war debt, cannot even regulate itself in the most minimal of ways, and mobilizes its worst elements to block even the most modest of reforms. Take it all! And be left with nothing! It is the dangerous game you are playing. And I'm afraid that you are going to win and lose at the same time. While our entire country will lose most of all to multinationals that no longer care about our country's long term and short term well being...

[MPHgrad]

drsuz

the latin & english for that matter are et cetera the abbreviation should be etc, not ect

[caliguy55]

These so-called "protesters" are nothing more than paid puppets of the health care industry, to the tune of $1,500,000.00 per day or outright conservative lunatics, who believe anything that Rush Limpbutt tells them. Doesn't it seem a little strange, though, that Rush has suddenly become somewhat quiet since it became obvious that he was, in fact, a leader of the Republican Party. I wonder if some of the big dogs in the G.O.P. got hold of him and politely but firmly asked him to step in the background for a while since he is loathed by the great majority of the American people. Anyway, all one has to do is look at a collection of the right-wing, nut jobs at the town hall meetings to see just how stupid these people are or to recognize health care industry representatives sitting in the audience. It's a pathetic attempt to subvert the right of free speech and democracy by drowning out those, who wish to have an intelligent discussion on health care reform.

[DonGerryjo]

I think that if the Health Care Reform Bill includes all of the public and it is to be a better plan for us, then all of Congress should be part of the plan also!!
If the US Representatives and US Senators were included, would the Bll look differently?

[joestand65]

What part of No do you not understand. If you have ever lived in a country with this type of health care you would say No too. There is only one reason to be in such a hurry to get this into law. They do not want people to find out just what is in it! If this is such a great plan. Why has every amendment to require congressmen and senators participation in it been voted down? If it is not good enough for them. Why is it good enough for the rest of the country?

[jab232]

The GOP is imploding. Its two main groups, the birthers and the yellers, are taking GOP nasty to a new extreme.

I have an opinion. The Big Health Care Corporations could stop the yelling and uncivil behavior. They are financing it by financing the web sites which are encouraging it and writing the scripts to be used for it.

To me the health care reform issue is simple. Is the purpose of health care reform to protect the massive billion-dollar corporations? The CEO of Cigna makes twelve million a year and will get a seventy-three-million-dollar golden parachute. Another big health care conglomerate made over three quarters of a billion dollars last quarter.

Or is the purpose of health care reform to get affordable health care to everyone? Does it involve helping the fifty million uninsured, the 14,000 losing health care every day, the under insured, those who have lost health insurance because of rescission, and those who are now insured who know they will probably lose their coverage or their job (to keep from having to insure them) when they have an expensive illness in the family.

The corporations or the people? If you are for the corporations, for protecting the rich CEOs and the cheery-picking insurers, you are on the GOP side (with a few Blue Dogs thrown in).

If you are for the people, then you are the ones the birthers and the yellers are shouting down trying to silence a majority.

We need a public option health care plan now. And the more they yell, the more we need to stand up and fight for the public option health care plan.

[CitizenMikeM]

Until this healthcare reform issue came along, I never really considered myself a Republican or a Democrat. In fact, I routinely emailed members of both parties to complain, without predjudice against either party, I might add. The Republicans were too mean spirited and crooked to get re-elected, and the Democrats were too stupid to be elected in the first place. Now after watching all the lies, scare tactics, and just plain mistruths and now the staged disruptions of the Democrats town hall meetings. I WILL NEVER VOTE FOR AN INCUMBENT AGAIN. Let me repeat that--I will never vote for an incumbent again. That is one sure way they will all get the nessage. Think about that for awhile. They will never allow term limits--but they have no control over the voting booth.

[truth-b-toll]

A bunch of SOUR GRAPE WHINING GOPers! These outrages angry "citizens" might as well go pee into the wind, we see you need mental help.

[noloyalisti]

Health care is a human right. Even for the Republicans who are protesting against it.

[noloyalisti]

The right and left should unite because we both don't like the way the government is run. I mean look at the health care fiasco that our government (mostly the Bushoccio Crime Family) has allowed.

However we all have to agree first on the following:

American has become a country completely run by corporate money (we need to dump the corporate lobbyists, get rid of corporate rights and have publicly funded elections).

The big corporations run the media (break up the monopoly) and the military (get rid of all military contractors fighting). We are bombing 4 countries (Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan and Palestine) for control of Middle Eastern oil.

All the stuff about America spreading democracy is a crock. Our CIA and military have taken more elected governments down than any other country. Get rid of the spending on the military except for defense of the borders. And spending as much on the military as the whole world combined is not defense.

[noloyalisti]

Let's take profit out of health care. If the corporate gov't doesn't do it we shut it down. This is the perfect place to start planning. Let me know.

[noloyalisti]

These are the same people who are doing teabagging to protest tax cuts for the people. The Tea Party was a protest against big corporation raping and pillaging the people as they are doing now. Yet these anti-health care teabaggers are only hurting themselves. I just know this will backfire on the loonies.

[cameraphone]

I am required by law to have insurance for my vehicle, and pay extra in case I am hit by someone without insurance.

I am not required by law to have health insurance, and if I get sick (as in a catastrophic illness), everyone pays or I (there is no other way to say it) die.

I have health insurance, but can not afford my out of pocket expenses and so I rarely see a doctor and I have quit taking all medications. I do have a catastrophic illness, but if it takes a serious turn for the worse ... oh well. At least I know my vehicle is in good hands.

[BuzzTheLiberal]

Amazing just how dumb cons are when it comes to this health care bill. They are so ill informed and just plain dumb, it is beyond all normal ratinale.

The anti health care people are dupes being led around by the lies of the Healthcare/industrial complex who don't want anything to interfere with their obscene profits.

AND the anti heath care robots are mostly racists who don't want to see Obama succeed on any level and would shoot themselves in the foot to keep that happening. They would keep their own family without healthcare just to prove their sore loser status and racist attitudes.

So why do cons hate their fellow Americans so much?

[BobbyLoblaw]

Providing healthcare for the people of our country is worrying about our coutry. Killing people halfway around the world isn't. How many innocent men, women and children have died for every one "terrorist" that we killed? And how many "terrorists" did that create? More money for the war mongers. Let's keep it at home.