Rand Paul comments

Here is a good example of demaguogery in practice. Nothing riles up a Republican rally better than calls to "abolish Obamacare!" It's the name itself that generates such hatred and repudiation. The actual provisions of the Affordable Care Act are shown to be overwhelmingly popular with the American people in poll after poll after poll: 1. It re-affirms decades-old large employer mandates to provide affordable access to health care insurance. Want to have your affordable access to healthcare taken away? Want to join the millions of individuals in the private insurance pool (aka "shark tank")? No? OK, that stays in. 2. It extends that access to those employed by small businesses, the self employed, and the underemployed. Why do you care since you've got yours? Put aside social justice and plain fairness arguments. Because America can't stay competitive with an unhealthy workforce when third-world countries now have better mortality rates than we do. Want to lose jobs and industry to healthier countries? No? OK, that stays in. But if you voted Republican this cycle, you voted to take it out. 3. It bans lifetime caps and restricts annual limits on coverage. Need a heart transplant? Second or third round of chemo and radiation? Want to be cut off and left for dead because your care exceeds the cap or limit? No? OK, that stays in. But if you voted Republican this cycle, you voted to take it out. 4. It bans recision. You know those health history forms you fill out every time you see a doctor? Have you and your parents filled them out exactly the same way every time for your entire lifetime? If not, the day you need that mastectomy or that expensive MRSA treatment, or whatever, you could lose or have your health insurance coverage suspended because you forgot you had treatment for a sprained ankle 20 years ago. Seriously, it happens and people die as a result; there were many Congressional hearings on the practice pre-Obama, and that is why this prohibition is in the Affordable Care Act. Want to suffer or die because of an unrelated mistake? No? Ok, keep it in. But if you voted Republican this cycle, you voted to take it out. 5. It bans discriminating against children with pre-existing conditions. Your child has severe asthma. You want to change jobs, move up in the world. You can't because no new employer's plan will cover your child or won't cover it until after a too-long waiting period. Or you've lost your job and can't get coverage for your kids with a new employer. Do you want to choose between your children and employment? No? OK, keep it in. But if you voted Republican this cycle, you voted to take it out. 6. Finally, there is the provision that allows parents to keep children on their plans through age 26. Presumably this is to allow for the high unemployment rate experienced in the 18-26 age group due to the Republican-created recession. Want these young people, the same ones who hopefully will be paying into your social security in a few years, to go without healthcare? No? Then keep it in. OK, you know the line that goes here. Think these provisions will increase the overall cost of healthcare in America in the long run or force your employer to cut benefits? Think again. Even the staunchly conservative Wall Street Journal fingered those corporations trying to scapegoat the Act by telling their employees that they had to raise their contributions because of it. WSJ says it's not true. We're not even going to get into the contrariness of subsidizing two enormous industries--insurance and financial/managed care enterprises--that are skimming 40-60% of "healthcare" expenditures off the top without adding any value to our medical care. We won't look at weaning them off and recognizing that health care is not a risk to be insured against, it is a given we need to provide to stay competitive in a global economy. The solutions to that issue are not in the Affordable Care Act because they were deemed "too liberal." -- Because the administration tried to compromise with a party that never even came to the table. So, explain to me please, if not latent racism (and I, too, know plenty of otherwise decent, hardworking people who have no clue they are and would deny being latent racists) what, exactly is behind the rallying cry "Abolish Obamacare!" -- not just the shouting of it, but the actual coinage of it -- that incites such vitriol and invective? And tell me, please, who actually profits in the end?

I'm with you! As I said before, I'm a more moderate conservative, not a far right wacko. (Yes, there are wackos on both sides.) I'm sure after a few people respond I'll regret saying this, but to me it seems like a lot of hatred is being spewed from the left, who seem to think they are the most tolerant & accepting, especially on this board. I wish we could all get along!

Hadley, I cannot understand why people are against the health care reform. Honestly I can't. I willingly pay higher taxes to ensure all citizens have health care...even when I never used it for all those years when I was healthy simply because it is the right thing to do as a citizen of my country. But checking out of the hospital after multiple tests and proceedures daily for 11 days...and only having to pay the cable TV bill I chose to use... Absolutely priceless. I could have lost my home, instead I live in a country where I pay less than $2 per day for health insurance...and wait lists...I haven't seen them when I needed something done or to visit my doctor. Kind regards,Dickons

I agree that the health care system needs to be reformed, I think most Americans do. They just disagree on how it should be done. It's an issue I'm really torn on.

no flames....I vented yesterday and usually only really vent when people start ragging on my state. That's when *I* personally get mad

I would feel differently if you or someone else from your party actually commented on what you think of the race baiting that occured during this past presidential election. I would love to hear you denounce the Republicans in how they use fear (Obama care, death panals, socialist, terrorist, non -American, "take our country BACK" from what exactly?) to scare Americans into giving them their vote. And just for the record. I used to consider myself a Republican (I voted for Bush) and I have to say it was mostly b/c of the abortion issue. But you know what? Besides that, I realized that I was pretty much a liberal when it comes to everything else. Add to that the way that Republicans acted this last election, I am embarassed to say that I ever considered myself a Republican. I don't agree with getting dirty on either side. But in all fairness change does not happen if we ignore what has been done and not demand accountability. And when people were attacking Sarah Palin for running for VP with a young child with Downs, I stood up for her in conversation in real life and on these forums. In fact, I was thrilled that a woman was running and that she had a child with Downs as my sister has Downs. My thoughts were that even though I was voting Democratic in that election, if by chance McCain and Palin got in, I would be happy to at least have a female VP for the first time in history. And THEN I heard what she had to say. I heard her trying to make Obama out to be some terrorist, socialist, NON American low life and it enraged me. Let me tell you, if I still considered myself a Republican I would still sit here today and tell you that although I myself am not a racist, that I would be embarassed of my own party for their behavior. I would sit there and admit to disagreeing with their scare tactics and encourage others in my party to stand up together and denounce the way things have gone down. I just don't see that here, and to me that is sad. So are all Republicans bad/racists? Of course not. But I would LOVE to hear a Republican actually stand up denounce the recent actions of their party leaders.

Look, I'm not spewing hatred, I'm stating facts. The fact is, "moderate" Republicans did not get elected. The "moderate" Republicans were nowhere in sight. Rand Paul is a follower of Ayn Rand, the author of Atlas Shrugs, who also created the construct of "objectivism." Coincidentally, I heard a radio program about her today and heard her say, in a recording from the '50s, that within objectivism, "I mean that altruism, religious devotion to God, or adherence to principle, those things are evil." Why? Because they subjugate the individual to a higher interest, make a "sacrificial object" (her words) of the individual and create an obligation to serve a higher purpose. You can't just smile politely and say the wrongdoings or whatever are equal. They aren't. The lies in the campaigns were documented and counted; Republicans came out way, way ahead. The undocumented $$$ spent was counted; again, Republicans came out way, way ahead. The use of xenophobia, prejudice, and homophobia is documented and counted; the Republicans had a virtual monopoly on that sort of thing and used it liberally. The agenda to "abolish Obamacare" is in direct contradiction to the overwhelming popularity of the actual provisions of the Affordable Care Act. The Republican agenda, as outlined in its latest "pledge," will cost the country as a whole far more than the administrations plans for the next 12 months. These are all facts. Asking people to pay attention to facts is not hatred, it's begging those who think there is still such a thing as moderation to be found in the Republican Party to please, please, dig it up and resurrect it because it's not here now. These are not the extremists; these are the new mainstream, the people who got elected and their backers. If you're not one of them, great.

Personally I do agree that it's wrong to use scare tactics & race baiting (which both sides have done) & I'd like to see more honest politicians that talk about what's good about them instead of what's bad about the other side. I don't like the racial stuff that some tea party people are doing. I think the left has become more extreme too & there's really not much room for moderates. Maybe there needs to be a new party. If there was a Democrat candidate that I liked I'd vote for them. I wanted to vote for a conservative Democrat in this year's primary, but they made a new rule that you had to only vote for one party in the primary. In my state & local elections the Republicans had much better candidates for most of the offices than the Democrats. Even our left-leaning local paper endorsed the Republican candidate for governor because he'd do more for the economy. The economy is a very important issue to me, especially since my husband was out of work for 6 months. It was humiliating to have to apply for WIC & Medicaid after we'd proven we were financially fit to adopt, & I thought A LOT about the government, the system, & the government's role in helping people who are out of work, in the end I decided to vote for who I believed would help our local economy the most. I can complain about stuff & point out what I think politicians do wrong, but I guess it doesn't really matter since I'm just a regular American & not a party leader.Like someone else said, we can argue about politics & bash each other all night & still not change each other's minds. That's why I'd rather just agree to disagree & focus on what we have in common (like that we've all been touched by adoption & we all love our kids & want what's best for them) than fight about our differences.

I disagree about scare tactics and race baiting on both sides. Can you name an incident where the Democratic party used race baiting? If I thought that occured I would be all over it. That is what I am missing from Republicans. No one is willing to admit that it's the actions of the Republican party leaders and many of it's followers who used these dirty tactics and cannot take any responsiblity for the slack they are getting because of it. And it shouldn't be a fight or an argument. It should be coming together, fixing what went wrong and going forward. It's hard to go forward when the wrongs have not be accounted for.

Actually, I can... During the primaries for the 2008 Election. When certain Democratics accused Bill Clinton of being a racist due to his remarks regarding the SC primaries - when he compared Obama's candidacy to Jesse Jackson.

Really? THAT is what you have? First of all, Bill's comment seemed insensitive to many. It's as if he was putting Obama down b/c ya know, if Jesse Jackson can win SC than surely any joe off the streets can. That hardly amounts to anything when you consider Republicans such as Sarah Palin made reference to Obama being a terrorist. That he was not American. Then came the socialism remarks and taking America back. In other words, "Don't vote for this man because he is SCARY! He doesn't look like us. He doesn't have the same beliefs as us. He's un-American even going so far with the whole birth certificate crap." Sorry I don't find that nearly the same. That is not to say that there has never been a democrat to say or do something stupid or terrible. When that happens, I come out and agree. I am not loyal in that way. If someone in my party does something I don't agree with. I come out and say it. I have never heard anyone Republican come out and say that they disagree with any of their party leaders actions.

Bethany, you asked for an example and I gave you one. I'm hardly saying it rises to the same level as what some Repubs are saying today and in the recent past. But the Dems aren't innocent, just not as guilty... Again, you asked for an example... and being the triivia buff I am... I had to find an answer :) Side note - As an AA, registered Democrat (although I consider myself an independant at this point) I was mortified when some Dems were calling Clinton a racist. Actually, I was disgusted... it was race baiting.

I think Sleeplvr said it best, at least the Dems will try to clean up their offensive issues. Its a part of their platform, whats the opposing platform? I think the race card can get too utilized, and can wear people out (and many CC people out there think so anyway; both verbalized and non ) but its still no excuse for blatant marginalizing. I think things got heated, remember Jessie got on Obama as well. I also think the media (of which mainstream media at times did/do not knowing a thing about how Blacks think etc) played into the ill will too much.I do not think Bill Clinton is a racist, but he was/is full of his ego, competitive, and still refuse to believe that Obama is being treated somewhat differently. If my timing was right, He was also hurt that Blacks were turning away from Hillary/*his_ lol win, but was not interested in finding out why. Their tactics added to that negative picture of Obama during the primaries. Certain tactics used to win well that's up for speculation by many, but I was turned off by some myself. Maybe okay its all politics..but to me Hillary should have known better. In regards to how Obama is treated: Biden says the same too, it's not race (vs its not only about his race) Yea other factors are involved, the recession, how president are treated coming in and out, usual political play. It's really not understanding the full picture. Yet, I wonder why Bill never just go and ask his wife's former constituents for feedback. Maybe I missed that piece of news. [URL="http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/08/04/bill-clinton-i-am-not-a-racist/"]Bill Clinton: 'I Am Not a Racist' - NYTimes.com[/URL][URL="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/earl-ofari-hutchinson/clintons-not-a-racist-but_b_116927.html"]Earl Ofari Hutchinson: Clinton's Not a Racist, but There's a Reason Many Blacks Think He Is[/URL]

:) Fe, I disagree that it was race baiting. And like Nick said, no one is saying that all dems or anyone else that for that matter are free from wrong doing. However it has not been near the to the level of misconduct that I have seen since this past election. I have never seen so many racist wackos coming out of the woodwork as I have seen since 2008. Very depressing. As I said, I will be the first to call folks out on their crap nomatter who they are. I was personally disgusted with the whole Monica Lewinski fiasco. It turned me off to Bill and I was truly embarassed by his behavior. I just don't ever see Repubs call out their own and that to me is disturbing. We all make mistakes but ignoring them and sweeping them under the rug does not help to right the wrongs. And that is what truly annoys me about the Republican party as well as the Tea party folks. But that is just my opinion. For what it is worth.

I found this interesting article written by an aa person who is a member of the tea party. He has a lot of points to make about the GOP and tea party. My biggest problem is with the title of the article "what racism?" Is he sticking his head in the sand?!! Hello. What are your thoughts? [url=http://www.blackstarnews.com/news/135/ARTICLE/6519/2010-05-06.html]Racism In America!? What Racism?[/url]