Matthews spreads lies about health care reform
August 03, 2009 6:06 pm ET by Jamison Foser
Chris Matthews, talking about opposition to health care reform (while, by the way, ignoring the fact that the demonstrations he's talking about are phony):
How much does this thing is about people coming to you talking about end of life decisions spook people, Michael? This thing, this provision, that talks about you get to talk about a living will. But it sounds to some people like, you're getting a little ill, all of a sudden somebody shows up at your door like they're a missionary and says "lets talk about how you're going to save the government money and your family the burden of continuing to live." that's the way it hits some people.
No, it doesn't hit some people that way. It doesn't sound that way to anybody. I'm quite confident that nobody, upon reading any health care proposal, has sincerely concluded that it would result in someone showing up at your door and telling you to save the government some money and just die already.
No, the idea that there is any such provision is a flat-out lie, made up by opponents of reform in an attempt to kill it. And Chris Matthews just helped spread that lie to the entire nation. Heckuva job, Chris.
He's just an idiot.
Please feel free to produce any provision of any health care legislation that could plausibly be interpreted as causing someone to knock on your door and tell you it's time to die once you get ill.
I'll wait.
The section is merely to allow coverage of end-of-life counselling by Medicare - in nearly the same language as legislation proposed by a Republican Rep last Spring.
It is not open to interpretation. It is plain and simple. You are being lied to.
Matthews is not bright enough to even understand that he is propagating the lie - even if he knows it is a lie. He has never been very prudent with his word choices.
Furthermore, if you can't simply state the points on which you disagree with Matthews without questioning his intelligence, then your credibility is questionable. There's no need to get personal when you differ with someone on policy opinions. Be mature, be objective, and just put the information out there. Otherwise, you're not going to convince anyone you're worth taking seriously.
What is this, seat-of-the-pants reasoning? Do you think that's true because you say so? If Medicare isn't authorized to pay for something then guess what: Medicare cannot pay for it. Changing this is a reason to put it in the bill. Complicated, I know.
As for the rest, he said Matthews was insincere not stupid. Funny how in your view being insufficiently polite is a bigger problem than spreading FUD that scares old folks into thinking the government will use their tax dollars to encourage them to die. Personally I'll care if people treat Matthews with respect once he establishes that he deserves some.
Please explain how 'optional' can in any case or event be interpreted as 'mandatory'?
He is becoming more and more out of touch by the day. Still hit's a home run once in awhile like with the afterbirthers.
The case where we all learned that we had better make an end life plan or there would be a bunch of raving maniacs picketing our hospital bed screaming their heads off.
http://thinkprogress.org/2009/07/28/dem-effigy-afp/
What's funny about it is, they've basically admitted that those doing the disruptive shouting at town halls are not 'just concerned, average citizens who are concerned about socialized medicine', but that they are in fact part of an organization designed specifically to oppose the public option. It's the Right's favorite defense: They're doing it too!
As always, the best way to get away with rotten behavior is to accuse your enemy of doing exactly what you are doing. And let's not kid ourselves - the insurance companies are the ones fomenting all the resistance to public health care.
Republicans have so totally sold out to the insurance and drug industries that they will make egregious claims to keep the money rolling in. It's all about money and power to them.
A perfect example of how money corrupts power. Instead of using power to uplift, the media chooses to crawl in the mud with the lobbyists and the money. Pathetic.
How long will any sort of public option be buried after this round fails? 10 years? 20?
I support health care reform and have down loaded HR 3200 and have read some of it as issues have come up in the media. We all need to get involved, get educated and put these lies to bed quickly when they are spouted by our friends, neigbors and coworkers.
Michael Chapman, RN