William Kristol Declares This Is The Time To Kill Healthcare Reform

[TomCADem]

You just have to marvel at how the right wing ignores the fact that millions of Americans lack health insurance, and thousands are losing their healthcare each day, and the right wing focuses on killing healthcare reform mainly to score cheap political points.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/07/20/bill-kristol-this-is-the_n_241046.html

###

At the Weekly Standard, editor Bill Kristol has declared war on health care reform, telling Republicans now is the time to "go for the kill."

With Obamacare on the ropes, there will be a temptation for opponents to let up on their criticism, and to try to appear constructive, or at least responsible. There will be a tendency to want to let the Democrats' plans sink of their own weight, to emphasize that the critics have been pushing sound reform ideas all along and suggest it's not too late for a bipartisan compromise over the next couple of weeks or months. <...>

his is not the time to let them off the ropes. This is the week to highlight every problem, every terrible provision, in the Democratic bills: from taxes and spending to government control and rationing to federal funding for abortion and government-required death-with-dignity counseling sessions for the elderly. Throw the kitchen sink at the legislation now on the table, drive a stake through its heart (I apologize for the mixed metaphors), and kill it.

###

[WeDidIt]

1. There's profit in misery

It's all abut making money, and keeping the US the 37th least healthy nation on earth means money for Republicans.

[izquierdista]

2. He's proven his worth

Kristol needs to have a his own cubicle in the corridors of power, one in the West wing, with a videolink to the Senate office building. It could be called "The Oracle of Wrong". While a stopped clock is right twice a day, Bill has lived his entire life without ever doing anything right. Whenever he takes pen to paper, the gremlins appear out of nowhere to make sure that his opinion will result in the most fucked up result possible.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

32. Billy Boy wants to get rid of your medicare and medicaid

let him explain that on the cable networks!

[leftstreet]

3. Tactically, he's correct

This healthcare 'reform' crap the Democrats are pushing is ridiculous. And the Republicans can make mincemeat of it.

Kristol's biggest fear though is that Repubs might jump on a single payer bandwagon to reclaim power. He's written before about the populist power of single payer. Sounds like he's trying to 'guide' the Repubs here.

[SemiCharmedQuark]

5. Please explain how the Republicans are going to jump on single payer when they decry a public option

as socialism and their biggest argument against "Obamacare" is that it is government run?

[HopeOverFear]

6. Exactly, what the hell kind of sense does that make?

[SemiCharmedQuark]

8. They're just going to go from "Evil Fascist Obama trying to put government between you and your doc"

"socialism!!!" and "Europe is evil!" to "Single Payer for all!"

Hell, if they want to appeal to a broader base, they need to stop being racist. That is a far more tenable goal and they can't even do that.

[leftstreet]

10. You're talking about the current Repub leadership

There are factions within the Repub party, just as with the Dems.

[SemiCharmedQuark]

11. Who within the Republican Party is calling for Single Payer?

I haven't heard of ANY Republican official calling for single payer.

[leftstreet]

14. Who within the Dem party was calling for a DLC corporate takeover?

:shrug:

Yet it happened.

[SemiCharmedQuark]

16. Define DLC corporate takeover as specific policies rather than just an abstract

notion of "center right".

[leftstreet]

18. I'm not interested in the DLC

Maybe someone else will talk to you about it.

I was talking about Kristol's veiled message to his own party.

[SemiCharmedQuark]

20. So you think Kristol's rhetoric about the evils of government run healthcare are cover so that the

Republicans can pick up the mantle of government run healthcare?

[leftstreet]

23. LOL No, I think he's encouraging them to keep up the old talking points

He's hoping to prevent something.

Read him up.
He's written and spoken a lot about his 'populism' fears as regards both parties.

[SemiCharmedQuark]

24. Will do.

Thanks :hi:

[HopeOverFear]

27. leftstreet is making no sense whatsoever

he/she seems to be confused about the point he/she's trying to make. The Democrats healthplan is "crap" so the Republicans are going to make mincemeat out of it so they can enact single payer???? HUH???? :wtf:

[TomCADem]

9. I Would Think The Opposite; That Single Payer Is Even More Of Goverment Takeover

Indeed, George Will's main opposition to President Obama's healthcare reform proposals is that it paves the way to single payer. So, I totally disagree with the premise that single payer is somehow "easier" to get done than President Obama's public option. Indeed, my impression is that Republicans cry to portray President Obama's plan as single payer as a kind of strawman to attack it.

[leftstreet]

12. I've never heard a Republican denounce a fire department as socialist

The current Repub leadership represents the dying gasp of quasi-libertarian free market rightwing nuttery.

But the party is large and has factions.

Look at the DLC takeover of the Dem party.

:shrug:

[SemiCharmedQuark]

15. Which faction is talking about single payer?

[leftstreet]

17. We don't know

Surely you can imagine someone is.

These politicians KNOW that Americans have wanted single payer for ages. And it's never been a more popular notion. Even Nixon tried to promote it. Nixon! One of their very own.

The Repub party is dead, dead, dead.
Certainly they know it's an issue that could bring them back to power.

[SemiCharmedQuark]

19. My Uncle Durwood sitting in his attic is not a faction.

A faction implies a group that has a significant number of people. It would be more apt to call the birthers a faction, and I wouldn't even go that far with them.

[leftstreet]

26. Oh, okay. I got ya

I'd confidently state that there are many, MANY, M A N Y politicians, advisers and lobbyists within both the Democratic and Republican parties who KNOW that Americans REALLY want single payer healthcare.

When they will quickly coalesce into a faction - we don't know.

Which party will do it first - well, we thought we knew...

[wroberts189]

30. That guy is always wrong on EVERYTHING... like the Iraqis welcoming us with candy and flowers.

they had their candy and parties... when we left their cities.

[Monk06]

4. And Sarah Palin will be president in 2012. Kristol has a lousy track record for predictions.

[Vincardog]

7. Note to Bill Kristol "Eat Shit and DIE". NT

[walldude]

13. William "I have never been right about anything" Kristol

continues his perfect record of being wrong about everything.

[wroberts189]

31. I love singing with the choir ...HE IS FULL OF IT. AMEN nt

[Alcibiades]

21. Bill Kristol has no authority to speak to this issue

He's just a legacy kid with a famous dad. He's never won an election, but is simply someone collecting megabucks from the right-wing echo chamber industry. Barack Obama won the presidency by over 9 million votes.

So whose voice should carry more weight?

[BlueIdaho]

22. Full Court Press

This is just one voice in the chorus of "NO!" The battle has begun - they will do everything they can in the next few weeks to destroy Health Care Reform - and they have the help of the industry, the MSM, and their blue dog buddies. Millions will be spent on ads - even more money will be stuffed into the sweaty palms of greedy congress members. This is a critical time and a battle to the finish.

What are we willing to do to combat the lies and distortions? Make no mistake, if we don't fight back - we will lose. Please write, call and email your elected officials. Let them know this is a deal breaker. No vote for reform, no support for them in the next election. We can have the change we need, but only if we all fight for it.

[Peacetrain]

25. Kristol is such a buffoon...

[prolesunited]

28. Keep it up

The are showing their true colors.

The people spoke during the last election and they chose hope over fear.

[MadMaddie]

29. Remember this is the same Bill Kristol that has been

100% wrong on ALL let me repeat ALL of his predictions.

If he is makeing this statement he is running scared with his Repug buddies.

[wroberts189]

33. "100% wrong on ALL let me repeat ALL of his predictions."

Thx

Choice quote ... I had to repeat it. The guy HAS NO CREDIBILITY PERIOD.

[wroberts189]

34. +4 ... can anyone spare a rec to get to five?

[myrna minx]

35. I'll recommend anything that has a "prediction" or proclamation from Wrong Way Kristol.

:rofl:

[Captain Hilts]

36. I'm so glad I cancelled my subscription to the Wash Post. nt