The Democrats' hate campaign

Well, the USA has fallen to a new low. The House of Reps finally got a health care bill out of committee -- complete with a socialized medicine "option" -- and, during their summer recess, will be trying to sell this piece of crap to voters. According to the L.A. Times, this is how they plan to do it:

A key part of the Democrats' strategy, worked out in coordination with the White House, will be to demonize insurance companies for opposing a bill that has been backed by an array of health and consumer groups. Pelosi predicted the industry would conduct a "shock and awe" campaign in the coming weeks to block the bill.

Interesting that the insurance companies haven't really opposed reform at all. For one thing, if the government forces people to buy insurance, the insurance companies stand to benefit. For another, the insurance industry has proposed its own reforms at: http://www.americanhealthsolution.org/. So exactly what are the Democrats selling with their hate campaign? Surely not private insurance. Have they finally dropped their masks and admitted to their socialist aspirations?

Yesterday, Luke Russert, NBC, reported what was apparently Nancy (Pazzo) Pelosi's first shots at the insurance industry:

I think it is pretty clear that we want a strong public option in the legislation. Insurance companies full force carpet-bombing and shock and awe against the public option -- so much so that the American people doubt the plan or are uncertain about it, until you tell them what is in it.

QUESTION: What? The American people doubt the socialized medicine plan "until you tell them what is in it." Well, Pazzo, this sounds perfectly reasonable to me. Much more reasonable than you buttheads in Congress requiring unconditional obedience to your personal whims and fancies.

Russert continues:

Later, off camera, while walking with reporters to her office, Pelosi took it a step further and questioned the morality of health insurance companies that oppose a public option. “It is somewhat immoral what they are doing. Of course, they have been immoral all along how they have treated the people that they insure.”

In a passionate tone, she continued, “They are the villains in this. They have been part of the problem in a major way. They have been doing everything in their power to stop a public option from happening. The public has to know that. They can describe their arguments any way they want, but the fact is they don’t want the competition. They don’t even want anti-trust laws. They have had a good thing going for a long time at the expense of the American people and the health of our country. Our members have to go out there ready to take on a big special interest that has not made our country healthier and have made our cost spiral upward and for whom that is coming to an end.”

In response to Pelosi's attack, a national organization representing US health care insurers came up with this rather civilized and rational press release:

Washington, DC – America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) today released the following statement from spokesman Robert Zirkelbach.

“Health care reform is far too important to be dragged down by divisive political rhetoric from Washington, DC.

“Health plans have been working in support of bipartisan health care reform for three years. Our community has proposed guaranteed coverage for pre-existing conditions, discontinuing rating based on a person’s health status or gender, and a personal coverage requirement to get everyone into the system. We have proposed far-reaching administrative reforms to slash paperwork, reduce medical errors, and ensure doctors and hospitals can focus on patient care.

“Countless physicians, hospitals and employers, and millions of concerned citizens agree that a government-run health care plan will dismantle employer-based coverage, bankrupt local hospitals, and break the promise made to the American people that those who like their health plan can keep it.

“Health plans remain committed to working constructively in support of bipartisan health care reform.”

I looked up some background on Nancy Pelosi. Her dad was "Big Tommy" D'Alesandro and actually worked in the insurance industry -- after his career as boss of a Democrat machine in Baltimore petered out. Perhaps he was involved with "insurance" of the Tony Soprano variety; maybe that's why Pelosi regards it as something spawned in hell.

But Big Tommy wasn't the muscle in Baltimore. He was the guy who grinned tirelessly, hired patronage workers, and passed out Christmas turkeys. He was the machine's electable figurehead. Big Tommy's political pal, a guy named Pollack, was the one who paid off voters on Election Day and busted kneecaps when necessary. Oh, Big Tommy also brought the Orioles baseball team to Baltimore. Quite the accomplished statesman, no?

At any rate, Pazzo grew up learning how to twist arms and bully citizens. It runs in the family. She's not the wide-eyed babe-in-the-woods do-gooder she wants the public to believe she is. And, curiously, even Mr. Pazzo, Paul Pelosi, has a family background in the insurance industry. His family made a fortune selling insurance in California.

Funny, though, how both Pazzo and her other half pretty much owe their lives to the insurance industry, and how quickly they're ready to turn around and demonize it in order to consolidate Pazzo's choke-hold on the health care industry.

Who's the evil one here? Insurance executives and employees? Or a ruthless, manipulative, megalomanic bitch with a fixation on telling other people how to live? Maybe she's doing it for dear ol' Dad.

Apparently she understands she's one of the most despised people in Washington, and she said she doesn't care. What does bother her is that polls show that people don't trust her, either. That made me laugh.

She's so obviously a pathological liar and power-mad opportunist.... How can anyone trust her? She'd happily throw you under the nearest bus if you got in between her and whatever sparkly power symbol caught her attention.

And really, how disgusting. I mean really disgusting. Selling socialized medicine by destroying the private insurance industry. Seems private insurance is just too emblematic of political freedom, so it must be wiped out.

These hate tactics really are beneath consideration. Not to mention, socialized medicine is a losing battle when the only "positive" examples of it that Pazzo, the Democrats, and the Comrade have are the sorry messes of mismanaged health care in Canada, the U.K., and everywhere else it exists.

Again, the argument comes down to: Do you believe what you know? Do you believe what you've experienced in your life? Or do you believe the wretched lies that a desperate, arm-twisting hag like Pazzo Pelosi is peddling?

How do slimeballs like this get elected in the first place?