I hope we get some good substantive kick a$$ dialogue about the health care reform (or insurance industry bailout) over the next couple of days! And, not to derail Dr. Dean's time in the spotlight, I've learned THIS GUY is guest hosting on Thursday & Friday!
I'm gonna need a gross of smelling salts, a defibrulator [apologies for botched spelling?], & lots of towels - STAT! ;D
Let's note a couple of birthdays - one of which is deserving of THE cake; we haven't seen this for awhile!
Former AG Michael Mukasey is 68 today. For continuing the "lovely" history established by Fredo that the AG is the President's personal lawyer & not the nation's chief law enforcement officer & turning a blind eye to the evil illegal acts done by GWB & his "peeps," dive on into this cake with the admonition to GO CHENEY YOURSELF!
Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis, First Lady from 1961 to 1963, was born in Southampton, NY on this date in 1929. Her family was a hoot - to put it mildly.
If you get the chance to see Grey Gardens, I highly recommend it. Drew Barrymore really shows off some acting chops!
Let's Countdown with "the Doc!"
Hey! We’re gonna see Keith tonight – KEWL!
#5 "Compromised Care" AKA "Public Optional" AKA "Healthy Profits" - OK, Dr. Dean kind of has a deer – in – the – headlights look; he’ll hopefully loosen up as the night goes on. President Obama repeated his desire for some sort of public option in the ultimate health care reform bill, a vast majority of the American people want it, and hell, 50% of the GOP want it. Seriously? 50% of the GOP want some sort of public option?! I find that hard to believe. A public option wouldn’t necessarily drive out private insurance – well duh! But, the American people deserve a choice don’t cha’ know? ;D And, like the Senate, there will be no House vote on health care reform before their vacation – gee...thanks! It’s not like people’s lives are at stake or anything! The RNC is going to spend major coin advertising during August against President Obama’s plan. Some dirty details from the bill being floated around the Senate Finance Committee sound less – than – desirable – no public option, no employer mandate requiring companies to provide health insurance for their employees, etc. Uh, that’s what we have now, yes?! Rep. Chris Van Hollen needs to lend some spine to Senator Reid. I have just one minor beef with Rep. Van Hollen’s characterization of only the GOP having powerful "allies" in the health insurance industry; there are plenty of Dems in their pockets, too. Wendell Potter has a hell of a story – a former insurance big wig who changed his tune! And, guess what? It’s all about the money. I know y’all are shocked by that information. OK, y’all correct me if I heard this wrong. 20% of money paid in insurance premiums go to marketing, exec salaries, etc.? Yep...I backed up the DVR; I heard correctly! So, Wall Street has a stake in health insurance reform as opposed to health CARE reform. Gee, remember what Wall Street helped to do to our economy? It was in all the papers, ya’ know! ;D Mr. Potter wants single – payer! HA! Wow, a former health insurance exec now wants single – payer. Talk about yer turn – around!
#4 "The Public Option" AKA "American Health Care" AKA "Health of a Nation" - Dr. Dean made a faboo point; our Congress critters have "government – run health care!" The elderly have government – run health care, and our soldiers & vets have government – run health care. And, apparently, that health care ain’t so bad; Bill Kristol said so last night on TDS! ;D Apparently, the VA system is pretty damn good. Phillip Longman should provide some valuable insights. The VA does a great job of quality & cost control – go figure! They’ve performed better than the private sector. That’s a great point by Mr. Longman; the VA will have a life – time relationship with their patients. So, it’s in their best interest to learn preventative & wellness techniques to keep their eventual costs down & keep their patients more healthy. Wow! I am learning so much in this segment!! The VA’s cost per patient has actually decreased over the years. Wow again!
#3 "Health Care Gotcha" - If y’all haven’t seen the video of Bill Kristol on TDS last night, you ABSOLUTELY MUST! Spork to a gun fight, y’all – spork...to...a...gun...fight. Mr. Kristol says the veterans get the best government – run health care, but the rest of the American people don’t deserve it. And, y’all should know me well enough to know I AM NOT SAYING SOLDIERS & VETS DON’T DESERVE THE GREAT CARE THEY GET. Sorry for the all caps, but I wanted to make that point abundantly clear. Mr. Kristol wants the rest of us to "...go out & buy insurance." I’m sure Mr. Kristol can afford to "...go out & buy insurance" for oodles of people who can’t afford private health insurance! Y’all think he’ll put his money where his pie (or cake) hole is?! Nah, me neither. And, to go briefly OT, I just noticed that Jon Stewart’s a south paw!
#2 "The Facts of Birth" AKA "Fringe Versus Fact" - GOP Congress critters voted on a resolution celebrating Hawaii’s place as our 50th state – and THE BIRTHPLACE OF PRESIDENT OBAMA! HA! If y’all recall, Senator McCentury was born in Panama – on a military base. So, he was deemed to be a natural – born American citizen; I would absolutely concur, and I think most reasonable people would. But, can y’all just imagine the outcry from the GOP if "alternate birthers" had made an issue of the circumstances of Senator McCentury’s birth?! O...M...SPARKIN’...G... Bless Rep. Neil Abercrombie for inserting this little detail in the resolution:
Whereas the 44th President of the United States, Barack Obama, was born in Hawaii;
No one voted against said resolution! Bat$hit Bachmann even voted for it! 9 House GOPers are sponsors of a bill requiring all future POTUS candidates to submit a birth certificate. So...um...where was their "sponsorship" last night? Chris Hayes said (of the GOP Congress critters), "These people aren’t idiots"?! Honey, I WOULD BEG TO DIFFER! Even Senator DeMint spoke out to Huffington Post that President Obama is an American citizen, and he deserves our respect – except when it comes to health care reform.
*** HEY!!! Oh...putting "that woman" in the same sentence as Allen Ginsberg IS NOT THE WAY TO GET ON MY GOOD SIDE – BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!! ***
#1 "Reinstated?" AKA "Pardon for Pete?" - OK, for all you non – baseball fans out there, we are approaching the 20 – year anniversary of Pete Rose’s banishment from Major League Baseball for betting on baseball & even the Reds while he was their skipper. He volunteered for his banishment, but MLB hasn’t been ashamed to trot him out to events if said trotting would boost that ever – important bottom line. As I said in Keith’s baseball blog, there is sufficient evidence to demonstrate that one need not be a first class human being to be in any Hall of Fame – even Cooperstown. What Pete Rose did almost seems quaint compared to juicing & such. Pete Rose is the all – time leading hitter in the game; he belongs in the Baseball Hall of Fame. There’s Keith; he needs a shave! ;D Commissioner Bud Selig, he of the massive jelly spine, DOES NOT want Pete reinstated. Hell, that fact alone also makes me support it! Roger Clemens is in town, too? HA! He being in Cooperstown will hopefully be as close as he gets to the Hall of Fame. Hank Aaron thinks Pete Rose should be in the Hall of Fame, too!