I'm sitting here listening to Dana Rohrabacher and caller after caller bloviate about how evil we liberals are and how we're going to murder red-blooded Americans in favor of illegal immigrants. So far - my brain hurts. I doubt I'm going to get to ask a question tonight.
If I can, I'm going to ask Rohrabacher if he would support HR-3200 without a public option, and considering how much he hates socialized medicine, if he would support the repeal of Medicare, Medicaid, and the VA health, since it's all socialized.
He has admitted to not having read HR3200 which isn't a shock. He's only answered questions from friendly callers thus far. Not a single dissenting opinion here, for a district that voted 50-48 for McCain. (Ooh - a question not about health care. The caller asked about a reduction in capital gains tax, of course lowering it. Oh great.)
Rohrabacher: Taxes = Slavery. He's "Very worried" about the track the country is going on vis-a-vis slavery.
8:47 PM: YAY! FIRST CALLER THAT SUPPORTS HEALTH CARE REFORM!
Rohrabacher interrupted him. Calls PBS' Frontline "too rosy to make sense for everybody". He's talking about the misconceptions that the callers have had regarding health care reform. He mentions how nobody wants to reform their health care systems to be more like ours.
Rohrabacher: Majority of Americans satisfied with their personal health care, therefore no reform is necessary.
Rohrabacher: HR3200 says that if "one member of a family is eligible for the public option, then the entire family can be covered" and this is bad
No, he won't support the bill even if that gets pulled out.
Rohrabacher: Tort Reform = Way to fix health care. Lawyers are eeeeeevil and suck all the health care monies out of innocent doctor's juicy arteries
Rohrabacher: We could cover almost everybody if we had no malpractice suits or illegal immigrants. Look up HR2520 (tax credit for health insurance)
New caller: Eric Holder didn't prosecute Black Panthers intimidating voters in Philadelphia!!!!!! Tea parties aren't enough, next December (?) isn't early enough to vote out the Democrats, WHAT DO WE DO?!
Rohrabacher: The CIA is totally justified in whatever they did to prisoners because they saved hundreds of thousands of American lives in the process. By the way, they thwarted a terrorist attack in Los Angeles.
[Christ, this man represents me!]
9:01 PM
Rohrabacher: Go on the facebooks, and the tweeters, and MAKE YOUR TWO CENTS HEARD.
9:04 PM
Caller: Social Security is a HORRIBLE PONZI SCHEME. By the way, I collect it and love it.
Rohrabacher: Errr. Um. Uh. Yeah. Social security is great.
This caller seems to have an issue with "Voting with largesse" which he defines as congress voting itself pay raises and voting for health care.
Side note:
Caller: I am very scared!
Me: (to my brother) He's sitting on his roof with a shotgun.
[later]
Caller: A FAMILY OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS EARNS MORE IN SOCIAL SECURITY THAN I DO!
My brother: Well, sitting on your roof with a shotgun doesn't pay as well as it used to!
9:08 PM
Caller: Young people don't have morals, ethics, or work ethics. Why do old white people have no representation in Congress? Why?!
9:11 PM
Caller: I work in health care, and DEMOCRATS ARE SCARY.
Rohrabacher: Yes they are.