When Big Fat Idiots Attack
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When Big Fat Idiots Attack
| Mon, 10-06-2008 - 8:09pm |
El Rushbo:
Limbaugh monologue contains numerous Obama falsehoods
Limbaugh monologue contains numerous Obama falsehoods
Summary: On his radio show, Rush Limbaugh made numerous false statements about Obama's health-care plan, his employment history, his legislative record, his work on behalf of veterans, and whether he puts his hand over his heart during the national anthem.
During a monologue in his October 2 broadcast, radio host Rush Limbaugh repeated
numerous falsehoods about Sen. Barack Obama, including false statements about
Obama's health-care
plan, his legislative record, and other issues:
- Echoing a false attack on Obama's
health-care plan by Sen.
John McCain and others, Limbaugh stated, "Obama wants to change the
American system for another system." He later added: "If
somebody tells you, for example, they want the federal government to take
over the health-care system lock, stock, and barrel, what do you call
that?" In fact, Obama has not proposed having the federal government
"take over the health-care system"; Obama's plan calls
for individuals to choose their own insurance. As The New York Times reported in a
May 3 article, the suggestion that Obama is "proposing a
single-payer, or even nationalized health care system along the lines of
those in countries like Canada
and Britain
... is incorrect."
- Limbaugh asserted that Obama
"has never held a real job in this country," defining "real
job" as "one that requires you to get up every morning, go to
work, make a profit for yourself or for your employer." Limbaugh
then added: "He has been paid by foundations and the taxpayer most
of his life to promote a socialist agenda that'll destroy everything
that you have worked for." In fact, Obama held positions as associate and
of counsel at the law firm of Miner, Barnhill & Galland
(known as Davis, Miner, Barnhill & Galland when Obama joined) from 1993 to 2002.
- Limbaugh falsely stated that
Obama "has authored a bill ... that would require you, the
hardworking people of this country, to pony up $85 billion per year to
give to other countries to fight global poverty through the United
Nations," a false claim Limbaugh has made in the past. Limbaugh was
referring to the Global Poverty Act of 2007,
a bill sponsored by Obama. However, Limbaugh's assertion that it
would require Americans to "pony up $85 billion per year" is
false. As Media Matters for America
has documented, the bill would
establish no specific funding sources and would not commit the United States
to any targeted level of spending.
- Limbaugh stated: "I would ask those of you who
have served in the military or are serving in the military, can you name
anything -- anything Obama has done prior to running for president to show
his support for you?" He added: "Did he speak to veterans
groups? Did he do interviews with veteran- and military-related media? Did
he visit military hospitals and shake hands with the wounded? No."
In fact, in addition to serving on the Senate Committee on Veterans
Affairs since 2005, as Media Matters has documented, Obama
has also spoken to veterans groups and visited military bases overseas
before the start of his presidential campaign. According to an article in
the Chicago Sun-Times on
January 22, 2005, Obama visited a group of 500 veterans at the American
Legion Hall in Evergreen Park,
Illinois. He also visited
Iraq in January 2006 as part of a congressional delegation, during which
time a January 8, 2006, Sun-Times
article reported that "Obama played basketball with soldiers and
dined with members of the military from Illinois."
- Limbaugh falsely claimed that
Obama "didn't start putting his hand over his heart during the
national anthem until a few months ago." As Media Matters has documented, on October 23,
2007, Inside Edition
featured a segment on the
national anthem "controversy." The segment included two
photographs of Obama placing his hand over his heart during the national
anthem, which Inside Edition
said it received from an Obama spokesman.
- Limbaugh falsely claimed that
Obama has not voted to fund troops "on the battlefield,"
stating: "Did vote to fund the troops? To send them the
armor and the bullets and the reinforcement they needed while they were on
the battlefield? No." He added: "He spoke out against it. All
of it." In fact, as Media Matters
has documented,
Obama has
repeatedly voted to
provide funds for fighting in Iraq
and Afghanistan.
As Washington Post media
critic Howard Kurtz wrote,
"Obama has frequently voted to finance the war but was one of 14
Senate Democrats to oppose a war-funding bill last year -- after
Republicans removed troop withdrawal deadlines -- saying he did not want
to be 'validating the same failed policy in Iraq.' "

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Thanks for the link to Krugman's article on McCain's health care proposal. There are a couple of minor things he doesn't mention.
One, from McCain's website:
"STATE FLEXIBILITY: Encouraging States To Lower Costs. States should have the flexibility to experiment with alternative forms of access, coordinated payments per episode covered under Medicaid, use of private insurance in Medicaid, alternative insurance policies and different licensing schemes for providers."
Great...McCain will ENCOURAGE states to experiment with Medicaid. Big deal.
And a second, also from McCain's website:
"John McCain Will Encourage And Expand The Benefits Of Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) For Families. When families are informed about medical choices, they are more capable of making their own decisions and often decide against unnecessary options. Health Savings Accounts take an important step in the direction of putting families in charge of what they pay for."
HSAs work for the young, healthy members of our society--think single, 20-35, no kids. They must be coupled with a HDHP--a high-deductible health plan. When the the young and healthy members leave the other risk pools, the costs for those remaining in the typical insurance pools goes up.
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/health-savings-accounts/GA00053
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http://www.pnhp.org/news/2009/october/meet_the_new_health_.php
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQTBYQlQ7yM
It's just my opinion, but think about it, the prospects of Obama winning sure hasn't calmed the markets.
"Links to a reputable paper"?? Are there any left??
No....no, I have it on good authority elsewhere on this board from a conservatarian that, when they post up stuff like that (or like the stuff I was referring to when I discovered this interesting fact - that Obama "wanted 90% tax, and to have government choosing everyone's clothes car and home"), they don't NEED to post up anything which actually SUPPORTS these notions...because "it's my opinion." And here at iVillage, everyone is entitled to their opinion, even on debate boards, where the name of the game (theoretically, anyway) is to be able to back up one's opinions with evidence. Not for conservatarians, apparently; they can post up stuff like "Obama wants 90% tax rates" or "wants government to choose your house, clothes and car for you" or "the whole country is selling stock because they're afraid of a President Obama" without providing any evidence whatsoever that any of this is true.
You see, here at iVillage's debate boards, truthiness is just as good as actual truth or facts! Ain't equality grand?
Fingerpointing all the time.
C'mon, don't you know that stuff is common knowledge?
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