Palin's Facebook response to the passing of HR 3962. (Ghostwriter now fully awake and back on the job.)

We’ve got to hold on to hope, and we’ve got to fight hard because Congressional action tonight just put America on a path toward an unrecognizable country.

If passing a bill that will help provide health insurance coverage for 96% of Americans, keeps insurance companies from rejecting you due to "pre-existing conditions" , and provides the possibility of a public option, makes America an "unrecognizable country", then I will happily walk around today discovering this "new" America.

An America that seems more concerned with the health and well being of it's citizens, an America where insurance companies are no longer protected by an anti-trust exemption, an America where the insurers are now required to spend 85% of premium revenue on members’ care. You know Sarah I can hardly WAIT to meet this "unrecognizable country".

The same government leaders that got us into the mortgage business and the car business are now getting us into the health care business.

Despite Americans’ decisive message last Tuesday that they reject the troubling path this country has been taking (Jesus, what election were YOU watching?), Speaker Pelosi has broken her own promises of transparency to ram a health “care” bill through the House of Representatives just before midnight. Why did she push the 2,000 page bill this weekend? Was she perhaps afraid to give her peers and the constituents for whom she works the chance to actually read this monstrous bill carefully, if at all? (The Republicans have been carrying this bill around for a prop while they give speeches against it for weeks now. Have they not taken the time to sit down and actually read it? Then how did they know they did not like it?)Was she concerned that Americans might really digest the details of a bill that the Wall Street Journal has called “the worst piece of post-New Deal legislation ever introduced”?

This out-of-control bureaucratic mess will be disastrous for our economy, our small businesses, and our personal liberty. It will slam businesses at a time when we are at double-digit unemployment rates – (Bush's fault.)the highest we’ve seen in a quarter of a century. (Still Bush's fault.)This massive new bureaucracy will cost us and our children money we don’t have. It will rob Americans of more of our freedom and further hamper the free market.

(Holy crap how much moose shit can she put into one Facebook post? Taking away the anti-trust exemption and adding the possibility of a public option does nothing BUT provide more freedom to the American consumers and makes the "free market" live up to it's name.)

Make no mistake: we’re on course to have government commandeer one-sixth of our economy. The people who gave us Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac now want to run our health care. Think about that.

All of us who value the sanctity of life are grateful for the success of the pro-life majority in the House this evening in its battle against federal funding of abortion in this bill, but it’s ironic because we were promised that abortion wasn’t covered in the bill to begin with. (It wasn't! But the language was not strong enough for the "life begins when a couple gets to fist base" crowd.) Our healthy distrust of these government leaders made us look deeper into the bill because unfortunately we knew better than to trust what they were saying. (Translation: "We were desperately looking for a way to kill this thing before it destroyed our party! After all that is MY job!")The victory tonight to amend the bill and eliminate that federal funding for abortion was great – because abortion is not health care. (Perfectly healthy for a woman to die due to the complications of childbirth.) Now we can only hope that Rep. Stupak’s amendment will hold in the final bill, though the Democratic leadership has already refused to promise that it won’t be scrapped later. (Good for them!)

We had been told there were no “death panels” in the bill either. But look closely at the provision mandating bureaucratic panels that will be calling the shots regarding who will receive government health care.

(NO what you were told, you simpleton, was that "death panels" was a label completely fabricated by Betsy McCaughey, and then promoted by you in an attempt to frighten the elderly. Which apparently you are still willing to do even today. Is that what your "Pie Spy, LLC" company was all about? Scaring the elderly into thinking Obama was going to pull the plug on their respirators?)

Look closely at provisions addressing illegal aliens’ health care coverage too (also). (Sorry. I jsut wanted it to sound more like Sarah actually wrote it.)

Those of us who love freedom and believe in open and transparent government can only be dismayed by midnight action on a Saturday. (Sorry. It took me a minute to respond to that last sentence. I was choking on my coffee. Did Sarah Palin just invoke the lack of an "open and transparent government" to judge Nancy Pelosi? "Mrs. Pelosi? Call for you on line one. It is a pot who wants to call you black. Should I have them call back later, when you are finished laughing?") Speaker Pelosi’s promise that Americans would have 72 hours to read the final bill before the vote was just another one of the D.C. establishment’s too-common political ploys. It’s broken promises like this that turn people off to politics and leave them disillusioned about the future of their country.

(No it is not politics like passing a health care reform bill. It is politics like having Republican House members standing outside calling for the overthrow of their own government that leaves people "disillusioned about the future of their country". As well they should be.)

But despite this late-night maneuvering, many of us were paying close attention tonight. We’ll keep paying close attention. We need to let our legislators in Washington know that they still represent us, and that the majority of Americans are not in favor of the “reform” they are pushing. (Not true.) After all, this is still a country “of the people, by the people, and for the people.” We will make our voices heard (On Facebook.). It’s on to the Senate now. Our legislators can listen now, or they can hear us in 2010. It’s their choice.

- Sarah Palin

Okay here is my message to the MSM.

Don't cover this bullshit from Palin! I have to write about it because I am an Alaskan blogger. It is kind of my job. But the REAL media does not! Just step away from the Facebook!

But if you cannot help yourselves, at least make sure to drive the point home that SHE DID NOT WRITE THIS! She is being used by people behind the scenes to garner attention for their crazy anti-American ideas. She is just a vehicle. When a truck crashes into a crowd of innocent people, you do not blame the truck! You blame the driver who steered the truck up onto the sidewalk.

Sarah Palin is the truck! If the MSM wants to really do their jobs, then find out who is doing the driving. THAT would be some journalism.

P.S. By the way I thought you might be interested to note that there are now OTHER Republicans resorting to "Sarah Palin tactics" to get people to pay attention to them. Cue the baby.



Is that not about the most pathetic thing you have ever seen? What kind of horrible human being hides behind a baby to garner sym.......oh yeah!

(H/T to commenter hahasara.)

Dennis Kucinich explains why he voted NO on HR 3962.

“We have been led to believe that we must make our health care choices only within the current structure of a predatory, for-profit insurance system which makes money not providing health care. We cannot fault the insurance companies for being what they are. But we can fault legislation in which the government incentivizes the perpetuation, indeed the strengthening, of the for-profit health insurance industry, the very source of the problem. When health insurance companies deny care or raise premiums, co-pays and deductibles they are simply trying to make a profit. That is our system.

“Clearly, the insurance companies are the problem, not the solution. They are driving up the cost of health care. Because their massive bureaucracy avoids paying bills so effectively, they force hospitals and doctors to hire their own bureaucracy to fight the insurance companies to avoid getting stuck with an unfair share of the bills. The result is that since 1970, the number of physicians has increased by less than 200% while the number of administrators has increased by 3000%. It is no wonder that 31 cents of every health care dollar goes to administrative costs, not toward providing care. Even those with insurance are at risk. The single biggest cause of bankruptcies in the U.S. is health insurance policies that do not cover you when you get sick.

“But instead of working toward the elimination of for-profit insurance, H.R. 3962 would put the government in the role of accelerating the privatization of health care. In H.R. 3962, the government is requiring at least 21 million Americans to buy private health insurance from the very industry that causes costs to be so high, which will result in at least $70 billion in new annual revenue, much of which is coming from taxpayers. This inevitably will lead to even more costs, more subsidies, and higher profits for insurance companies — a bailout under a blue cross.

“By incurring only a new requirement to cover pre-existing conditions, a weakened public option, and a few other important but limited concessions, the health insurance companies are getting quite a deal. The Center for American Progress’ blog, Think Progress, states “since the President signaled that he is backing away from the public option, health insurance stocks have been on the rise.” Similarly, healthcare stocks rallied when Senator Max Baucus introduced a bill without a public option. Bloomberg reports that Curtis Lane, a prominent health industry investor, predicted a few weeks ago that “money will start flowing in again” to health insurance stocks after passage of the legislation. Investors.com last month reported that pharmacy benefit managers share prices are hitting all-time highs, with the only industry worry that the Administration would reverse its decision not to negotiate Medicare Part D drug prices, leaving in place a Bush Administration policy.

“During the debate, when the interests of insurance companies would have been effectively challenged, that challenge was turned back. The “robust public option” which would have offered a modicum of competition to a monopolistic industry was whittled down from an initial potential enrollment of 129 million Americans to 6 million. An amendment which would have protected the rights of states to pursue single-payer health care was stripped from the bill at the request of the Administration. Looking ahead, we cringe at the prospect of even greater favors for insurance companies.

“Recent rises in unemployment indicate a widening separation between the finance economy and the real economy. The finance economy considers the health of Wall Street, rising corporate profits, and banks’ hoarding of cash, much of it from taxpayers, as sign of an economic recovery. However in the real economy -- in which most Americans live -- the recession is not over. Rising unemployment, business failures, bankruptcies and foreclosures are still hammering Main Street.

“This health care bill continues the redistribution of wealth to Wall Street at the expense of America’s manufacturing and service economies which suffer from costs other countries do not have to bear, especially the cost of health care. America continues to stand out among all industrialized nations for its privatized health care system. As a result, we are less competitive in steel, automotive, aerospace and shipping while other countries subsidize their exports in these areas through socializing the cost of health care.

“Notwithstanding the fate of H.R. 3962, America will someday come to recognize the broad social and economic benefits of a not-for-profit, single-payer health care system, which is good for the American people and good for America’s businesses, with of course the notable exceptions being insurance and pharmaceuticals.”

Look I have the deepest of respect fro Congressman Kucinich. He is a man of deep principle and unequalled courage. Many times he was the lone voice voice heard in the House calling George Bush, and his crooked administration, out on their lies.

He campaigned for President when he full well that he had no real chance, in order to educate the people of this country and call out the other candidates on their bullshit.

However as bad as this bill is, and holy crap it is pretty bad, it is the first step in a process that would not even begin without first getting SOMETHING through the House. Is this bill the best we can do? God I hope not, but it may be the best we can do right now.

I think that it is sometimes important to see past your principles in order to see the big picture. Obama got a health care reform bill through Congress! Dammit that is HUGE! Kucinich should have been part of that victory. He can bitch about the details later, but at least his vote would be on the side of PROGESS.

Look at what this bill does.

The Numbers: H.R. 3962 will cover 96% of Americans, at a 10-year cost of “under $900 billion.” It will reduce the deficit by $104 billion over the same time period, and reduce Medicare spending growth 1.3% annually by cutting $400 billion primarily from private Medicare Advantage plans. Don’t feel sorry for them, see #2.

Consumer Protections: Guaranteed coverage, limited premium variations, standard minimum benefits packages and employer/individual mandates are all still included. That last one protects people from medical bankruptcy. But best of all, insurers are now required to spend 85% of premium revenue on members’ care. Currently in private Medicare Advantage plans, it’s almost the inverse; only $0.14 of every $1.00 in premiums is spent on members’ care. The bill also closes the “donut hole” in Medicare Part D, reducing senior’s out-of-pocket prescription expenses. Prevention and wellness services will be provided in all plans at no cost.

Selective Taxation: The bill derives revenue from a 5.4% “millionaire’s tax” on individuals making over $500,000 and couples making over $1 million (0.3% of households in the US, to be exact.) It also taxes medical device makers to the tune of $20 billion.

Choice and Potential Competition: A public option will finally give consumers another choice besides private insurance or nothing. The Insurance Exchange where we can compare plans remains intact.

Insurance Anti-trust Exemption: This feature, unique to health insurance and baseball, is now history. Meaning private insurers are no longer immune to regulations concerning price-fixing, big rigging, and market allocation. The Federal Trade Commission also now has full rights to investigate the industry.

This is nothing to sneeze at. Perfect? Not even close. A victory? Yes, it is.

You know there have been numerous times when I have been very disappointed in President Obama. But recently I heard Obama's campaign manager David Plouffe say something. Something that my friend Shannyn Moore had also said a few months back to me. And here I am paraphrasing:

"Barack Obama is a chess player, in a world of checker players. Opponents see his move and think that he has lost the match. But while you are focused on that ONE move he is thinking three or four moves ahead, and ultimately the match will be his."

Kucinich is a smart man, perhaps he needs to take up chess.

Update: As for the other NO votes on this bill, I think this Washington Post comparison chart will be instructive.