Gotta love Bill Moyers......

[marmar]

from his interview with Wendell Potter, the former CIGNA exec who saw the light on health care, calling Bill Kristol exactly what he is:

WENDELL POTTER: He used the word naked. It's an industry term for those who, presumably, choose not to buy insurance, because they don't want to. They don't want to pay the premiums. So he was saying that half... Well, first of all, it's nothing like that. It was an absolutely ridiculous comment. But it's an example of a member of Congress buying what the insurance industry is peddling.

BILL MOYERS: Back in 1993, the Republican propagandist, William Kristol, urged his party to block any health care proposal, in order to prevent the Democrats from being seen as the quote, "generous protector of the middle class." But today, you've got some Democrats who are going along with the industry.

Max Baucus, the senator from Montana, for example, the most important figure right now in this health care legislation that's being written in the Senate. He's resisted including a public insurance option in the reform bill, right?

WENDELL POTTER: That's right.

BILL MOYERS: Why is the industry so powerful on both sides of the aisle?

WENDELL POTTER: Well, money and relationships, ideology. The relationships-- an insurance company can hire and does hire many different lobbying firms. And they hire firms that are predominantly Republican and predominantly Democrat. And they do this because they know they need to reach influential members of Congress like Max Baucus. So there are people who used to work for Max Baucus who are in lobbying firms or on the staff of companies like Cigna or the association itself.

BILL MOYERS: Yeah, I just read the other day, in THE WASHINGTON POST, that Max Baucus's staff met with a group of lobbyists. Two of them had been Baucus's former chiefs of staff.

The complete interview, in transcript and video form, is at: http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/07102009/transcript2.html

[waiting for hope]

1. Baucus needs to go - if there ever was

a huge conflict of interest, it would be him. A new word? Baucusized?

[earthboundmisfit]

2. Check out his blog too

Assessing a "Public Option" for Health Care
http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/blog/

In addition to the excellent, must-see interview with Wendell Potter, Bill talks about his April discussion with single-payer advocate Dr. Sidney Wolfe, last week's statement by "policy analyst" Anthony Randazzo of the libertarian group "Reason Foundation", in which Randazzo argued that the “public option is an economic nightmare.”"

Darn right, gotta love Bill Moyers! Thanks goodness we've got him. :patriot:

[intheflow]

3. I have to believe the health care industry is trolling DU.

As was alleged in another post on the Greatest Page. I was rec #6 for this article, but now it's back down to 5 recs. What fucking progressive would vote this Moyers piece down? :wtf:

[marmar]

4. No doubt.....

n/t

[bvar22]

10. There are several prominent "Centrist" DUers...

.... who are admitted employees of the Health Insurance Industry.
They serial post blanket support for some of the more dubious, ill defined Public Options that will actually benefit the Health Insurance Industry, and attack threads supporting Single Payer.

[waiting for hope]

15. There are more trolls than you think -

Interesting tool of the unrec feature if you ask me.

[rudy23]

19. Yes, you are 100% correct. I think that explains the recent attacks on Kucinich, too.

The healthcare industry must loathe Kucinich.

Also, a few months back I posted something about how "big pharma" probably hated that Michael Phelps helped along the medical marijuana debate. Out of the woodwork comes several posters exhibiting very trollish behavior. They were mocking my use of the term "big pharma" in a very over the top way--it seemed very unnatural for a democratic site. Definitely seemed like a team effort. I think the over the top strawmen and ad hominems are a good tip off (though of course, that's hard to pick out on any message board :))

I've noticed the exact same pattern of behavior on the recent Kucinich related posts, especially the ones regarding healthcare. I think you're 100% correct, this site has been infiltrated to some extent by paid bloggers. It's why I don't like the unrecommend function, I think it favors those who work in groups.

[TahitiNut]

5. A Thought: The health insurance industry has access to the medical records of all of us

... AND every congresscritter and their families.

Just a thought. :tinfoilhat:

[marmar]

6. It's too nice a day here in southeast Michigan to be wearing that much tinfoil.....

:)

[TahitiNut]

8. I'm about to sally forth in my pervertible and generate some vitamin D.

doG knows days like this must be enjoyed to the fullest. My crystal ball says we're gonna have two more of these days straight, too. Such a deal!!

http://weather.yahoo.com/Royal-Oak-Michigan-United-States/USMI0735/forecast.html

[slipslidingaway]

7. rec # 12 n/t

[peacetalksforall]

9. Let me ask this - we (nationwide Dems who are concerned) cannot do anything

about kicking Baucus out of his seat at the Senate - only the people of Montana can do that. However, the Senate is ours. The Committees are ours. We can organize to declare lack of confidence in his leadership and request that he step down. A petition may be in We're talking life and health in the United States with decency. He is not about decency. He is about religious-corporate-military control and rule. He is about the democracy of our country. He does not deserve Chairmanship.

Let's look at all the Committees.

[bvar22]

11. Actually, we DO have some authority.

The Left can organize nationwide and support his progressive opposition in the Montana Primary.
Unseating Joe Lieberman was a national effort.
He snuck back in through the Old Boys Club door, but believe me when I say that Conservative Democrats noticed.

I suggest that we target Evan Bayh for a national effort at unseating in the 2010 Primaries.
Even if we are unsuccessful, The Senate will be put on notice that if they continue to ignore their base, they do so at their peril. We ARE watching, and we ARE many.

I'm not sure when Max is up for re-election, but I will support a Progressive challenger.

[SharonAnn]

12. I too till support a progressive challenger. And if he/she loses to a Republican, thn

we'll just have to be sure we elected a new Democratic Senator somewhere else.

Having Baucus in Congress is not like having a Democrat there, it's like having a Republican there.

If the Democratic Senatorial Campaig nCommittee thinks that the grassroots will accept Baucus's position on health care and that there will be no price to be paid for it, they're wrong. They're very wrong!

[bobbolink]

14. "If the Democratic Senatorial Campaig n Committee thinks that the grassroots will accept Baucus's

position on health care and that there will be no price to be paid for it, they're wrong. They're very wrong!"

Absolutely! Time to reclaim our party.

Let's generate some ideas (for my state, Colorado, also!) and get moving.

I appreciate your passion!

[chill_wind]

17. And don't forget the incredible Tinklenberg Netroots Money Bomb

we generated when we got really pissed--

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x7499693

A little too late in the game, but it did get attention.

And that was just over one weekend. Imagine if we got **really** serious in our targeting.

[bobbolink]

13. I applaud your proposal to take action! How 'bout billlboards in his state?

Full page ads have been known to work wonders.

[progressoid]

16. Yep. He's a gem.

[quidam56]

18. The best health care in the world ?

As a former health care giver, I am shocked and saddened to see what has become of health care in America. $ 1. 4 million is being spent per day in DC by the health care lobbyists so your elected representative is getting taken care of and has quality health care we pay for and can't afford ourselves for our families, I know what is deemed, defended and supported in Tennessee and Virginia as quality health care and clearly profit care comes ahead of patient care. http://www.wisecountyissues.com/?p=62 MRSA ( methicillin resistant staphylococcus aureas ) is infesting our communities because filthy, uncaring hospitals and emergency rooms are breeding them and spreading them into our schools, homes, restaurants. How many more Americans' will be diseased or die while 74 % of Americans' are begging for health care reform ? More people died in America last year from MRSA complications than AIDS. When MRSA and a flu bug start mixing, it won't be pretty and we are being infected by the very health care system we depend on and trust to keep us safe and healthy.

[BlueMTexpat]

20. As a "natural-born" Montanan, I truly resent Max's stance

and the unwillingness of his staff to listen to his own constitutents who are preponderantly FOR a public option.

I am so ashamed of him. If he's going to act like a DINO, he should at least have the decency to step down from this important post because he is clearly running against the grain and beholden to the health insurance lobbyists.

And yes, I'm a major Bill Moyers fan from long long ago. I remember when he used to be a Deputy Director of the Peace Corps, which is about the same time as when I myself was a Volunteer (as I noted "long" ago). Bill and Jimmy Carter are two practitioners of the Christian faith who actually live their lives by humanitarian principles instead of just giving the requisite lip service. Would that there were gazillions more like them!

:kick: :yourock: