Olbermann: Bernie Sanders on Town Hall Disruptors "Opposite of Freedom of Discussion"

[Hissyspit]

Run time: 06:23 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ossuZV6aevk   Posted on YouTube: August 04, 2009 By YouTube Member: Views on YouTube: 0   Posted on DU: August 04, 2009 By DU Member: Hissyspit Views on DU: 1519

 
MSNBC Countdown w/ KEITH OLBERMANN - 3 August 2009: Fake Protesters At Health Care Town Halls.

Olbermann speaks of the GOP disruption memo shows video of the town hall "protesters," speaks with independent Senator Bernie Sanders on the 'astroturfing' of health care reform. "Fake grassroots protestors working from scripts..."

SANDERS: The fact of the matter is that these people talk about freedom, and what they're doing is trying to disrupt meetings which is the absolute opposite of what freedom of discussion is about. And the reason they are afraid to debate the real issues - the fact that we have a disintegrating health care system..."

[Dennis Donovan]

1. Damn - that was quick!

Rec'd for SPEED as well as content!:rofl:

[Turbineguy]

3. I think we should ask these fuckers

if they'd like to find out how good their health care insurance is.

[Cha]

2. Thank goodness for KO..reports coming in

from tweety and cbs that they're not reporting on the memo..it's all about how many are protesting health reform..here's the post..

PA Democrat (1000+ posts) Mon Aug-03-09 08:05 PM
Response to Reply #5

6. Great ideas.
I am going to try to get a group of people to go when he comes to my part of the state. Saw CBS news tonight and they talked only about the thugs' message, nothing about the memo detailing how they are to shout down any informative discourse. Tweety was pathetic in the way he covered the story as well. Implying that no one is there to support the reform."


http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x8567399#8567512

[GivePeaceAchance]

4. GO BERNIE!!!!! That's what you call senator, the bar is that high he's the standard to meet.

[wroberts189]

5. THANK YOU ! (me have no tv) nt

[GivePeaceAchance]

6. Transcript.

***Transcript start at the Bernie Sanders interview halfway***

KO: Time now to call in Bernie Sanders I-VA head of the health, education labor and pensions committee. Senator good to talk to you again.
Bernie: Good to be with you Keith.
KO: Does these tactics with the phony protests and the sycophants, do the tactics surprise you at all?
Bernie: No not all, the fact of the matter is a lot of these people talk about freedom and what they are trying to do is disrupt meetings. Which is the absolute opposite of what freedom of discussion is all about. The reason for that is that they are afraid to debate the real issues. The fact that we have a disintegrating healthcare system. That we have 10s of millions of uninsured! under insured! We have 18,000 Americans who die every year because they don't get to a doctor on time! We have a million Americans this year going bankrupt because of medical related bills, and these people are screaming and yelling. So that we can't have real discussion about the real issues.

KO: Presuming you have to win on the issues and the screaming and yelling. How do you win on the screaming and yelling when that is spun as the rage of most Americans in most of the media?
Bernie: Well it gets back to the media doing what they did in Iraq. Which is distorting reality, remember in the debate in Iraq we were told that Iraq had 'weapons of mass destruction' and Iraq was working with Al Qeada, well it turned out not to be true. And what these folks are saying and what they are doing is grossly untrue. They're talking about a government takeover of healthcare, untrue. They are talking about if you can believe this in 2009, about the President of the United States wanting to kill off older people. So the answer is if you want to have a real debate, on the real issues, let's do it! Let's debate for example, why countries around the world are providing better healthcare and one half the cost. Let's ask why we are the only country in the industrialized world that doesn't have national healthcare program guaranteeing all of their people. Those are the kinds of questions we've got to be debating.

KO: Question about Senator Enzi of Wyoming. Last week he wanted to guarantee that anything coming out of the finance committee ends up in the healthcare legislation, that's passed. And todays he's rejected the September 15th deadline for his committee to reach an agreement on the bill. Are we seeing outlines of the latest Republican plan, just never let legislation out of committee?
Bernie: Look let's be clear there are virtually no Republicans in the Senate that are serious about healthcare reforms that's the simple reality. What they keep doing is stalling, stalling and stalling. Trying to confuse people, truth of the matter is the Democrats have not been particularly effective in also stating the case in why we need real healthcare reform. Bottom line is the system is disintegrating! Bottom line we spend twice as much than any other country, our outcomes are worse! Bottom line is the vast majority want a Public option among other reforms!

KO: Another bottom line is delaying this just delaying this, is that victory enough for the healthcare industries. I mean how many million do they collectively profit, that would go out the window if there was this public option. That would tamp down insurance prices?
Bernie: That's absolutely right, according the papers yesterday the healthcare industry has spend $130 million dollars in the last quarter, and that is the reason our private healthcare industries are making huge profits. Why the drug companies charge the American people the highest prices around the world for prescription drugs. Of course they don't want healthcare reform. Of course they will do everything to try to stop us.

[orleans]

7. k&r--this was a good show tonight, wasn't it? n/t