Partisanship. In a word, “Gah.” In a more eloquent — but not really more eloquent — display of thought, partisanship is terrible until you consider that the GOP and teabaggers are horrible, horrible people.
To wit: Asshole Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind.) is still touting his — and other GOP members’ — bogus claim that the health care reform law is a “government takeover of health care.” It isn’t. But we’ll get to that in a moment. First, here’s Pence’s tired rhetoric, as re-spewed out CBS News’ “Early Show” to coincide with changes that went into effect Thursday because of health care reform, and reported by Business Week:
The House Republicans’ agenda “will focus on getting this economy moving again, getting spending under control, and, yes, it includes rolling back both the failed economic policies and broadly rejected government takeover of health care enacted last March,” Rep. Mike Pence of Indiana, who chairs the House Republican Conference, said Thursday on the CBS Early Show.
That same Business Week story has results of a new Kaiser Family Foundation survey that shows Americans supporting health care reform 49 to 40 percent. And the Kaiser Family Foundation, whatever you think of them, is in the business of health care. So there’s that.
Here’s the other thing for the Pences of this country who think the health care law is a “government takeover of health care.” A government takeover would be Medicare for everyone. By instituting a purchase mandate but not offering, say, a single-payer system, the Obama administration is actually pretty pro-business. The only way to make the overhaul less an anti-government takeover than it already is would be to eliminate Medicare for the olds and say, “Sorry, Grampa. Go buy from Cigna.”
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