Talking Points and Lies

The Daily News Record is being an obedient member of the conservative echo chamber this morning as they write about The Public Option in an op ed.

...the “public option,” essentially a federally operated health-insurance program, is a first step. Mr. Obama says he wants government in the insurance business basically to keep private insurers “honest.” Maybe so, at the beginning. What it will do, over time, is push private insurance out of business — and those it serves into Government Care.

As is often the case, no intelligent or reasoned arguments are presented, but only fallacies and lies based on marketing strategies and poll generated talking points. A rebuttal:

The editor is echoing the marketing strategy of the strident, regressive opposition by lying about government running health care, about the private insurance industries being put out of business, and about something called an all encompassing "public option." Playing on the fears of the public by lying about issues that effect all of us is a time worn but effective strategy for fighting against legislation. In this case the fear card is being played strongly and stridently by the Republicans.

No one has proposed that the government take over the health care. Every proposal has included the participation of private insurance companies. The talking point is a lie.

Some kind of public option would not put the private insurers out of business, not even the most public option of all, the single payer. Ask FedEx and UPS if the public option for postal service has put them out of business. Ask the private schools that exist around the nation at all levels if the public option has put them out of business. The talking point is a lie.

No one really knows the details, the ins and outs, the guts of what is even being proposed in the health care reforms now being debated in Congress. There are many versions being discussed, compromises being made, and deals cut as we speak and the bills aren't even out of committee yet. This would seem to expose yet again the Republican strategy of killing health care before it even gets an intelligent debate. Senator DeMint is ready to nuke the whole thing just to beat down the President. HIS talking point is that it's the President who is "playing politics" with health care. Amusing....

The editor is lying about health care reform. He's repeating the famous Frank Luntz talking points given to the political opponents of President Obama that were formulated based on polling data concerning words or phrases that would support their opposition. Poll takers were asked what they feared most about the coming health care reform. The opposition then took these poll tested talking points and ignored any reasoned arguments they might have been able to formulate to fight health care reform. Luntz himself tells Republicans to avoid projecting a policy plan and instead focus on language that: “captures not just what Americans want to see but exactly what they want to hear.”

Any time you hear a Republican mention their support of Reform, they are lying. Anytime you hear the mention of "government run health care" it's a lie. When you hear horror stories about denied coverage, rationing, waiting in line, or denial of treatment it's a lie, unless the current system of health care is being described.

Source, source, source, source.