U.S. President Barack Obama enlisted the “Religious Left” on Wednesday to help galvanise public support for his faltering drive for healthcare reform, using the language of faith as he accused some of the critics of his biggest domestic project of “bearing false witness.”
Obama made a brief pitch to a “call in” organised by various liberal and progressive faith groups called “40 minutes for Health Reform.” It is part of a campaign launched last week to counteract a movement to stop “Obamacare” that has been driven in part by conservative Christian activists.
“There has been a lot misinformation in this debate and there are some folks out there who are frankly bearing false witness,” Obama said.
Obama took issue with some of the most emotive allegations that have been raised by social conservative opponents of his vision for overhauling America’s healthcare and health insurance system.
“This notion that somehow we are setting up death panels that would decide on whether elderly people get to live or die … that is just an extraordinary lie.”
“You’ve heard that this is all going to mean government funding of abortions. Not true,” he said.
Liberal people of faith helped to propel Obama to power but it remains to be seen if they can make the difference on healthcare reform.
“In the weeks ahead the nation will hear a steady moral drum beat from the faith community,” said Jim Wallis, a leading liberal evangelical of the activist Christian group Sojourners. The campaign will include prayer meetings, sermons and nationwide TV ads.
They face a competing chorus from the Religious Right which has focused on the allegation that Obama’s healthcare plan will lead to federal funding for abortion — a point denied by the president and many of his supporters (see previous blog). But it is an issue that can gin up the Republican Party’s conservative Christian base.
In America, both the political left and right must often appeal to people of faith because of the country’s high rates of religious belief.
(Photo: U.S. President Barack Obama holds a town hall meeting about healthcare at the Kroger Supermarket in Bristol, Virginia July 29, 2009. REUTERS/Larry Downing (UNITED STATES)
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[...] He previously held a conference call with liberal faith groups and accused his opponents of “bearing false witness.” He has told falsehoods about his own plan, repeatedly and shamelessly. As he has done so, he [...]
- Posted by Barack Obama, Joe Wilson and the Telling of Lies « Faith and Freedom CoalitionWhy is it the only people complaining about Canadian health care are Americans?
- Posted by Matt K‘‘(F) provide for timely acknowledgment, response, and status reporting applicable to any electronic transaction deemed appropriate by the Secretary;
There you go Boris any electronic transaction the Secretary deems appropriate. The Secretary decides when and how much they want to take.
‘‘(2) NONRESIDENT ALIENS.—Subsection (a) shall not apply to any individual who is a nonresident alien.
And that is about illegal aliens, if they are not going to be given medical benefits why do we need to make a special consideration about taxes applying to them?
If you want to have an intelligent conversation you should really read the BILL.
- Posted by JoelBoris is obviously parroting the ACORN talking points. Blame it on talk radio, as if Americans aren’t smart enough to figure it out on their own.
All we have to do it read the bill, Boris, it is very easy to find anywhere. Maybe you should read the bill, also, or are you content with selling your soul and your credibility in the name of progressivism?
Your strategy is now apparent to all Americans. We don’t want your brand of socialism, and now that you have been exposed, your tricks will no longer work. How did it happen? Figure it out on your own.
- Posted by Donna\”Bearing false witness\”? How many campaign promises has Obama broken so far? How many lies has he told. He is choosing his words very carefully, but one can easily read between the lines. Too many Americans believe him, instead of reading what it says in the bill. If you listen to comments made in the past, though, he tells a different story. It depends on whom he is speaking to, of course.
I see, too, that the Obama machine is out in full force here with their huge cut and pasted \”messages\” that they probably use a hundred times a day. Stay away from our \”young people\”.
Stop with the lies. A majority of Americans do not want this bill. Your number for the un-insured in this country is over-stated, especially if you were to specify the number of Americans who choose not to have insurance.
Also, maybe someone should start pointing out that it is not just right-wing groups who oppose this bill. Party does not even come into it. It is a power grab, a threat to our freedom and right to choose, and that invokes resistance from all segments of the population.
- Posted by DonnaAmerica is going broke!
Employers can hardly keep up with the skyrocketing cost of healthcare. Health care providers are challenged by dwindling numbers on their insured roles. It is a recepie for disaster.
Bottom line: Americans can no longer afford the American Dream and health insurance is/was an element of that dream.
Solution:
National health care with limited benefits, but enough to politically appease sects and subgroups. Effect will be some procedures, available under private health care will not be available under national health care. Pure dollars and cents calculations.
What will our children be left with:
- Posted by MarkyA color selection choice just like in Soylent Green!
If this man Obama were not viscerally, perhaps even subconsciously, sold out lock-stock-and-barrel to the megalomaniacal dream of recreating the whole world in his image - which means calling a whole new government-run (read, Obama-run) medical universe into being ex nihilo - why, he could have actually done something, something real, something practical, something good. We do need more competition on the health insurance playing field - so, Mr. Obama, how about you trash the arcane prohibition on inter-state competition, hmm? The costs passed on to patients for stratospherically high malpractice insurance are outrageously insupportable. So, Mr. Obama, how ’bout you show some real leadership on tort reform, hmm? There is so much else besides. Many ways, without trying to stage a Genesis One Redux, to get the job done. Instead, Mr. Obama runs around idiotically squawking, “We have to do this, because we can’t do nothing!” In Mr. Obama’s universe, it’s his plan or nothing. Meanwhile, lots of people are proposing perfectly reasonable, and better, alternatives… but all Mr. Obama hears is… nothing.
- Posted by Ken SearsIt time to reclaim the airways!Boris it is the very sinew of socialism,do we not see this scene played out all the time when you have a leftist government promising utopia and then falling short of the mark. You started the year with all the numbers yet you are failing dismally,you can,t blame the republicans it is your shout, you are becoming a laughing stock as you run around like chickens with out heads,the chickens are certainly coming home to roost. Even the clunker program seems to be beyond your pay level when it comes to organization. How can expect people to believe that capable of running health care,give us a break!
- Posted by brian leeWow Boris. Your rant sounds like a person who knows he on a sinking ship, so decides to make personal attacks based on nothing rational or true.
Health care in this country needs to be tweaked. No one is arguing that important point. However, the clear majority of Americans do not want what Canada, Great Britain, Germany, France…and so on, have to offer.
Their systems all “ration” health care. They all clearly say they cannot afford all health care needs. The older citizens are put out to pasture to die. All of these things make the government/co-op health care fiasco mucking around in congress unachievable. People are rightfully afraid of government control of their health care. The person who said Germany in the 1930’s turned into a monster were right. And please don’t see it can’t happen here. No one then thought it would happen to them either.
Government control is not what this country is all about. Your rant proves your side is on a sinking ship. America is better off without anything Obama has to offer. I said this since before he was elected. The American people have proved me right.
- Posted by TCTC, I see you’re getting your “facts” from Rush again. CD Walker, NWaff, Brian Lee, Typical Obama, Joel, Taylee, you too. There is no provision for abortion in the bills (note plural) being worked out in Congress, nor is there any coverage of illegal aliens or grants of access to your bank accounts. I really can’t believe how gullible you people are to the bile the wingnut radio ranters spew to keep up their ratings. And the current poll numbers are reflection of all this lying going on on our public airwaves. It’s time we reclaimed our airwaves from the habitual liars. And since when did anyone have to follow someone else’s version of religion in this country? Not since before the 1st Amendment was passed, that’s when, so your religiosity is coming off as sanctimony. That National Prayer Breakfast is sponsored by the same crackpots who own that place on C Street where “true conservative christian” GOP pols like Sanford go for absolution of their philandering. Grow up and learn to think with your head, not your glands.
- Posted by borisjimskiThat’s such a sweet story. But guess what: if Canada ever get’s an extremely crooked leader, Canadians are f@#$d. The beneficence of such a program is based on the assumption and the government is benign and can be trusted—and they can’t. Certainly not our government and not in these times. Just step out of line with the party doctrine see how long you as an individual still have health care. The hook will be in your nose. Remember the Nastional Socialist German Workers Party came to power in a pure democracy. AFter that, you either did what they wanted or else NO BENEFITS FOR YOU. NO SOUP FOR YOU!!
Besides, If Bush would have done this the liberals would have raise the same commotion. I’m for health insurance reform, especially to cover unemployed citizens, but this Obamacare is a recipe for totalitarianism.
- Posted by Joe ParkaThere is a lot of hot and sometimes toxic air being blown around this debate on health care reform. As I see it, the Democrats and the Republicans need to come together with constructiuve ideas to achieve the following in a new Healthcare system:
1. How do we get to universal coverage including the 40+ million Americans who have no health coverage at present. Every civilized country in the world has universal health coverage. It is a crime that the US does not.
2. How do we ensure that there is no denial of health coverage to anyone due to any pre-existing conditions or any other inventive excuse that insurance companies routinely come up with in the existing system. What is the difference between the insurance companies telling you what healthcare procedures you can or cannot have compared to a the government telling you so. At least you can vote out the government every 2/4/6 years.
3. How do we ensure that our health coverage is transportable from one job to the other and just as importantly, how do we ensure that we still have healthcare coverage if we lose our jobs
4. If Government supported/funded healthcare works well (not perfectly but well)in other countries such as Canada and the UK (and most seniors would agree Medicare works extremely well here), why can we not put aside our idealogies and craft a system that combines the best of private and government funded healthcare?
5. And finally, how can we make our healthcare system more cost efficient? Mind you, it is not as if we have an ideal system now. So, this is certainly not a case of “why fix it if it is not broken”.
- Posted by AnilPeter. Nice flowery overview of your opinion about health care in Canada. Too bad when you reach age milestones, you get letters from the Canadian government informing you of the care you would no longer receive. You also don’t mention the 4 YEAR wait for a procedure, so in the meantime you live in pain. So, it is disturbing you don’t tell the rest of the story. The doctors may get paid, but the people don’t always get adequate care, they wait in long lines to get initial care, which is followed up by a 4 YEAR WAIT to get the treatment they need.
Cancer treatment? Maybe when you are young, but when you hit a certain age, it won’t matter because the government won’t pay for your cancer treatment.
Oh, socialized medicine is great when you don’t have to use it, but try using is as you get older and it is a nightmare.
Reuters ran a story yesterday that explicitly said all socialized government run health care is….RATIONED. it is a fact of life.
Thanks, but no thanks. That isn’t compassion. Jesus healed the sick, but socialized medicine makes the sick live with pain and suffering.
- Posted by TCTrying to make haste to pass an enormous bill with an enormous price tag only makes people feel that they are being deceived. And when they start to read for themselves and ask questions, they aren’t getting the whole truth. Obama needs to listen to the critics and put into perceptive who is “bearing false witness”.
- Posted by BdI’m confused about the Government’s health care reform initiative. I have listened to all of the five second sound bytes (that’s all the time I have) trying to weed out the garbage that has been spewed and get down to the core facts. How much will it cost me…just me…not America in general…but just me. I’m willing to pay my fair share. I want my employer out of the health care industry as it stands today because it drives too much cost and makes our products uncompetitive in a global marketplace where we compete with foreign manufacturers in countries that have single payer systems.
October first is D-Day for me…I may be one of the employees that is released from employment (fired – I’m trying hard to be professional) as a result of company downsizing. In preparation, we have been to our Doctors office to have all of the appropriate tests done in an effort to survive what may be a long period of time that I am without health insurance. I already know that if I do lose my job…my entire family will be without health insurance because as my Doctor pointed out – there aren’t any affordable options for us.
My husband already lost his job and although he is back to work….is making 60% of what he was earning with no benefits. Based on what friends tell us that have lost their jobs – COBRA will cost me roughly $1100.00 per month. Michigan unemployment benefits = $382.00 per week for me. I hope I don’t have to do the math for you to show you why COBRA is not affordable for us. The bottom line here is that at this time no matter what the cost – we won’t be buying. We will be concentrating our efforts on paying down debt so we can survive long term on a much lower household income.
Today, I pay $117.00 per month premium out of my paycheck for health care insurance along with the normal out of pocket co-pay’s for office visits ($25.00)/prescriptions ($7.00 – $30.00)/emergencies ($30.00-$150.00) etc. My employer pays the balance (just over $1000.00 per month in my estimation). I thought that I had pretty decent health care coverage…but it seems that my health care plan really stinks compared to those I have heard about in the thirty-second sound bytes in the news these days. My choices of Doctors are limited to those that are within the plan. Should my Doctor decide not to participate – I have to find another that is within the plan (already happened once). Hospitals (two of the three are not in the plan) are limited to those within the plan as are after hour clinics. If I need to see a specialist …..again limited to those that are in the plan and my primary Doctor has to agree and issue a referral. The OBGYN that I used to see…not in the plan so I can’t see them anymore. They were considered the best in our area.
That said – when I listen to folks at the town hall meetings voice their complaints/concerns…I’ve come to the conclusion that either my current health care insurance plan is substandard compared to most or the information that is being presented in the media is just not true.
If you ask me today if I am happy with my current plan…the answer is yes. If you ask me today if I am willing to pay the same cost that my employer pays for it without an increase in wages to cover it – the answer is NO. It is not affordable and I’ll take my chances without.
The questions that I need answered:
- Posted by Dawn? What does the Government consider affordable? Is it 5, 10, or 30% of income? I fully expect that if we move to a single payer system that my employer will opt out of providing employer health care insurance – as they should.
? Will I have similar coverage that I have now (ie: out of pocket expenses)?
I’d like to relate a story. Many years ago in Saskatchewan (a Canadian province) a young woman died in childbirth. Her distraught husband hung himself. A baptist minister by the name of Tommy Douglas resolved that never again should such a tragedy repeat itself. He entered politics on behalf of the CCF party and in time became the premier of the province. He set about introducing ’socialized’ medicine. All people, rich or poor, young or old shall have access to ‘free’ healthcare (paid by tax revenues, of course). The battle was long and hard; doctors opposed it, drug companies opposed it, the insurance companies opposed it. The same vicious clatrap that is heard today was directed against it. He persevered and Saskatchewan got ’socialized’ medicine. Within days of passing the enabling legislation, opposition to socialized medicine stopped. The doctors realized that they would always get paid. They would not have to wait and wait and never receive payment. It was a win-win situation. People got access to healthcare and the doctors got paid. The losers were the insurance companies. ‘Socialized’ medicine spread from province to province across Canada; and in each province the same battles were fought over and over again. But in time everyone, even the Conservatives (akin to Republicans)saw the wisdom of ’socialized’ medicine.
- Posted by Peter LewyckyIt’s simple in practice. You got to the doctor for an ailment or you’re pulled from a car wreck, the healthcare providers complete the necessary forms and they get paid. You are not presented with any forms or demands for payment. If you get cancer, you get treated. There’s no excuse for denying you treatment, like ‘pre-disposing’ condition. If you get AIDS, you get treated. Drugs are a lot cheaper because generics are used wherever possible and prices are negotiated with the provincial authorities.
It is this personal self interest as exemplified by a hysterical man screaming about whether this would impact his pay cheque. Yes, it would impact his pay cheque. The amount that he pays for healthcare would go down. Canadians pay 10% of the GDP for healthcare. Americans pay 17% of the GDP plus another 3% for legal costs associated with denying benefits. Moreover, he would continue to receive healthcare even if he had no pay cheque.
It’s unfortunate that Americans do not follow Jesus’ commandment when he said to ‘love thy neighbour’. You would all benefit.
[...] Reuters: U.S. President Barack Obama enlisted the “Religious Left” on Wednesday to help galvanise public [...]
- Posted by terryfrank.net » Obama Pulls Out the Bible To Sell Health Care