Just a friendly reminder that the Obama = Nazi sign holders are Lyndon LaRouche supporters.

Tammy

Unfortunately, not everyone has Frank’s intelligence or wit. And he does it all with a straight face and an even temper.

But the health care opponents live in a perfectly rational universe. They have correctly concluded that the cost for the reform has to come from someplace, and the most likely target is those (particularly old people) who benefit from the current system. Rather, it is the use of terms like “ugly,” “nonsense,” and “alternate reality” by people who should no better that has made debate on this issue impossible and serious reform unlikely.

Michael-
The most likely source is the multi-million dollar salaries of the private insurance CEO’s. A public system doesn’t need fat cat executives and it’s a disgrace that the private system pretends to need them.

I haven’t seen a lot of “fat cat CEOs” at the town hall meetings. What I’ve seen is a lot of ordinary people concerned about how a piece of rushed, expensive, and poorly considered legislation will affect them. Calling them names or attributing some kind of false class consciousness to them is more appropriate to a marxist state than to an American public debate.

Michael-
What you’ve seen are a lot of “ordinary” people with below average understanding of the facts and above average ignorance. Calling names? Umm.. this thread is about Barney Frank responding to a woman carrying a Obama-as-Hitler picture.

The majority of the townhall protesters haven’t got the first clue what they are talking about, but are repeating the disinformation generated by those “fat cats” and their lobbyists.

15% to 20% of the US population thinks the Sun revolves around the Earth. That’s one out of every 5 or 6 people.

If that many people are dumb enough to believe that, how many people do you think the health and insurance industries can fool with false information?

Michael, I realize you are a right-wing Republican and it’s your duty to oppose programs that help the poor and deprive the rich of additional millions, but please try to educate yourself on the fact vs the myths in this debate:
http://www.factcheck.org/2009/08/seven-falsehoods-about-health-care/

There is some legitimate questions about what things will cost, and what types of restructuring will lead to better savings, and the projected savings by having better prevention now.

But the myths being spun are standard conservative fare (and fear) against government run anything with doom, gloom and lies.

Anyone holding a poster proclaiming that Obama equals Hitler and the proposed legislation is an example of National Socialism demonstrates a willful ignorance of history that’s alien to our democratic principles. That’s not name-calling.

I agree that the proposed legislation is rushed, expensive, poorly considered, and likely to only enrich the insurance companies. Insurance companies love the prospect of 40 million additional customers, subsidized by the government, to enrich their coffers. they make money by denying care as nuch as possible, Just ask anyone who’s had to actually use their insurance.

What we need is the single payer system first proposed by Truman and rejected by the “do-nothing” Republican congress in 1946-48 session. We can accomplish this by extending Medicare downward, five years at time, thus allowing the insurance companies to get out of the healthcare business entirely within a few years.

Was Sen. Frank so offended when dining room tables paraded Bush effiges through the streets with swastikas on them? I would guess a whole lot of those dining room tables voted for him.
These tactics lowered the level of debate then, and they lower it now, but the selective outrage of the left at being exposed to the same tactics that have been used against the right for as long as I can remember is hypocritical. Can you imagine the reaction if Sen. Santorum had called a liberal protester a piece of furniture?

KJM

Barney Frank is a Member of the House of Representatives.

There are differences between demonstrating your passion (whatever your political beliefs or ideology) in a parade or rally and directly comparing a president of the U.S. to Hitler to an elected official (a Jew, at that) at a public town meeting. One of the differences is that the public official gets a chance to answer back. Rep. Frank did just that.

You are correct, though, that Rick Santorum didn’t call people “dining room tables” (to the best if my knowledge). He just said that allowing same sex marriage would lead to man on dog sex. Tin foil hats anyone?

Anonymous-
It’s amazing how many conservatives “know” what will lead to man-on-dog. They seem to devote far more concern of the likelihood to this occurring than global warming, or people dying from lack of health care.