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Healthcare Reform Vigil

By Bea McManis

Returning to Batavia our thoughts came back to the comments made, this afternoon on this site, about how little support there would be for healthcare reform.

The first surprise was that there was no one there to oppose us.  People walked by and gave us a thumbs up.  Cars passed and horns honked.  Even 18 wheelers gave us an approving toot on their horns.

A prophetic sign that we learned was true based on the reception we received tonight in Lancaster.

Beth's ingenius idea of classy candle holders.

Lorie Longhany stands amid the supporters of healthcare reform in Lancaster.

Beth, Lorie, and Dan Longhany.

It was peaceful; it was powerful; it was important to us.

Joseph Elmore

If majority of Americans wanted the public option why is President Obama and most democrats backing away from that term and or even possibly not having it?

Hey Jeff, the stat probably came from moveon.org.

Sep 2, 2009, 10:52pm Permalink
Beth Kinsley

"A clear majority of Americans -- 72 percent -- support a government-sponsored health care plan to compete with private insurers, a new CBS News/New York Times poll finds. Most also think the government would do a better job than private industry at keeping down costs and believe that the government should guarantee health care for all Americans."

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/06/19/opinion/polls/main5098517.sht…

Sep 2, 2009, 11:44pm Permalink
Joseph Elmore

Ok I am reading this link and it doesnt make sense if you look at all the other questions. How did the state run media of CBS and New York Times come up with 72%. Im sorry I perfer Rasmussen to any other media for polling data.

Sep 3, 2009, 12:09am Permalink
Charlie Mallow

What kind of rally is that? No yelling or screaming? No one even bothered to bring a gun. Don't you at least have to be outraged to make your point in this country? Who is going to listen to you, if you don't? How are you going to get TV time by holding candles instead of guns? Where was the Fox News cameras?

Lorie, next time if you want to do this right, give me a call I have some ideas to get you people noticed.

Sep 3, 2009, 6:24am Permalink
Jeff Allen

The CBS poll Beth quoted is over 2 1/2 months old(June 12-19), when the healthcare debate was just rolling out. The actual current numbers of people who support public option is below 50%. If you read the actual poll, Obama's approval rating that time was 63% and is currently between 42% and 48% depending on source. If you are going to attend a rally and claim to support genuine public sentiment at least use accurate numbers.

Sep 3, 2009, 7:57am Permalink
Tony Ferrando

Posted by Peter O'Brien on September 3, 2009 - 7:01am
Based on the bad photography I would guess there are 2 dozen people there, maybe.

So there were 22 more people than at all the "Tea Parties" in this area combined? Hilarious.

Sep 3, 2009, 8:13am Permalink
Richard Gahagan

The federal government is bankrupt, the existing social programs such as social security, medicare, medicaid, the lefties love SOOOOO much have unfunded liabilities approaching $100 trillion, Bush and Obama (mostly Obama) have added $12-$14 trillion on top of that. Obama has accumulated more debt in six months than the previous 43 presidents COMBINED) NOW on top of it all Obama wants to wreck a health care system that 80% of us are happy with to the tune of $1.6 trillion over ten years and he tells us everything is going to be just fine if only we spend more and more money. Meanwhile, the economy continues to go down the crapper. What do you call this if not the biggest swindle ever perpetrated on any society anywhere?

Sep 3, 2009, 9:31am Permalink
Karen Miconi

Hey, at least now I know what you girls look like, so I can say hello if I see you. I think you did a good job, because you know what, some action is better than no action. You dont need guns, yelling, and to make a scene, to get your point across. Thats the way you intimidate and try to shove things down peoples throats. In my opinion you need guts,a love for your country, and calm logic. Thats what I see here, and what I admire about Beth, and Lori. I only wish I could practice the same. LOL ;)

Sep 3, 2009, 11:15am Permalink
Bea McManis

Posted by Peter O'Brien on September 3, 2009 - 7:01am
Based on the bad photography I would guess there are 2 dozen people there, maybe.

lol, leave it to Peter to be the photo critic - just about what one would expect from him.

There were at least two dozen people, if not more, down from Lorie in that shot. What you don't see are the people from that point to the corner and then around the corner and up the next street.

We were suprised to find we weren't the only people from Genesee Co. They came as far away as Bergen to stand in quiet, and peaceful, vigil.

Sep 3, 2009, 11:29am Permalink
Beth Kinsley

Thanks Karen. Now - about that voter registration thing:) And Peter, would you like to come next time and be our official photographer? I've seen some of your pictures and they are very good. Sorry Bea - you have just been replaced as the official photographer.

Sep 3, 2009, 11:43am Permalink
Peter O'Brien

No thanks, the politics involved would cause me to lose my mind and/or start screaming. Just ask Chelsea about the Impeach Bush protest I walked by in Ithaca.

And truth be told those that I posted are from my phone. It does all the work.

Sep 3, 2009, 11:49am Permalink
Kelly Hansen

In regard to the poll numbers, I can find no recent polls about health care legislation which are even close to the 72% mark, public option or no.

<b>Rasmussen, August 27:</b>

*The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey show that 43% of voters nationwide favor the plan working its way through Congress while 53% are opposed.

*Forty-three percent (43%) now Strongly Oppose the legislation while 23% Strongly Favor it

*While supporters of the reform effort say it is needed to help reduce the cost of health care, 52% of voters believe it will have the opposite effect and lead to higher costs. Just 17% believe the plans now in Congress will reduce costs.

*Additionally, by a 50% to 23% margin, voters believe the proposed reforms would make the quality of care worse rather than better. Voter skepticism of Congress remains high.

Sep 3, 2009, 4:52pm Permalink
Bea McManis

Kelly,
With all due respect, the Rasmussen Reports caters to the Republicans and Conservatives. I wouldn't expect their poll to be any different than the numbers you posted.
That would be like me posting a poll cited by MSNBC and failing to mention that they lean toward the Democrats/Liberals.

The question, the result, and the carnival barker spin-all are trademarks of Rasmussen Reports, a pollster that has become ubiquitous in the conversation of Republicans and conservative pundits. It is not a partisan polling firm, and it is not hired to ask partisan questions the way that, for example, John Zogby was hired to test the mocking anti-Obama questions of a conservative radio host. Rasmussen is influential because its carefully crafted questions that produce answers that conservatives like — 59 percent of voters agreeing with Ronald Reagan’s view of big government, a 10-point plurality of voters trusting their economic judgment over President Obama’s — are bolstered by highly accurate campaign polling. The result is that polls with extremely favorable numbers for Republican stances leap into the public arena every week, quickly becoming accepted wisdom.

But where Rasmussen Reports really distinguishes itself, and the reason it’s so often cited by conservatives, is in its issue polling. Before the stimulus debate began, Rasmussen asked voters whether they’d favor stimulus plans that consisted entirely of tax cuts or entirely of spending. Tax cuts won every time, and Republicans began citing this when they argued for a tax-cut-only stimulus package.

But in the early days of his polling firm, when it was named Rasmussen Research, Rasmussen balanced a cold analysis of politics and consumer opinion with advocacy for some conservative views. For a short time around the 2000 elections he wrote a column for WorldNetDaily, once arguing that President Bill Clinton had “ratified the Reagan Revolution” by declaring the end of big government in Clinton’s 1996 State of the Union speech. “From that moment forward,” wrote Rasmussen, “both Republicans and Democrats began to fight over their policy differences within the political framework created by America’s voters and articulated by President Reagan.”

http://washingtonindependent.com/30539/rasmussen-the-only-poll-that-mat…

Sep 3, 2009, 5:24pm Permalink
Kelly Hansen

Hi Bea,

I was unable to find any other polls which were taken recently. I searched under 'health care bill poll' and found plenty from July and before; none more recent. I'd be interested in any poll data you can find.

Thanks! :)

Sep 3, 2009, 6:29pm Permalink
Lorie Longhany

Do ya think one reason the poll numbers may have dropped from 72%, where they were in June, may be the 1.4 million dollars a day that the insurance companies have poured in to kill this? They have found a good audience to funnel all the lies and misinformation through.
Here's an example of who speaks for the insurance companies and I'm not talking about the sick woman.
<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/QkrW22u7SwU&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/QkrW22u7SwU&hl=en&fs=1&&quot; type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>

31 cents out of every health care dollar goes right in the pockets of the insurance companies. That's a lot of health care denials.

Come on -- we're better than this.

Sep 4, 2009, 8:27am Permalink
John Roach

Lorie,
It could also be people don't like the plan. Granted, there are 5 plans the Dems. have, so that could also be part of the problem.

Sep 4, 2009, 8:27am Permalink
Kelly Hansen

Re: Health Insurance companies, Pharmaceutical companies and the health care bills.

<b>First</b>, I base any opinions I have on the facts and would not be swayed by a commercial blitz, even if there is/was one. I have not yet seen any such commercials, but then again, I don't watch much television.

<b>Second</b>, read this from NPR: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=106703054

<i>July 16, 2009 Harry and Louise, the couple who appeared in the ad that helped sink President Clinton's heath care ambitions, are back with a new ad — supporting President Obama's industry overhaul. The actors joined several Democratic senators on Capitol Hill Thursday to mark the passage of a health bill from the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee.</i>

<b>snip of transcript with Sen. Tom Harkin</b>

MADELEINE BRAND, host:

Today, Senate Democrats held a news conference to mark the passage, in committee, of a national health care overhaul. Senator Tom Harkin of Iowa explained that several things have changed since President Clinton tried and failed to pass a bill.

Senator TOM HARKIN (Democrat, Iowa): And this time, we have most of corporate America with us. The insurance industry wants reform. Heck - even Harry and Louise are demanding reforms.

<b>Third</b>, why can't there be 3 or 4 smaller bills which are fully understand by the majority of the people with a bipartisan stamp. Why must there be a huge bill over 1,000 pages which no layperson can understand, let alone people with a J.D.?

<b>Fourth</b>, from an AP article dated August 8:

http://news.aol.com/article/drug-industry-backing-obamas-health-care/60…

<i>WASHINGTON -The nation's drugmakers stand ready to spend $150 million to help President Barack Obama overhaul health care this fall, according to numerous officials, a staggering sum that could dwarf attempts to derail his chief domestic priority.
The White House and allies in Congress are well aware of the effort by Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, a somewhat surprising political alliance, given the industry's recent history of siding with Republicans and the Democrats' disdain for special interests.
The campaign, now in its early stages, includes television advertising under PhRMA's own name and commercials aired in conjunction with the liberal group, Families USA.

Numerous people with knowledge of PhRMA's plans said they had been told it would likely reach $150 million and perhaps $200 million. They spoke on condition of anonymity, saying they were not authorized to divulge details.

Additionally, the industry is the major contributor to Healthy Economy Now, which recently completed a $12 million round of advertising nationally and in several states. The ads were made by companies with close ties to Democrats and the White House and generally reflected the administration's changing rhetoric on health care.

In an interview, Ken Johnson, senior vice president of PhRMA, said, "We will have a significant presence over the August recess, both on television and newspapers and on radio, but we have not finalized details for our fall campaign."

Ron Pollack, executive director of Families USA, said the partnership with the deep-pocketed drug industry is one of mutual self-interest, even though the two groups disagree on numerous issues. "We want to achieve coverage for everyone. For PhRMA, this would improve volume for prescription sales because everyone" would have better access to medicine, he said.

Any health care bill that makes it to Obama's desk is expected to extend health insurance to the nearly 50 million who now lack it. That would mean a huge new pool of potential customers for drug companies and other health care providers. That, in turn, has created an incentive to offer concessions to the White House and lawmakers in hopes of shaping the bill, rather than simply opposing it.

Drugmakers were the first group to reach agreement with the White House and Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont., announcing several weeks ago that they would absorb $80 billion in costs over a decade.

Even before the announcement, according to several individuals, the White House sought help from PhRMA in passing legislation.
Now, with the legislation under attack, the industry is providing key support during August as Republicans work to inflict a high-profile defeat on the president.

A significantly more ambitious advertising effort by PhRMA is expected to begin around Labor Day.</i> The Pharmaceutical companies are in the bag and are set to reap the benefits.

<b>Fifth</b>, read this article at Huffington Post about the Insurance Companies supporting health care reform:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-dayen/the-insurance-companies-s_b_2…

<b>Sixth</b>, the Pitts-Stupak amendments to the bill we thrown out and THAT is a major, major stumbling block which the administration refuses to address either in press release, website address or on camera.

I find it interesting the comments posted v. the poll results in the other entry. There are a lot of local people who are displeased with the current push and do not leave comments. I wonder why that is? As I have said, we need reform and we need it to begin to be in place soon. Why tomorrow? Why this bill?

Sep 4, 2009, 11:12am Permalink

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