Road to redemption... (Mitt Defends RomneyCare)

Boston Herald ^ | March 9, 2010 | Michael Graham

[suspects]

How do you say “chutzpah” in Mormon?

Mitt Romney is out on a book tour insisting that Romneycare and Obamacare have very little in common. “It’s the difference between a racehorse and a donkey,” is Romney’s line. And besides, the former Bay State governor writes in his new book, “the plan is working.”

I don’t know how many of the working Massachusetts families facing insurance premium hikes of more than 30 percent this year alone - on top of the fastest-rising costs in America since the plan took effect - would say it’s “working.”

But for Romney to say “there’s a big difference between what we did and what President Obama is doing” is . . . well, my Mormon friends would call it a violation of the 9th Commandment.

(Relax, Gov. Paterson. “Coveting your neighbor’s wife” is No. 10.)

But the basic elements of Obamacare are all there: an individual mandate that nearly everyone buy insurance; subsidized insurance based on income; a non-insurance “tax” and employer mandates. The Cato Institute calls it a mirror-image of Obamacare.

Romney, on the other hand, calls the individual mandate “the ultimate conservative plan.” So Barack Obama is a conservative?

Mitt, you gotta lay off the unpasteurized milk . . .

Romney’s making quite a few claims about what Romneycare is doing to Massachusetts, claims that don’t add up. He told Chris Wallace on Fox News Sunday that “the plan this year, for instance, is $80 million below budget.”

But The Wall Street Journal reports that it’s nearly $50 million over budget.

Romney then added that the costs are “coming in very much within the range that was forecast when the Legislature and I put this together.” In fact, Gov. Deval Patrick’s asking for...

[kik5150]

How do you spell Mormon?

[CitizenUSA]

Mitt seems to be getting ready for another run in 2012. He’s not going to give up his political aspirations until we voters put him (and all the other RINOs like him) out to pasture for good.

A RINO is like a bad penny. They keep turning up no matter how you try to get rid of them.

[999replies]

How do you spell Mormon?

lol

[Gargantua]

How do you say “chutzpah” in Mormon?

I'm pretty sure it's "peep stones."

But I really like how, until the 70's, LDS taught that the Bible's reference to those who "bear the mark of Satan" (so that all shall know them) meant "negroes."

That's right. Mormon's believed, and taught, that blacks were da Debbill's own chijjens right up through the 1970's. I never bothered to ask my Mormon acquaintences how the 'Big Head Mormons' explained their justification for the change (in something that was supposedly "divinely translated" in the first place). I had, quite honestly, heard enough.

Mitt? What the fu@& are you thinking? I'm just askin'...

;-/

[campaignPete R-CT]

what does “Mormon” have to do with RomneyCare?

Why would the Herald try to make a connection between Mormonism and the Mass Health Care program? Are they trying to be funny or trying to be offensive?

[Diogenesis]

Maybe there is a point.

Reid pushes Romneycare/Obamacare

Romney pushes Romneycare/Obamacare.

[campaignPete R-CT]

There must be new rules that I am now aware of that allow a poster to change the headline of a news story.

Why not post the story with the title as it appears in the source?

[Diogenesis]

“In his defense, Romney admitted to Fox that about half of the real costs of “extending
coverage to the uninsured” (aka forcing young, healthy people to buy expensive
insurance they don’t need) is covered by federal tax dollars. In other words, as expensive
as it is, without federal subsidies it would cost even more.
So when there’s a federal Obamacare plan, who do we taxpayers turn to for our
subsidies? China? The United Nations? Mr. Spock and the United Federation of Planets?”

[Diogenesis]

Dr. Epidemic (Carpetbagger, D, shapeshifting “R”)inflicts Obamacare on Massachusetts savages
without their vote [The Romney WayTM]

[newfreep]

Everyday there is more & more to dislike about Myth Romney and his RINO socialism. Like MAO-bama, Romney is a lying, leftwing socialist pushing BIG government control over our lives.

Being a Mormon is totally irrelevant and only bigots attempt to play the "Mormon card" - just like racists attempt to defend themselves and play the racist card in their defense.

[Diogenesis]

Dont know about Reid, but the “Mormon card” is played
on FR and in the MSM by Romney and his RomneyBOTs.

Criticize Romney’s bad behavior (whatever, BIG-DIG,
gay marriage imposed against the Mass. Constitution,
RomneyCARE, moreTAXES(called’fees’), more illegals,
Romney’s lying, Romney’s hallucinations, Romney’s
illegal sanctuaries, Romney’s fake badges, Romney’s
fake endorsements, or Team Romney’s attacks on Gov. Palin)
then out comes Team Romney’s playgame
involving alleged ‘hate’”
(when the word and idea always originates with them).

Who cares? If they did not bring up Romney’s religion
over and over and over and over and over and over
and over (because there is nothing good to say
about Romney), no one would have even known or cared.

[alice_in_bubbaland]

Mitt, no matter how you spell it, it's still a government takeover of my health care!

Since I won't be voting for you anytime soon, go back to what it is that you do and leave us alone!

Right now we have our hands full with one Big Government messiah!

[GailA]

“Code Red” - House Target List on Health Care
The National Republican Congressional Committee has published a target list on health care. In addition to continuing to contact the five Tennessee Democrat Congressmen, you can go http://www.votervoice.net/link/clickthrough/ext/94697.aspx to contact some of these targets. Much of the talk following Obama’s announcement has focused on how to defeat this second bill through reconciliation, but that is misleading because the first step to defeating Obamacare is not by concentrating on defeating the “fixer” bill but by defeating the Senate bill in the House when it goes to the floor for an up-or-down vote on Thursday, March 18th.
Rep. Lincoln Davis 202-225-6831 Columbia office: 931-490-8699
Rep. Jim Cooper 202-225-4311 Nashville office: 615-736-5295
Rep. Bart Gordon 202-225-4231 Murfreesboro office: 615-896-1986
Rep. John S. Tanner 202-225-4714 Jackson office: 731-423-4848
Rep. Steve Cohen 202-225-3265 Memphis office: 901-544-4131

.....................................................

Defeat Obamacare call list: Courtsey of TN Eagle Forum: List now contains the new MAYBES culled from FR posts.

PLEASE CALL! DC OFFICE LOCAL OFFICE State District

Harry Mitchell (202) 225-2190 (480) 946-2411 AZ 5th District
Gabrielle Giffords (202) 225-2542 (520) 881-3588 AZ 8th District
Ann Kirkpatrick (202) 225-2315 (928) 226-6914 AZ 1st District
Jerry McNerney (202) 225-1947 925-833-0643 CA 11th District
John Salazar 202-225-4761 970-245-7107 CO 3rd District
Jim Himes (202) 225-5541 (866) 453-0028 CT 4th District
Alan Grayson (202) 225-2176 (407) 841-1757 FL 8th District
Bill Foster (202) 225-2976 630-406-1114 IL 14th District
Baron Hill 202 225 5315 812 288 3999 IN 9th District
Mark Schauer (202) 225-6276 (517) 780-9075 MI 7th District
Gary Peters (202) 225-5802 (248) 273-4227 MI 9th District
Dina Titus (202) 225-3252 702-256-DINA (3462) NV 3rd District
Carol Shea-Porter (202) 225-5456 (603) 743-4813 NH 1st District
Tim Bishop (202) 225-3826 (631) 696-6500 NY 1st District
John Hall (202) 225-5441 (845) 225-3641 x49371 NY 19th District
Bill Owens (202) 225-4611 (315) 782-3150 NY 23rd District
Mike Arcuri (202)225-3665 (315)793-8146 NY 24th District
Dan Maffei (202) 225-3701 (315) 423-5657 NY 25th District
Earl Pomeroy (202) 225-2611 (701) 224-0355 ND At-Large District
Steven Driehaus (202) 225-2216 (513) 684-2723 OH 1st District
Mary Jo Kilroy (202) 225-2015 (614) 294-2196 OH 15th District
Zach Space (202) 225-6265 (330) 364-4300 OH 18th District
Kathy Dahlkemper (202) 225-5406 (814) 456-2038 PA 3rd District
Patrick Murphy (202) 225-4276 (215) 826-1963 PA 8th District
Christopher Carney (202) 225-3731 (570) 585-9988 PA 10th District
Paul Kanjorski (202) 225-6511 (570) 825-2200 PA 11th District
John Spratt (202) 225-5501 (803)327-1114 SC 5th District
Tom Perriello (202) 225-4711 (276) 656-2291 VA 5th District
Alan Mollohan (202) 225-4172 (304) 623-4422 WVA 1st District
Nick Rahall (202) 225-3452 (304) 252-5000 WVA 3rd District
Steve Kagen (202) 225-5665 (920) 437-1954 WI 8th District
Bart Gordon (202) 225-4231 TN (MAYBE)
Bart Stupak (202) 225 4735 MI (MAYBE)
Brian Baird (202) 225-3536, Vancouver, (360) 695-6292. Olympia, (360) 352-9768, (MAYBE)
senator mark begich (202) 224-3004 toll free. (877) 501 - 6275 just became a MAYBE
John Tanner (202) 225-4714, Union City, (731) 885-7070, Jackson Phone: (731) 423-4848, Millington (901) 873-5690 TN (MAYBE)
Jason Altmire 202-225-2565, Aliquippa, 724-378-0928, Natrona Heights, 724-226-1304 (MAYBE)

On the Bubble (Major developments from the “yes” and “no” columns in the House)
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2467046/posts

[Peter Horry]

“Why would the Herald try to make a connection between Mormonism and the Mass Health Care program? Are they trying to be funny or trying to be offensive?”

Well, it IS a Michael Graham column so the answer may be both. He is from South Carolina, Southern Baptist roots, and I used to listen to him after he got “canned” from a Charlotte station (jock comment about HS shooting). He went on to a Virginia station, got canned again for a Muslim comment.

He tends to be independent minded (provocative?) but his material is (mostly) funny, informative and thought provoking, may be why he keeps popping up.

[Diogenesis]

“Why would the Herald try to make a connection between Mormonism and the Mass Health Care program? Are they trying to be funny or trying to be offensive?”

Peter Horry: (RomneyBOT attacking someone he claims is a Southern Baptist for Romney)
"Well, it IS a Michael Graham column so the answer may be
both. He is from South Carolina, Southern Baptist roots,
and I used to listen to him after he got “canned” from a
Charlotte station (jock comment about HS shooting). He went
on to a Virginia station, got canned again for a Muslim comment.
He tends to be independent minded (provocative?) but his
material is (mostly) funny, informative and thought
provoking, may be why he keeps popping up.”

Wow. Never heard of Mr. Graham and was surprised how Peter Horry knew so much
and was so eager to go after a writer.
Went to Google and found out the following.

The bottom line is that Peter Horry is disingenuous.

1) Michael Graham appears to have been the first
to have seen and reported on the coming Sen. Brown miracle.

”January 7, 2010 4:00 A.M. Don’t It Make a Blue State Red?
The GOP insurgency in Massachusetts. Talk about a Massachusetts Miracle.
On Tuesday, Rasmussen released a poll showing Republican state senator Scott Brown
within 9 points of Democratic attorney general Martha Coakley in the race to fill Ted
Kennedy’s Senate seat. Among voters most committed to turning out, Coakley’s lead is a
slim 2 percent. To put that in perspective, the last time a Republican won a U.S. Senate
race in Massachusetts, he was riding Nixon’s coattails in 1972. ”

---

2) NRO and others properly gave Michael Graham credit for it.

”Congratulations [Michael Graham]
It wasn't Scott Brown, or Martha Coakley or even Dick Cheney's Vote-Stealing-And-Weather-Control Machine.
It was you. You won this election.
Not to take anything away from Senator-Elect Brown (the phrase just rolls off the tongue,
doesn't it?), or to lessen the value of those 200,000 miles he put on the Truck Heard
'Round The World. He has real political talent, and he's going to need it to survive 2012
with Barack Obama at the top of the Democratic ticket.
But yesterday's once-in-a-generation, never-saw-it-coming, dance-in-the-streets victory
for democracy is all yours. ”

---

3) Michael Graham was attacked by CAIR (and now Mitt Romney supporters like
Peter Horry, who points to what he says are Graham's Southern Baptist roots [Post #15]).
Wikipedia says he was 'suspended', not 'canned'.

”In July 2005, Graham used Islam and terrorism as the basis for a multi-day discussion on
his WMAL talk radio show.[4] A number of Graham's comments prompted over one
hundred complaints to the station and the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR)
issued action alerts to its subscribers encouraging them to contact WMAL to urge that
"Graham be reprimanded for his anti-Islam statements"[5], ultimately prompting WMAL
to suspend him.”

[Virginia Ridgerunner]

What, you've never heard of our FRiend and fellow FReeper Michael Graham ('suspects')?

He's simply awesome!

Back in 2005, he was the host of the morning lead-in show to Rush at WMAL in DC. During one of his broadcasts, he called Islam a "terrorist organization." CAIR raised sand about it and got their Saudi benefactors, which owned WMAL's then parent company, to pressure station management to fire Michael after herefused to apologize and bow down before CAIR.

So, WMAL's program manager meekly complied, despite thousands of listeners literally bringing operations to a halt with their relentless calls and emails to the station. It was a truly heroic stand by Michael and an equally sorry cave-in by the station's management.

Talk Show Host Graham Fired By WMAL Over Islam Remarks

[Allegra]

But the basic elements of Obamacare are all there: an individual mandate that nearly everyone buy insurance; subsidized insurance based on income; a non-insurance “tax” and employer mandates. The Cato Institute calls it a mirror-image of Obamacare.

Romney, on the other hand, calls the individual mandate “the ultimate conservative plan.” So Barack Obama is a conservative?

Exactly. There is nothing conservative about the socialist Romneycare / Obamacare.

And there is nothing conservative about Mitt Romney.

[Allegra]

Well, I would say that someone who called Islam a "terrorist organization" was right on the money. I wish we had more who had the courage to come out and tell it like it is.

Looks like he's right about Romney as well.

Romney is no conservative. In fact, he appears to be one of those who wants to thwart the conservative movement. We not only have to fight the Obama Dems, we have to fight people like Romney and others who call themselves "conservative," but are anything but.

[Peter Horry]

Look behind you, I think your posse is gone, especially after your dismal performance yesterday.

I know who Michael is because I have read him and listened to him (when he was on my local station) and I simply gave a little background and stated my opinion, which I thought was positive. Surprised you didn’t know of him, but then you didn’t seem to know about the hurricane (at beginning of Republican Convention). Don’t do well when you stray from your talking points do you. At least you seem to have learned something and have new material for your spam..

You apparently wouldn’t know an attack if it crawled up you pants leg, you do wear pants don’t you? As you appear to think Jim Robinson will be interested in this I am also sending my reply to him... for his information or action, as he sees fit.

I now see you differently, more as a pathetic character, that someone to be confronted so you may not see many posts, directed to you, from me. I had much rather pursue topics that interest me than dwelling on your version of Mad Magazine.

See you around, best of luck.

PS When Romney wins, if he wins, a little self examination may be in order. You may want to ask yourself “if I had spent my time promoting candidates, who possessed my ideology, could I have garnered more support and had more of an effect... just a thought.