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Posted on 08/08/2009 8:21:24 AM PDT by Bean Counter
U.S. Rep. Brian Baird still hasn't decided how he'll vote on a proposed health-insurance reform bill, but he has some key principles in mind, the Vancouver Democrat told about 6,000 Southwest Washington residents Friday afternoon:
• If you have a health-insurance policy you like, you can keep it.
• Reforms will ensure that people can't be denied coverage.
• The U.S. House of Representatives bill won't add to the national deficit.
• Any public option wouldn't be subsidized by other revenue.
• If it's socialized medicine, Baird won't support it.
Those were among Baird's responses and introductory comments during a one-hour telephone conversation about health care. Baird, who was in Washington, D.C., took calls from 16 constituents in the 3rd Congressional District who have concerns about some aspect of health care.
Some were worried about aspects of the proposed health-care overhaul; others spoke in favor of improved access.
The audience for the 12:30 p.m. session was the result of an automated system that dialed people at publicly listed telephones and invited them to sit in.
The 1,017-page bill referred to in the discussion is the initial draft of the House Ways and Means Committee's bill, which "by no means is the final bill," Baird said in a follow-up interview. "It still needs to be reconciled with the Senate."
None of the 16 people who spoke with Baird were completely identified by name and location. This summary doesn't include all 16 questions, and some have been condensed or combined.
A recording will be posted online at baird.house.gov in a few days, Baird said.
**SCHNIPP**
Representative Brian Baird did not talk to a soul yesterday. His automated system recorded questions, his staff picked the 16 questions they wanted most to answer, and then Baird dictated Nancy Pelosi's talking points in response.
His automated system may have dialed 6,000 numbers, but at 12:30 on a Friday afternoon, most people are at work. I received one automated call from Brian Baird that left a message on my answering machine around 2:30, that told me he had tried to get ahold of me at this number earlier, and was sorry that I had missed that opportunity.
I have caller ID here, and it logged no telephone calls at all until the one at 2:30 PM, some two hours after this un-announced and double-secret session supposedly took place.
And yet, we have the local printed AP butt-wipe giving Baird a complete pass on this and helping to perpetrate the outrageous lies that Baird is pimping about this event. This is what passes for "reporting" by a Liberal Democrat rag that caters only to liberals and narrowly defined DemocRat special interests.
This was NOT a "Town Hall Meeting" in any sense of the word and to even suggest that it was is journalistic malpractice on the part of this "reporter". Baird is an incredible moral coward who still hasn't apologized to the 3rd Congressional District for calling us several different permutations of "Nazi", and the local newspaper (which is as morally bankrupt as it is financially), is actively assisting him in covering his ass.
Such is the situation we find ourselves in. There truly are consequences for elections.
"I can't believe that!" said Alice.
"Can't you?" the queen said in a pitying tone. "Try again, draw a long breath, and shut your eyes."
Alice laughed. "There's no use trying," she said. "One can't believe impossible things."
"I dare say you haven't had much practice," said the queen. "When I was your age, I always did it for half an hour a day. Why, sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast."
Another Bull$hit politician shovels it onto the shoes of his constituents. Remember at election time. Better an intelligent chimpanzee than another lying, mealymouthed politician.
As they used to say about Clinton - lie after lie - like an endless train of boxcars going by at a train crossing.
Lies have consequences.
Good catch! Can you publicize this locally?
So who is going to run against Baird? This guy has to go and I think we need a non-career politican to connect with the people.
Judging from the comments on the article the people of Washington have already caught him, now they just need to gut and fry him.
“telephone town hall”
Chickensh!t.
Did I get that right?
Come on Washingtonians, dont let the spirit of the free West die by idiot government workers.
Please join the “You’re Fired” Campaign putting politicians in office on notice. The American people have been betrayed. Arrogant Elitist Politicians care about nothing but personal power. Please read the details of this campaign and forward this to your email address book. Print it out and hand it to your neighbors and friends. Our country and our freedom are at stake as well as your children and grandchildren’s futures. If you do nothing else, forward this to everyone and forward it to your elected Elitist. Time to clean out the Congress and start over with patriotic Americans with integrity that love this country more than their own personal power.
Baird somehow never got around to taking my question even though I was one of the first to have the moderator take down my question (it was in the first few minutes of the call, after Baird told us how to register our questions). Here is what I was going to ask:
Page 16 of the bill outlaws private insurance. It says that no new policies can be written two years after the bill is passed. Yes, I can keep my current insurance - it won’t be taken away, but if I lose it by changing jobs, I have no option but the government plan. Have you read page 16?
At the end, they gave you the option to leave a message. I told him that he spoke of violence at these town halls being part of the reason for doing this over the phone. I urged him to look closer at the videos and note that the violence is coming from SEIU and ACORN thugs, not from the right. Then I asked my question. I will check his site to see if it is ever posted.
I won’t hold my breath.
Thanks for posting this.
Saying Baird is a moral coward is an understatement. He has bragged in the past about his many townhall meetings to inform his constituency of the happenings in DC and for him to get the feelings of the people in his district.
Now the single most important issue to come up since he was elected to office and he wimps out because he might have to answer some tough questions. Screw him and the horse he rode in on.
As Stalin said, accuse others of doing what you are doing.
“You can keep your health insurance, but it will be devoured by the public option, which will be funded by the government, but it is not socialized medicine.
Did I get that right?”
Yeah, they are going to try to get anything passed that they can right now, then incrementally take over more of healthcare as time goes by. They must be stopped now.....
Doing what I can to get your very important story out.
Dem Congressman's fake "Town Hall" - constituent calls false reporting "journalistic malpractice"
I propose a new term: “astrophoning.”
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