News Hounds

On Special Report, Fox Spun GOP Health Care Talking Points Into News

Guest blogged by Nayef

On Monday, (11/16/09), Special Report discussed health care reform in a not-so fair and balanced way that just happened to take Republican Mitch McConnell’s spin and present it as news. With video.

Let Them Get Sick - Just Don't Raise My Taxes!

Guest blogged by Brian

On Saturday's Cashin' In (11/14/09), the panel whined about higher taxes to pay for health care. Although they claimed to be concerned about the effects a tax hike might have on the job market, none of the regulars, including host Cheryl Casone indicated an iota of concern about what effect not passing the health care bill might have on the national health or even the national pocketbook. None offered an alternate suggestion about how to bring down the costs of health care and bring up the number of insured. Guest Christian Dorsey of the Economic Policy Institute, and a News Hounds Top Dog, once again did an excellent job holding his own as the lone progressive, outnumbered 6 to 1. With video.

Is Glenn Beck Trivializing Rape In Comparing Government Run Health Care To Rapist Polanski?

Remember when the right wing got so upset about a comment made by Democratic Senator from Illinois, Dick Durbin, who referenced Nazis in the context of a comment about Guantanamo. They were very angry about the inappropriateness of using a Nazi metaphor in connection with American politics. Flash forward to 2009 and the right wing routinely compares Obama and health care reform to Hitler. Despite the ADL’s Abraham Foxman’s statement that this type of rhetoric is "outrageous, deeply offensive and inappropriate,” Glenn Beck, a voice for America’s radical right, persists in the Obama/health care reform as Nazi metaphor. Last night, on Beck’s “One True Thing” segment, he outdid himself in the "outrageous, deeply offensive and inappropriate” category when he compared government run health care to what Roman Polanski did to a 13 year old girl. In the use of a disgusting act of violence to describe a health care system, he insults our duly elected representatives who are working on health care reform, those who support it, and all who have been sexually assaulted. The question to Beck is “have you no shame, sir?”

H/T: TPM

Rendell v. Cavuto

Guest blogged by Brian

On Thursday’s (11/12/09) Your World, Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell debated Neil Cavuto on taxes and the economy and Sen. Harry Reid’s suggestion to raise taxes on those earning above $250,000 a year. Predictably, Cavuto was against such a plan. As usual, Rendell did an excellent job. At the end, Cavuto conceded, “You might be right.” With video.

Senator Bernie Sanders Pushes For Single Payer

Here's the latest episode of Brave New Films' (with whom we are proud to be associated) Sanders Unfiltered. Sanders says, "In my view, the real solution to the problem of how to reform health care in this country is a Medicare-for-all, single-payer system. We are going to try to at least give states the option to go forward and move toward a single-payer system. Whether it’s Vermont or somewhere else, if one state pulls it off it will spread around the country." Video after the jump.