Newest Hero To Some: Rep. Joe Wilson Who Yelled “You Lie” At Obama
An appointment in L.A. for non-blogging business meant that I’d miss part of President Obama’s speech on health care but I knew I could catch at least some of it on the radio. Switching the dial, I heard always-lively conservative talker Mark Levin talking over Obama’s speech, making sarcastic negative comments throughout. So I switched to trusted news radio KNX for the unfiltered speech — but only heard part of it.
Then, when my business was through, I turned on the radio again and heard one talk show host talk with admiration about a man named Rep. Joe Wilson of South Carolina.
Who was this man who this host seemed to hold in such awe and esteem? What did he do that caused the host to seem so close to openly praising him, but just falling a tad short? What did he say that seemingly overshadowed some of Obama’s speech? Just what had I missed??
Wilson, this host said, was saying what he himself and others wanted to say. And, then, finally I learned: Wilson had shouted “You lie!” to President Barack Obama during Obama’s speech. Finally, I arrived home to check the weblogs and discover that to some writers Wilson is now the man of the hour.
Move over Joe the Plumber, you now have Wilson who injected in the usually respectful setting of a Presidential address some of what Joe the Plumber usually toils to remove.
It is truly hard to find a parallel in our history for another time when some partisans have begun to substitute such sheer, unadulterated hatred, resentment and emotional rage into a political process that has been known — and respected — around the world for its vigorous, spirited, and often aggressive opposition that (traditionally) operated within certain norms.
It’s as if a whole segment of America now needs to take Valerian Root — or Valium. Think about it: some now consider it actually admirable that a sitting member of Congress shouted “You lie!” in the middle of a Presidential speech. So much for the norms of a Presidential address to Congress..
Ironically. some of the folks who now consider Wilson an apparent political role model — probably someone they’d love to have their kids watch if he delivered a televised speech into classrooms — are among those who only a few years ago talked about Bush derangement syndrome and slapped that label on not just those truly deranged about Bush but on those simply critical of Bush.
The reaction to Obama on the part of some of his partisan foes is now making Bush derangement syndrome look like a hot and heavy Dawson’s Creek romance.
Here are the bottom lines:
1. The House and Senate have always had a certain decorum and there has been an institutional respect for Presidents who speak before it. You will find few instances of Presidents being heckled so bluntly and directly by an opposition member. And there is probably no precedent in the history of Congress where a member of Congress shouted out “You lie!” One LA talk show host tried to justify and rationalize it by talking lovingly of Britain’s tradition of the PM being grilled by shouting opposition members. Pure spin: Americans Senators and House members have never behaved in this manner towards any Presidents of either party.
2. Every day it seems the bar is being lowered on how some Americans address those who see things differently. You have to demonize and detest them; you can’t just assertively debate or challenge them.
3. Ben Smith, of The Politico — an online publication that can hardly be called a hotbed of socialism, liberalism, Marxism or part of the Obama spin machine — says Wilson was flat out WRONG (we won’t use the “l” word since Wilson believes what he shouted and most likely won’t let facts get in the way of his beliefs):
A loud voice from the Republican side of the hall answered, “You lie!” — my colleague Glenn Thrush reports it was Rep. Joe Wilson (R – S.C.) — drawing a second “It’s not true,” from Obama and a shake of Nancy Pelosi’s head.
The bill is designed to exclude those immigrants, though some Republicans have called for more explicit bans on funding for illegal immigrants and have claimed the bill will funnel money to illegal immigrants.
FactCheck.org described those claims as “false” and noted that one version of the legislation already includes an explicit bar on federal funding for illegal immigrants’ health care.
And — the way American politics operates — I fully expect to get emails demonizing FactCheck.org and The Politico.
But that’s the way it is now in American politics: the norms of even rough traditional American political battle are being cast off by some now as easily as a reptile casts off old skin.
Wilson shouted “You lie.”But some Americans most assuredly felt like shouting to him: “You embarrass.”
Meanwhlie, Wilson has apologized to Obama — but he’s now a hero in some quarters.
So look for Wilson to be a highly sought after guest and talking head now on Fox News and on Rush, Sean and Glenn’s shows.
If his political career sours, he’ll probably get his own TV or radio show (why not? It worked for Mark Foley..)
But if he appears on Levin’s show, don’t expect Levin to talk over him.
Here’s the You Tube of the incident:
Here’s some more reaction:
–Daphne Eviatar, The Washington Independent:
I guess Rep. “Joe” Wilson (R-S.C.) — actually, Addison Graves Wilson, Sr. — found out about that secret Democratic plot to provide all illegal immigrants with free health care.
What else could explain his outburst — “You Lie!” — during President
Obama’s speech on health care reform, responding to the president’s statement that “the reforms I’m proposing would not apply to those who are here illegally”?
Perhaps Wilson believes that illegal immigrants ought not get emergency medical treatment, which is the only medical benefit they might qualify for — when they show up in a hospital on the verge of death, for example.
Or maybe it’s just because Wilson’s last campaign was supported by the Americans for Legal Immigration PAC — a restrictionist group that supports deporting all illegal immigrants in the United States rather than offering any opportunities for legalization, or “amnesty.”
–The New York Time’s Gail Collins:
Let me go out on a limb and say that it is not a good plan to heckle the president of the United States when he’s making a speech about replacing acrimony with civility….
Most of the Republicans listening to Barack Obama’s health care address Wednesday night followed the normal rule about sitting in stony silence while the president’s party leaps up and down in rapturous applause. But there were a few exceptions, notably Joe Wilson, a member of Congress from South Carolina who loudly called the president a liar.
This was when Obama said illegal immigrants would not be covered by health care reform. It seemed like a pretty tame remark for so much disrespect, given all the recent uproar over the president’s alleged ability to brainwash elementary school students.
You might have expected Wilson to hold his tongue and wait to see if Obama would yell “Marxism is a good thing!” and send the commerce committee racing off to give workers control over the means of production.
No doubt emotions are often heated during these joint sessions with the president and members of Congress, but decorum typically rules—except for tonight, apparently. In an interview with CNN afterwards, Sen. John McCain trashed Wilson’s heckling and urged him to apologize. “Totally disrespectful,” McCain said. A little over an hour after the speech, Wilson did just that, issuing a statement of regret….
….Now’s he’s a trending topic on Twitter and Google and some critics are vowing to contribute money to his Democratic opponent in what already looks like a tough 2010 race. And for the record, Wilson was wrong: HR 3200, the health care bill under debate in the House, explicitly prohibits coverage for illegal immigrants.
One thing is for sure: Wilson’s outburst didn’t do the GOP any favors tonight, particularly against a backdrop of a speech in which Obama went after his critics to either put up or shut up on health care reform. It completely overshadowed the official Republican response to Obama’s speech.
The words “you lie” will live in infamy for Joe Wilson, the overheated Republican Congressman who shouted at President Obama during his address to a joint session of Congress on Wednesday. Beyond criticism and a swift apology, the incident has already provided a fundraising bonanza for Wilson’s opponent, Rob Miller, a Democrat and Marine Corps veteran.
Miller raised over $50,000 in just a few hours after Wilson’s outburst, after activists and small donors flooded his page on ActBlue. Bloggers and readers at Daily Kos, a popular liberal blog, also used the site to instantly create a dedicated fundraising page highlighting the incident. The portal, titled “Defeating the man who yelled ‘liar’ at Obama: Goodbye Rep Joe Wilson,” has already raised $35,000 for Wilson from over 1,050 individual donors.
PREDICTION: In the way our politics now operates, expect some conservatives and talk show hosts to start raising money for Wilson now that progressives are raising money for his opponent.
–A top Obama advisor responds with humor:
David Axelrod, one of President Obama’s chief advisors, responded to Rep. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.) outburst during the President’s address to Congress. Axelrod joked that he reluctantly accepted that Wilson will not be on board with the President’s plan
But perhaps the most perceptive commentary comes from Time Magazine — which says Wilson gave Obama an incredible gift. So we’ll quote that one here a bit more extensively:
Those words cut in politics. When directed at the President of the United States, during a prime time address to the nation no less, they cut deep.
So when Rep. Joe Wilson, a little known Republican and Army reserve veteran from South Carolina shouted them at the nation’s commander-in-chief on the night of Sept. 9, heads snapped. The House Chamber took a collective gasp. Nancy Pelosi, sitting behind Obama, tensed and scowled as if she had just witnessed a crime, her disgust unhidden.
Even Obama, who had just dismissed conservative claims that illegal immigrants would be able to take advantage of health-care reform, was taken aback. He looked to his left, adjusted his arm, part nervous twitch, part macho posturing, and shot back at Wilson, “That’s not true.” And there, for a moment, the nation watched two men, elected to lead, call each other the worst thing in politics — dishonorable deceivers.
At the moment Wilson exploded, the outburst seemed like an assault on the President. Soon afterwards, it was clear that it had been a gift. Wilson had, in an emotional expression, proven Obama’s point: the summer of town halls had been less a discussion than a circus, a forum where misinformation was vindicated by passion, where disrespect was elevated as a virtue. Now the circus had come inside Congress.
May I use a word I seldom use?
“DITTO.”
UPDATE: The Washington Post’s Dana Milibank says Wilson was not the only Republican who behaved badly — that it was not the party’s finest hour. Read it in full. He has this tidbit at the end
An incensed White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel went up to GOP Reps. Roy Blunt (Mo.) and Paul Ryan (Wis.) to complain about the outburst. “No president has ever had that happen,” Emanuel said. “My advice is he apologize immediately. You know my number.”
Wilson did as Emanuel advised. After all that shouting, it’s a wonder he wasn’t too hoarse to place the call.
Fourth Bottom Line: This will play well with the GOP’s talk radio political culture base (which the LA Times Tim Rutten now also expands to talk radio and Internet) but it won’t play well with many Americans, including many thoughtful Republicans who are not part of the talk radio political culture GOP wing.
121 Responses to “Newest Hero To Some: Rep. Joe Wilson Who Yelled “You Lie” At Obama”
“British Parliament. But at a presidential address? I have a hard time with that one.”
This was meant to be Obama's teevee show. This in fact was a special speech, not a normal state-of-the-union address but a (questionable, but understandable, given the Dems' failures with health care) specific address about health care and the “need” [sic] to act boldly and quickly on it.
As I wrote elsewhere, not one of the cluckers on NPR or CNN grasped the obvious and exploited it, that the shouting by Wilson, the one or two signs held aloft, the waving by Republicans of their own legislation the Dems have ignored in sidelining them and strong-arming one-party control of things, is reminescent of “town hall” meetings (until the Dems started avoiding them to avoid public opposition).
“An amendment was proposed to do just that”
An amendment also lets the public option provide abortions. “The [original House] bill doesn't pay for abortions” has always been a deliberate lie of omission. (More bizarre isn't merely that these people don't want to add to the deficit they have made most famous along with debt this year, but that “no Medicare trust funds will be used to pay for” the new health care effort. Calling Medicare a “sacred trust” was probably just aping Bill Clinton's sickening “sacred covenant” description of Social Security I had successfully predicted he'd say to the gullible some years ago.)
“Does Wilson represent all Republicans? No. Is he the current Republican mainstream? Yes.”
That's about the only misstatement that Obama neglected in his speech last night.
Leonidas writes,
“California scratch
New York Scratch
Illiniois Scratch
Oregon Scratch
Nevada Scratch
Pennsylvania Scratch”
*********
*makes notations* Hey! Thanks for saving me the time on the search engine. In a hurry…got a boycott to go to…lol..
“contributions to Wilson's campaign are going through the roof”
So far, nobody taking the low road has shown the intellectual and historical reach to wonder aloud if anyone sent Wilson a cane.
For those who need or would like relevent reading:
http://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/res…
That number was a joke and I already discussed it. How about we go with recent polls anyhow?
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/postpartisan/2…
Thank you for your reply, as generally non-responsive as it was.
Prior spending is irrelevant to paying for the program going forward, and, if going forward, Obama plans to pay for his health insurance program by curtailing DoD spending, he certainly did not say so. Secondly, all of your subsequent points are indicative of program cost increases, not cost savings.
Your last paragraph finally touches on relevancy. I accept your proclamation that it is all hypothetical. It is especially hypothetical to assume the non-liberal public will think the same federal government that manages a program that is now rife with hundreds of billions in waste and inefficiency will have the competency to identify it and eliminate it without further concrete evidence of such.
Leo
“Read the first reply to this thread made by me. An amendment was proposed to do just that, the democrats blocked it in committee.”
Why don't you look at the Save program and its existing federal requirements. Redundancy is not improvement.
“Q: For what programs do benefit providers have to verify an applicant’s immigration status?
Answer: Verification is mandatory for Federal public benefit programs. State and local agencies may choose to verify immigration status for applicants for state and local public benefit programs.”
How about the fact that insurance companies are considered as a government contract:
“Government contract means any agreement or modification thereof between any contracting agency and any person for the purchase, sale, or use of personal property or nonpersonal services. The term “personal property,” as used in this definition, includes supplies, and contracts for the use of real property (such a lease arrangements), unless the contract for the use of real property itself constitutes real property (such as easements). The term “nonpersonal services” as used in this definition includes, but is not limited to, the following services: Utilities, construction, transportation, research, insurance, and fund depository. “
Leo, wouldn't you consider health care assistance a “Federal public benefit program?” Try to make it sound nefarious as much as you want, but duplicating SAVE requirements seems rather unneeded unless you're paranoid.
Let's stick to the issue raised.
Here is Obama's quote…….There are also those who claim that our reform effort will insure illegal immigrants. This, too, is false – the reforms I'm proposing would not apply to those who are here illegally.
So, since Obama is pretty emphatically saying illegals cannot obtain any greater access to, or funding for, health insurance as a result of his program, the point really is, the existing language in HR 3200 must be struck as it now presently does apply to unauthorized aliens……..which is why Wilson's comment is demonstrably supported albeit inappropriately raised.
Sticking to the issue? I was sticking to the issue… You're the one doing the spinning.
The issue is whether or not unauthorized aliens would receive health care benefits. Would you quit spinning for a minute and reply to my comment or are you going to pull a Leonidas?
The latest poll has destroyed, as predicted, the idiotic “83% love the public option” lie (along with “health care is a right,” etc., the fringists display on their signs). Support for the public option is at 55 per cent. The public actually opposes the complete, overall Obama plan. Maybe his speech last night will help dispel some of the many concerns, misstatements and defects and all last night.
“the point really is, the existing language in HR 3200 must be struck as it now presently does apply to unauthorized aliens”
Don't forget the amendments, such as with abortion being provided by a public option health plan, as well as the many misstatement of fact by omission and temporal gimmickry (aimed at the Herd, who is so easily fooled), such as “if you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor” (at least, prior to the implementation of the new Dem health care plan, at which point you may lose your insurer as well as your doctor). There were so many misstatements and gimmicks in there — are his faithful that bad?
“Obama plans to pay for his health insurance program by curtailing DoD spending, he certainly did not say so.”
It should be acknowledged that Barney Frank has been loudly ready and eager for this money shift.
Back to your comment.
It seems you missed the words “the reforms I'm proposing”. Did Obama propose or write HR3200? Did Obama at anytime say HR3200 was the bill he was talking about?
You, and your ilks, spin on this is just more BS. You see that you lost ground in this debate last night and your'e feeling the need to produce more and more patently false and intentionally misleading statements to hang on but you can't sway the opinions of the majority of America who want health care reform with lies.
Shill all you want but as President Obama said last night “I will not waste time with those who have made the calculation that it's better politics to kill this plan than improve it.” If you want to debate this issue fine debate the issue otherwise I won't waste anymore time on your talking points and spin.
My understanding is that the amendment the Republicans were proposing would make it too difficult for actual citizens to get care. So, adult Republicans wouldn't text, hold up signs, and scream that the President was a liar, they would modify their amendment to address Democratic concerns.
In that case, when you have the text of “Obama's bill”, we'll continue.
Like Vice President Biden, I expect health care reform to pass before Thanksgiving. I wonder if we'll look back in twenty years and say: What was all THAT ruckus about?
“Did Obama propose or write HR3200? Did Obama at anytime say HR3200 was the bill he was talking about?”
He has constantly associated himself with HR 3200 and commingled himself and “his position” with this legislation, just as earlier he, for example, agitated on behalf of the lunatic House climate bill that “we need.”
“You, and your ilks, spin on this is just more BS.”
The “spin” and bullshit remains almost exclusively on the side of the lib Dem health care proponents, including much of what was in Obama's speech, as I have correctly identified and listed on this site on a number of threads, as well as in the ridiculously hyped lies about public support for the public option, for example, and the lies and slander directed at the mainstream, much-more-intelligent as well as routinely more-moral opposition to this effort and other misconduct by the lib Dems this year.
The only real difference I see here is someone in the GOP finally confronted Obama directly, instead of having the right wing noise machine do it behind his back.
Yes, its disgraceful and uncivil, but so is calling him a Marxist and a Socialist when he is neither.
The moderate voices of the Republican party need to make their objections known to these outrageous tactics, as Laura Bush so candidly did the other day. Otherwise the GOP will lose credibility with many of its followers.
For most of our existence as a nation others around the world watched our democratic process and said “We want to be like America”. When they see what has happened to the quqality and civility of our debate over the past two decades, incluing Joe Wilson's disrespect of the office of the president, one has to wonder how many around the world still feel that way.
We were once a shining light…now little more that a flickering flourescent bulb illuminating a never ending barroom brawl.
Incorrect. The Charlotte Observer is from Charlotte NC. Joe Wilson's local paper would be The State.
Silly boy…
I guess the key words to the people polled was “adults” and “nationwide”
Yes for God's sake don't pull a Leonidas and post facts.on the topic!!!!
It's official now.
Rush Limbaugh, the spokesman for the Republican party, has just declared Joe Wilson a national hero, and derided every Republican leader who disagrees with Wilson's act of courage.
Discusssion is over
Any Cynthia McKinney is for single payer, so what? Just because some wing nut or moonbat says something does't mean that people who agree or disagree with them are moonbats or wingnuts on that fact alone. Ad hominems don't prove much.
This is at least the third time you've spammed a link to CIS. CIS whose Executive Director is xenophobe Mark Krikorian. Here's one of Mark Krikorian's 'non-partiasn' rants.
It's probably wist to look at where Leonidas gets his “facts” (sic) before you give them credence.
Okay, just want to make sure I get this right. Obama's plan as it stands will not alter how we deal with illegals getting treatment in this country, which is as I understand from what I've read over a few places, is that the federal government will reimburse a hospital for giving treatment.
Now, as long as this is all correct, and someone tell me if i'm wrong, i have this question for those who are totally against any federal funding at all for illegals when it comes to healthcare:
If someone walks into a hospital, and they are not of legal status, but they need emergency treatment in a life or death situation, do you support sticking the hospital with the bill and taking the loss, or just letting that person die?
Let me just ask a question here. If someone comes in critically injured and can't prove citizenship, WHAT DO YOU EXPECT DOCTORS TO DO? Let her die? Well?
“Silly boy”
Mirror talk. But much of what Obama was saying other than the essentials was aimed at that childish as well as child-like Herd, after all. Giving the childish quite a boost, no doubt, and maybe some temporarily relief from their current desperation and low-IQ anger at any and all opposition…
DLS, I'm so tired of your “childish” comments. You think you're so smart and grown up and everyone who doesn't believe as you do is “childish” and “stupid”. How arrogant.
“someone in the GOP finally confronted Obama directly”
Many have confronted Obama and other Dems directly. This instance was in poor form, though the real lesson taught already by Wilson isn't what he did, but already how it is being idiotically hyped (including on this liberal Web site) by a number of lefties, as I predicted would happen. (I doubt few of them will grasp the meaning of “the cane,” South Carolina, and the beating of Sumner and decorum.)
In the long run, the overreaction to Wilson is ridiculous hype (though predictable, as the health care effort is the worst of the Dems' missteps this year and this special speech by Obama, full of appeals of the worst kind, and misstatements, to the faithful Herd to reassure it more than to appeal to more substantial intellectual and moral critics), the Wilson shouting (the Herd often says “yelling” these days) and other protesting by the GOP was as ignored and shunted aside otherwise as the GOP has been all year, some measure of damage control was achieved because Obama, warts and all, was more respectable than the effort by other Dems, and now we'll await the workings of the Senate in addition to those of the kiddies in the House, and learn if the Baucus bill will be used as the basis for new legislation, or the House bill (3200, including the amendments so many among the Herd neglect).
The State not the Charlotte Observer how foolish of me! Let me rephrase my comment:
The State (Joe Wilson's local paper) ran an article and a poll today to grade President Obama's Speech: “Instant fame for S. C. Republican who heckled Obama”
Joe's HOME TOWN paper's poll asked: “
Will Congressman Joe Wilson's remark affect South Carolina“
Here are the current results
Yes – 81% ( 3536 votes)
No – 19% ( 825 votes)
Total: 4361 votes
And here is a few excerpts from the story:
Thanks for bringing this to my attention Leonidas it's nice to see his REAL hometown paper thinks he's a jerk, too.
“Childish…arrogant”
Don't like being shown you're wrong, do you? Tsk, tsk.
Obama has managed some damage control and shown us what he'd prefer to see, but this is far from over.
Let me just ask a question here. If someone comes in critically injured and can't prove citizenship, WHAT DO YOU EXPECT DOCTORS TO DO? Let her die? Well?
They should treat her.
Now my question. An illegal alien comes into the the ER because she sprained her ankle 3 weeks ago and it still hurts. What do you suggest we do?
It was a mistake trying to reply to your misinformation on poll standings and you totally ignored the information and played your low IQ game. You failed, as you always fail, to answer anyone who questions your position so I will now longer try too.
I say to you as I said to casualobserver earlier: “Shill all you want but as President Obama said last night “I will not waste time with those who have made the calculation that it's better politics to kill this plan than improve it.” If you want to debate this issue fine debate the issue otherwise I won't waste anymore time on your talking points and spin.”
Easy. Treat her. Deport her.
Well after health reform is passed she wouldn't go to the ER, she'd go to her own doctor. And NO not a public option doctor but a doctor that her cheap (inexpensive) private insurance company told her to see. You see, she was required by law to have health insurance and she was not here legally. As she didn't have the documentation to get on the 'Public Option' she bought private insurance so as not to have one more reason to be found out.
It's the status quo that forces a scenario like you describe and we are all paying for it. This has to be changed.
“I say to you as I said to casualobserver earlier”
Make up whatever you want, and throw your limbs around while you're at it.
Obama needed to make this speech for damage control and recovery, it was okay and a success insofar as this purpose was met, and it's regrettable that he treated everyone in the speech as little children with misstatements and mushy garbage in addition, which raises the ire of those susceptible to that approach when it is mentioned, but which says more about them than it does about the correct observations and reporting of such things.
Sadly, now the stupid hype about Wilson is likely going to last for several days among the kiddie crowd.
In an earlier comment, I said:
“By the way, according to this morning news, contributions to Wilson's campaign are going through the roof.
What does that tell us about that segment of the Republican party that conveniently claim that Wilson 'blurts out truth to lies' ?”
I was wrong. It is actually contributions to Wilson's Democratic opponent that are going through the roof…$200,000in the last couple of hours.
As to “What does that tell us about that segment of the Republican party that conveniently claim that Wilson 'blurts out truth to lies' ?” I retract, apologize and revise it to say:
“Way to go Democrats.”
DLS: See how easy it is to admit to a mistake, apologize and retract?
Sorry Leonidas and DLS you seem to not only far out on a limb on this one but you also seem to be pretty lonely out there.
her cheap (inexpensive) private insurance company
I thought there were no inexpensive private insurance companies?? They're going to magically appear as soon as this legislation goes into effect?
There aren't… NOW.
No not 'majically' but part of the legislation proposed last night would require Health Insurance Companies to provide them… You didn't get a chance to listen to the speech last night?
Reposting this here as well since we have so many threads on the same thing:
Dems heckled Bush, but Wilson was different
http://www.politico.com/blogs/glennthrush/0909/…
I wasn't able to listen to it, and have heard/seen excerpts only. Can you refer me to a portion of transcript that you're talking about?
Certainly… Here's a link to “Full Text: Obama's Health Reform Speech” the link also has a “listen” link on the page.
The speech should be a must read/must hear for everyone on every side of this debate… It's kind of hard arguing about something you don't know.
Uh, OK, Steve, I've read it now but I still don't see what you were referring to. The only part that mentions low cost insurance option that would immediately go into effect was for people who are uninsurable due to people with preexisting conditions- not for people who just generally can't afford health insurance. What am I missing?
CS, there is only one way to assure that 100% of the population is covered, and that's single-payer. Since we apparently won't have that, there will be some who refuse to buy insurance, but fewer than the current millions.
I'm not thrilled with mandatory insurance, but as I've never gone without, it won't affect me personally. I'm really not sure what you're challenging here. As an opponent of both public option and single payer, I assumed you would love a bill that forces everyone to contribute to your favorite charity <g>. Now you seem to be arguing that there is no low cost option from private insurance, and since you don't like any of the alternatives, what exactly DO you think is a “low cost option” for those less fortunate than you?
Easy. Treat her. Deport her.
You're suggesting medical personnel and facilities be required to report illegal aliens? Not a bad suggestion but I doubt it could ever get passed.
You missed this part though, Steve:
This exchange will take effect in four years, which will give us time to do it right.
So the mandate takes effect right away, but all of the features that are supposed to bring about lower cost policies don't take effect until four years for now. The only group that he mentioned giving an immediate option for are those who can't get reasonably priced insurance due to preexisting conditions.
All I'm saying is that the illegals who don't have insurance now won't have any greater ability to purchase it after the bill is passed than they do right now.
“Nothing in this subtitle shall allow Federal payments for affordability credits on behalf of individuals who are not lawfully present in the United States.” (Page 143 of the bill) Page 58 of the bill covers issuance of what would equate to insurance cards to verify eligibility.
Is that what you were looking for?
Look up the words “Health Insurance Exchange”. Google it. You will find your answers.