Michael Steele interview on NPR

[syrillus]

Text

So, discuss? How do people who are against a unified healthcare system feel about Medicare?

 

[MovingTarget]

First, I'm pretty sure that you have to include your own input in the OP. Second, why Huffpo? Go straight to the source...

http://www.npr.org/templates/s....php?storyId=112281170

 

[StageLeft]

Still watching another one on pbs with bill moyers, but pbr continues to be the best news org in the country, imo.

 

[fskimospy]

Republicans are in a tough spot on that whole issue. They want to attack Obama's health care plan as socialism, but they also have to defend Medicare or be destroyed by old people... and Medicare is one of the biggest pieces of socialism that the US has ever seen. (and wildly popular) Basically when asked about this in interviews they have a VERY tight script, they mention needing to 'reform' Medicare (a wink to the base), but always reiterate their support for it as to not freak out the elderly.

In some ways I feel for them, because if they actually attempted to have a consistent position on health care they would have to oppose Medicare and that would lead to electoral demolition. Instead of this, we just get a series of incoherent interviews every time someone brings it up.

 

[Moonbeam]

The fun thing to me was that Steele actually thought he was thinking consistently throughout his presentation but it didn't look that way to me.

You can't be for a medicare system that the government has a role in fixing and support it because it is here and you would get killed if you tried to take away and then pretend you are doing Americans a service by preventing such a system from reaching all of us. The f'er wants his cake and eat it too.

 

[Lemon law]

I listened to the clip on NPR on the radio, and I though the fellow questioning Steele was quite hostile to Steele. But at the end of the day, the questioner was right, there was no possible way to logically resolve the logical inconsistencies of the Steele position, no matter how hard Steele tried to pretend that he had.

 

[Phokus]

Someone reportedly told Inglis, "Keep your government hands off my Medicare."
"I had to politely explain that, 'Actually, sir, your health care is being provided by the government,'" Inglis told the Post. "But he wasn't having any of it."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/...governme_b_252326.html

if stupid old people didn't exist, the republican party would be a much smaller minority party than it is now.

 

[fskimospy]

Originally posted by: Lemon law
I listened to the clip on NPR on the radio, and I though the fellow questioning Steele was quite hostile to Steele. But at the end of the day, the questioner was right, there was no possible way to logically resolve the logical inconsistencies of the Steele position, no matter how hard Steele tried to pretend that he had.

He was pretty hostile, but he only turned so after Steele attacked him.

 

[sandorski]

Seems to me he's just trying to play Both Sides with this. "Medicare is great"/"Government sucks and shouldn't be running a program that covers anyone but Seniors". Like the Interviewer suggested, he's only supportive of Medicare because it is a very popular program to a very powerful Voting Block.

 

[StageLeft]

though the fellow questioning Steele was quite hostile to Steele

I've not heard/seen this yet, but Steve Innskeep is the fvcking man, how dare you! If he was testy with Steele, Steele deserved it.

 

[fskimospy]

Originally posted by: Skoorb

though the fellow questioning Steele was quite hostile to Steele

I've not heard/seen this yet, but Steve Innskeep is the fvcking man, how dare you! If he was testy with Steele, Steele deserved it.

Here is the transcript.

Warning: It's not pretty. Inskeep obliterates him.

 

[StageLeft]

I did listen to it in the end

 

[stinkynathan]

INSKEEP: I'm still having a little trouble with the notion that you're going to write that you're going to protect Medicare, that you're going to preserve this program to make sure that this government-run health care system stays solid in the long term?

Mr. STEELE: Let's get it to run right.

INSKEEP: ?and yet you are opposing quote, "government-run health care."

Mr. STEELE: Exactly. Well, wait a minute. Just because, you know, I want to protect something that's already in place and make it run better and run efficiently for the senior citizens that are in that system does not mean that I want to automatically support, you know, nationalizing or creating a similar system for everybody else in the country who currently isn't on Medicare.

Best part, right there.

 

[StageLeft]

Steele is clearly having a hard time reconciling his party line about hating government run healthcare with his constituents' desire to keep medicare going.

 

[xj0hnx]

Originally posted by: eskimospy

Originally posted by: Skoorb

though the fellow questioning Steele was quite hostile to Steele

I've not heard/seen this yet, but Steve Innskeep is the fvcking man, how dare you! If he was testy with Steele, Steele deserved it.

Here is the transcript.

Warning: It's not pretty. Inskeep obliterates him.

No, not really, unless by obliterating you mean he tried to imply that because Steele wants to fix Medicare to continue helping senior citizens he automatically should support government run healthcare insurance for everybody, but by not somehow that makes him a hypocrite. Fail

 

[ayabe]

Steele can't really be honest - his party is still trying to undo anything that was brought about by the New Deal, this hasn't changed in 70 years.

 

[Patranus]

Originally posted by: eskimospy
Republicans are in a tough spot on that whole issue. They want to attack Obama's health care plan as socialism, but they also have to defend Medicare or be destroyed by old people.

Liberals still don't understand the fact THAT YOU PAY INTO THE SYSTEM specifically for social security and medicare.

I don't think anyone is saying that there shouldn't be help for those who CANNOT help themselves, but that is not what this health care plan addresses.

 

[boomerang]

Originally posted by: Phokus
if stupid old people didn't exist, the republican party would be a much smaller minority party than it is now.

I know that your posts are meant to create emotional responses in people, but they just make you look so damned ignorant. I doubt that it makes much difference to you - right?

Someday your parents may be old, I mean, assuming you know who they are.

 

[fskimospy]

Originally posted by: Patranus

Originally posted by: eskimospy
Republicans are in a tough spot on that whole issue. They want to attack Obama's health care plan as socialism, but they also have to defend Medicare or be destroyed by old people.

Liberals still don't understand the fact THAT YOU PAY INTO THE SYSTEM specifically for social security and medicare.

I don't think anyone is saying that there shouldn't be help for those who CANNOT help themselves, but that is not what this health care plan addresses.

In case you were wondering that's still socialism, genius.

 

[fskimospy]

Originally posted by: xj0hnx

Originally posted by: eskimospy

Originally posted by: Skoorb

though the fellow questioning Steele was quite hostile to Steele

I've not heard/seen this yet, but Steve Innskeep is the fvcking man, how dare you! If he was testy with Steele, Steele deserved it.

Here is the transcript.

Warning: It's not pretty. Inskeep obliterates him.

No, not really, unless by obliterating you mean he tried to imply that because Steele wants to fix Medicare to continue helping senior citizens he automatically should support government run healthcare insurance for everybody, but by not somehow that makes him a hypocrite. Fail

If you don't see the incongruence between the Republicans arguing against Obama's $90 billion a year plan as 'socialism' and a 'government takeover of health care', but then turn around and support spending $700 billion a year in Medicare and Medicaid, I can't help you.

Steele and the Republicans never make the claim that they support socialized health care for the elderly and infirm, but oppose it for the rest of us. They rant against socialism in its entirety and then turn around and endorse the biggest socialist programs of them all. Check your hypocrisy meter, it's broken.

 

[QuantumPion]

Social programs like medicare, medicaid and social security were a bad idea from the start and should never have been implemented. Unfortunately it would be impractical to get rid of them now since many people have become dependent on those programs. The least we can do is to not make the situation worse, by piling on top of 3 bankrupt programs, yet another mandatory program which will be worse tenfold.

I did not read the interview but that is my guess as to what his position is, which matches most conservatives.

 

[fskimospy]

Originally posted by: QuantumPion
Social programs like medicare, medicaid and social security were a bad idea from the start and should never have been implemented. Unfortunately it would be impractical to get rid of them now since many people have become dependent on those programs. The least we can do is to not make the situation worse, by piling on top of 3 bankrupt programs, yet another mandatory program which will be worse tenfold.

I did not read the interview but that is my guess as to what his position is, which matches most conservatives.

/facepalm

The interviewer asks him if he doesn't like Medicare, he refuses to answer. Gee, I wonder why.

 

[xj0hnx]

Originally posted by: eskimospy

Originally posted by: QuantumPion
Social programs like medicare, medicaid and social security were a bad idea from the start and should never have been implemented. Unfortunately it would be impractical to get rid of them now since many people have become dependent on those programs. The least we can do is to not make the situation worse, by piling on top of 3 bankrupt programs, yet another mandatory program which will be worse tenfold.

I did not read the interview but that is my guess as to what his position is, which matches most conservatives.

/facepalm

The interviewer asks him if he doesn't like Medicare, he refuses to answer. Gee, I wonder why.

Why does he have to "like" Medicare? Why is him wanting to fix what we have, even if he feels it shouldn't exist, but as QuantumPion pointed out does an would screw up more by getting rid of it now, but still not supporting piling on more bad?

 

[fskimospy]

Originally posted by: xj0hnx

Originally posted by: eskimospy

Originally posted by: QuantumPion
Social programs like medicare, medicaid and social security were a bad idea from the start and should never have been implemented. Unfortunately it would be impractical to get rid of them now since many people have become dependent on those programs. The least we can do is to not make the situation worse, by piling on top of 3 bankrupt programs, yet another mandatory program which will be worse tenfold.

I did not read the interview but that is my guess as to what his position is, which matches most conservatives.

/facepalm

The interviewer asks him if he doesn't like Medicare, he refuses to answer. Gee, I wonder why.

Why does he have to "like" Medicare? Why is him wanting to fix what we have, even if he feels it shouldn't exist, but as QuantumPion pointed out does an would screw up more by getting rid of it now, but still not supporting piling on more bad?

If you can find a quote of Steele saying Medicare shouldn't exist I will agree with you.

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

Inskeep had an agenda. That was pretty clear. It doesn't take a genius to understand that government has a role in some things. The difference is in the limits.

I can use Inskeeps logic too.
The government gives money away in the form of Medicaid payments. Since the government does that they need to put everyone on the dole. Take any program and extend it by saying in effect that if it's good enough for some, it needs to be extended to all.