Comments on: Why is HCAN Defending Blanche Lincoln From A Primary Challenge?

By: bwedin

bwedin — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 18:45:20 +0000

Jane, I would like to suggest that there be a permanent place on the FDL website where readers can look up crucial bits of information-like which bought-off organizations belong to the veal pen. That would help readers like me avoid giving to these organizations. And it might also be a good way to start putting pressure on these organizations to clean up their act some. Though I’ve been faithfully FDL everyday for awhile now, I still only know of a few organizations that belong.

By: alank

alank — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 03:50:08 +0000

It would be more telling to hear Jason weigh in, nonetheless. In each and every instance of criticism here of HCAN practices and policies, Jason has been utterly silent. That was Hugh’s point, I believe.

By: Cujo359

Cujo359 — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 23:24:44 +0000

Some day, I hope someone at one of those press conferences will ask “So, when will your Congress quit screwing around and provide your citizens health care that’s as good as ours?”. I’d like it even better if the country in which that was asked was something like Zimbabwe or China.

By: barbara

barbara — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 22:51:48 +0000

Just in case you see this long after the fact, please make checks payable to barbara . . . that’s b-a-r-b-a-r-a . . . . . . . . . . a definite not-for-profit entity.

By: Knoxville

Knoxville — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 22:03:55 +0000

Jane,

My comment @ 20 was meant to respond to this point in your post:

But if anyone is surprised that HCAN jumped in to undo all of that, they shouldn’t be. Blanche Lincoln is an incumbent. HCAN is an extension of the incumbency protection racket. They get their money because the Democratic Party and the White House direct donors to them… Their job is to see that $80 million in health care reform money makes its way into the pockets of loyal Democratic operatives and makes it easier for Democrats to get reelected.

I’ll rephrase as a question:

Do you think that HCAN’s bullshit really undoes what was accomplished by the FDL Action PAC’s ad telling Blanche Lincoln to “act like a Democrat, or we’ll find someone who will” that ran in September?

Put another way, wasn’t it always inevitable that groups with greater resources – HCAN or others – would run ads like the one you mention from PhRMA jumped in to defend Lincoln?

I really hope that you don’t think the impact of the FDL Action PAC has been totally undone!

Maybe it just means that it’s the right time to run the new online ads, Blanche Lincoln vs. Sick Arkansans, juxtaposing her speech on the Senate floor last Saturday with the Arkansans who went to the free clinic on the same day.

By: kgb999

kgb999 — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 21:44:15 +0000

Are you sure that’s right?

In the United States at the end of 2001, 10% of the population owned 71% of the wealth, and the top 1% controlled 38%. On the other hand, the bottom 40% owned less than 1% of the nation’s wealth (wikipedia)

I’m pretty sure it’s just gotten worse since 2001.

It seems even in aggregate, we really DON’T have a fraction the money those who oppose us possess. Even if every single person in the lower 90% of the income scale contributes every penny we have, the corporatists can double that and still have more money in their pockets than we started out with.

By: Leen

Leen — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 20:38:43 +0000

There were two sentences back to back in Lincoln’s last stump speech on the floor that were so contradictory that it made one’s head spin.

I am for private insurance companies offering the option ….oh but I am FOR THE PEOPLE!

Lincoln speaks with forked tongue

By: Maus

Maus — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 20:38:35 +0000

And this is why we need to stop donating and supporting “centrist” dems.

By: mikesong

mikesong — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 20:31:25 +0000

Sorry but I think trumpeting Lincoln for “standing up to insurance companies” is a really smart strategy. Because the minute she starts giving into them everyone will know.

By: GDC707

GDC707 — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 20:29:20 +0000

I just get nauseous when I hear Obama lecturing other countries (often within those countries) about how they should adopt our form of liberal democracy. How trite and pathetic that is, especially now that we are seeing how unjust and corrupt our gov’t is.