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You are here: Home / Past Elections / Election 2012 / Your Morning Romney

Your Morning Romney

by $8 blue check mistermix|  September 24, 20128:14 am| 118 Comments

This post is in: Election 2012

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Mitt said this last night on 60 minutes and it’s getting some play:

Well, we do provide care for people who don’t have insurance,” he said in an interview with Scott Pelley of CBS’s “60 Minutes” that aired Sunday night. “If someone has a heart attack, they don’t sit in their apartment and die. We pick them up in an ambulance, and take them to the hospital, and give them care. And different states have different ways of providing for that care.”

There’s nothing new here. Other than demanding an immediate repeal of Obamacare, this is the sum total of the current Republican position on health care. Mitt showed that he’s in touch with the poors by saying “apartment” instead of “house”, but otherwise it’s been the same line since Bush’s first term.

We had an election four years ago where the winning candidate promised healthcare reform, he and his party delivered something far from perfect but a hell of a lot better than what we have now, and this is the Republican response. Strip away the flat-out lies like death panels, the false outrage at the massive loss of freedom caused by the mandate and the right-to-life hyperventilation about contraception, and this is what’s left. Go to a fucking emergency room if you’re dying.

Also, too: Romney has less money than Obama and he’s not going to be raising a lot more from the maxed-out rich people who fund his campaign.

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Reader Interactions

118Comments

  1. 1.

    Linda Featheringill

    September 24, 2012 at 8:20 am

    Relying on the emergency room for your last ditch care is inefficient, both medically and financially. The Republicans have nothing to offer.

  2. 2.

    Nancy Darling

    September 24, 2012 at 8:22 am

    Is Rmoney going to provide cake for them to eat while they are in the ER?

  3. 3.

    Kirbster

    September 24, 2012 at 8:22 am

    In 2008, the McCain campaign was also proposing a huge overhaul of health care complete with subsidies to help poor people buy health care insurance.

  4. 4.

    Schlemizel

    September 24, 2012 at 8:23 am

    I was thinking about the money issue after reading a report last night. Not only is the Marquis not going to be getting more money from his fellow titled elites Obama will be getting some money from those clowns.

    Those people are stupid but they are not dumb. They thought they would be sure to back the winning horse (‘s ass) and went all in for Rmoney. Now that it is quite clear he his not going to win those same clowns will need to cover their bets by donating to Obama. Their only belief is that they can buy access (and we have not proven them wrong recently). So buy they will. I expect to hear about some of these same backers suddenly sending checks to OFA.

  5. 5.

    The Thin Black Duke

    September 24, 2012 at 8:24 am

    Remember, the compliant sock puppets on 60 Minutes did their best to make Romney look good and he still fucked up. Incredible.

  6. 6.

    BGK

    September 24, 2012 at 8:24 am

    My last interface with our local public hospital group, which is the only game in town, was to have a CT scan. I had to sign the three-page patient standard consent form. Most of it was about the patient’s responsibility to pay. Some of the high points: you owe for treatment, not your insurance company so we’ll come after your @ss if they’re slow to pay; no insurance, tough, you still owe for treatment and no payment plans, deadbeat; you’ll pay full published prices if paying in cash, and you can only negotiate a discount if you’re household income is under twice the poverty line. The billing office person is generally the second person to see you, and will hound you relentlessly if you’re at all conscious and responsive.

    We support this hospital via property taxes. I can’t imagine it’s any better for a private hospital.

    Right, just call an ambulance, Mitt. Unicorns follow.

  7. 7.

    MattF

    September 24, 2012 at 8:27 am

    The article about Romney not actually having control over all the funds that he claimed to have is quite interesting. And it’s going to get even more interesting when the RNC decides it needs to give money to local races rather than to the doomed national race. That brilliant Romney strategy of choosing to flood the airwaves in the weeks just before the election, rather than build up the ground game? Not.

  8. 8.

    Anya

    September 24, 2012 at 8:28 am

    So “repeal and replace” turned into let them use the ER.

    About the money issue, I am really stumped. What the hell happened to the unlimited corporate cash?

  9. 9.

    Punchy

    September 24, 2012 at 8:31 am

    Maxed out? I thought Citz Yoo took care of that “problem”, no?

  10. 10.

    arguingwithsignposts

    September 24, 2012 at 8:32 am

    The tell is that Romney uses “heart attack” as the treatable instance. It doesn’t work so well if you have long-term issues, or minor issues that could eventually lead to a heart attack. A ride to the ER isn’t preventive care. It isn’t even treatment. It’s trying to stop the train from going off the tracks.

  11. 11.

    jayackroyd

    September 24, 2012 at 8:33 am

    I’d really stop focusing on the presidential. There’s gonna be a ton of CU money dumped into Congressional campaigns in the last two weeks. Now’s the time to help the Act Blue candidates. And to yell at the DCCC for their allocation decisions–why, for instance, is Ryan not in a battle royale? That seat is winnable.

  12. 12.

    brent

    September 24, 2012 at 8:34 am

    @Anya:

    What the hell happened to the unlimited corporate cash?

    Well that still exists and will be used against Obama but so far, it has been shown to be pretty ineffective. Obama’s favorability has actually gone up in States where Crossroads (Rove’s outfit) and other 3rd party groups have spent the most. Obama is, seriously, a baller. These guys can’t lay a finger on him.

  13. 13.

    Wag

    September 24, 2012 at 8:34 am

    ER care for an emergency is all fine and good. What comes next? How do we as a society provide the beta blockers and ACE inhibitors that prevent sudden death and heart failure? How do you provide secondary prevention of future heart attacks with proven therapies like statins? How do you get other risks like hypertension and diabetes under control? Does the GOP expect the ER to provide these services, as well? Because I don’t know an ER doc anywhere in this country who sees primary care of the uninsured as part of their mission.

  14. 14.

    brent

    September 24, 2012 at 8:37 am

    @Punchy: The limit on direct donations is the same as always. Because of Citizens United, groups acting as 3rd parties can collect and spend as much they can but they cannot directly coordinate with the candidate. That hasn’t and won’t work well for Romney.

  15. 15.

    Jay in Oregon

    September 24, 2012 at 8:37 am

    “If someone has a heart attack, they don’t sit in their apartment and die.”

    “Cancer, though? Yeah, pretty much. No, wait, I forgot, once they’re out of money from paying for treatment then they’re not sitting in their apartment because they’ve been evicted. Problem solved!”

    EDIT: arguingwithsignposts beat me to it.

  16. 16.

    Lurking Canadian

    September 24, 2012 at 8:43 am

    “Don’t get sick. If you do get sick, die quickly.”

    Grayson should have run in the Rep. Primary.

  17. 17.

    HRA

    September 24, 2012 at 8:43 am

    @Schlemizel:

    That’s exactly right. I had a relative who fit the category of “fellow entitled elites” who would give to one candidate until it became evident the candidate was tanking and would start giving to the opponent. The reason being was to get future contracts for his business.

  18. 18.

    Moeiz

    September 24, 2012 at 8:43 am

    Thanks for the update. It appears that our Romney is not, in fact, learning.

    Counting down the days until someone at a Romney rally drops the N-bomb (in front of a mic)…

  19. 19.

    Rafer Janders

    September 24, 2012 at 8:44 am

    @arguingwithsignposts:

    The tell is that Romney uses “heart attack” as the treatable instance. It doesn’t work so well if you have long-term issues, or minor issues that could eventually lead to a heart attack.

    Exactly. If you have cancer, or diabetes, or hypertension, or depression, etc., we will actually let you sit in your apartment and die.

  20. 20.

    Face

    September 24, 2012 at 8:47 am

    Because ERs provide eyeglasses and contacts and root canals and fillings and prostate exams and mammograms……

  21. 21.

    hep kitty

    September 24, 2012 at 8:47 am

    Oh yeh, the ER thing, which has been vomited out by the likes of Limbaugh over the years. But that’s what “they” want to hear and those are the types of heartless people he is pandering to.

    And there seems to be no correlation, b/w income and this attitude about “parasites” – some stupid, poor people don’t even realize they are poor and simply must have someone to feel superior to.

    I guess when their kids start starving, after all those social programs, like food stamps, are obliterated, maybe they’ll get it.

  22. 22.

    lol

    September 24, 2012 at 8:47 am

    @Anya:

    The unlimited corporate cash has a mind of its own and it’s conducting triage on Republican races right now. Romney’s about to be written off as too far gone to save.

  23. 23.

    Kay

    September 24, 2012 at 8:49 am

    @brent:

    I love the fact that they’re getting ripped off. CU ad money doesn’t get special rates, but Presidential campaign money does, it’s the last remaining vestige of campaign finance law, so Obama gets a lot more bang for the buck out of small donor funds.

    I wonder what they’re charging Karl Rove in, say, the Cleveland market by now. Three times the normal rate? Six times the normal rate? There’s something beautiful about tv stations reaming millionaires and billionaires with inflated ad rates.

  24. 24.

    arguingwithsignposts

    September 24, 2012 at 8:50 am

    @lol: @Anya: Apparently, unlimited corporate cash is still paying for a GOP troll a couple threads down-page.

  25. 25.

    Joseph Nobles

    September 24, 2012 at 8:50 am

    More and more it’s like Citizen Romney shelled out all the cash so HE could be the opera singer.

  26. 26.

    jp7505a

    September 24, 2012 at 8:51 am

    THE 47% lack personal responsibility.

    He is ok with paying a lower tax rate than a school teacher or cop.

    The uninsured teacher or cop can just use the ER if they get sick.

    Cake anyone!!!!!!

  27. 27.

    Xecky Gilchrist

    September 24, 2012 at 8:54 am

    Rmoney really is awful with this thing where he handwaves “oh, we’ll just have the safety net for that.”

    Does he really not know he’s running on dismantling it, or does he just think nobody else notices?

  28. 28.

    rikyrah

    September 24, 2012 at 8:54 am

    Someone posted last night that Willard said at a fundraiser that it was HIS TURN to be President.

    has there ever been a more ENTITLED muthafucka to run for President?

  29. 29.

    Paul

    September 24, 2012 at 8:55 am

    @Linda Featheringill:

    Not only that, as a result of our current policy we spend far more on health care as a percentage of GDP compared to European countries such as the evil France.

    And here Romney is suggesting that he won’t change a thing, ie keep the status quo. Stunning!

  30. 30.

    mai naem

    September 24, 2012 at 8:59 am

    It’s a pity that Anne Romney can’t go through this calling the ambulance when she has her exacerbations of MS. Maybe, then Mittens can find out about ambulance/ER care. A-hole. He knows better but he’s too chickenshit to get into it because of his teabagger constituency.

    OT, I saw an ad, I think RNC, running against the Dem running in my district. OMG. It accused her of signing up for the Communist Party and that she had said homemakers were mooching off their husbands. I thought pretty effective as far as scary. The DNC ad just called the Repub candiate a teabagger. Kind of forgettable. I hope I’m wrong.

    There was some Repub on Chuck Todd’s show late last week saying that Mitt had more money on hand – and said it in a real snotty way -“we run campaigns better because we handle money better, the Dems have spent more money that we have wahhhh” – guess they were lying about that too.

  31. 31.

    Napoleon

    September 24, 2012 at 8:59 am

    @Kay:

    NPR this morning had a bit about how much more the rates are as you get closer to the election. It maybe on line now.

  32. 32.

    phoebes-in-santa fe

    September 24, 2012 at 9:00 am

    Unbelievable. Mitt Romney has been running for president for at least six years, and his response to the health problems is to recommend the emergency room.

    Anybody who votes for this moron deserves what he gets.

  33. 33.

    Cassidy

    September 24, 2012 at 9:00 am

    I think we should fence of Texas and let them have their no regulation paradise. We can stage FEMA to move in and ease the sufferring after they’ve starved for a little while and annex it back.

  34. 34.

    hep kitty

    September 24, 2012 at 9:02 am

    @Wag: I hope no one is missing the point here that they simply want us to die. Except for the young ones since they can be the wage slave when our own bodies give out.

    And the cycle begins all over again when those wage slaves start to give out. If you force women to give birth, they will have an unlimited supply!

    Personally, I believe that’s the master plan since they don’t want to eliminate us entirely (they need the bodies), otherwise, they wouldn’t be turning women into property by forcing them to give birth, regardless of how she got pregnant or if she dies during childbirth. Being merely a vessel, she is expendable, her offspring is not.

    Look, I know I speak in hyperbole but I’ve tried to figure this thing out for a few years now. The forced childbirth cemented my theory. Oh yes, I know they are pandering to the fundies but that does serve a larger purpose towards their ends. Does it make any less sense than what they are vomiting up this election season?

    But then, maybe I’m just crazy. It’s been the craziest last few years I have ever experienced and I lived thru the Clinton years.

  35. 35.

    Todd

    September 24, 2012 at 9:02 am

    @arguingwithsignposts:

    The tell is that Romney uses “heart attack” as the treatable instance. It doesn’t work so well if you have long-term issues, or minor issues that could eventually lead to a heart attack. A ride to the ER isn’t preventive care. It isn’t even treatment. It’s trying to stop the train from going off the tracks.

    They don’t do chemo or long term physical rehab in the ER.

  36. 36.

    beltane

    September 24, 2012 at 9:02 am

    @Face: You people think you’re entitled to prostrate exams, mammograms, antibiotics for your strep throat and what not? Well guess what, you people don’t deserve any of those things. Just be happy you’re not being shipped to a penal colony in New South Wales with the rest of the riff-raff.

  37. 37.

    hueyplong

    September 24, 2012 at 9:03 am

    I think I’m glad 60 Minutes didn’t call Romney on the acute and resolvable condition (heart attack) vs. long term problem (cancer) issue. Mitt will go all in on that day after day and then Obama will whack him in the debate, when more people are watching, and leave Romney all deer-in-the-headlights while Obama paints the word picture of someone sitting alone in her apartment, dying of cancer, fortified only by cat food thanks to Ryan’s budget plan.

  38. 38.

    Raven

    September 24, 2012 at 9:04 am

    @hep kitty: Wow! The Clinton years, you are salty!

  39. 39.

    Chris T.

    September 24, 2012 at 9:05 am

    @rikyrah:

    Someone posted last night that Willard said at a fundraiser that it was HIS TURN to be President.

    That’s how the Republicans generally think though. In 1996, Bob Dole was the candidate because it was his turn. In 2008 it was McCain’s.

    (Sometimes the “whose turn” thing gets pushed aside by money and sometimes it’s just not clear whose “turn” it is, but sometimes it’s obviously “someone’s turn” and then by God he’s gonna be the candidate! In Rmoney’s case, though, “turn” wasn’t clear so it was decided by money.)

  40. 40.

    chopper

    September 24, 2012 at 9:07 am

    @Nancy Darling:

    the cake is a lie.

    in all seriousness, this guy is the gift that keeps on giving. no wonder obama was so dead-set on running against this guy from the beginning.

  41. 41.

    Raven

    September 24, 2012 at 9:09 am

    @beltane: they sent me there for R&R!

  42. 42.

    jibeaux

    September 24, 2012 at 9:10 am

    @arguingwithsignposts: Right. And I have a feeling the use of “apartment” is also very deliberate and pre-planned. Since you are still responsible for your bills if you have no insurance and you own a home or some equity in a home, don’t think that hospital won’t come after you for it.

  43. 43.

    Kay

    September 24, 2012 at 9:10 am

    @Napoleon:

    It makes me respect the millionaires and billionaires less. They don’t seem to be good with money. Business interests have spent 18 million dollars attacking Sherrod Brown, and he’s 7 points ahead. 18 million dollars. Someone made some money; tv stations, consultants and ad makers.

  44. 44.

    Violet

    September 24, 2012 at 9:11 am

    Didn’t watch this 60 Minutes thing. Did the interviewer follow up at all? “How does that work with long term health issues, like your wife Ann’s MS or her breast cancer? How would the ER help those?”

  45. 45.

    jibeaux

    September 24, 2012 at 9:12 am

    Re: campaign money, something that will make me happy if Obama wins this, despite the usual happinesses, is that there will have been an election that just wasn’t for sale at any price. All the turd polish money could buy, and now it’s just getting flushed down the drain with said turd.

  46. 46.

    SiubhanDuinne

    September 24, 2012 at 9:13 am

    Your Morning Romney

    I hope this is going to be a regular daily feature on Balloon Juice for the next 42 days, à la Charlie Pierce’s Your Morning Dooley and Your Evening Jemmy.
    FSM knows there’ll be boundless material.

  47. 47.

    hep kitty

    September 24, 2012 at 9:15 am

    OT but from a previous post, I don’t know why the Tagg/surrogate story is considered a TMZ exclusive. This info has been out there for a few months now. Actually, I thought it was common knowledge.

  48. 48.

    MikeJ

    September 24, 2012 at 9:17 am

    @jayackroyd:

    And to yell at the DCCC for their allocation decisions—why, for instance, is Ryan not in a battle royale?

    D-trip exists to protect Democrats who are in congress. Sure, if they can add to it, great, but that’s not the real goal. First, last, and always the mission of DCCC is to help the Dems who are already there.

  49. 49.

    Waldo

    September 24, 2012 at 9:22 am

    And different states have different ways of providing for that care.

    And that’s the beauty of America. If you don’t like the way your heart attack is treated in one state, simply have your ambulance driver take you to a different one. You’ve got 50 to choose from!

  50. 50.

    Kay

    September 24, 2012 at 9:24 am

    @jibeaux:

    All the turd polish money could buy, and now it’s just getting flushed down the drain with said turd.

    I think you’d have to ask if Romney’s dependence on outside money and max donors indicates a lack of popular support for the candidate. I know political parties use fundraising ability as an indication of candidate viability, but maybe how broad the fundraising base is matters too. The nine billionaires have MONEY, sure, but their preferences may not be indicative of the rest of the country.

  51. 51.

    Rommie

    September 24, 2012 at 9:24 am

    @Kay: Well, there’s a large pool of millionaires and billionaires who are good at running businesses – into the ground. And collecting their bonuses and scurrying off. It’s not surprising at all they are clueless with spending money wisely.

    And you know, all those commie countries with centralized health care – they have ER’s too. I love the inference that the emergency room is a USA #1 grand idea that shows the superiority of the country. Morans.

    Also, if Mittens and Co. get their way, you won’t have transportation to the ER without ponying up $$$ ahead of time. Ambulance service is just more entitlement harumph, when you clowns demand FOOD and all!

  52. 52.

    redshirt

    September 24, 2012 at 9:25 am

    “If they die, they die.”

  53. 53.

    Quarks

    September 24, 2012 at 9:26 am

    I have another question, which was partly answered by Politico:

    What the hell has Romney been doing with the cash he already raised?

    I’m in Florida, in the swingiest of swing districts. Our household has voted in even the minor town elections. I see plenty of signs for the local congress race and the Florida Senate race from both parties. The people running for the Florida legislature have popped out to local events like the little farmer’s market or held meet and greets at local churches and fairs. Obama’s people have stopped by the house canvassing. Hell, even the Libertarians have thrown up signs for Gary Johnson here and had some people in T-shirts at the farmer’s market. Online I’m seeing plenty of Obama ads and some Senate ads; three campaigns are sending Hulu a lot of money.

    But Romney? He had that welfare ad online earlier in the summer, but right now? Zilch. No signs. No T-shirts. No campaign people.

    And then I saw Politico reporting that Romney is spending money on fast food, limos, and more upscale restaurants:

    http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0912/81542.html?hp=r21

    The Obama campaign appears to be sticking to fast food and avoiding the upscale restaurants. So that explains part of it, but, really, this is yet another reason not to vote for Romney. If your considerably less well funded Senate campaigner (Connie Mack) is running a better and more visible campaign than you are, this is a problem.

  54. 54.

    Davis X. Machina

    September 24, 2012 at 9:29 am

    ….a result of our current policy we spend far more on health care as a percentage of GDP compared to European countries such as the evil France.

    Ah, but the rest of the GDP expended on health care but doesn’t go towards the actual delivery of care, goes to the provision of Freedom™, which is, as we are constantly reminded, not Free™.

    And that they don’t have in France.

    (Free™, and Freedom™, are registered trademarks of the Republican National Committee. All rights reserved. Used with permission.)

  55. 55.

    jwb

    September 24, 2012 at 9:33 am

    @Schlemizel: It would be funny if Obama sat on the checks, didn’t spend their money and then returned it after the election.

  56. 56.

    Todd

    September 24, 2012 at 9:34 am

    @Waldo:

    And that’s the beauty of America. If you don’t like the way your heart attack is treated in one state, simply have your ambulance driver take you to a different one. You’ve got 50 to choose from!

    Free Markets, bitchez! WOLVERINES!!!!

  57. 57.

    jwb

    September 24, 2012 at 9:36 am

    @brent: Yeah, can you imagine trying to do effective ads for Romney as an outside group. He keeps stomping on his own messaging so the outside groups never have a chance to amplify. I don’t know that they’d be effective in any case, but Romney has made it almost impossible for the SuperPacs to figure out how to help him.

  58. 58.

    quannlace

    September 24, 2012 at 9:42 am

    Someone posted last night that Willard said at a fundraiser that it was HIS TURN to be President.

    Ha. Like the guy at the craps table who’s been losing big all night but keeps playing. Feels his luck has got to turn around soon. Law of averages, right?

  59. 59.

    Paul

    September 24, 2012 at 9:43 am

    @Davis X. Machina:

    Thanks for giving me a laugh this Monday morning. It’s amazing how many people actually believe that garbage.

    In Europe they actually have more freedom since they can quit their job at any time and still have a health care coverage. But whatever, less than 25% of all Americans have a passport and have no clue how things work in foreign countries.

  60. 60.

    pseudonymous in nc

    September 24, 2012 at 9:44 am

    @Rommie:

    all those commie countries with centralized health care – they have ER’s too. I love the inference that the emergency room is a USA #1 grand idea that shows the superiority of the country.

    The USA #1 grand idea is to have a functionary with a clipboard shout at you about insurance cards and credit cards and pick your pocket and rifle through your wallet as you’re wheeled in.

  61. 61.

    Gin & Tonic

    September 24, 2012 at 9:45 am

    @Raven: Ha!

  62. 62.

    Montysano

    September 24, 2012 at 9:45 am

    @Violet:

    Didn’t watch this 60 Minutes thing. Did the interviewer follow up at all?

    Violet, you’re such a comedian. Good one!

  63. 63.

    japa21

    September 24, 2012 at 9:49 am

    This whole ER crap is one of the reasons that hospitals were willing to go along with ACA even though it resulted in lower Medicare reimbursement (part of that $716 billion in savings). ER services for both the hospital and physicians, are the ones with the least reimbursement simply because they are used as primary care by a lot of people who can’t afford insurance or to pay for their care. By law, anybody that shows up at the ER must, at the minimum, receive a full evaluation and must continue to be treated until stable.
    With universal (pretty much) coverage two things happen. The precentage of bills that get paid is substantially increased. The overall charges can be reduced since they don’t have to charge more to make up for the services they aren’t paid for.
    And as pointed out several times, ER services is not “healthcare” but very limited trauma care.

  64. 64.

    jshooper

    September 24, 2012 at 9:49 am

    Romney…” Am I not merciful ?”….” AM I NOT MERCIFUL !!!! “

  65. 65.

    jonas

    September 24, 2012 at 9:52 am

    The ignorance and glibness here is simply gobsmacking. It would be funny like David Brooks and his Applebees salad bar remark if so many lives and so much money weren’t at stake.
    1. Emergency rooms ARE NOT FREE. Even if you have insurance, there’s a very hefty co-pay.
    2. If you don’t have insurance, YOU GET BILLED when you’re discharged and if you don’t pay it right away, they sic a collections agency on you.
    3. If you’re completely destitute, then Medicaid — i.e. you and me taxpayer — pays.
    4. Uninsured people going to ERs for “free” care is one of the reasons hospitals turn around and charge your insurance company $500 for a Tylenol when you’re in the hospital and run up your premiums.

    God, what a dipshit.

  66. 66.

    Randy P

    September 24, 2012 at 10:02 am

    @Paul: Even most of those of us with passports don’t know how it works, if we haven’t gotten sick or injured overseas. All I know about is the pharmacy system. They all have a green neon cross outside, and they cooperate on who stays open so you always know where to find a 24-hour pharmacy nearby.

    I guess it would be sokialist for CVS and Rite-Aid to alternate 24-hour coverage and have a sign telling you about each other.

  67. 67.

    RedKitten

    September 24, 2012 at 10:07 am

    Well, we do provide care for people who don’t have insurance,” he said in an interview with Scott Pelley of CBS’s “60 Minutes” that aired Sunday night. “If someone has a heart attack, they don’t sit in their apartment and die.

    Goddamn idiot. Like the others said, good luck going to the ER for chemo or dialysis or for prenatal care. But evidently the po’ people don’t deserve that. And like jonas quite accurately pointed out, all of these people flocking to the ER and not paying, well it results in shit like having a baby and being charged $50 afterwards for the plastic squirt bottle they give you to rinse yourself with cool water while you pee so that you don’t feel like you’re pissing out lava.

    Friends tell me about their itemized bills from the hospital after having a baby, and it is fucking OBSCENE. I honestly don’t know why y’all aren’t rioting in the streets…why so many people not only accept this shit, but hold it up as an example of good healthcare. National-scale Stockholm Syndrome is the only explanation I can come up with.

  68. 68.

    FlipYrWhig

    September 24, 2012 at 10:08 am

    Leave it to a Republican to explain, at the same time, that (1) self-reliance is a quintessential virtue, (2) the government spends too much and shouldn’t try to take care of all problems, and (3) there’s always a nearby public facility to fall back on.

  69. 69.

    Bruce S

    September 24, 2012 at 10:08 am

    Romney: “And there’s nothing I can do to make them take responsibility and care for their lives”

    Unless, of course, everyone was included in a mandatory universal health insurance system.

    At least Ayn Rand admitted she really didn’t give a fuck.

  70. 70.

    Forum Transmitted Disease

    September 24, 2012 at 10:09 am

    Also, too: Romney has less money than Obama and he’s not going to be raising a lot more from the maxed-out rich people who fund his campaign.

    The money’s been diverted, it hasn’t dried up. The NRCC has been pouring money into all kinds of downticket races, including our local city council race here. Was very surprised to see NRCC-funded ads for the usual suspects here this weekend.

  71. 71.

    Villago Delenda Est

    September 24, 2012 at 10:17 am

    @BGK:

    Right, just call an ambulance, Mitt. Unicorns follow.

    Well, a confidence fairy has to flutter around, you know.

    You’re not clapping loud enough!

  72. 72.

    catclub

    September 24, 2012 at 10:23 am

    @brent: “but they cannot directly coordinate with the candidate.”

    It is to laugh. I bet the penalties for coordination are
    applied sometime after the election is over. And are _severe_ ! Perhaps a fine. How much jail time and cancellation of election results?

  73. 73.

    Lurking Canadian

    September 24, 2012 at 10:25 am

    @Quarks:

    What the hell has Romney been doing with the cash he already raised?

    He’s figured out a way to keep it. His whole campaign is a bust-out of the Republican party. He’s going to sit Preibus down and recite Tony Soprano’s speech to him on the morning after the election.

    There’s only one thing Romney is proven to be good at, and that is siphoning other people’s money into his offshore bank accounts. But he’s very, very, very good at that.

  74. 74.

    IowaOldLady

    September 24, 2012 at 10:27 am

    @jonas: Right on, Jonas. A friend’s sister works for a small company, and the owner stopped paying their health insurance company. She had emergency gall bladder surgery, and the hospital is for sure billing her.

    Someone at the Y told me the same thing happened to her daughter, and they sicced a collection agency on her.

  75. 75.

    catclub

    September 24, 2012 at 10:28 am

    @jwb: The joke is:
    Two lawyers on opposite sides of a case have tried to bribe a judge. One gave him $10k, the other $15k. The Judge calls the two together, and gives back $5k to the lawyer who tried $15k.

    Then he says: Now I can decide the case on the merits.

  76. 76.

    Betsy

    September 24, 2012 at 10:30 am

    @hep kitty: Not crazy.

  77. 77.

    Villago Delenda Est

    September 24, 2012 at 10:31 am

    How collection agencies work: they buy debt obligations. The Hospital sells them the file for say 50 cents on the dollar, and then it’s up to the collection agency to recover the money for themselves.

    Which is why they’re so vicious. If they don’t collect, they’re screwed. They hope to profit by collecting the full amount. Meanwhile, the hospital that sold them the debt has collected some of the costs they claimed were incurred in the ER.

  78. 78.

    catclub

    September 24, 2012 at 10:31 am

    @brent: Actually, I am amazed that they do not coordinate much more closely. So your statement is more correct than one would expect. Lots of people are mentioning Romney stomping on whatever message others may be trying to get out.

  79. 79.

    catclub

    September 24, 2012 at 10:37 am

    @hep kitty: I did not know about it. So: news to me.

    It seems that Obama is only emphasizing aspects of Romney that make him out to be a rich plutocrat. Anything else is off message. Making him unpopular with his base, if that base is crazy anti-abortion wackos, is off message. It might make him seem slightly more like a human being to people who aren’t anti-abortion wackos.

    Could also explain why they are not pushing the story of the Bain company that disposed of aborted fetuses.

    or maybe saving it all for the debates.

  80. 80.

    curiousleo

    September 24, 2012 at 10:38 am

    @Forum Transmitted Disease:

    The money’s been diverted, it hasn’t dried up. The NRCC has been pouring money into all kinds of downticket races, including our local city council race here. Was very surprised to see NRCC-funded ads for the usual suspects here this weekend.

    Yep. The down ticket races need our support, too. Run up the score for Obama, of course, but there needs to be much more attention paid to local races on the part of Dems. State legislatures & governors & school boards & so forth are where a lot of pillage the environment & spread ignorance damage can be done. Or combated if we make sure to win those, too.

  81. 81.

    grandpa john

    September 24, 2012 at 10:42 am

    @quannlace: Yeah except the law of averages also assumes that the player is competent, shitty players are always going to wind up losers.

  82. 82.

    hep kitty

    September 24, 2012 at 10:45 am

    @Raven: Certainly pales in comparison, but at the time I was mortified.

  83. 83.

    hep kitty

    September 24, 2012 at 10:46 am

    @catclub: Yeh, they don’t need that stuff – just prop yer feet up and let Mitt keep talking and talking and talking & giving us those awesome Obama ad clips. Funny, Mitt’s pretty generous that way. :)

  84. 84.

    hep kitty

    September 24, 2012 at 10:50 am

    @Betsy: Oh thank you, sometimes I need affirmation of that. :)

  85. 85.

    gypsy howell

    September 24, 2012 at 10:51 am

    I don’t understand how people buy this “ER care is free” idea. Is it possible to get through life without ever having to visit an emergency room, either for yourself or a family member or afriend?

    Do people actually believe that the hospital won’t bill you for ER care, and try to collect on it? Or do they actually think there’s a special “blahs” provision for free ER care?

    This idea that hospital treatment is free is just unfathomable to me.

  86. 86.

    Betsy

    September 24, 2012 at 10:52 am

    @FlipYrWhig: Love it! Thanks for the grin.

    Yeah, Romney is always doing that, isn’t he? “I’m not concerned about the very poor, they have a safety net” … that he wants to cut. But it’s really almost more like he doesn’t see that part of public service as his role should he become prez. It’s like that’s for someone else to take care of … I guess the Dems will fuss and fume and protect the safety net, while the Rs run off with credit for shrinking gov’t or something?? who knows what he has in mind (zombie mind).

    Oh yeah, the Help will take care of that …

  87. 87.

    Origuy

    September 24, 2012 at 10:53 am

    @Moeiz:

    Counting down the days until someone at a Romney rally drops the N-bomb (in front of a mic)…

    I see this a lot, but I really don’t think it will be the candidate. Romney didn’t grow up in the kind of environment where the word would have been used regularly. I doubt George and Lenore Romney used it around the house. The public schools he went to were probably all-white as were the private schools he went to later. He would have heard it, but not every day. That’s not to say he wouldn’t have picked up racism, but of a different class.

  88. 88.

    Betsy

    September 24, 2012 at 10:58 am

    @hep kitty: Trust your instincts.

  89. 89.

    Betsy

    September 24, 2012 at 11:02 am

    @gypsy howell: Yeah, that’s why this line is a “stealth stinker.” Whoever hasn’t been to the horrid, awful, overburdened ER? and waited with Society’s Unfortunates to be seen? and then billed and dunned for a year for at least several hundred dollars, or plenty more?

    Clearly, none of The Romney have ever been to a normal ER …

  90. 90.

    PurpleGirl

    September 24, 2012 at 11:11 am

    You would think that with his experiences with Ann having had cancer and having MS that maybe he’d understand about the differences in different types of care. Did Ann go to an ER for her cancer treatment (I think not)? Does she go to an ER for her MS drugs (I doubt it)?

    When I went to a City ER for help with my two chronic conditions, the help that they gave me was the next day appointment at the Adult Clinic that I couldn’t otherwise get for several months.

  91. 91.

    IowaOldLady

    September 24, 2012 at 11:15 am

    Here’s the thing that really gets me about the Romney ER statement. He passed health insurance reform in Massachusetts. That means he knows about ER costs and what they will and won’t do. Or at least, he knew at one time.

    So is he just BSing? Or is there something wrong with his memory?

  92. 92.

    gex

    September 24, 2012 at 11:23 am

    @BGK: Bankruptcy and ceasing to exist are the only policy options they have for poor Americans. And they have take away a lot of that first option.

  93. 93.

    LD50

    September 24, 2012 at 11:28 am

    @brent: after the election I would love to see a number crunching on how much money was spent on Romney versus Obama, compare how many votes each got, and then come up with a final vote on how much ‘each vote cost’. It’s always vastly more expensive to make people vote Republican, which is pretty hilarious.

  94. 94.

    gex

    September 24, 2012 at 11:29 am

    @hep kitty: You are correct. I figured this out when my wingnut aunt sent around an email complaining about immigration and how we need to have more babies here to preserve the Judeo-Christian heritage of this country.

    When I pointed out that Mexicans ARE largely Christian, crickets. White women in particular are supposed to make them a bunch of serfs. You need poor working whites if you want to keep poor working browns subjugated. Otherwise there might be solidarity in the workforce.

  95. 95.

    gex

    September 24, 2012 at 11:50 am

    It really is telling about the state of compassionate conservatism though. Reagan had enough sense to accuse moochers of buying Cadillacs and steaks.

    In his 47% speech, Romney called food, clothing, and shelter the things the moochers were demanding.

  96. 96.

    yopd1

    September 24, 2012 at 11:52 am

    I’m not sure why his isn’t getting more play except for the fact that it’s a regurgitation of talking points. But when asked point blank last night whether it was fair that his capital gains on 20 million were taxed at a lower percentage rate than someone making $50k, he said he thought it was the

    right way to encourage economic growth — to get people to invest, to start businesses, to put people to work.

    For once I’d like them to come back with a follow-up and ask ok, what have you done with that 20 million to spur economic growth.

  97. 97.

    Judas Escargot, Acerbic Prophet of the Mighty Potato God

    September 24, 2012 at 11:58 am

    @Lurking Canadian:
    I realize you’re probably joking… but it does sort of look that way, doesn’t it?

  98. 98.

    LanceThruster

    September 24, 2012 at 12:21 pm

    @rikyrah:

    it was HIS TURN to be President

    It is his turn to RUN for President (again).

    I hope he gets many, many more chances.

    xD

  99. 99.

    Jay in Oregon

    September 24, 2012 at 12:24 pm

    @gypsy howell:
    It’s the same sleight-of-hand they tried in the Bush years. They’re trying to pretend that the problem is that people don’t have access to healthcare at all without insurance.

    You CAN go to a hospital, yes, and the ER will treat you. Then you will pay through the nose and/or be ruined financially, if your medical problem was serious enough.

  100. 100.

    LanceThruster

    September 24, 2012 at 12:24 pm

    @yopd1:

    [W]hat have you done with that 20 million to spur economic growth.

    Yeah, that’s some might nice job creatin’ there, Mittens.

    Imagine if you paid even less of a tax rate, there’d be no unemployed left to hire!

  101. 101.

    LanceThruster

    September 24, 2012 at 12:27 pm

    @Jay in Oregon:

    You CAN go to a hospital, yes, and the ER will treat you. Then you will pay through the nose and/or be ruined financially, if your medical problem was serious enough.

    The cost borne by the taxpayer should the patient be unable to pay is also substantially higher, especially as opposed to preventative care.

  102. 102.

    daverave

    September 24, 2012 at 12:53 pm

    @Moeiz:

    Mr. Pitts nails it:

    http://www.sacbee.com/2012/09/23/4846237/leonard-pitts-jr-again-the-same.html
    But it’s not intended to be racist!

  103. 103.

    brantl

    September 24, 2012 at 1:10 pm

    Well, we do provide care for people who don’t have insurance,” he said in an interview with Scott Pelley of CBS’s “60 Minutes” that aired Sunday night. “If someone has a heart attack, they don’t sit in their apartment and die. We pick them up in an ambulance, and take them to the hospital, and give them care. And different states have different ways of providing for that care.”

    ANd THEN, they try to wring you dry for whatever money you have, after telling you at the hospital that Medicaid or Medicare will take care of you. The Medicaid one happenned to me, and the hospital staff had told me that, and I got stuck with a huge bill. Don’t buy any of THAT shit.

  104. 104.

    S. cerevisiae

    September 24, 2012 at 1:10 pm

    If you were a Real American(tm) you would be happy to have the Freedom to die alone in your apartment.

    Social (but not the other) Darwinism FTW!

  105. 105.

    Southern Beale

    September 24, 2012 at 1:18 pm

    What’s ironic is that back in 2010 and 2007 Romney used that whole “free ER” canard as the reason why Massachusetts needed RomneyCare and the invididual mandate. It was the whole reason he sold RomneyCare’s individual mandate as a “personal responsibility” thing.

    Now it’s the whole reason why he didn’t need RomneyCare in the first plaec? Get out of town.

  106. 106.

    LanceThruster

    September 24, 2012 at 1:19 pm

    @S. cerevisiae:

    Well, at least that way the Death Panels are not forced into making difficult decisions on your behalf. True Patriots[tm] die without adding to the deficit burden, doncha know?

  107. 107.

    Julie

    September 24, 2012 at 1:35 pm

    My husband works in emergency medicine, and this is the only issue where I’ve ever seen him come close to openly challenging my crazy sadly misguided Republican parents over a political issue. People using EMS as their primary care provider is a huge and critical issue, and he feels strongly that something has to be done — because he sees the consequences of inaction everyday. It’s insanely frustrating to the people who actually provide this type of care to see politicians glibly dismiss the problem.

    This, the religious nuttery and the union-busting are the reasons he — as a pretty middle of the road guy politically — says he probably won’t ever vote for a Republican.

  108. 108.

    Brachiator

    September 24, 2012 at 1:39 pm

    We pick them up in an ambulance, and take them to the hospital, and give them care. And different states have different ways of providing for that care.”

    I didn’t watch 60 Minutes. Was Romney asked and did he answer this basic question?

    You backed health care reform in Massachusetts. It appears to be working. Why don’t you think this plan is good for the nation as a whole?

    The debate about emergency rooms is a tiresome evasion.

  109. 109.

    JWL

    September 24, 2012 at 1:43 pm

    He sounds like Roy Rogers explaining to a greenhorn whose barn just burned down that “around these here parts, we have ourselves a good old fashion barn building when a friend is in need”, as Gabby Hayes nods in agreement an cackles, “That’s right, by jingo””.

  110. 110.

    Ruckus

    September 24, 2012 at 1:54 pm

    @RedKitten:
    The reason?
    You go to the ER cause that’s all you got. They sorta fix you up and kick you out. On the way out the door they hound you for the money, which of course you don’t have or you’d have insurance. So the collection agencies come after you. You are recovering from something bad enough to go to the ER in the first place and now you stand to lose every crappy thing you own.
    Here’s the reason, by now all you want, if you haven’t died, is for one day where you don’t have to duck phone calls, the mailman and maybe someone at the door, like the sheriff. You are so beat down, you have lost the will to care anymore. Or you are dead.

  111. 111.

    hep kitty

    September 24, 2012 at 2:05 pm

    @Ruckus: I think that sums up the republican agenda quite succinctly.

  112. 112.

    hep kitty

    September 24, 2012 at 2:09 pm

    gex: Yes, I forgot about the whole pitting worker against worker thing. Hate to sound like a conspiracy theorist but I came up with this when I was trying to figure out why on earth would they want the poor to reproduce since they seem to despise them so much.

    You’d think they’d be wanting to go around euthanizing poor and/or brown people and stuff. But they have more long-range plans.

    Ok, there I go again, but damn, they haven’t given me much else to work with.

  113. 113.

    Sly

    September 24, 2012 at 2:56 pm

    Shorter Romney: We didn’t need healthcare reform because the freeloaders who I totally don’t care about could just freeload.

  114. 114.

    Catpause

    September 24, 2012 at 3:26 pm

    noblesse oblige healthcare.

  115. 115.

    Jim Pharo

    September 24, 2012 at 3:30 pm

    Plus, it’s a lie. (Mitt’s somewhat compulsive on this, methinks.)

    The truth is that people without health insurance who have a heart attack DO sit in their chairs and die. I know it makes people uncomfortable, but the truth is pretty clear: those without decent coverage die earlier and in greater numbers.

  116. 116.

    BruceJ

    September 24, 2012 at 4:44 pm

    Only if your medical condition is acute, that is.

    Dying of cancer? Tough shit. ER don’t do chemotherapy, homie!

  117. 117.

    Ms. D. Ranged in AZ

    September 24, 2012 at 5:47 pm

    @BruceJ: Exactly! If you’re in chronic pain, tough shit! If you need more than one treatment on an outpatient basis, you’re screwed! If you know you have a tumor that will invade your heart and kill you, you just have to wait until it does.

    Anyone who actually feels that just allowing ER healthcare is acceptable is a selfish, immoral asshole.

  118. 118.

    Ms. D. Ranged in AZ

    September 24, 2012 at 5:47 pm

    @Jim Pharo: Well remember, they do want us to “die and die quickly”.

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