McCain's Health Care Plan: Go To The Emergency Room

by: Chris Bowers

Thu Aug 28, 2008 at 15:27

Even though tonight is Obama's big speech, it is time for progressives to ramp up another media narrative on John McCain. Check out his health care plan:

A health care policy advisor for the McCain campaign told a newspaper reporter that nobody in the United States is technically uninsured, because everyone has access to hospital emergency rooms.

"So I have a solution [to the health care crisis]. And it will cost not one thin dime," John Goodman, president of the National Center for Policy Analysis, told the Dallas Morning News in an interview published Thursday.

"The next president of the United States should sign an executive order requiring the Census Bureau to cease and desist from describing any American - even illegal aliens - as uninsured. Instead, the bureau should categorize people according to the likely source of payment should they need care. So, there you have it. Voila! Problem solved."

It's time for the Obama campaign to start handing out little cards that read "The McCain health care plan: go to the emergency room." Or something similar.

This could be an absolutely devastating attack, especially when coupled with McCain's comment on not knowing how many homes he owns, and with Phil Gramm's comment on American being a "nation of whinders." Cumulatively, it paints a picture of McCain just being a rich a**hole who doesn't care about your economic problems.

The timing of the gaffe isn't great, but it is something we can nail McCain on next week. Press releases, ads, surrogates on TV, references in stump speeches: we have to hit McCain with the whole nine yards on this one. It should be really, really damaging.

Chris Bowers :: McCain's Health Care Plan: Go To The Emergency Room

Tags: John McCain, health care, (All Tags)

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McCain's Health Care Plan: Go To The Emergency Room | 12 comments

Mr. McCain when was the last time you waited in an Emergecy Room? (4.00 / 2)

There's another one of those pesky questions.

Jeff Wegerson - Prairie State Blue

by: wegerje @ Thu Aug 28, 2008 at 14:36:29 PM CDT

Too good to be true (0.00 / 0)

A Convention gift from McCain and Co? How nice - they knew just what we wanted, a new attack to compliment the "many houses" attack.

"Don't hate the media, become the media" -Jello Biafra

by: LandStander @ Thu Aug 28, 2008 at 14:37:51 PM CDT

How about a deck of cards? (4.00 / 2)

Like the POW 'get out of gaffe' card.
An Emergency Room 'get out of health insurance' card.
A Seven Houses 'get out of the mortgage crisis' card.
A Marry an Heiress 'get out of economic downturn' card.

And so forth. But, y'know, cleverer.

by: Joel @ Thu Aug 28, 2008 at 14:43:29 PM CDT

McCain's Health Care Plan: Go To The Emergency Room (0.00 / 0)

The title says it all.

That's a killer slogan in and of itself.

With the whiney Americans suffering from a "mental recession" and the "I don't know how many houses I have, I'll have my staff get back to you one that," these guys sure now how to shoot themselves in the foot.

by: mjshep @ Thu Aug 28, 2008 at 14:48:14 PM CDT

Hand them to delegates at the Rethug convention (0.00 / 0)

Make up the cards and hand them to delegates at Minneapolis. Make sure the reactions are filmed. All those fat white faces telling you that "no thanks, I already have health insurance" Heh..Heh!

by: surfk9 @ Thu Aug 28, 2008 at 14:51:50 PM CDT

Real (4.00 / 1)

When I read this earlier (I forget where), I thought the poster was linking to someone giving a sarcastic reply to Goodman's comment. It never occurred to me that Goodman would actually say

The next president of the United States should sign an executive order requiring the Census Bureau to cease and desist from describing any American - even illegal aliens - as uninsured. Instead, the bureau should categorize people according to the likely source of payment should they need care. So, there you have it. Voila! Problem solved.

What I thought was a funny joke is actually a gift from Heaven. This needs to be on the air during the Republican convention.

by: Mark Matson @ Thu Aug 28, 2008 at 14:52:27 PM CDT

the ad this made in my mind (4.00 / 1)

just a simple image:

NEED HEALTH CARE?
[picture of tombstone]
VOILA! PROBLEM SOLVED!

i know, i know, too gruesome. or maybe too true.

not everything worth doing is profitable. not everything profitable is worth doing.

by: tatere @ Thu Aug 28, 2008 at 14:59:57 PM CDT

Alternate title: "Let them eat ER" (0.00 / 0)

I love when aristocrats slip up and reveal their true character.

by: Daniel De Groot @ Thu Aug 28, 2008 at 15:02:01 PM CDT

Now he just needs to pick (0.00 / 0)

Mitt "I laid enough people off to buy 5 homes" Romney

"Never separate the life you live from the words you speak" -Paul Wellstone

by: DFLer @ Thu Aug 28, 2008 at 15:03:34 PM CDT

Goodman is also a racist (0.00 / 0)

Here's the quote:

Here is the variation in life expectancy among ethnic and racial groups in the United States and as you can see, it's all over the map. [...] but doctors just don't control our over eating, over smoking, and shoot outs in the hood.

And the audio.

by: Jason Rosenbaum @ Thu Aug 28, 2008 at 15:04:20 PM CDT

Obama should refer to this tonight (0.00 / 0)

I see no reason why he can't incorporate this into whatever else he's planning to say tonight.

I doubt he will, but surely he could.

by: ThomasPaine @ Thu Aug 28, 2008 at 15:13:37 PM CDT

The clinics will love that (0.00 / 0)

Maybe it would be a good idea to interview hospital managers who recently closed their emergency rooms, Might be some good statements in it that could be used for an ad: 'We couldn't afford it anymore. We send all those bills, but those poor folks don't have the money' 'We hated to do it. But it was either this or bankruptcy of the clinic' 'We called for help for years. But republican mayor X was indifferent'

Conclusion: 'Do you want your local hospital to be next to close? Say no to republicans leaving clinics alone with the bills. Vote for universal health care insurance for everybody, vote Obama!'

Let it be said by our children's children that when we were tested, we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back, nor did we falter

by: Gray @ Thu Aug 28, 2008 at 15:14:26 PM CDT