Archive for the “Democrats” Category

Police Officer with HandcuffsFrom OneNewsNow

A healthcare expert says the healthcare bill drafted by Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Montana) creates new taxes and cuts to the Medicare program to reduce the cost to the federal government, but does nothing to reduce the cost of healthcare in the family budget.

The Wall Street Journal says the Baucus bill would break all 50 state budgets by permanently expanding Medicaid, the joint state-federal program for the poor. The bill would for the first time make Medicaid available to childless adults and also extend healthcare insurance subsidies to people up to 400 percent of the federal poverty level.

Under the senator’s plan — known as “America’s Healthy Future Act” — individuals who fail to pay the $1,900 fee for not buying health insurance could be charged with a misdemeanor and face up to a year in jail or a $25,000 fine.

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PelosiFrom OneNewsNow

Despite the public outcry over President Obama’s government-run healthcare plan, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is insistent on pushing through a government health insurance program that works like Medicare. One healthcare reform expert says Pelosi is not only disregarding the concerns of most Americans, but she’s also disregarding the fact that Medicare is $38 trillion in debt and going bankrupt.

Roll Call is reporting that Speaker Pelosi (D-California) is planning to include in the House healthcare bill a new income tax on the wealthiest Americans, as well as a stronger government-run health insurance plan or “public option” than some moderate Blue Dog Democrats desire.
 
Blue Dogs in the House Energy and Commerce Committee had worked out a deal with Chairman Henry Waxman (D-California) to make a public option negotiate payment rates with medical providers instead of dictating them. However, Pelosi reportedly plans to peg public option payment rates to Medicare payment rates.
 
Roll Call also reports Pelosi wants to finish work on the bill this week so it can be scored by the Congressional Budget Office and move to the full House floor by mid-October.

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From the Washington Times

paperTrying to capitalize on voters’ anger at lawmakers this summer, Republicans on Wednesday launched bids in both the House and Senate aiming to force Democrats to let them have at least three days to read bills before they’re put up for a vote.

In the House, Rep. Greg Walden, Oregon Republican, filed a petition to force a vote on a bill with bipartisan backing that would require all non-emergency legislation to be posted online, in its final form, 72 hours prior to a vote.

“At my public meetings and events, people always want to know, ‘Have you read these bills? Why don’t they give you time to read these bills?’ ” Mr. Walden said. “Members of Congress, the public, and the press all deserve the time to read these bills before we have to vote on them on the House floor.”

Democrats in the Senate Finance Committee, meanwhile, defeated a GOP amendment requiring a 72-hour waiting period and a full cost estimate before the final committee vote on the proposed health care overhaul bill now being considered by the panel.

Only one Democrat – Sen. Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas – voted for the measure, which would have delayed a vote on the final bill for about two weeks in order to allow the Congressional Budget Office to complete its analysis on the cost and implications of the legislation. Instead, the panel passed an alternative amendment that would require the committee to post the full bill online in “conceptual” rather than legal language, as well as a CBO cost estimate.

The minority party accusing the majority of rushing bills through Congress is nothing new. But Democrats have attracted special attention this year with a series of last-minute votes on bills that exceed more than 1,000 pages.

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Posted from Investors Business Daily

obama-speechReform: Millions of Americans finally got to hear the Democrats’ pitch on health care reform, made by their top salesman. But they heard nothing new — just a lot of discredited myths recycled as the truth.

For the record, we support improving our health care system. As is, it has too many rules, too much government spending and too few market forces to keep costs low and quality high.

We spend north of $2 trillion every year on health care — 17% of our GDP, the most of any wealthy nation. If that sounds like a lot, remember this: An estimated 47% of that already is spent by the government. And government’s share will grow even without “reform.”

Look closely at the plans so far to emerge from Congress. What the Democrats have proposed, in essence, is a government takeover of nearly one-fifth of our nation’s economy. When brought up in Congress, this idea has been rejected repeatedly. Yet, somehow, the idea never dies.

That’s why the president’s speech Wednesday night was a big disappointment.

Rather than a breakthrough that would remove government’s stranglehold on a once-healthy market and move us toward true reform, we heard a lot of old bromides and myths — things we just can’t let go uncorrected. Too much is at stake.

So following are 15 of the biggest misconceptions — and there are many more, we assure you — that we found in the speech:

• “The uninsured . . . live every day just one accident or illness away from bankruptcy. These are not primarily people on welfare.”

Actually, of the 46 million people the census estimates don’t have insurance, some 20 million have incomes above average and could afford to buy it, according to a study by former Congressional Budget Office Director June O’Neill.

Of the remaining 26 million uninsured, an estimated 13.7 million are poor. They are eligible for Medicaid — the state health care programs for the poor. But many, too, are illegals — about 8 million.

Though they’re eligible, research from the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association suggests as many as 14 million uninsured Americans qualify for public coverage, but don’t enroll. And as many as 6 million are enrolled, but don’t report it to the government, according to the National Center for Policy Analysis.

That leaves about 5 million people with no care.

By the way, according to the Census Bureau, America now has 37 million people in poverty. But Medicaid enrollment covers 55 million people — at a cost of $350 billion a year.

Based on this, no one should be without care. Which leads us to wonder: Is nationalizing our health care system really necessary to take care of people who already have care available to them?

• “Many other Americans . . . are still denied insurance due to previous illnesses or conditions that insurance companies decide are too risky or expensive to cover.”

This statement betrays a profound ignorance of what insurance is. If you can buy insurance after you’ve gotten sick, it’s not really insurance, is it? And why have insurance at all? It’s an incentive to simply wait until you get sick, then make someone else pay for it.

To see how absurd this is, let’s take the same concept to auto insurance. Why not let people buy insurance after they get in an accident? One reason, of course, is it leads to fiscal and personal recklessness.

• “There are now more than 30 million American citizens who cannot get coverage . . . every day, 14,000 Americans lose their coverage.”

As noted above, the bulk of the 30-plus million uninsured actually can get coverage — and in many cases, qualify for existing government programs. But how about 14,000 Americans losing their coverage each day? A little math shows this is just a scare statistic.

Multiply it out, and it comes to 5.1 million people losing coverage in a year. Sound scary? Consider that, according to the census, 46.3 million Americans don’t currently have insurance — 600,000 more than last year. That means that, along with 14,000 Americans losing their coverage each day, another 12,400 Americans are signing up for it — even in the middle of a brutal recession.

Those who lose insurance do so usually because they’ve lost a job. Most are without insurance for a couple of months or so. The best way to boost the number of insured — and one that “costs” nothing — is to cut taxes, ease regulations and slash government spending. Those policies are all proven job creators.

• “We spend one-and-a-half times more per person on health care than any other country, but we aren’t any healthier for it.”

This is a non sequitur. We spend one and a half times more per person, true. But because our health care here is better. That’s right — better. True, our life expectancy of 78.1 years — which is up sharply from just a decade ago — ranks us 30th in the world in longevity. But look a little closer at the data.

The U.S. homicide rate is two to three times higher than in other industrial nations. And we drive a lot more than others, so our auto fatality rate of 14.24 deaths per 100,000 people is higher than in Germany (6.19), France (7.4) or Canada (9.25). Add to this, we eat far more than other countries on average, contributing to higher levels of heart disease, stroke, diabetes and cancer.

When all those factors are figured in, according to a recent study by Robert Ohsfeldt of Texas A&M and John Schneider of the University of Iowa, Americans actually live longer than people in other countries — thanks mainly to our excellent health care.

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From Rasmussen Reports:

rasmussenLogoPresident Obama’s speech to Congress Wednesday night has provided at least a short-term boost in support for the health care reform plan that he and congressional Democrats have proposed. But the bounce is partisan in nature, with the increase in support coming entirely from those in the president’s own party.

The latest Rasmussen Reports national tracking survey shows that 46% favor the plan and 51% are opposed. The survey was conducted on Wednesday and Thursday nights. The previous two-day sample, conducted Tuesday and Wednesday nights, found that 44% favored the plan while 53% were opposed.

Read the rest of this story at Rasmussen Reports.

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obama-address-congressBy Gary Bauer, from Campaign for Working Families‘ End of Day Report

The president must have thought he was still speaking to second graders during last night’s speech to the American people and a joint session of Congress. How else can one explain the untruths, misrepresentations and contradictions that were centerpieces of the speech? He described a fantasyland where everyone gets more benefits, nobody loses anything and the deficit magically doesn’t increase. I will point out a few of the distortions below.

But first I want to point out what most of Big Media is ignoring this morning. Republicans are being bashed for inappropriate partisanship because there was a sprinkling of boos and a frustrated Rep. Joe Wilson of South Carolina accused the president of lying. Big Media is in shock about that outburst, but it appears to have forgotten that President Bush was booed in 2005, and that Harry Reid called President Bush “a loser” and “a liar.” In addition, many are ignoring the bitter partisan tone of the president’s speech.

He accused talk radio (Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, etc.), cable news (Fox News) and Republican leaders (Sarah Palin) of lying. He attacked the Bush Administration – AGAIN. And he said nothing about the “attack dogs” of the Left, including members of Congress who have labeled those of us who disagree with socialized medicine as “un-American” and “evil mongers.”

How partisan was his speech? Senator Lindsey Graham, who goes out of his way (too far in my opinion) to “make nice” with liberals in Congress, had this to say: “I was incredibly disappointed in the tone of his speech.  …I found his tone to be overly combative and believe he behaved in a manner beneath the dignity of the office. I fear his speech tonight has made it more difficult — not less — to find common ground.” Even Larry Sabato, a liberal political analyst, called Obama’s remarks, “…a tough, partisan speech.” They are right. The speech sounded like something a community organizer would deliver – not a president.

Now, let’s look at specifics. I’ll quote the president and then give you the facts.

Obama’s fantasy: “I will not sign a plan that adds one dime to our deficits either now or in the future — period.”

The Truth: Not even one Democrat version of the legislation is deficit neutral. The House version, according to the Congressional Budget Office, adds $220 billion to the deficit over the next decade. The Senate bill is changing by the hour, so it is harder to estimate costs, but common sense tells you it is nearly impossible to cover 30 million more people, not cut any services and do it all without more deficit spending.

Obama’s Claim: “Don’t pay attention to those scary stories about how your benefits will be cut… That will never happen on my watch.”

The Truth: His plan proposes $500 billion in “savings” in Medicare by cutting “waste, fraud and abuse.” This is a sleight of hand as old as Washington, D.C., and it is one reason why our deficit is out of control. There is no budget line for “waste, fraud and abuse.” If there are $500 billion that can be saved, prove it now. Cut that “waste, fraud and abuse” now, and save the money now!

Obama’s Deception: “…the reforms I’m proposing would not apply to those who are here illegally.”

The Reality: Is there an American alive who doesn’t know the fiasco of our immigration policies? Countless benefits go to illegal immigrants for one simple reason: There are no strong verification systems to prevent it. Illegals can’t vote, but we know some are voting because liberals oppose photo IDs and proof of citizenship on Election Day. Conservatives in Congress have repeatedly tried to add citizenship verification provisions to the socialized medicine bill, and Obama’s allies have voted them down every time. Voting down citizenship verification is how Obama’s allies ensure that the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and groups like La Raza support the legislation.

A recent Rasmussen poll found that 83% of Americans say people should be required to prove their citizenship before receiving government healthcare benefits. But the Congressional Research Service admits that there is no verification mechanism in the bill. No wonder Rep. Joe Wilson yelled, “You lie!” at this point in the speech. And don’t forget: Obama intends to provide an amnesty to illegals anyway, making them eligible for all federal programs.

By the way, I insist that President Obama call Rush Limbaugh, Fox News and Sarah Palin and apologize for calling them liars.

Obama’s Deceit: “…under our plan, no federal dollars will be used to fund abortions…”

The Facts: Every attempt by pro-life congressmen to add specific language ensuring that your tax dollars won’t be used to subsidize abortions has been defeated by pro-abortion liberals in committee. The legislation requires that everyone receiving a federal subsidy (your tax money) under the proposed law be able to buy insurance that covers abortion. Even the Associated Press and Time Magazine admit that.

And did you notice that when President Obama said it wouldn’t cover abortion there were no cries of outrage from the dozens of pro-abortion extremists in Congress? They know the fix is in and that abortion coverage will be included.

Obama’s Sleight of Hand: Last night, Obama told Americans who already have insurance that they have nothing to worry about. He said: “Let me repeat this: nothing in our plan requires you to change what you have.”

But this statement is different from what he has said in previous speeches on healthcare. Previously, he claimed: “If you like your health care plan, you’ll be able to keep your health care plan, period.”

Details are important. Why did Obama go from saying “you’ll be able to keep your health care plan, period” to “nothing in our plan requires you to change what you have”? The answer is simple. Most Americans get their health insurance from their employer and they generally like it. But once a government-run health insurance company (the public option) is established, many businesses, no one knows how many, will opt to pay a fine and stop providing coverage if the government is going to assume that responsibility. Millions of Americans will lose the coverage they have and like, even though the legislation doesn’t “require” it. But the legislation just makes that outcome very predictable.

Obama’s False Promise: “Now is when we must bring the best ideas of both parties together…”

The Reality: Conservatives have introduced 40 pieces of legislation to reform healthcare. None have been let out of committee by the Democrat majority. In the House, Speaker Nancy Pelosi hasn’t included Republicans in negotiations for months. Obama has “locked” the White House doors since April – not inviting the congressional minority even once since then to negotiate. When Obama says he wants bi-partisanship, he means conservatives have to embrace his unacceptable Big Government, high cost, deficit-inducing ideas.

I could write a dozen pages, but you get my drift. It was a partisan speech long on distortions and short on facts. One more observation to close: President Obama expressed the same disdain for dissent and energetic debate that is quickly becoming a leftwing theme. He referred to the lively debate this summer at the grassroots as a “spectacle” and “bickering,” and added, “The time for games has passed.”

This is no game. Your freedom is at stake. If this bill passes, Congress will be creating another huge entitlement program. Big Government will be taking on an even bigger responsibility for your welfare and with that a greater demand on your income and standard of living.

But the president needs to be reminded that in America, in contrast to Hugo Chavez’s Venezuela and Ahmadinejad’s Iran, vocal, robust dissent is not only our right, it is our obligation when government and politicians go too far. Brave men and women have died for our right to speak-up and no one, including the president, gets to decide when the debate is over.

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Evan_BayhBelow is a letter written by Dr. Stephen E Fraser of Indianapolis, Indiana to Senator Evan Bayh (D, Indiana).  Is there any wonder why the Democrats tried to rush this bill through Congress before anyone could read it?

July 23, 2009

Senator Bayh,

As a practicing physician I have major concerns with the healthcare bill before Congress. I actually have read the bill and am shocked by the brazenness of the government’s proposed involvement in the patient physician relationship. The very idea that the government will dictate and ration patient care is dangerous and certainly not helpful in designing a healthcare system that works for all. Every physician I work with agrees that we need to fix our healthcare system, but the proposed bills currently making their way through congress will be a disaster if passed.

I ask you respectfully and as a patriotic American to look at the following troubling lines that I have read in the bill. You cannot possibly believe that these proposals are in the best interests of the country and our fellow citizens.

Page 22 of the HC Bill: Mandates that the Govt will audit books of all employers that self insure!!

Page 30 Sec 123 of HC bill – THERE WILL BE A GOVT COMMITTEE that decides what treatments/benefits you get.

Page 29 lines 4-16 in the HC bill: YOUR HEALTH CARE IS RATIONED!!!

Page 42 of HC Bill:The Health Choices Commissioner will choose your HC Benefits for you. You have no choice!

Page 50 Section 152 in HC bill: HC will be provided to ALL non US citizens, illegal or otherwise

Page 58 HC Bill: Govt will have real-time access to individuals finances & a National ID Healthcard will be issued!

Page 59 HC Bill lines 21-24: Govt will have direct access to you ur banks accounts for elective funds transfer.

Page 65 Sec 164: is a payoff subsidized plan for retirees and their families in Unions & community organizations: (ACORN).

Page 84 Sec 203 HC bill: Govt mandates ALL benefit packages for private HC plans in the Exchange.

Page 85 Line 7 HC Bill: Specifications for of Benefit Levels for Plans = The Govt will ration your Healthcare!

Page 91 Lines 4-7 HC Bill: Govt mandates linguistic appropriate services. Example – Translation: illegal aliens.

Page 95 HC Bill Lines 8-18: The Govt will use groups i.e., ACORN & Americorps to sign up individuals for Govt HC plan.

Page 85 Line 7 HC Bill: Specifications of Benefit Levels for Plans. AARP members – your Health care WILL be rationed.

Page 102 Lines 12-18 HC Bill: Medicaid Eligible Individuals will be automatically enrolled in Medicaid. No choice.

Page 124 lines 24-25 HC: No company can sue GOVT on price fixing. No “judicial review” against Govt Monopoly.

Page 127 Lines 1-16 HC Bill: Doctors/ American Medical Association – The Govt will tell YOU what you can make! (salary)

Page 145 Line 15-17: An Employer MUST auto enroll employees into public option plan. NO CHOICE!

Page 126 Lines 22-25: Employers MUST pay for HC for part time employees AND their families.

Page 149 Lines 16-24: ANY Employer with payroll 401k & above who does not provide public option pays 8% tax on all payroll.

Page 150 Lines 9-13: Business’s with payroll btw 251k & 401k who doesn’t provide public option pays 2-6% tax on all payroll.

Page 167 Lines 18-23: ANY individual who doesn’t have acceptable HC according to Govt will be taxed 2.5% of income.

Page 170 Lines 1-3 HC Bill: Any NONRESIDENT Alien is exempt from individual taxes. (Americans will pay)

Page 195 HC Bill: Officers & employees of HC Admin (GOVT) will have access to ALL Americans finances /personal records.

Page 203 Line 14-15 HC: “The tax imposed under this section shall not be treated as tax” Yes, it says that!

Page 239 Line 14-24 HC Bill: Govt will reduce physician services for Medicaid Seniors, low income and poor are affected.

Page 241 Line 6-8 HC Bill: Doctors, doesn’t matter what specialty you have, you’ll all be paid the same!

Page 253 Line 10-18: Govt sets value of Doctor’s time, proffession, judgment etc. Literally value of humans.

Page 265 Sec 1131: Govt mandates & controls productivity for private HC industries.

Page 268 Sec 1141: Federal Govt regulates rental & purchase of power driven wheelchairs.

Page 272 SEC. 1145: TREATMENT OF CERTAIN CANCER HOSPITALS – Cancer patients – welcome to rationing!

Page 280 Sec 1151: The Govt will penalize hospitals for whatever Govt deems preventable re-admissions.

Page 298 Lines 9-11: Doctors, treat a patient during initial admission that results in a re-admission -Govt will penalize you.

Page 317 L 13-20: PROHIBITION on ownership/investment. Govt tells Doctors what/how much they can own!

Page 317-318 lines 21-25, 1-3: PROHIBITION on expansion- Govt is mandating hospitals cannot expand.

Page 321 2-13: Hospitals have opportunity to apply for exception BUT community input is required. Can u say ACORN?!!

Page 335 L 16-25 Pg 336-339: Govt mandates establishment of outcome based measures. HC the way they want. Rationing.

Page 341 Lines 3-9: Govt has authority to disqualify Medicare Advance Plans, HMOs, etc. Forcing people into Govt plan.

Page 354 Sec 1177: Govt will RESTRICT enrollment of Special needs people! Unbelievable!

Page 379 Sec 1191: Govt creates more bureaucracy – Tele-health Advisory Comittee. Can you say HC by phone?

Page 425 Lines 4-12: Govt mandates Advance Care Planning Consult. Think Senior Citizens end of life patients.

Page 425 Lines 17-19: Govt will instruct & consult regarding living wills, durable powers of attorney. Mandatory!

Page 425 Lines 22-25, 426 Lines 1-3: Govt provides approved list of end of life resources, guiding you in death. (assisted suicide)

Page 427 Lines 15-24: Govt mandates program for orders for end of life.. The Govt has a say in how your life ends.

Page 429 Lines 1-9: An “advanced care planning consultant” will be used frequently as patients health deteriorates.

Page 429 Lines 10-12: “advanced care consultation” may include an ORDER for end of life plans. AN ORDER from GOVT!

Page 429 Lines 13-25: The govt will specify which Doctors can write an end of life order.

Page 430 Lines 11-15: The Govt will decide what level of treatment you will have at end of life!

Page 469: Community Based Home Medical Services = Non profit organizations. Hello, ACORN Medical Services here!!?

Page 472 Lines 14-17: PAYMENT TO COMMUNITY-BASED ORIGINATION. 1 monthly payment 2 a community-based organization. Like ACORN?

Page 489 Sec 1308: The Govt will cover Marriage & Family therapy. Which means they will insert Govt into your marriage.

Page 494-498: Govt will cover Mental Health Services including defining, creating, rationing those services.

Senator, I guarantee that I personally will do everything possible to inform patients and my fellow physicians about the dangers of the proposed bills you and your colleagues are debating.

Furthermore, If you vote for a bill that enforces socialized medicine on the country and destroys the doctor/patient relationship, I will do everything in my power to make sure you lose your job in the next election.

Respectfully,

Stephen E Fraser MD

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Posted from Fox News

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi turned the health care debate up a notch Monday, penning a column along with her top deputy that questioned the patriotism of those disrupting town hall meetings to air their complaints. 

Pelosi and House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer claimed such behavior is “simply un-American.” 

It’s hardly the first time Pelosi, who earlier this year accused the CIA of lying to Congress and repeatedly has called Republicans unpatriotic, has employed some serious name-calling to characterize her opponents’ views. 

The jab Monday drew swift scorn from Republicans and critics who say the health care demonstrations are as American as apple pie. 

“I, like most Americans, would find that kind of characterization of citizens exercising their First Amendment rights to be offensive,” Rep. Mike Pence, R-Ind., told FOX News. “There’s nothing more American than letting your elected representatives know how you feel about important issues facing the nation.” 

House Republican Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, released a statement calling the charge “outrageous and reprehensible.” 

Pelosi and Hoyer made the accusation as part of a lengthy column in USA Today stressing the need for action on health care reform. The piece was published as lawmakers return to their districts for summer recess, a period that could imperil the legislation if health care critics cause moderate Democrats to lose their stomachs for sweeping reform. 

Critics have confronted lawmakers about the bills, sometimes shouting at them, at a number of town halls in the past week alone. 

On Monday, Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill tried a new tack in rebutting the protesters while also minimizing their complaints. She got several hands when she asked audience members at a town hall meeting to raise their hands if they’re so scared about the federal government running health care that they “can’t think straight.”

For Pelosi and Hoyer, they charged that an “ugly campaign” is afoot to misrepresent the legislation, “disrupt” the public meetings and prevent members of Congress from “conducting a civil dialogue” on the topic. 

“Let the facts be heard,” they wrote. “These disruptions are occurring because opponents are afraid not just of differing views — but of the facts themselves. Drowning out opposing views is simply un-American. Drowning out the facts is how we failed at this task for decades.” 

The “un-American” dig was a sign the debate is heating up. In a tight spot, Pelosi is known for employing tough rhetoric and accusations to muscle her way out. 

Back in September 2008, Pelosi used similar language to complain about Republicans who weren’t showing up to talks on a Wall Street bailout package. 

“I thought it was very unpatriotic of them not to show up, not to show up, in some ways, boycott the meetings earlier in the week,” she said. 

She also reportedly called the GOP budget in 2006 “unpatriotic” because it drove up the national debt. 

This past May, she accused the CIA of lying to Congress, as she was facing questions about how much she knew early on about the Bush administration’s interrogation policies. 

Then last week, with the health care debate growing more heated, she invoked Nazi Germany, accusing protesters of “carrying swastikas and symbols like that” to meetings. A spokesman for Pelosi later said the speaker was referencing a photo taken at a town hall meeting hosted by Rep. Ed Markey, D-Mass., which showed a protester holding a sign of a swastika crossed out over President Obama’s name and a question mark. 

Yet the language Pelosi is using for health care critics is nothing like the language she used to describe anti-war protesters criticized by war supporters as unpatriotic. 

Pelosi, who led efforts to withdraw from Iraq before troops had finished the job, tolerated anti-war hecklers on several occasions. 

“It’s always exciting,” she said of protesters who interrupted a meeting in January 2006, according to an account in the San Francisco Chronicle. “This is democracy in action. I’m energized by it, frankly.” 

At an event in June 2007, she told anti-war protesters “just go for it, I respect your enthusiasm,” according to another account. 

The claims of “un-American” behavior by critics is not something made by President Obama, who on Monday withheld criticism of his health care detractors. 

“We are having a vigorous debate in the United States and I think that’s a healthy thing,” he said, speaking at a North American summit in Mexico.

Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, said there’s not really any “substantive difference” between the anti-war protests of MoveOn and Code Pink then and the health care reform criticism today — other than the subject being addressed. 

Cornyn told FOX News he thinks the latest charge of being “un-American” is a “pretty harsh statement” about Americans who have serious concerns about the health care legislation.

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