Dartmouth, MA – It’s the Internet video of the moment. It happened at a town hall meeting in Dartmouth, Mass., Tuesday evening. The famously colicky Representative Barney Frank, Democrat of Massachusetts, lays into a questioner who is waving a picture of President Obama altered to look like Hitler and asks Mr. Frank why he was supporting a “Nazi” health policy.
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“On what planet do you spend most of your time?” Mr. Frank responds.
He did not stop there. Roll, please:
Now conservative commentators are portraying the exchange as evidence that Democrats are losing touch with constituents.
Although Barney Franks is definatly living a degenerate lifestyle he is one sharp cookie.
I am not a big fan of Obama. I did not vote for him, and I do not care for much of his policies. But I have to draw the line at any Hitler/Nazi comparison. That goes too far. Even if this guy wants to waste money, ruin the health care industry, pressure Israel, and do other things that are bad, you cannot compare him to the worst genocidal murderer of our bretheren, R”l.
We may not like him, but let’s be careful with the comparisons.
people should stop misusing the nazi card on issues that have no relevance to what the nazis were doing.
Put aside Frank’s “gay” issue. In a Congress where the average IQ is probably even lower than Sarah Palin’s, he stands out as one of the smartest and sharpest wits in the Capitol. This woman was either deranged or otherwise seeking notoriety at the expense of the memory of the kadoshim and the Shoah. Kol Hakovod to Frank for putting her down.
i would rather like to compare him to stalin than hitler his policies are more like he’s trying to rule every business!
number 2 and 3 hitler did not start off with the concentration camps he started off with smaller stuff no one said anything and he continued further and further. the man in the white house is doing things similar to what hitler started off doing.
Just look at the bottom of the pic its printed & distributed by LaRouche an extreme left group that wants to abolish the concept of health insurance but the media won’t point it out its the right that compares Obama to Hitler
Good for Mr. Frank he handled it well.
By comparing this to the nazis ymach”sh you lose credibility.
I don’t think that the woman is not so farfetched by using the nazis, y’ms, as an analogy for Obama’s so-called health care reform. Honestly, I am not so sure what is in this health care plan other than from reports from Drudge and Politico. But it appears from articles that I have read, Obama is using solutions for health care that comes very close to the Nazi, Y’ms, ideology when it refers to healthcare for the elderly.
this was the funniest video i’ve seen in a while. the guy is sharp and on the ball!
“Now conservative commentators are portraying the exchange as evidence that Democrats are losing touch with constituents.”
I’m quite happy for my elected officials to lose touch with people who throw the “Nazi” epithet around inappropriately.
She meant to compare Obama’s policy on Abortion to the Nazis, millions of babies are being “legally” killed in this country every year, its the great holocaust of the unborn that reminds everyone of the Nazis. Stop Abortion Now!
“What planet do you spend most of your time on?” was not such a great line. It’s very Yeshivish.
I’m surprised VIN didnt blur out the woman asking the question.
Also, it’s funny how Frank said he would revert to his ethnic heritage by responding with a question.
Slap on a beard and he could be a Magid Shiur in CC
The issue is simple: If “grandma” is sick, hospitalized, and unable to communicate—are those 3 grounds alone for automatic withholding of all medical care, food and hydration? REGARDLESS of whether her family is willing and able to pay for her continued care and sustenance?
This view is amoral, as it indicates a denial of the inherent value of human life. That is what “O”s proposal has in common with the Nazi philosophy.
And while this provision was recently removed from the bill, don’t kid yourself—if the bill passes, you’ll see this provision reappear. Why? Because the proponents of the bill do not believe in the inherent value of human life.
oh he is Jewish as well
many jews here are guilty of using inappropriate nazi comparisons such as describing the israeli police or military..
the language used against barney frank in this article is reminiscent.
ultimately such name calling deingrates the memory of 6 million martyrs
For eight long years we endured a constant barrage of “Bush is Hitler,” “Cheney is Hitler” etc. (including, ironically, from the lisping mouth of Bawney Fwank). For the moment, however, let us set aside the obvious hypocrisy of those who have labeled conservatives as Nazis for 60 years now whining like like little girls in pink party dresses (sorry Bawney) now that they are on the receiving end of that same accusation. Let us also set aside the embarassing hypocrisy of JEWS who sat without complaint when Pelosi and MoveOn.org ran a TV ad equating Bush with Hitler who are now suddenly outraged over the use of Nazi imagery introduced to the public debate.
Most people have long believed the popular myth that Fascism and Naziism were “right wing” movements. Unfortunately for liberals, that myth has slowly unravelled. Thanks to scholarship, like Jonah Goldberg’s “Liberal Fascism,” more and more people are beginning to see that that myth is a grand lie, that Fascism was a “left wing” movement and was, in it’s day, a “sibling” of the American Progressive movement, which modern liberals recall with fond nostalgia. In simple language, modern liberalism is a form of fascism; “smiley face” fascism, but fascism none the less.
When we think of fascism, we never think of FDR’s New Deal (though we should — it was not controversial to compare the two in the 30s, rather they had something of a mutual admiration society). What we think of is Franco’s Spain, Mussolini’s Italy and, of course, Hitler’s Germany. How many people would recognize a poster of Franco? How many people would recognize the symbol of Italian fascism (the fasci or “bundle” representing unity), much less even know that the symbol of Spanish fascism was the falange (meaning phalanx)?
The most immediately recognizable symbols of fascism ARE Hitler ym”sh and the swastika. I believe, and this is my persoanl opinion, that these protesters are NOT descending to the level of the left and insinuatiing that Obama is Hitler, but are using that imagery to shine the light of truth on the inherent fascism of his leftist/Progressive policies. That makes the usage of that imagery completely legitimate
Top 10 Reasons Obamacare Is Wrong for America
1.Millions Will Lose Their Current Insurance. Period. End of Story: President Obama wants Americans to believe they can keep their insurance if they like, but research from the government, private research firms, and think tanks show this is not the case. Proposed economic incentives, plus a government-run health plan like the one proposed in the House bill, would cause 88.1 million people to see their current employer-sponsored health plan disappear.
2.Your Health Care Coverage Will Probably Change Anyway: Even if you kept your private insurance, eventually most remaining plans–whether employer plans or individual plans–would have to conform to new federal benefit standards. Moreover, the necessary plan “upgrades” will undoubtedly cost you more in premiums.
3.The Umpire Is Also the First Baseman: The main argument for a “public option” is that it would increase competition. However, if the federal government creates a health care plan that it controls and also sets the rules for the private plans, there is little doubt that Washington would put its private sector “competitors” out of business sooner or later.
4.The Fed Picks Your Treatment: President Obama said: “They’re going to have to give up paying for things that don’t make them healthier. … If there’s a blue pill and a red pill, and the blue pill is half the price of the red pill and works just as well, why not pay half for the thing that’s going to make you well.” Does that sound like a government that will stay out of your health care decisions?
5.Individual Mandate Means Less Liberty and More Taxes: Although he once opposed the idea, President Obama is now open to the imposition of an individual mandate that would require all Americans to have federally approved health insurance. This unprecedented federal directive not only takes away your individual freedom but could cost you as well. Lawmakers are considering a penalty or tax for those who don’t buy government-approved health plans.
6.Higher Taxes Than Europe Hurt Small Businesses: A proposed surtax on the wealthy will actually hit hundreds of thousands of small business ownerswho are dealing with a recession. If it is enacted, America’s top earners and job creators will carry a larger overall tax burden than France, Italy, Germany, Japan, etc., with a total average tax rate greater than 52%. Is that the right recipe for jobs and wage growth?
7.Who Makes Medical Decisions? What is the right medical treatment and should bureaucrats determine what Americans can or cannot have? While the House and Senate language is vague, amendments offered in House and Senate committees to block government rationing of care were routinely defeated. Cost or a federal health board could be the deciding factors. President Obama himself admitted this when he said, “Maybe you’re better off not having the surgery, but taking the painkiller,” when asked about an elderly woman who needed a pacemaker.
8.Taxpayer-Funded Abortions?Nineteen Democrats recently asked the President to not sign any bill that doesn’t explicitly exclude “abortion from the scope of any government-defined or subsidized health insurance plan” or any bill that allows a federal health board to “recommend abortion services be included under covered benefits or as part of a benefits package.” Currently, these provisions do not exist.
9.It’s Not Paid For: The CBO says the current House plan would increase the deficit by $239 billion over 10 years. And that number will likely continue to rise over the long term. Similar entitlement bills in the past, including Medicare, have scored much lower than their actual eventual cost.
10.Rushing It, Not Reading It: We’ve been down this road before–with the failed stimulus package. Back then, we also heard that we were in a crisis and that we needed to pass a 1,000-plus-page bill in a few hours–without reading it–or we would have 8% unemployment. Well, we know what happened. Now, one Congressman has even said it’s pointless to read one of the reform bills without two days and two lawyers to make sense of it. Deception is the only reason to rush through a bill nobody truly understands
yes we can.. yes we can..arent you yet obadamized?????
just to clear the air… there are lots of claims that the public option is better then the private ones, well.. lets see
The first claim is that “Medicare has controlled cost growth better than private-sector health plans.” The reality is that “when payments from all sources are considered, spending on Medicare beneficiaries is increasing faster than spending on the privately insured.” The amount Medicare spends per beneficiary is growing slowly, but Medicare is paying a shrinking share of its beneficiaries’ total health costs. The total amount spent on health care for individuals enrolled in Medicare is actually growing faster than the amount spent on individuals in private insurance.
The second claim is that “Medicare’s administrative costs are lower than the private sector’s.” The reality is that “per beneficiary, Medicare’s administrative costs are substantially higher than the private sector’s.” Medicare appears to have lower administrative costs because these costs are usually expressed as a percentage of total health costs. But because Medicare beneficiaries are all elderly, disabled, or diagnosed with end-stage renal disease, they have high total health care costs. Even though administrative costs are high in Medicare, when they are divided by the very large total health care costs within Medicare, the resulting percentage is small.
The third claim is that “bargaining power of public health insurance plans significantly reduces provider costs.” The reality is that “public plans do not bargain with providers, and bargaining power cannot affect provider costs. When providers use the political process to seek payments higher than those offered by public plans, they often succeed.” To the extent that Medicare pays providers less than private plans, it is because of the government’s regulatory power, not to any “bargaining.” More broadly, bargaining power does nothing to get at reducing the actual costs of care. Furthermore, the consistent success of physicians in lobbying Congress to raise payment levels above the formulas specified by law calls into questions the ability of any public plan to save money by reducing payments to providers.
The fourth claim is that “public insurance has pioneered new payment and quality-improvement methods that have frequently set the standard for private plans.” The reality is that “private-sector organizations have introduced new quality-improvement methods, new customer services, disease management, and coverage of preventive care.” Such innovations include the managed care HMO, a plan designed to coordinate care and reduce spending. The traditional Medicare fee-for-service plan does not include this innovation
nuu..
Despite claims from the White House that it’s “disinformation,” the Lewin Group — a health econometrics firm that has been cited by think tanks and lawmakers across the ideological spectrum — forecasts more than 88 million Americans could see their current employer-based health coverage disappear under the House drafted bill that includes a new public plan. Part of the shift would be the result of employers making the economic decision to drop their current plans in response to financial incentives built into the bill.
Plus, a health plan modeled after Medicare won’t necessarily be more efficient. American taxpayers could end up subsidizing a health plan that would have an unfair advantage in the marketplace, driving many insurers out of the marketplace and limiting patients’ choices.
It’s not just the United States that’s taking a hard look at its health care system. Dr. Anne Doig, the newly appointed president of the Canada Medical Association, said this past weekend that the country’s single-payer health care system was in need of major reform.
“We all agree that the system is imploding, we all agree that things are more precarious than perhaps Canadians realize,” Doig said according to an Associated Press article.
“We know that there must be change,” she said. “We’re all running flat out, we’re all just trying to stay ahead of the immediate day-to-day demands.”
While stating that the group is not advocating for an American-style health system, the article did note former CMA president Dr. Robert Ouellet has been promoting more private-sector role in the public health system, adding “that competition should be welcomed, not feared.”
NHC anyone?
Mr.obama, i hold from reforming health care,along with most americans,However, 1)You say the healthcare bill is going to control costs,that you will not support a bill without that.However,the house billl will in fact increase costs accoarding to the non partisan congress budget office(besides a whopping defecit),why then did you push for the plan to go through by august ,you shuold have immediately opposed the bill. 2)You have to be honest with us,you or your staff saying 47 million are uninsured is not exactly accurate.(cnn,(liberal)tried saying it’s around 14 million,and even then it means not fully covered)You are simply fueling fear tht illegal aliens will be covered,since it’s hard to reach that number without them.3)You promised a trasparent goverment.If bush would have come up with a vital bill like this,you would have said(rightly)that such a vital issue needs time to be reveiwed carefully.That the people should have time to see it,especially since it will only go in effect in 2013. A1,000 page bill like congress wanted to pass within a few days is not transparency. Do you blame me for being sceptikal?
Michali those news outlets are forms of entertainment, i’m sure you know that too. perhaps with exception of the WSJ. but Rush???? OMG
Groups like Politico and FactCheck.org do a pretty good job of putting the actual facts out there. The sensationalist media (cable news, tabloid newspapers, etc) are just ratcheting up the ratings. It is in their interest to keep “controversy” going.
Lets keep in mind that nearly every media outlet latched-on to this “death panel” story. That was until someone pointed out that nearly the exact same language was in the Republican Medicare Reform Bill that was signed into law by George W. Bush. Suddenly, you se that “death panel” argument disappear. Who cares that it was completely unsubstantiated and that people like Rush and Beck were actually telling full-fledged lies? They will find something else to make up tomorrow. Why can’t honest debate be had on this? Why does it always have to be fueled by lies and statistics that are spun to paint whatever picture either side is trying to paint.
Anyone who compares anything Bush did or anything Obama is doing to what the Nazis did is just stupid. These arguments are as silly as “Hitler flushed the toilet when he left the bathroom… Obama flushes his toilet too…. we are heading down the road of Hitler!” As far as I’m concerned, anyone who compares any of this to the Nazis or Hitler has no real argument to make, so they go for shock value like the entertainers on cable/radio news (on the left and right).
In their desperate attempt to smear Obama, right wingers — having exhausted every other name in the book — have now resorted to referring to Obama as Hitler.
While Obama may be many things, Hitler he is not. Cheapening the uniqueness of the monstrosity of Hitler and the Nazis by attributing their likeness to anyone you dislike, is the ultimate slap in the face to the millions of Jews that died under Nazi rule.
Speak to anyone that had anythging to do with the Nazis like my grandmother for example. Anyone who calls this country the Nazis, has never had a taste of the real thing.