DCCC Fuel For the Turkey Day Food Fight

As you head out over the river and through the woods to grandmother's house for a fine Thanksgiving turkey, consider yourself forewarned that cousin Cathy and Aunt Alice, the family flaming libs, have been armed with Democrat talking points to stoke the fire in the annual Thanksgiving political brawl.   Control issues much?  The downloadable cheat sheet gives a list of potential myths the family conservatives might trot out and supplies the family liberals with "facts" for effective "myth-busting."


 First off, the term myths, as used by liberals, requires an Inigo Montoya retort: " You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means."  The cheat sheet begins with the "myth" "Democrats haven't done anything this year."  The DCCC provides the following facts to prove "House Democrats and President Obama have delivered more progress for America this year than George Bush and the Republicans did in the last eight."  For your convenience I have included a sample snarky response, in red of course,  in case someone in the family comes bearing a  DCCC cheat sheet:

•  The Economic Recovery and Reinvestment Act to save and create millions of jobs and provide the largest middle class tax cut in history.  Creating imaginary jobs in imaginary congressional districts was quite the feat wasn't it?  Let's see if we can borrow another trillion and imagine our way to full employment.
•  Improving and expanding health care by providing affordable health care for 11 million children, guaranteeing advance funding for veterans’ medical care, and lifting the ban on stem cell research.  True, 167 Republicans joined with Democrats to pass the Veterans Health Care Budget Reform and Transparency Act. This is proof that Republicans are not the party of no and will support legislation that provides tangible benefits.  Stem cell research has yet to prove whether lifting the ban accomplishes anything at all.   Nothing warms the cuckolds of the chilly conservative heart more than denying children health care.  Call us crazy that we prefer to see the neediest US children insured rather than adults who can afford care.  The fact there is no requirement for citizenship verification prior to receiving benefits should have been a tip off what was to come in the "Affordable" health care reforms from the House and Senate.  
• The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act to finally ensure that women earn equal pay for equal work.  Again, denying women fair pay is up there with denying children health care on the list of things that make mean conservatives gleeful.  Chances are the women who benefit most from Lilly Ledbetter are women trial attorneys.  We all know how much Democrats love the trial lawyers.
• A credit card holders’ bill of rights to end unfair and anti-competitive practices. Limiting penalties to the riskiest borrowers worked out so well in the housing market, didn't it?  Only Democrats would think  extending the principles to credit cards makes perfect sense. 
• The House passing landmark legislation to fight climate change, create green jobs, and invest in clean energy.  Did I miss something, is this law now?  I wonder why it is stewing on the backburner  in the Senate if it is such a fabulous law.
•  And most recently: The House passing the most sweeping health insurance reforms in over a century to finally make health insurance affordable for the middle class.  cue Inigo Montoya

Myth: Health Insurance Reform will be a “government takeover.”
FACT: Non-partisan PolitiFact.com calls this FALSE. Reform will not force anyone out of private coverage they already have. Instead, it will create an option to join a public plan. According to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), only 12 million would join the public option – with 15 million MORE Americans enrolled in private plans in 2019.
 The government currently controls 60% of the health care industry.  Increasing government's role puts us well on the path to government run health care no matter what numbers get tossed around to refute that fact.  Surely if competing against the referee leads to greater competition, professional sports would have adopted the practice long ago.   Lastly, the idea a government run program would somehow be a lean competitor is laughable.  

Myth: Reform will add to the deficit.
FACT: CBO found that the House health care reform bill will actually REDUCE the deficit by $30 billion.
What happens when they add the "doc fix" Pelosi buried in the rules into the scoring?  Answer: The bill adds $89 billion to the deficit.

Myth: Reform will lead to cuts in basic Medicare benefits and services.
FACT: AARP calls these scare tactics “false.” They concluded that, “[n]one of the health care reform proposals being considered by Congress would cut Medicare benefits or increase your out-of-pocket costs for Medicare services.”  Instead, the bill reduces inefficiency and roots out waste and fraud.
Anyone listening to the AARP deserves what they get.  AARP plans to provide the additional coverage needed to make up from the cuts in Medicare benefits and services.  They stand to make a mint off this reform at the expense of their own customers.  BTW, if there is so much inefficiency, waste and fraud, by all means go after it and root it out, don't let us stop you.

Myth: “2010 will be 1994 all over again for the Republicans.”
FACT: Unlike 1994, the latest polling shows how negatively most Americans view today’s Republican Party:
For all their faults, Republicans now have a 7 point lead over Democrats on the Congressional Ballot.  Among  Independents, Republicans have a 24 point lead over Democrats.  To think it only took 10 months to remind Independents that no matter what problems Republicans have, Democrats are worse.  Those mashed potatoes on your face really brings out the color of your eyes though.

Now can someone pass the turkey?  No, I don't mean the health care bill.  
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