On September 29, 2009, Representative Alan Grayson (D-FL) addressed Congress and explained the Republican health care plan. Republicans had their panties in such a bunch over what he had to say, that they threw a gold star hissy fit. Nevertheless, Grayson’s analysis has been proven correct in a manner beyond question. First, here’s Alan Grayson.
The Supreme Court’s highly anticipated ruling on Obama’s healthcare reforms could come any day now. Whatever the verdict, expect much ado about the hotly debated role of broccoli in healthcare and arcane explanations of the Commerce Clause that is at the center of the legal case against the individual mandate. But buried deep in hearings filled with legalese and judicial sparring was a short exchange that illuminates an American ideal that truly hangs in the balance with this decision—the idea that in a civilized society, we do not sit idly by and watch our neighbors die.
The specific back-and-forth in question occurred on the third day of the hearings between Justice Antonin Scalia and Solicitor General Donald Verilli, the Administration official charged with defending the law in court. It went like this.
GENERAL VERRILLI: No. It’s because you’re going — in the health care market, you’re going into the market without the ability to pay for what you get, getting the health care service anyway as a result of the social norms that allow — that — to which we’ve obligated ourselves so that people get health care.
JUSTICE SCALIA: Well, don’t obligate yourself to that. Why — you know?
GENERAL VERRILLI: Well, I can’t imagine that that — that the Commerce Clause would —would forbid Congress from taking into account this deeply embedded social norm.
JUSTICE SCALIA: You — you could do it.
If you are not a frequent watcher of the Court and therefore not fluent in the cadences of judicial banter, this short, seemingly banal interchange in an exhaustive debate may not have even registered. The “deeply embedded social norm” that Verilli refers to—in fact seems confused that he has to explain to Justice Scalia—is the norm that dictates that people will step in to aid others who are ailing or in danger of death.
Scalia’s statement that “You could do it [defy these norms]” eerily evoked the appalling moment at the September 2011 Republican Presidential Debate when the audience wildly applauded Wolf Blitzer’s stunned probing of whether candidate Ron Paul would allow a thirty-year old uninsured man in a health care emergency to die. “Yes!” shouted unashamed audience members turning a Presidential debate into something reminiscent of the Roman Colosseum. When Justice Scalia argued against the social norms that Verilli was presuming sacrosanct, he was essentially saying “let him die!”… [emphasis added]
Inserted from <The Nation>
That bags it! One cannot find a person more representative of Republican social ideology than Antonin Scalia, and Scalia could not have confirmed Grayson more definitively. I have to wonder how such misanthropic monsters came to sit on the US Supreme Court, but I know the answer. They are there because Republicans appointed them. It is mandatory that Republicans get no more opportunities to appoint Supreme Court Justices. To do that, the White House must stay GOP free.
14 Responses to “Proof That Alan Grayson Was Right”
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It is so very true and so very scary– Scalia is a Monster–The Republicans have appointed a SCOTUS loaded with Monsters-
Indeed. 4½ of them.
"Representative Alan Grayson (D-FL) will get my vote in Florida for Congress…
I love his 2009 speech in Congress, Republican Health Care Plan – Don't get Sick…. Priceless…
Please do everything you can to help him win.
A good acronym for the four SCOTUS "justices" who are actively shredding our Constitution (but not in order of their despicability): RATS Roberts Alito Thomas Scalia Scalia has a new book coming out where he now takes a stand against how Wickard v. Filburn was decided … even though he has been for it – and cited it – as recently as 2005. From this New York Times book review on his Flip-Flopping, it's clear by Scalia's own words that he's exercising the Humpty Dumpty Doctrine: “When I use a word, it means just what I choose it to mean — neither more nor less.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/16/us/in-scalias-new-book-hints-of-health-ruling.html
The gibberish of Anton Scalia! This Injustice is a boil on the ass of SCOTUS and must be excised asap! Very scary individual, as are Thomas, Alito and Roberts. Love your acronym, Nameless! Thanks for the article.
I guess that the SOB is saying that he's right by definition.
Alan Grayson certainly was prophetic, especially when you consider that first Republican/Teabagger debate when the audience yelled "Let him die." and Ron Paul hesitatingly re-affirmed that invective.
Republican/Teabagger Healthcare Plan: 1) Don't get sick. 2) If you do get sick, die quickly.
The Republican/Teabagger healthcare sounds like a eugenics plan. The rich can afford private healthcare. But for the poor or middle class, healthcare insurance is beyond their reach.
SCOTUS, which should be non partisan, is very partisan — Scalia, Thomas, Alito and Roberts in lockstep with the Republican/Teabaggers, four others doing what they are supposed to do — remain non partisan, and one that swings both ways.
Indeed it does, Lynn. The fewer mud people there are, the more there is for the best and the brightest.. That sums up their view.
REALITY!! And A Fix for Unemployment, Homelessness and Hunger In addition to fixing healthcare the right way we need a NewDeal. We need a permanent and updated FDR WPA (Works Progress Administration). A Full employment act requiring the government to provide a job for everyone able to work that wants to work at a living wage or better. At safe, meaningful work where they live. Guaranteed by the US government. With free or very affordable excellent healthcare and free or very affordable education and training for advancement or just personal enrichment. ( http://my.firedoglake.com/iflizwerequeen/2011/05/16/how-about-a-little-truth-about-what-the-majority-want-for-health-care/ ) ( Gov. Peter Shumlin: Real Healthcare reform — http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8yFUbkVCsZ4 ) ( Health Care Budget Deficit Calculator — http://www.cepr.net/calculators/hc/hc-calculator.html ) ( Briefing: Dean Baker on Boosting the Economy by Saving Healthcare http://t.co/fmVz8nM ) START NOW! As you all know. Had congress passed a single-payer or government-run robust Public Option CHOICE! available to everyone on day one, our economy and jobs would have taken off like a rocket. And still will. Single-payer would be best. But a government-run robust Public Option CHOICE! that can lead to a single-payer system is the least you can accept. It's not about competing with for-profit healthcare and for-profit health insurance. It's about replacing it with Universal Healthcare Assurance. Everyone knows this now. The message from the midterm elections was clear. The American people want real healthcare reform. They want that individual mandate requiring them to buy private health insurance abolished. And they want a government-run robust public option CHOICE! available to everyone on day one. And they want it now. They want Drug re-importation, and abolishment, or strong restrictions on patents for biologic and prescription drugs. And government controlled and negotiated drug and medical cost. They want back control of their healthcare system from the Medical Industrial Complex. And they want it NOW! THE AMERICAN PEOPLE WILL NOT, AND MUST NOT, ALLOW AN INDIVIDUAL MANDATE TO STAND WITHOUT A STRONG GOVERNMENT-RUN PUBLIC OPTION CHOICE! AVAILABLE TO EVERYONE. For-profit health insurance is extremely unethical, and morally repugnant. It's as morally repugnant as slavery was. And few if any decent Americans are going to allow them-self to be compelled to support such an unethical and immoral crime against humanity. This is a matter of National and Global security. There can be NO MORE EXCUSES. Further, we want that corrupt, undemocratic filibuster abolished. Whats the point of an election if one corrupt member of congress can block the will of the people, and any legislation the majority wants. And do it in secret. Give me a break people. Also, unemployment healthcare benefits are critically needed. But they should be provided through the Medicare program at cost, less the 65% government premium subsidy provided now to private for profit health insurance. Congress should stop wasting hundreds of millions of dollars of taxpayer money on private for profit health insurance subsidies. Subsidies that cost the taxpayer 10x as much or more than Medicare does. Private for profit health insurance plans cost more. But provide dangerous and poorer quality patient care. Republicans: GET RID OF THE INDIVIDUAL MANDATE. Democrats: ADD A ROBUST GOVERNMENT-RUN PUBLIC OPTION TO HEALTHCARE REFORM. This is what the American people are shouting at you. Both parties have just enough power now to do what the American people want. GET! IT! DONE! NOW! If congress does not abolish the individual mandate. And establish a government-run public option CHOICE! before the end of 2011. EVERY! member of congress up for reelection in 2012 will face strong progressive pro public option, and anti-individual mandate replacement candidates. Strong progressive pro "PUBLIC OPTION" CHOICE! and anti-individual mandate volunteer candidates should begin now. And start the process of replacing any and all members of congress that obstruct, or fail to add a government-run robust PUBLIC OPTION CHOICE! before the end of 2011. We need two or three very strong progressive volunteer candidates for every member of congress that will be up for reelection in 2012. You should be fully prepared to politically EVISCERATE EVERY INCUMBENT that fails or obstructs "THE PUBLIC OPTION". And you should be willing to step aside and support the strongest pro "PUBLIC OPTION" candidate if the need arises. ASSUME CONGRESS WILL FAIL and SELLOUT again. So start preparing now to CUT THEIR POLITICAL THROATS. You can always step aside if they succeed. But only if they succeed. We didn't have much time to prepare before these past midterm elections. So the American people had to use a political shotgun approach. But by 2012 you will have a scalpel. Congress could have passed a robust government-run public option during it's lame duck session. They knew what the American people wanted. They already had several bills on record. And the house had already passed a public option. Departing members could have left with a truly great accomplishment. And the rest of you could have solidified your job before the 2012 elections. President Obama, you promised the American people a strong public option available to everyone. And the American people overwhelmingly supported you for it. Maybe it just wasn't possible before. But it is now. Knock heads. Threaten people. Or do whatever you have to. We will support you. But get us that robust public option CHOICE! available to everyone on day one before the end of 2011. Or We The People Of The United States will make the past midterm election look like a cake walk in 2012. And it will include you. We still have a healthcare crisis in America. With hundreds of thousands dieing needlessly every year in America. And a for profit medical industrial complex that threatens the security and health of the entire world. They have already attacked the world with H1N1 killing thousands, and injuring millions. And more attacks are planned for profit, and to feed their greed. Spread the word people. Progressives, prepare the American peoples scalpels. It's time to remove some politically diseased tissues. God Bless You my fellow human beings. I'm proud to be one of you. You did good. See you on the battle field. Sincerely jacksmith – WorkingClass 🙂
Welcome Jack. 🙂
I agree with most of what you say, but we do need an individual mandate. People who choose not to be insured freeload off the rest of us every time they go to the emergency room, increasing our costs. Scalia's solution is to refuse to treat them and let them die. There is an individual mandate for Medicare, and that is the right way to do it.
Alan Grayson is a frequent guest on the Stephanie Miller Show on Current every AM. I'm beginning to fall in love with the man. He always spoke up for the masses while in Congress. Please let him win his next election to be a voice of the people once again.
Amen Patty!
We need to get Grayson back. I so agree TomCat