Filmmaker Michael Moore has made Health Care a hot issue with his new documentary film Sicko. The top three democrats have released their own comprehensive plans (Look inside Obama & Clintons) and plenty of Republicans have a lot of things to say about the film and what they term “socialized medicine”.
“Frankly, Michael Moore is an example of why the health care system costs so much in this country. He clearly is one of the reasons that we have a very expensive system. I know that from my own personal experience,” said Huckabee, who lost more than 110 pounds and became an avid runner after he was diagnosed with diabetes.
“I know how much more my health care cost when I didn’t take care of myself than when I do take care of myself, not only in terms of doctor visits but regular diseases, illnesses, chronic things that come up, monthly prescription bills,” Huckabee said. “All of those things have gone dramatically down since I’ve taken care of myself and worked to live a healthier lifestyle.”
Sen. John McCain’s presidential campaign is in debt, again. Campaign sources say that the balance sheet reported to the Federal Election Commission on July 15 will include debts of more than $1.5M, including $700,000 owed to an e-technology firm.
In the meantime, McCain plans an aggressive late-summer / early fall schedule of fundraisers to keep money flowing to the campaign. Sources said that about $1.5M per month will be allocated to all overhead costs — staff salaries, field offices, equipment, travel — and the rest will be saved for late-cycle television advertisements.
This could turn out to be nothing but David D. Kirkpatrick & Michael Cooper writing in the NY Times found what could be a Senate ethics violation by John McCain.
About 3 p.m. Tuesday, Senator John McCain ducked off the Senate floor, entered the Republican cloakroom and took out his mobile phone. Just hours after accepting the resignation of his two top campaign aides, he was making a conference call to his top fund-raisers to urge them to keep up the fight.
The call, however, may only have exacerbated an already tough week for Mr. McCain. Senate ethics rules expressly forbid lawmakers to engage in campaign activities inside Senate facilities. If Mr. McCain solicited campaign contributions on a call from government property, that would be a violation of federal criminal law as well.
McCain was well aware of the rules. Ten years ago he led Republican calls for an independent prosecutor to investigate accusations of violations of the same rules by Vice President Al Gore. Mr. McCain went on to make the episode a cornerstone of both his 2000 Republican primary campaign and his argument for the McCain-Feingold campaign finance law.
Matt David, a spokesman for the McCain campaign, confirmed that Mr. McCain made the phone call from the cloakroom. Mr. David said Mr. McCain used his campaign cellphone and did not specifically ask the fund-raisers for campaign contributions, which would have been a crime. And the spokesman sought to distinguish Mr. McCain’s call, made as he was managing the Republican side of a fierce Senate debate over the Iraq war, from the accusations once made against Mr. Gore.
If I were, lets say the Ron Paul or Tom Tancredo camp I would jump all over this. The reports not long ago that McCain had been ditching Senate votes to campaign are a nice backdrop to throw in “and when he does make it to work I hear Mr. McCain is breaking ethics rules. Maybe you should stay out on the campaign trail Senator.”
Like I said it could end up being nothing but it helps with the ongoing narrative that McCain is desperate and not straight with the American people.
The Associated Press is reporting “Republican presidential hopeful Sam Brownback is hitting the campaign trail with the brother of the late Terri Schiavo, whose fate touched off a political firestorm over government intervention and end-of-life issues.”
I keep hearing about how user participation in digital democracy will revolutionize the debate and change the political landscape. Then I see things like this:
Yes I know there is more to this than Obamagirl & Hot 4 Hill etc. al. and there are nice podcasts and vlogs and Facebook apps out there. Still aside from the money raising I don’t see the revolution.
