The Democratic Party response to Republican disarray over health care is to step up its campaign for negotiations with the Republicans to pass a bipartisan bill that would “fix” Obamacare to make it even more punitive for working people and more profitable for the giant insurance companies. The statements of leading Democratic politicians and the editorials and commentaries in newspapers generally aligned with the Democrats, such as the New York Times and the Washington Post, make clear that the overriding focus of the establishment opposition party is the defense of the capitalist market and the interests of the health care industry, not the health care needs of working people.
On Tuesday, Democratic Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer held a press conference at which he spelled out his priorities. Denouncing the White House and congressional Republicans for “continuing to deny the insurance markets the certainty they need,” he said the GOP could “start today working with the Democrats…to stabilize the markets…”
Schumer endorsed a proposal from Democratic senators Thomas Carper and Tim Kaine (Hillary Clinton’s vice presidential running mate in 2016) to create a permanent “reinsurance” program for the individual health insurance market. One of the key demands of the insurance industry, such a program would provide billions in taxpayer funds to reimburse private insurers for high costs linked to care for particularly sick policyholders.
This call to “stabilize the insurance markets” has become the mantra of those factions of the political establishment and media calling for a bipartisan alternative to the Republican “repeal and replace” proposals. In none of the statements of leading Democrats or “liberal” newspapers can one find a call to expand medical coverage to the entire population, reject all proposals for cuts in already hopelessly inadequate benefits, or in any way rein in the profiteering and power of the insurance and pharmaceutical monopolies.
Nor are there clear statements opposing in principle the termination of Medicaid as an entitlement program—which everyone in the political and media establishment knows is the first step to dismantling and privatizing Medicare and Social Security.
You knew it would have a Hillary connection, didn't you?
What we need is Medicare for all.
This is C.I.'s "Iraq snapshot" for Thursday:
Thursday, July 20, 2017.
Since the discussion of human rights abuses -- War Crimes -- entered the press conversation regarding Mosul last week, there has been silence from the US government.
Turns out not all leaders of government are being silent. REUTERS reports:
German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Wednesday urged Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi to investigate alleged human rights abuses that occurred during military operations to regain control of the city of Mosul from Islamic State militants.
Merkel telephoned al-Abadi to congratulate him on the victory of U.S.-backed Iraqi forces in Mosul, calling it a "big step forward in the fight against Islamic State," her spokesman Steffen Seibert said in a statement.
The German leader also encouraged Abadi to investigate claims of human rights abuses that emerged after the military operations, Seibert said.
Hayder al-Abadi is the prime minister of Iraq.
He has not set a good example and his record is appalling.
This was noted by Human Rights Watch yesterday:
Despite repeated promises . . .
That is his record.
The same one as Nouri al-Maliki had before him.
Merkel has called out the abuses.
The US government has not.
Gwynne Dyer (RED DEER ADVOCATE) observes:
The shooting was still going on down by the river last week when Iraq’s Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi dropped by and prematurely declared that the battle for Mosul was over. He was misled by the various Iraqi army, police and militia units who were competing with one another to declare victory first, but now it really is over – and there is little left of Mosul.
The siege began on 17 October of last year, so it lasted nine months – longer than the Battle of Stalingrad. It probably killed more civilians, too, because the US-led air forces were used to compensate for the shortage of trained and motivated Iraqi ground forces.
On the issue of media coverage, Adam Johnson (FAIR) offers an analysis which includes:
Earlier this week, human rights group Amnesty International issued a lengthy report accusing US-backed forces of “repeated violations of international humanitarian law, some of which may amount to war crimes,” in Mosul, Iraq, causing the deaths of at least 3,700 civilians. Neither this report, nor the broader issue of the civilian toll in the US war against ISIS, has come close to penetrating US corporate media.
The only major radio or television outlet to report on Amnesty’s claims was NPR (7/12/17). While traditional print outlets, such as the New York Times and Washington Post, did run Reuters (7/11/17) and AP (7/12/17) articles, respectively, on the report, neither covered it themselves. Neither Amnesty’s charges, nor the broader issue of civilian deaths in Mosul, garnered any coverage in television news, with no mention on ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN or MSNBC.
The expulsion of ISIS from Mosul by the US-led coalition did receive coverage, but the US role in killing civilians was uniformly ignored.
Amnesty International actually issued the report two weeks ago (this snapshot was the first time we mentioned it).
The silence isn't just over broadcast media, it's also in State Dept press briefings. Mosul was frequently mentioned
The Amnesty report?
Nope.
The abuses?
Nope.
These are not broadcasts.
No reporter can whine, "My producer wouldn't air it."
This is when reporters can ask anything.
And they chose to ignore the issue.
They refused to press the US government on what was taking place.
It's exactly these moments that go to why the press is not respected.
They are pretending to do so much but they do so little.
Let's not this upcoming event.
Senator Johnny Isakson is the Chair of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee. Yesterday, his office issued the following statement on Senator John McCain:
The following community sites updated:
iraq iraq iraq iraq iraq iraq iraq iraq iraq iraq iraq iraqiraq iraq iraq iraq iraq iraq
iraq iraq iraq iraq iraq iraq iraq iraq iraq iraq iraq iraqiraq iraq iraq iraq iraq iraq
iraq iraq iraq iraq iraq iraq iraq iraq iraq iraq iraq iraqiraq iraq iraq iraq iraq iraq
iraq iraq iraq iraq iraq iraq iraq iraq iraq iraq iraq iraq iraq iraq iraq iraq iraq iraq
Since the discussion of human rights abuses -- War Crimes -- entered the press conversation regarding Mosul last week, there has been silence from the US government.
Turns out not all leaders of government are being silent. REUTERS reports:
German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Wednesday urged Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi to investigate alleged human rights abuses that occurred during military operations to regain control of the city of Mosul from Islamic State militants.
Merkel telephoned al-Abadi to congratulate him on the victory of U.S.-backed Iraqi forces in Mosul, calling it a "big step forward in the fight against Islamic State," her spokesman Steffen Seibert said in a statement.
The German leader also encouraged Abadi to investigate claims of human rights abuses that emerged after the military operations, Seibert said.
Hayder al-Abadi is the prime minister of Iraq.
He has not set a good example and his record is appalling.
This was noted by Human Rights Watch yesterday:
Despite repeated promises . . .
That is his record.
The same one as Nouri al-Maliki had before him.
Merkel has called out the abuses.
The US government has not.
Gwynne Dyer (RED DEER ADVOCATE) observes:
The shooting was still going on down by the river last week when Iraq’s Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi dropped by and prematurely declared that the battle for Mosul was over. He was misled by the various Iraqi army, police and militia units who were competing with one another to declare victory first, but now it really is over – and there is little left of Mosul.
The siege began on 17 October of last year, so it lasted nine months – longer than the Battle of Stalingrad. It probably killed more civilians, too, because the US-led air forces were used to compensate for the shortage of trained and motivated Iraqi ground forces.
On the issue of media coverage, Adam Johnson (FAIR) offers an analysis which includes:
Earlier this week, human rights group Amnesty International issued a lengthy report accusing US-backed forces of “repeated violations of international humanitarian law, some of which may amount to war crimes,” in Mosul, Iraq, causing the deaths of at least 3,700 civilians. Neither this report, nor the broader issue of the civilian toll in the US war against ISIS, has come close to penetrating US corporate media.
The only major radio or television outlet to report on Amnesty’s claims was NPR (7/12/17). While traditional print outlets, such as the New York Times and Washington Post, did run Reuters (7/11/17) and AP (7/12/17) articles, respectively, on the report, neither covered it themselves. Neither Amnesty’s charges, nor the broader issue of civilian deaths in Mosul, garnered any coverage in television news, with no mention on ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN or MSNBC.
The expulsion of ISIS from Mosul by the US-led coalition did receive coverage, but the US role in killing civilians was uniformly ignored.
Amnesty International actually issued the report two weeks ago (this snapshot was the first time we mentioned it).
The silence isn't just over broadcast media, it's also in State Dept press briefings. Mosul was frequently mentioned
The Amnesty report?
Nope.
The abuses?
Nope.
These are not broadcasts.
No reporter can whine, "My producer wouldn't air it."
This is when reporters can ask anything.
And they chose to ignore the issue.
They refused to press the US government on what was taking place.
It's exactly these moments that go to why the press is not respected.
They are pretending to do so much but they do so little.
Let's not this upcoming event.
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Senator Johnny Isakson is the Chair of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee. Yesterday, his office issued the following statement on Senator John McCain:
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., today released the following statement regarding U.S. Senator John McCain, R-Ariz.:
“John McCain is an American hero and one of the greatest Americans of my generation. He, Cindy and the entire McCain family are in my prayers. God bless John McCain.”
###
The following community sites updated:
iraq iraq iraq iraq iraq iraq iraq iraq iraq iraq iraq iraqiraq iraq iraq iraq iraq iraq
iraq iraq iraq iraq iraq iraq iraq iraq iraq iraq iraq iraqiraq iraq iraq iraq iraq iraq
iraq iraq iraq iraq iraq iraq iraq iraq iraq iraq iraq iraqiraq iraq iraq iraq iraq iraq
iraq iraq iraq iraq iraq iraq iraq iraq iraq iraq iraq iraq iraq iraq iraq iraq iraq iraq
