Cross posted to the MRC's NewsBusters blog
On Sunday's MSNBC Live, host Yasmin Vossoughian gave Pennsylvania Democratic Senator Bob Casey to excoriate Republicans for supporting a strikedown of ObamaCare as the Pennsylvania Democratic hyperbolically claimed to Republicans are "obsessed with destroying health care" by opposing the law.
He further invoked Nazi Germany era terminology as he accused Republicans of promoting a "big lie" about their desire to replace ObamaCare.
Vossoughian began the segment by recalling polling finding that half of Americans want to wait until after the election to make an appointment to the U.S. Supreme Court, although respondents were about evenly split on whether they support confirming Judge Amy Coney Barrett. The MSNBC host asked Senator Casey how Democrats plan to try to halt the confirmation process, leading him to tear into the possibility of her being appointed:
First of all, I oppose her nomination, and the fundamental reason is the Affordable Care Act. The obsession Republicans have with rushing her nomination is all about that case, which will be argued on November 10th. I don't want a Supreme Court justice that's going to vote to destroy the Affordable Care Act and thereby eliminate all the protections for preexisting conditions for five and a half million Pennsylvanians.
He then accused Republicans of wanting to "destroy" health care:
So my plan -- our plan is to make sure that people know what is at stake for their families -- for their lives -- but you can tell, even in the midst of this crisis, where the leader of the Republican party -- the President whom we hope gets better and back on the campaign trail and recovered fully. But even as he has a preexisting condition now and other Senators are being impacted by it. They want to rush it through because they want to take on the case and destroy the Affordable Care Act. They are obsessed with destroying health care by way of that law.
Instead of pushing back by bringing up any arguments in favor of striking down the law, Vossoughian followed up by bringing up the issue of how coronavirus outbreak hitting three Senators would effect the process. Later, she asked if any Republican Senators had presented a replacement plan for ObamaCare, and merely accepted his word when he responded:
No, look, this is the big lie. This has been the Republican line for a decade. They don't have any replacement because there is no replacement. The only thing we should be doing in this country in addition to protecting what we've gained with the Affordable Care Act -- more than 20 million got coverage and tens of millions got protections they didn't have before. What we should be doing is growing the number of people who have health care, you know, focusing on universal coverage. But they have no plan -- it's never been a priority...
After Senator Casey answered her final question by declaring that the Republican push to end ObamaCare is "crazy" and "un-American," Vossoughian merely wrapped up the segment with no counterargument.
This propaganda-laced episode of MSNBC Live with Yasmin Vossoughian was sponsored by Keeps. Their contact information is linked.
MSNBC
MSNBC Live
October 4, 2020
3:24 p.m. Eastern
YASMIN VOSSOUGHIAN: If we know Lindsey Graham and Mitch McConnell, they are full-speed ahead with this thing, so what is your plan going forward and other Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee to stop them?
SENATOR BOB CASEY (D-PA): Well, Yasmin, first of all, I oppose her nomination, and the fundamental reason is the Affordable Care Act. The obsession Republicans have with rushing her nomination is all about that case, which will be argued on November 10th. I don't want a Supreme Court justice that's going to vote to destroy the Affordable Care Act and thereby eliminate all the protections for preexisting conditions for five and a half million Pennsylvanians.
So my plan -- our plan is to make sure that people know what is at stake for their families -- for their lives -- but you can tell, even in the midst of this crisis, where the leader of the Republican party -- the President whom we hope gets better and back on the campaign trail and recovered fully. But even as he has a preexisting condition now and other Senators are being impacted by it. They want to rush it through because they want to take on the case and destroy the Affordable Care Act. They are obsessed with destroying health care by way of that law.
VOSSOUGHIAN: I want to talk about the logistics of this thing. So we have the dates in line here, right? Lindsey Graham -- the Senate Judiciary chair -- has proposed at the beginning of this process and hearings being October 12th, and October 26th for the vote to happen -- one week before the election. That is a really quick timeline. You have two Senators on your committee who have tested positive. Let's just talk about the health and safety of Senators first, right? You cannot -- you cannot show up in person if one is on the Senate Judiciary Committee with two positive Senators, especially if you look at the timeline from when they tested positive to when they actually want to begin these Senate hearings.
(Senator Bob Casey argues against rushing a nominee through and accuses Republicans of "hypocrisy" after refusing to confirm Merrick Garland in 2016.)
VOSSOUGHIAN: Have you heard any plans to replace the Affordable Care Act? Because we've heard from this President on a repeated basis that he wants to get rid of the Affordable Care Act. One of the reasons he nominated Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court is because he wants this done in November when it will all be heard by the Supreme Court. He continues to say that he has a replacement for the Affordable Care Act that will be cheaper, as he says, for Americans, that will include preexisting conditions, but, yet, he has had no plan for this thing. Has there been any discussion from any of your Republican colleagues in the Senate that they have a plan to replace the Affordable Care Act if, in fact, it's overturned in the Supreme Court?
SENATOR CASEY: No, look, this is the big lie. This has been the Republican line for a decade. They don't have any replacement because there is no replacement. The only thing we should be doing in this country in addition to protecting what we've gained with the Affordable Care Act -- more than 20 million got coverage and tens of millions got protections they didn't have before. What we should be doing is growing the number of people who have health care, you know, focusing on universal coverage. But they have no plan -- it's never been a priority...
...You'd think they'd want to move on from their obsession on the Affordable Care Act, but that's what they're all about. And we've got to make sure that the people know what is at stake for their lives and their families. I can't tell you the number of Pennsylvanians who have children with severe, profound disabilities coming to us saying, "I thought we settled this in 2017 when the repeal bill went down," and here we are again. One mother telling me this week, "Now, I have to suit up again for battle." That is crazy, un-American. We should be moving forward on health care instead of going backward giving insurance companies more power.
VOSSOUGHIAN: Senator Bob Casey of Pennsylvania, thank you as always, sir.
. patrick.goodenough
