Issue #97

by Art Kelly

1. In the 90 days since Obamacare was enacted into law, liberals have made some progress in trying to convince voters that the plan is not too bad.

The latest Rasmussen Reports found that a solid 55% of the American people want to repeal Obamacare (including 47% feel strongly about this), while 40% want to keep it (including 32% who feel strongly about this). 5% are undecided.

But the 55% for repeal of Obamacare has declined from 63% favoring repeal on May 24 to 60% on May 31 to 58% on June 7 and again on June 14.

It’s not surprising there have been some modest gains in public opinion for Obamacare in light of the taxpayers-funded propaganda mailing that was sent to all seniors and the Democratic Party public relations campaign in support of the new law.

Furthermore, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is spending $1 million to buy radio commercials ostensibly to warn seniors about Medicare fraud. But the 60-second version of the commercial says, “The new Affordable Care Act contains some important benefits for Medicare beneficiaries.” The first line of 30-second version says, “The new Affordable Care Act offers important new benefits to people with Medicare.”

If the campaign were solely to prevent Medicare fraud, all radio stations would provide free time for public service announcements. But the taxpayers-funded ads clearly have a partial political agenda.

Kathleen Sebelius, Secretary of HHS, said, “In addition to this outreach and education media campaign, we are working with organizations across the country to ensure seniors know where to turn to get information about the new law and their Medicare benefits.”

Despite the 8% drop in support for repeal of Obamacare, Republicans have not been idle in fighting back.

Congressman Dave Camp (R-MI), the ranking minority member on the House Ways and Means Committee, produced a refutation of the government propaganda, Obama Medicare Mailer to Seniors Heavy on Rhetoric, Light on Facts. The problem is that Camp could not send his report to all seniors in America. Thus, all seniors received the government mailing but none received the other side from Camp.

House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) has just produced a new report, Obamcare: Three Months of Broken Promises.

Some of the topics in Boehner’s 43-page booklet include facts on how Obamacare is requring devstating cuts in seniors’ benefits; increasing health care costs; increasing the federal deficit; raising taxes on middle class families and small businesses; and provding for taxpayers-funded abortions on demand.

It was unclear what distribution Boehner plans for his report but said, “Our fight for reform, for freedom, and for common-sense is far from over.”

2. The Fox Nation website posted an very inspiring video of a former Marine at a Tea Party rally singing the fourth stanza of the Star Spangled Banner, which states in part:

Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto: "In God is our trust."
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

The complete lyrics of the national anthem are online at Wikipedia.