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Health care reform and Slavery: Opposition to Change

Published by Pamela Gentry on Tuesday, December 8, 2009 at 12:01 am.

By Pamela Gentry, Senior Political Analyst

Dec. 7, 2009 – The Democrats must be getting close to reaching an agreement on health care reform if recent attacks on Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.) are any indication. 

Reid has been pushing hard and increasing pressure on the Republicans who are opposed to health care reform only for the sake of being “opposed.”  On Monday Reid hit back – and hit back hard, he liken their objections to reform and sticking with the status quo to lawmakers who opposed ending slavery.

 “Instead of joining us on the right side of history, all the Republicans can come up with is, ‘Slow down, stop everything, let’s start over,’ Reid said.

Republican called the attacked harsh – and want an apology from the usually mild mannered soft spoken Senate majority leader.  I’m not sure why he should apologize or to whom.

Republicans called on their African-American mouthpiece Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele to rebut Reid’s comments. That poses a bit of irony since Steele’s election to that position was to give the GOP an African-American spokesman to oppose the first African-American president at every turn.

Steele said, “To suggest that passing this horrible bill is anything akin to ridding our country of slavery is terribly offensive and calls into question Mr. Reid’s suitability to lead.”  Steele called Reid’s comments “absurd and offensive.”

I disagree with Steele, Reid is leading.  He’s leading a fight for those who can’t.  Reid was simply saying Republican are acting like and displaying the same mindset of the folks who defended slavery because they were opposed to changing a system that created an economic stronghold for a privileged at the expense of those who were not.

“When this country belatedly recognized the wrongs of slavery, there were those who dug in their heels and said, ‘Slow down, it’s too early, things aren’t bad enough,’”  Reid said.

I get the comparison.  

Now Republicans are lining up to express their outrage over the comments; but what about their outrage over the 40 million Americans without health care?  

In a statement, Reid’s spokesman Jim Manley said, “Today’s feigned outrage is nothing but a ploy to distract from the fact they have no plan to lower the cost of healthcare, stop insurance-company abuses or protect Medicare.”

“And for those who are counting, Republicans have now held one press conference on manufactured anger and have issued one manual on how to grind the Senate to a halt — but have held zero press conferences and issued zero plans on how to help Americans afford to live a healthy life,” Manley pointed out.

Monday evening Reid didn’t let up.  The Nevada senator released a statement calling his opponents out again. “As we have seen again and again, these Republicans like to pretend America’s health care crisis isn’t a problem.  They choose to ignore the fact that unfair and unchecked insurance company policies are forcing the very people these Senators represent to lose their homes, file for bankruptcy and even die. “ 

 

It looks like Reid isn’t letting up on his colleague across the aisle.

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Comments

Bama said on December 8th, 2009

Pamela it is increditble how you mislead your small blog sphere. To call Harry Reid mild mannered, the guy who called our troop murders and our President a liar you must be getting paid by him. It is funny that Reid chose his slavery comments when it was the Dems who opposed the abolishment of slavery and the Repubs who pushed for it. Pam we know you would not remind us of that. Steele is right this health care bill is a killer for black people and this country thats why the Dems want to push it though fast. Black people have unemployment at 17% and Obama is just now thinking about unemployment. Not having a job at christams time is hard you want to give presents to your family and friends. The Repubs has a plan for health care but the President and congress wants us to be slaves to them and their policies. Wake up black people, in your heart you know the truth.

jfffnn said on December 8th, 2009

Bama
It’s true that in the mid 1800s’ the Democratic party was pro – slavery,how ever if you fast forward to the mid 1960s’ you will realize that the pro segragtion Democrats in the south joined the Republican party under Richard Nixon’s southern strategy because Lyndon Johnson signed both the civil rights and voting rights act.

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PLANTATION said on December 8th, 2009

@ Bama . Wake To The Truth ! The Only Reason Racist Confederates Democrats and Republicans , Fought To Abolish Slavery , Was Because Their Hand Was Forced , For Economic Reasons ! Not Because Of Good Morals . Another Thing Southeners Celebrated When President Kennedy Was Killed !
Same Thing With Racist Segregation and Jim Crow . This Country Hand Was Forced Again . To Abolish Segregation ! The Whole World Watched On T.V. Police Dogs Attacking Blacks , Fire Fighters Attacking Blacks With Fire Hoses , Blacks Being Beaten By Racist Police ! Why , Because Blacks Wanted Equal Rights , To Use The Same Rest Room As Are White Bro & Sis , Sit In The Front Seat Of The Bus , Drink From The Same Water Faucets , To Be Served In White Restaurants . Right On ! For Universal Health Care ! :)

MAGGIEF said on December 8th, 2009

SENATOR REID IS RIGHT, THEY ARE DOING EVERYTHING POSSIBLE TO
KEEP THE PRESIDENT FROM BEING RIGHT. MR. STEELE IS JUST AS CRAZY AS THE ONES HE REPRESENTS. I GUARANTEE YOU HE HAS FAMILY MEMBERS WITH NO HEALTH CARE COVERAGE. JUST FOR THE RIGHT TO SAY THAT THEY MADE HIM FELL THEY WOULD LET THE WHOLE COUNTRY GO UNDER TO PROVE A POINT. AT THE END OF THE
DAY THE POINT IS YOU HAVE TO BE REELECTED BY THE SAME PEOPLE
YOU HAVE NEGLECTED.THEY CARELESS BECAUSE ALL OF THEM HAVE HEALTH INSURANCE FOR LIFE AND WE PAY FOR IT. TELL ME HOW DUMB SOME TAXPAYERS ARE WHEN THEY ACT A FOOL IN THOSE TOWN
HALL MEETINGS.

Blacks4Barack said on December 8th, 2009

Read article by:
Greg Jones
National Director
Blacks4Barack

” BEWARE of the Health Reform HOODWINKING ! ”

http://blacks4barack.blogspot.com/2009/12/opt-in-opt-out-co-op-trigger-medicare.html

David said on December 8th, 2009

You people get so worked up over rhetorician ,and Sen Harry Reid that no-good nitwit knows that .

jfffnn said on December 9th, 2009

David
I see your still reading the dictionary,anyhow there was nothing eloquent about the truth Sen.Reidspoke,it was just the basic truth whether you understand or agree or not.You calling him a nitwit hold no credence at all,infact you saying that was really STUPID.

Jay said on December 9th, 2009

The Republican party was born out of the Civil War and being the anti-slavery party. The Civil Rights act passed because of republicans not democrats. Enough of throwing the wrong people under the bus. Harry Reid has it all wrong. Take a look at Harry’s poll numbers in Nevada. He isn’t a well liked man.

billebob said on December 9th, 2009

Bottom line Harry Reid knows no matter what he says a large group of people will continue to vote Democrat.

David said on December 9th, 2009

Jfffnn your mother ,and I got married. Oscillate away from being oblivious that you have a Dad now.

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