Countering the Obama Healthcare Strategy: Grassroots vs Grassroots

Dear Readers: My Southern California Tax Revolt Coalition Team has been busy. Many of our members have attended the Obamacare grassroots meetings to better understand how the current administration plans to socialize American Healthcare. The post represents our team’s preliminary report.

(Hat-tip to Michelle Malkin for the artwork)

“Organizing For America,” has been hosting grassroots meetings to discuss strategy for selling socialized health care to the average American voter. Many of you graciously volunteered to attend these meetings and this is a short summary of what was reported:

1. They are trying to pressure legislators in the U.S House and; Senate to hurry and pass health care reform (H.R. 676) before they recess in August.

2. They don’t want to hear solutions. They don’t care for ideas. They just want socialized medicine.

3. The group of 13 people were age 40+ (all with some prevailing health ailment be it over weight or very old).

4. The group is trying to get people to sympethize with their stories of health care gone bad, and have these individuals blindly follow them to socialised healthcare.

5. They are planning a rally on June 27 – and the liberal media has been notified (They are trying to steel the Tea Party Portests thunder planned for the 4th of July by changing the subject).

I’m guessing the 13 in the group I saw can only canvass a few neighborhoods before August. If Obama can’t get healthcare reform passed by then, it sounds like he’s going to give up on it. The group leader said “Now or never”.

There are a few things we, as American citizens can do, to counter this insanity:

1) BE PREPARED FOR THE CHALLENGE. A free market healthcare system is ultimately more compassionate than a single payer ideal.

Counter with examples of how socialized medicine is less compassionate and less effective than the current one (which has problems more associated with too little free market than too much; hat-tip to our compatriot organization, Stop Taxing Us).

Founding Bloggers has developed a list, with links, of healthcare headlines from the “single payer” Great Britain system. The blog also provides links that offer further details. Here is a sample:

* NHS ‘failings’ over elderly falls:3/25/2009 [BBC]
* Learning disabled ‘failed by NHS’: 3/24/2009 [BBC]
* Cancer survivor confronts the health secretary on 62-day wait: 3/21/2009 [The Scotsman]
* Culture of targets prevents nurses from tending to patients: 3/21/2009 [Telegraph UK]
* Children being failed by health system, says head of watchdog: 3/21/2009 [Guardian Unlimited]
* Our cancer shame: Survival rates still lag behind EU despite spending billions: 3/20/2009 [Daily Mail(UK)]

Add that to –

* Such stories as British patients not allowed to get macular degeneration medicine to prevent blindness until AFTER they go blind in one eye, and

* Indications of greater iniquity of treatment in both the British and Canadian systems between the wealthy and the less-well off.

.. and you have the makings of a real healthcare disaster that will dwarf the devastation caused by the Spanish flu.

2) BE VISIBLE, TOO! Below is a list of our local events. Make sure you participate in a local one; for further information on the Southern California Tax Revolt Coaltion’s umbrella group (Tea Party Patriots) so that you can find a local July 4th event, CLICK HERE!

The Inland Empire Tea Party organizers are hosting a huge family friendly FLAG DAY celebration! this is going to be a GREAT EVENT!!!

FLAG DAY
Sun., June 14th
3-7 PM
9090 MILLIKEN AVE
(7th St/Milliken Ave- behind Gandolfo’s Deli)
Rancho Coucamonga, CA
NO COST TO ATTEND!

Included: Music! Citizen and Community Speakers! Dancing, Fun, Excitement! Area Business, Organization, and Radio Booths! SmartGirl Politics, Air1, and many others! Kids’ Lemonade Stand and More Activities! Raffle Prizes! BBQ & Soft Drinks available for purchase! Bring your own lawn/folding chairs or blankets, please! No signs or flags necessary–this is a celebration, not a protest.

Special guest speaker Mr. Ted Hayes

http://www.facebook.com/l/;http://tedhayes.us/

http://www.facebook.com/l/;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ted_Hayes

See all of you there! RSVP:

http://www.facebook.com/inbox/readmessage.php?t=89756944694&mbox_pos=0#/event.php?eid=98189600468

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INDEPENDENCE DAY TEA PARTIES

CENTRAL VALLEY
Host: Central Valley Tea Party Committee headed up by Melissa Courtney.
Sat. July 4
9:00 AM to 2:00 PM
Tulare Ag Expo
teaparty@http://www.facebook.com/l/;centralvalleyteaparty.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=75420300953

CONTRA COSTA COUNTY
Sat., July 4
12:00
Brentwood City Hall

http://www.new.facebook.com/pages/Brentwood-CA/Contra-Costa-County-Independence-Day-TEA-Party/75372071374?sid=5a41dde2befd91003b3597f3d5db3d12&ref=search#/pages/Brentwood-CA/Contra-Costa-County-Independence-Day-TEA-Party/75372071374?ref=mf

EL CAJON
Sat. July 4
11:00 am-2:00pm
Renette Park
935 Emerald Avenue
El Cajon, CA
619-659-9326
bwillis@http://www.facebook.com/l/;scfsecurities.com

EL CERRITO
Sat. July 4
10:30am-3:00pm
Moesser & Richmond Ave.
El Cerrito, CA
Virginia Fuller

http://www.facebook.com/l/;510.758.5854

ESCONDIDO
North County Conservatives
Sun. June 28
2:00pm
Grape Day Park

http://www.facebook.com/l/;http://www.northcountyconservatives.org/

http://www.facebook.com/events.php?ref=sb#/event.php?eid=81017628066

GLENDALE
Fri., July 3
3:00pm-7:00pm
The Jeffers Estate
1823 Foothill Blvd.
La Canada, CA 91011
This is family friendly festival style event- music, memories from our Founding Fathers and Mothers, plus surprises for the kids! Hamburgers, Hotdogs and Drinks. $10.00 per person. You don’t want to miss this tea-rific kick-off to the holiday weekend. Bring blankets and/or chairs.
RESERVATIONS REQUIRED:
debidevens@http://www.facebook.com/l/;earthlink.net

INLAND EMPIRE
Sat. July 4
8am to 8pm
Location TBA

http://www.facebook.com/l/;http://TeaPartyIE.com

Laura Boatright
909-297-6020

LOS ANGELES
Sat., July 4
12:00pm – 2:00pm
Location: TBA
Repeal the Pork!
Learn the Constitution!

http://www.facebook.com/l/;310.387.6900

teapartyla@http://www.facebook.com/l/;gmail.com

http://www.new.facebook.com/event.php?eid=71311168591

SIMI VALLEY
Sat., July 4
10:00am-1:00pm
Rancho Simi Park
1765 Royal Ave.
Simi Valley
@ the Amphitheater
We have a ‘LIVE’ band! Flashback http://www.facebook.com/l/;http://www.dickwells.com/Welcome_Singer.html
A guest Veteran speaker, and conservative Internet radio talk show host from The JimmyZ Show http://www.facebook.com/l/;http://thejimmyzshow.blogspot.com/
Bring your signs focused on freedom as well ‘Tax Issues’

SAN DIEGO
HOST: San Diego Tea Party Meetup (Re-Tea Party)
Sat. July 4
Location and time: TBA

http://www.facebook.com/l/;http://www.meetup.com/San-Diego-Tea-Party/

SANTA BARBARA
Sat. July 4
Time: TBA
County Courthouse
1100 Anacapa Street
Santa Barbara, CA 93101
Parade & Rally
Bring your own signs.
Wear comfortable shoes.
Be ready to make new friends.

http://www.facebook.com/l/;http://www.santabarbarateaparty.com

info@http://www.facebook.com/l/;santabarbarateaparty.com
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UPDATE: Via Michelle Malkin, here is a similar report:

I came away from this meeting with a renewed confidence that Obama would not be able to rely on his loyal activist army to sell nationalized health care. While these individuals are passionate and are perfectly capable of handing out flyers and talking about “hope” and “change” during an election cycle, they were clearly grossly under prepared to answer questions about an issue as complex as health care from concerned citizens.

Perhaps I’m wrong. I’ll find out on June 27 when the Obama army takes to the streets and we see the results of the brainstorming sessions in action. However the entire time I was at the meeting, for all of the talk of “Health care for all” and how “meaningful reform can’t wait” there was not a single question or mention of the programs potential costs to the taxpayer. If these well meaning activists are under the impression that they won’t be confronted by individuals who are already incensed with Obama’s proclivity to spend large sums of money and his failure to propose any realistic way of paying for it all, then they have another thing coming. Concerned citizens have a good chance of killing this ill conceived health care overhaul. I’m convinced of this after seeing first hand those who Obama has fighting for him on the ground.