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Title: The Genesis of the Smears (JOHN COLE ASKS ABOUT FREEPER ICUWHATUDO)
Source:
John Cole's Balloon Juice
URL Source: http://www.balloon-juice.com/?p=8849
Published: Oct 11, 2007
Author: John Cole
Post Date: 2007-10-11 14:47:37 by aristeides
Keywords: None
Views: 2924
Comments: 176
The Genesis of the Smears By: John Cole October 11, 2007 at 12:53 pm Appears to have been an aide to Mitch McConnell, according to the Communists at ThinkProgress: On Monday morning, Don Stewart sent an email with the following text to reporters: Seen the latest blogswarm? Apparently, there’s more to the story on the kid (Graeme Frost) that did the Dems’ radio response on SCHIP. Bloggers have done a little digging and turned up that the Dad owns his own business (and the building it’s in), seems to have some commercial rental income and Graeme and a sister go to a private school that, according to its website, costs about $20k a year ‹for each kid‹ despite the news profiles reporting a family income of only $45k for the Frosts. Could the Dems really have done that bad of a job vetting this family? In the email, Stewart attacks Democrats for allegedly doing a bad job “vetting this family.” That effort to blame Democrats for the smear campaign seems to have swayed some reporters, as CNN this morning claimed that the real story is that “the Democrats didn’t do as much of a vetting as they could have done.” What is so surprising about all of this is not that all of the stuff in the leaked email has turned out to be completely false- that is just amusing. What is surprising is THE SPEED with which the “citizen journalists” ran with this, and echoed everything the leaked email did- just like good little soldiers. It was viral in no time. I would not be surprised if Malkin, Limbaugh, and some folks at the NRO were not in the coterie of ‘reporters’ this was emailed to, nor would I be surprised if they got it from a friend of a friend (despite pretending to be different from the beltway crowd, all of the above are insiders to the Washington game, despite their protests otherwise). I’d like to know a little more about the freeper who ran with this in the first place, giving Michelle and others their “in” to run with the story without having to be the ones to take the blame for doing it. Who is icuwhatudo? What is her/his real identity? How is this person connected to the McConnell aide or the reporters who received this list. Or was it just a coincidence? If I prided myself in being a citizen journalist, those are the questions I would be asking. And does anyone have any pictures of his living room?
ThinkProgress has obtained an email that congressional sources tell us was sent to reporters by Sen. McConnell’s communications director Don Stewart.
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#54. To: Dakmar (#48)
yeah ya try not to bounce when you hit the bottom.. ;P
Shake your hand Talking 'bout the sunshine...
" Junk is the ideal product... the ultimate merchandise. No sales talk necessary. The client will crawl through a sewer and beg to buy." - William S Burroughs
I agree with you completely, all your comments regarding this topic, scrapper2, and at the top of the list of what I've quoted above. One of the articles I read had the momma saying she wanted to promote the program......but then she sends her little boy out to be the poster boy. No doubt, expecting that no one would pick on a kid. And I don't see that they're picking on the kid......but the parents are getting their asses handed to them. I loathe and despise both of the political parties for how they use photo-op sessions to try to oneupsman the other guy. The parties could give a rats ass about that boy; its just a game. Suddenly 'everyone' is wanting universal health care. You'd think no one ever heard a thing about the veterans administration medical system, or the shut downs of facilities in Canada at various times because the money isn't there. Or that Oregon's great medical system is so good--cepting there is a growing list of what is NOT taken care of. Universal health care will not stop the coming across the border for freebie care--after all, it is just 'government funds'--they pluck it off trees over in the National Botanical Garden, I reckon. I seem to recall that cigarette taxes went up tremendously to pay for the CHIP program to cover poor kids. Non smokers got out of paying for that. With smoking on the downward spiral, what sort of funding mechanism is gonna be in place? Tax hikes, ya think? Funny thing about all these 'estimated costs........back when the democraps set up mediscare, it was so jokingly underestimated, it was sinful. But the republocraps are no better--the liar in chief's idea of free drugs for the elderly only costing 'x' was debunked when the acturials showed it would be more like "XXXX". So, no doubt, we'll be paying taxes in the range of 70 - 90% before long. Perhaps then we will be given the choice of our employer actually being a part of government, and they will just issue a check to us based on what they think we should have. I do believe it was a leading democrap who indicated the people were not capable of handling their own money.
I tried that and they charged me $250 for the wheelchair which I never saw.
" Junk is the ideal product... the ultimate merchandise. No sales talk necessary. The client will crawl through a sewer and beg to buy." - William S Burroughs
LOL! Hmm I was wondering if that hand was the hand of a freeper wishing it were someone else :P
You have indeed agreed with and supported the GOP hate machine's fury against one family, you have even copied it. And, you have engaged in many angry posts that often attack the poster, tactics we are familiar with especially when combined with carbon copy GOP hate machine disinfo; leading more than one moderate poster here to speculate about your motives. SCHIP allows up to $83,000, but the Frosts, a family of 6, make $45,000 - $50,000. The Frost family was not negligent. The Frosts also said that they recently have been denied private insurance coverage three times because of pre-existing medical conditions. According to the Times, "what on the surface appears to be yet another partisan feud ... actually cuts to the most substantive debate around SCHIP" -- that of eligibility levels. Ron Paul is also pro-life, yet many of his supporters are not. I doubt that Ron Paul is repeating the GOP hate machine disinfo spin.
Ron Paul for President - Join a Ron Paul Meetup group today!
Put your hand in the hand of the Suicidal Trucker from Galilee they kept singing. I got scared and came home and ate some oatmeal.
" Junk is the ideal product... the ultimate merchandise. No sales talk necessary. The client will crawl through a sewer and beg to buy." - William S Burroughs
So someone below your $50K threshold applies for government aid and you assault them personally for doing so? Jesus.
Honi soit qui mal y pense
Old fashioned.. quick ..or Scottish?
Health insurance rates have skyrocketed in recent years. Americans are paying more than other nations and getting less. The elderly are well taken care of, why not children? Ron Paul for President - Join a Ron Paul Meetup group today!
Which one had the scalded milk?
" Junk is the ideal product... the ultimate merchandise. No sales talk necessary. The client will crawl through a sewer and beg to buy." - William S Burroughs
You act like your high-deductible insurance is free. It's not. It's very expensive, and when you are supporting a family of six on $45,000 a year...well, let's see YOU do it. Your insistent attack on the Frosts is just sickening. Keep spamming and spinning, but the duty of any society is to improve the lives of its citizens. If you want to, in the words of Jeanne Kirkpatrick, make America safe for rich people with lawyers, by all means go ahead. Just stop being disingenuous about it. When will you stop lying about me? You are a person with no scruples - your consistent stretching of the truth, making up scenarios as you go along, impuning my character as it suits your cause - catch a clue why don't you - your tactics are transparent and they reflect poorly on you not on me - I hope you realize that. You say I'm on the side of "Rushbo, Malkin, Coulter et al". I have consistently stated that reich wingers like Malkin's antics are distasteful. So stop aligning me with people I have never praised and whom I do not admire. I don't insistently attack the Frosts. I state facts which no one can defend. They owned 2 properties. They had assets in addition to their $48,000 annual income that many middle class people only aspire to have. They choose not to establish an HSA and they chose not to buy a catastrphic health care plan. They accessed a fund that was specifically designated to serve impoverished children of indigent families - the $ the Frosts used was that much less for poor children in Maryland to have access to. They allowed their child to be used by a political party as a pawn, which resulted in their family coming under public scrutiny. The evil reich wingers distasteful tactics do not absolve Mr. and Mrs. Frost for their series of irresponsible negligent actions and bad choices -Mr. and Mrs. Frost own them and you can't blame the evil reich wingers for those decisions and actions. The evil recichwingers only came into the picture after the Dems orchestrated the photo op with Graeme. As for society and its duties, thanks but I think we have something better in place in this republic than your philosophical musings about what the responsibilites of taxpayer supported government programs are - and in that document spelling out duties of federal government no where do I read "dispensing universal health care" and nowhere do I read "improve the lives of its citizens" - thank you PlatoMekons4 for your suggestion but I like the Founders' vision better. As for lawyers - hey I'm no fan of lawyers - why do think I have health/auto/home insurance up the wazoo -??? - because I like dealing with lawyers or I have a lawyer on consignment? No it's to protect me and my family and our assets FROM greedy trial lawyers. And on the subject of health care costs and lawyers, you might consider that if we didn't have malpractice lawyers and their greedy citizens hoping to strike it big with a frivolous lawsuit, we wouldn't have physicians ordering every test under the sun to protect their as**s from lawsuits. But I don't see or hear Hilary and other Dems [or even you for that matter] talking about TORT REFORM when they talk about universal health care. The Trial Lawyers Association is one of the top 10 donors to the Dem Party.
What would you do if you you got sick on Saturn?
" Junk is the ideal product... the ultimate merchandise. No sales talk necessary. The client will crawl through a sewer and beg to buy." - William S Burroughs
I don't get out of town that much, but I carry everything with me when I do.
Ron Paul for President - Join a Ron Paul Meetup group today!
Spin, Spin, Spin. They made under $50,000 and the law was that access to SCHIP was limited to 200 percent of the poverty rate, in this case about $56,000 for a family of six. You just don't like facts, you prefer saying they should have bought your fantastical insurance plans. Just try raising 4 kids on $45 K and then explain to me where the $500 a month for insurance comes from. No one is ever as wrong as a reactionary with a total inept grasp of the facts. You want them to be guilty of something, so you smear and smear and smear. It's pathetic. They qualified for the SCHIP, their kids would be living in a gutter without it, and you think anyone who supports the program is Leninist. Pathetic. Just totally pathetic.
Honi soit qui mal y pense
I recommend the Space Truckin pact: " Junk is the ideal product... the ultimate merchandise. No sales talk necessary. The client will crawl through a sewer and beg to buy." - William S Burroughs
I once knew a guy who wanted to make a movie called "Lowriders in Outer Space". In Spanish with subtitles, of course. Ron Paul for President - Join a Ron Paul Meetup group today!
that's not my understanding of SCHIP. impoverished children of indigent families are eligible for medicaid. SCHIP was set up for children who specifically did not qualify for medicaid. I think.
Without double-checking I'll guess Pontiac.
" Junk is the ideal product... the ultimate merchandise. No sales talk necessary. The client will crawl through a sewer and beg to buy." - William S Burroughs
That's my understanding too. It's to catch those who do not qualify for govt Medicare and are not able to obtain or afford health insurance. Children from birth through age 18 who live in families with incomes above the Medicaid thresholds in 1996 and up to 200% of the federal poverty level are eligible for the SCHIP Medicaid expansion program.
Ron Paul for President - Join a Ron Paul Meetup group today!
Ron Paul for President - Join a Ron Paul Meetup group today!
The "gill" lines on the fenders threw me.
" Junk is the ideal product... the ultimate merchandise. No sales talk necessary. The client will crawl through a sewer and beg to buy." - William S Burroughs
What the hell question is that? Elderly pay for insurance premiums--comes out of their checks automatically. The feds may have paid $50 billion, but the elderly are making up the difference--they pay for the premiums for the insurance, with few exceptions based on very low incomes. [How this guy has any idea how much they spent for a fiscal year only technically closed 12 days will be interesting to learn, I'm sure]. CHIPS is funded, if not totally by cigarette or tobacco taxes, has a large chunk of it funded by smokers who are NOT children nor the parents of these kids. I know all about insurance having skyrocketed. I know what happened with my insurance. I also know about how people make choices. I know I did when I was a mother with small kids. I lived on popcorn and jello for a week or so in order that my kids got the nutritious foods. BFD.....you do what you have to do--unless of course, you want the nanny state taking care of cradle to grave. I know what the VA system has done to veterans and their families. I read what happens in Canada. I know about the 12 - 20 - 30 million aliens flooding the nation here who use up valuable dollars. I've read about Oregon's only paying for certain things.......the list gets reduced all the time as to what they can afford to do. Get government out of the business and see what happens. Get the illegals out of here and see how costs get handled.......hospitals, doctors, clinics, etc., have to make up the non-payers with payers. And when the feds quit demanding that every insurance policy cover pregnancy or warts on nipples or whatever the hell they demand next, premium rates will go down. Women who have gone through menopause don't need prenancy coverage. If I want mammogram coverage, I can have it included in the policy I buy. If I want mental health care, likewise. What will happen when this universal care comes thru is this.........the interest on the national debt is taken care of first........then there will be this monstrous entitlement.......then there will be nothing left. For sure we won't be starting any wars, cause there would not be a way to fund them. When you have a government that makes it a part of law that you can't import drugs because they are cheaper, THERE IS SOMETHING WRONG. And you want this same government to handle YOUR health care? Or your kids? Or grandkids?
That's why I think we should tax Israelis and make them sell ham to Persians, while singing and/or crawling along the edge of a razor.
" Junk is the ideal product... the ultimate merchandise. No sales talk necessary. The client will crawl through a sewer and beg to buy." - William S Burroughs
I'm sorry, that wasn't exactly a straight answer, was it? Do you ever post at LP? If do, please tell byelstin I said "Trouble go away at nigh', an' Nell caw Mi'i - an' Nell an' Mi'i - ye', Nell an' Mi'i - like t'ee in the way!". will you?
" Junk is the ideal product... the ultimate merchandise. No sales talk necessary. The client will crawl through a sewer and beg to buy." - William S Burroughs
Govt. does not equal Bush/DeLay. This was a giveaway to the HMO/Pharma conspiracy. Remember one guy was threatened that if his kid ran for his office, they would finance someone else to run against him in the primary and give him hundreds of thousands of dollars? And the poor sap caved. There is something wrong, alright. It's called Republicans.
Honi soit qui mal y pense
Sorry--dont post there; seldom even bother to stop by there........
sorry, but once again how did we get to this point?
" Junk is the ideal product... the ultimate merchandise. No sales talk necessary. The client will crawl through a sewer and beg to buy." - William S Burroughs
B-I-N-G-O and Bingo was his name-O.
Honi soit qui mal y pense
Well maybe you should... :)
" Junk is the ideal product... the ultimate merchandise. No sales talk necessary. The client will crawl through a sewer and beg to buy." - William S Burroughs
OH BULLSHIT........the dems are just as bad. When I worked in the State Senate back in the late 80s, there was a very popular, well known demo who just happened to be a prof at UM who instigated a bill to TAX prescription drugs, even though he knew the elderly and chronically ill would be severely impacted. Oh well.....money had to come from somewhere and the people of the state didn't want a sales tax! Don't give me the bullshit that only dems care...........and screw the republcraps, too. Tossin bones to the peons while they piss away this nation and her people.
I only regret I was banned years ago - I'd love to post there now and poke names at those yapping monkey morons.
" Junk is the ideal product... the ultimate merchandise. No sales talk necessary. The client will crawl through a sewer and beg to buy." - William S Burroughs
That would be as gagging as TOS1. No thank you...
Apparently to some here, there aren't supposed to be any negative consequences for not purchasing a personal injury/medical care rider on your auto insurance policy when you could have clearly afforded it. And apparently this also isn't supposed to be pointed out when you allow your children to be used in a partisan radio spot on the topic of medical coverage. Go figure.
We should start a band called TOS1 and sue everyone infringing. That or laugh at them.
" Junk is the ideal product... the ultimate merchandise. No sales talk necessary. The client will crawl through a sewer and beg to buy." - William S Burroughs
And your proof of this is? Nada.
Honi soit qui mal y pense
No one is ever as wrong as a reactionary with a total inept grasp of the facts. You want them to be guilty of something, so you smear and smear and smear. It's pathetic. They qualified for the SCHIP, their kids would be living in a gutter without it, and you think anyone who supports the program is Leninist. Pathetic. Just totally pathetic Maryland does not have a means test. Maryland does not consider assets as part of the family's financial level. If the Frosts lived in another state that had means tests and considered property ownership and other assets into the computation of "need", the Frosts would have failed. Maryland had lax laws - the intent of the 1997 SCHIP legislation was specifically to focus tax dollars on providing health care for impoverished children and teens. Unfortunately the SCHIP program gave flexibility to individual states on what rules they used to dispense that money - means testing was not required to be administered but it should have been - and that's why SCHIP has been abused so much by state officials and the program has moved far away from the original intent. In fact, because of all these abuses and having really poor kids NOT being enrolled in the SCHIP program as was intended, ( 500,000 of them is a lot of poor kids being forgotten) in 08/07 the Dept. of Health put its foot down and stipulated that before states could dole out their SCHIP funds to people beyond 250% of poverty, they would have to FIRST enroll 95% of children below 200% of poverty. What does that tell you? The Frosts got lucky. In Maryland there was no means-testing, assets are not counted, only annual income is considered. It doesn't mean the Frosts deserved to access the funds designated for poor children considering the amount of equity they had. And no one with an iota of common sense would consider a family who owned 2 properties and an SUV etc - a highly appreciated residence - as well as a commercial property valued at $160,000 - to be poor. That's not spin - that's common sense. I'm not smearing anyone. I relate facts. You are the one smearing - and your focus is me because the only way you and your compadres can hope to recover from this giant disaster of a photo op to promote expansion of SCHIP is to blame evil reich wingers and anyone who doesn't wail whoisme about the mess the Frosts brought on themselves. Socialists like you were so so close to pulling off universal health care you could taste it - step 1: just expand SCHIP and buy votes of middle class voters with "we love children" sloganeering step 2: when the Dems get elected, go for the whole 9 yards - VA medicine for all. Yes! How good does it get? But unfortunately the Dem Party hacks did not do their homework very well and they ended up picking a family with considerable assets who made some irresponsible decisions and shazam, step 1 backfired. Back to saving step 1, albeit the photo op picture is now in tatters... Did you know that Dr. Ron Paul (obgyn) voted "no" to re-authorize/expand SCHIP? Is Dr. Ron Paul an evil reichwinger who hates children, too?
My proof of this is the value of their house. You just don't think anyone should ever have to liquidate an asset to take care of more immediate needs.
I keep vowing to drop out of this discussion and then jumping back in - are you saying one should give up their home to pay for possible future, currently non- existing medical needs? lose the home to pay for medical insurance? or are you saying when their children were injured they should have lost their home?
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#55. To: Dakmar (#53)
#56. To: Zipporah (#54)
Share the land....
#57. To: scrapper2 (#49)
But what is unforgiveable in my mind is that the Frost parents let their child be used as a pawn by the Dem Party to promote a political agenda. The Frosts knowingly let their son be USED by political hacks exposing him to public scrutiny. Would you do that to your kid?
#58. To: Zipporah (#55)
#59. To: Dakmar (#58)
#60. To: scrapper2, aristeides, Mekons4, ghostdogtxn, Zipporah (#49)
#61. To: Zipporah (#59)
#62. To: scrapper2 (#51)
Most of the fabled uninsured fall into two categories: people who can afford coverage but choose not to buy it and people who are eligible for government aid but choose not to apply for it.
#63. To: Dakmar (#61)
#64. To: rowdee (#57)
(Edited)
Suddenly 'everyone' is wanting universal health care.
the Medicare prescription drug benefit cost the federal government about $50 billion in fiscal year 2007, according to Brian Riedl, senior budget analyst with the Heritage Foundation. That funding level is about six times what the vetoed SCHIP compromise bill would have cost this fiscal year, according to a Congressional Budget Office estimate (Reilly, Mobile Press-Register, 10/11).
#65. To: Zipporah (#63)
#66. To: Mekons4 (#50)
The spinning continues. When you're on the side of Rushbo, Malkin, Coulter et al, you might want to investigate the facts. What "business" did they own? What was it worth when it was dissolved?
#67. To: robin, rowdee (#64)
Suddenly 'everyone' is wanting universal health care.
#68. To: Dakmar (#67)
#69. To: scrapper2 (#66)
#70. To: robin (#68)
#71. To: Dakmar (#65)
???
#72. To: Dakmar, Zipporah (#70)
#73. To: scrapper2 (#66)
They accessed a fund that was specifically designated to serve impoverished children of indigent families
#74. To: robin (#72)
#75. To: kiki, scrapper2 (#73)
#76. To: Dakmar (#74)
1948 Chevrolet Fleetline "Bomb" from the [www.viejitosoc.com Viejitos Car Club Orange County
#77. To: robin (#76)
#78. To: robin (#64)
#79. To: rowdee (#78)
CHIPS is funded, if not totally by cigarette or tobacco taxes, has a large chunk of it funded by smokers who are NOT children nor the parents of these kids.
#80. To: rowdee (#78)
#81. To: rowdee (#78)
When you have a government that makes it a part of law that you can't import drugs because they are cheaper, THERE IS SOMETHING WRONG.
#82. To: Dakmar (#80)
#83. To: Mekons4, rowdee (#81)
Govt. does not equal Bush/DeLay
#84. To: robin (#60)
You have indeed agreed with and supported the GOP hate machine's fury against one family, you have even copied it. And, you have engaged in many angry posts that often attack the poster, tactics we are familiar with especially when combined with carbon copy GOP hate machine disinfo; leading more than one moderate poster here to speculate about your motives.
#85. To: rowdee (#82)
#86. To: Mekons4 (#81)
#87. To: rowdee (#82)
Sorry--dont post there; seldom even bother to stop by there........
#88. To: Dakmar (#85)
#89. To: scrapper2 (#66)
#90. To: rowdee (#88)
#91. To: SmokinOPs (#89)
when you could have clearly afforded it.
#92. To: Mekons4, All (#69)
(Edited)
Spin, Spin, Spin. They made under $50,000 and the law was that access to SCHIP was limited to 200 percent of the poverty rate, in this case about $56,000 for a family of six. You just don't like facts, you prefer saying they should have bought your fantastical insurance plans. Just try raising 4 kids on $45 K and then explain to me where the $500 a month for insurance comes from.
#93. To: Mekons4 (#91)
And your proof of this is? Nada.
#94. To: SmokinOPs (#93)
My proof of this is the value of their house. You just don't think anyone should ever have to liquidate an asset to take care of more immediate needs.
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