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Time's Halperin Shills: 'We Shouldn't Be the Only' Country Without Govt. Run Health Care

By Scott Whitlock | July 02, 2012 | 18:17

A  A
Scott Whitlock's picture

Time magazine editor Mark Halperin on Monday dropped any pretense of objectivity, openly shilling for ObamaCare. The Game Change co-author appeared on Hardball and lamented that opposing government-run health care is a political winner for Republicans: "...I think we shouldn't be the only industrialized democracy that doesn't have universal health care." [See video below. MP3 audio here.]

Halperin told guest host Michael Smerconish that, unfortunately, "it is not a politically dangerous" position for Senator Mitch McConnell to say, "...We should do things to make health- access to health care easier and more likely, but not guaranteed."        

Halperin lamented, "That's the position the Republican Party has pretty much had throughout its history and they don't seem to pay much of a price for it."

This isn't the first time that Halperin lashed out at "immoral" America:

“We’re the only industrialized democracy that doesn’t cover every citizen. That is immoral....to be a country this wealthy and be the only industrialized democracy that hasn’t figured out how to cover everyone.”
— Time senior political analyst Mark Halperin, ex-ABC News political director, on CNN’s Lou Dobbs Tonight, August 6, 2009.

A transcript of the exchange can be found below:

Story Continues Below Ad ↓

Hardball
07/02/12
5:11

MITCH MCCONNELL: Let me tell you what we're not going to do. We're not going to turn the American health care system into a western European system.

MICHAEL SMERCONISH: Mark Halperin, quick Game Change kind of a question. Does the GOP need to do more than that? People are saying, well, they got to articulate something. Do they? Is articulating opposition enough?

MARK HALPERIN: Well, look, unfortunately, because I think we shouldn't be the only industrialized democracy that doesn't have universal health care, it is not a politically dangerous place to be, where Mitch McConnell is. To say, you know what? We should do things to make health- access to health care easier and more likely, but not guaranteed. That's the position the Republican Party has pretty much had throughout its history and they don't seem to pay much of a price for it. I'm not sure given that the current law's unpopular, this is the election where they'll feel on the defensive to take that position. They have some policies that Mitt Romney supports that are some of which are in Paul Ryan's budget, some of which are supported by Senate Republicans that would extend health care in theory to more people.

SMERCONISH: But not comprehensive. Got it.

About the Author

Scott Whitlock is the senior news analyst for the Media Research Center. Click here to follow Scott Whitlock on Twitter.
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Stop George Soros

Comments

Yep...

Submitted by Curly on Mon, 07/02/2012 - 6:20pm.

Confirmed....he is a moron....not a clue...a walking lobotomy....

Curly
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"I think we shouldn't be the

Submitted by tcm14 on Mon, 07/02/2012 - 6:46pm.

"I think we shouldn't be the only industrialized democracy that doesn't have universal health care"

Yeah why should be the only country that isn't sliding into insolvency and with long lines and rationing?

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all butter no guns

Submitted by MidAmerica on Mon, 07/02/2012 - 6:57pm.

We are also the only Western democracy with a military strong enough to defend itself. All of the rest have cannibalized their military to keep their entitlements flowing.

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Has this idiot fool never heard of Medicare and Medicaid?

Submitted by Dave. on Mon, 07/02/2012 - 7:55pm.

-Dave

Vote for the American in November

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we'll maybe its because...

Submitted by dmacleo on Mon, 07/02/2012 - 8:09pm.

we are not a democracy...

dmacleo http://www.theconservativevoices.com
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Pretty obvious this idiot has

Submitted by LAM SON 719 on Mon, 07/02/2012 - 11:48pm.

Pretty obvious this idiot has never lived in a country with socialized medicene. I have lived in Europe and Asia and none of it is free. Anyone who thinks you just walk in the hospital when you don't feel well isn't going to be too happy when they find out what really happens. The entitlement losers are going to freak once they see how they get screwed.

Non, je ne regrette rien. "You aren't angry because I might be a racist, you're angry because you know I'm right".
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Why doesn't Whitlock quote Halperin's ACTUAL WORDS,

Submitted by Jer on Tue, 07/03/2012 - 1:39am.

which would have been just as easy and considerably more honest than paraphrasing what he didn't say. Oh, I get it: "government-run" are fightin' words to rile up the troops with an incendiary headline.

Of course the fact is we already have government-run health care in this country. It's known as Medicare. And it now seems conservatives are quite enamored of the program as opposed to the 1990's when Gingrich was pledging to let it wither on the vine, and Bob Dole was proclaiming his original vote against it had been his proudest moment in his congressional career.  My, how the world can turn upside down in just a few short years.

Jer

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Good one, Jer,---

Submitted by matthewdean on Tue, 07/03/2012 - 2:09am.

"My, how the world can turn upside down in just a few short years."

Obama and his administration surely prove your point.

MD

"The credibility of the story is undermined by the selection of sources." - (h/t Jer)
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Oh, look. A leftists defining what conservatism means.

Submitted by The Vet on Wed, 07/04/2012 - 1:04am.

Uncle Jer: ...conservatives are quite enamored of the program....

Why would a pedant say that? Why don't you give us an actual percentage there Mr. Pedant. Since you seem to be such an expert and all.

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The only thing government

Submitted by P. Aaron on Tue, 07/03/2012 - 8:34am.

The only thing government does well, it does better than any one elsewhere in the nation: waste money & resources.

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General fund

Submitted by billb on Tue, 07/03/2012 - 12:51pm.

How long will it take for the proceeds from the Obamacare fine/tax/penalty to be moved into the general fund just like Social Security?

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The Only Country

Submitted by rusino on Tue, 07/03/2012 - 1:47pm.

If we continue to be, THE ONLY COUNTRY WITHOUT GOV. RUN HEALTHCARE, it will be one more reason that The United States of America is Exceptional!

Rusino
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