MRC's Dan Gainor: Obama 'Doing Full Court Press' with Health Care

While the media continues to press for passage of universal health care, MRC’s Vice President for Business and Culture, Dan Gainor, appeared on CNBC to discuss whether or not President Obama could actually get health care reform passed. On June 18, anchor Dennis Kneale cited an NBC and Wall Street Journal poll that found 11 percent of voters felt that health care costs are their top economic issue. Only 33 percent felt President Obama’s health care plan was a good idea.

“So is the president’s health care reform plan dead before it even hits the hill?” Kneale asked.

“I would say, I wish,” Gainor replied. “But we’ve got several different plans. Trillions of dollars spending. Just one bill – the bill in the Senate – 615 pages long and hides a single-payer option. Obama’s trying to do with this plan what he’s tried to do – what he did with the stimulus, what he did with banks. He’s trying to ram his concept of transparency through faster than anybody can see.”

Gainor explained that the media are actively promoting Obama’s policies which didn’t happen during the Bush administration because the media disagreed with those policies. As an example, Gainor mentioned that ABC with air a special on health care featuring one of the network’s avid universal health care supporters: Dr. Timothy Johnson. Yet, as Gainor noted ABC “won’t even let conservatives buy time on their network.”

Kneale stated “that 60 percent of the personal bankruptcies filed last year was driven by health care costs.” Gainor explained that companies have to sign on to Obama’s policies because they “either play ball with him or they’re going to be left on the bench when this all gets decided.”