Why did Thom Hartman (?sp) have some wingnut from CNSnews.com

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

on the air with him taking calls today?

The topic was US vs. Canadian health care system and the level of discussion was poor and misleading.

[eleny]

1. He's a regular guest

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

2. I haven't heard his show before, we were hearing on Sirius in my

wife's car. I thought the guy (Dave Thibeault?) came off like a typical RW dork with crappy argument skills, although the callers I heard were lame also.

[marmar]

3. Thom Hartmann always has a right-winger on...

so he can dissect and undress their arguments.

[marmar]

4. Dupe response...

My computer has lost its microchips! :crazy: :crazy:

[napi21]

5. Thom has lots of RWers on as his first guest of the dayl

He always spends time arguing with them, and pointing out where they are wrong. He did that today as well.

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

6. Sounds interesting. I must listen more often then.

[Darkhawk32]

7. But as usual, Thom leaves them stumbling and mumbling... :) n/t

[Canuckistanian]

9. Sometimes they don't , though

Sometimes, they just keep on spouting the same crap and Thom's facts and knowledge just go right over their heads and they revert to the tried 'n true RNC talking points.

Sometimes I wonder why he does it. Some are just a waste of time and transmitter power.

[MzNov]

8. He interviews several RWers. I think he likes to show

the audience why RWers are WRONG. And he does it so well too.

:dem:

[lordsummerisle]

10. As the other responders have noted

Thom regularly has right-wing pundits on to debate, often right at the beginning of the show. This can be somewhat confusing if you've never heard his show before. I can remember a while back hearing within a week debates with David Horowitz and David Limbaugh (brother of Rush) at the top of the show and was initially somewhat taken aback. While I'm sure he does this to create interest so you'll keep listening it just increases my (already great)admiration for Thom who would be #1 on my list if I was recruiting members for my debate club.

[clbuck]

11. Thom has a policy of this.

He prefers to interview someone who disagrees with him, rather with someone who agrees.

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

12. I like the interview/debate idea. But having the guy take calls with him

was somewhat annoying to listen to.

[garybeck]

13. HE ALWAYS puts right wingers on his show.

and he subtly eats them alive

[never_get_over_it]

14. I just heard the first hour of Thom's show

on the KPOJ and man was that frustrating. The discussion was not reallyh Canadian vs US health care it was more on single payer health care - and the right wing guy of course brought up the same old shit that Canadians flock to US to get treatment - which flat out isn't true. It was SO frustrating because no matter what facts or info you gave this guy he just wouldn't buy it - there was a Canadian who called and said the folks that come to the US do so because they don't want to wait for non emergency procedures and this right wing guy I think deliberately still argued that people would die while waiting despite the fact that it was clearly stated by the Canadian and Thom that you do not wait in Canada for treatment if there is any chance that your condition is life threatening. A doctor called in with a story as to why Canada was better and the right winger dismissed her - a woman called in with a story about her son - he dismissed her - no matter what FACTS were presented to him he dismissed it and ended by saying face it Thom there are just some people who no matter what you do can not be helped and then stated that most of the 43 million who do not have health insurance fall into this category.

I don't even get the point of discussing ANYTHING with these people - facts mean nothing - it was so unbelievably frustrating....I don't know how Thom keeps his cool - I would have been screaming at this ass to LISTEN to what these people were saying....

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

15. This is what I meant when I said the level of discourse was very low.

It was deceiving/dishonest rather than informing. And the callers (I heard 2 liberal ones) were not very articulate and not very good at making their point.

The biggest single problem I had is that, for people with good insurance, the U.S. system mostly works okay, but it's the TENS of MILLIONS of Americans without insurance who the system is "broken" for. I didn't hear that discussed at all in the time I listened.

[never_get_over_it]

16. I think Thom was trying to make that point

that if we had single payer insurance ie open Medicare up to everyone - we could insure everybody in the country for far less than we are spending now - and oh my God when Thom mentioned that the head of United Health (my insureer by the way) made over a BILLION last year made me want to puke - but I guess this CEO got his because he had to quit today over some stock option scam - and I guess he is laughing all the way to the bank. Oh the other thing that they discussed that I didn't hear all of was that people going into medicine should be doing so to HELP people not to make a killing - the right winger of course thought why shouldn't doctors make a killing - and it is very strange because my 12 year old nephew wants to be a doctor and I asked him why - and he really couldn't articulate it. So I had one of those talks with him and said the main reason you should want to be a doctor is to help people and not because you think you're going to make a ton of money and be very rich - because when people are so sick - he wants to be a brain surgeon - they need CARING people around them not greedy money grubbers.

[omega minimo]

19. pretty odd talkin bout "doctors making a killing" wasn't it?

[omega minimo]

17. Hoist on their own petard

Thom usually begins the show with one or another of these deluded obnoxious conservative cutthroat males. He is gracious to them and excels at keeping a discussion going. Rather than hoping for any chance that anything will actually GET THROUGH to one of these guys, as some on the thread seem to wish for, Hartmann lets them reveal their amazing self-righteous obtuseness as they think they are making a point or two.

Theibault though is one of the most vicious and annoying. A right bastard.

If you haven't listened to Hartmann, DO! He is absolutely the best at communicating about the most important issues in the most accessible way.

:toast:

http://www.thomhartmann.com

[omega minimo]

20. hoist

:kick:

[Bozita]

18. My pal is an anaesthesiologist MD working in a border area

His hospital kinda specialized in hip replacement surgery for Canadians.

But that's no longer true.