Al Franken talking down teabaggers. Must see! Gets them to agree!

[lysosome]

The man is brilliant!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SCNs7Zpqo98&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Eboingboing%2Enet%2F&feature=player_embedded#t=117

[truebrit71]

1. We need about another 59 clones of this man in the Senate...

...

[Dinger]

5. I'd Like To Make That 99 (nt)

[damntexdem]

31. We need Al to be making national addresses on health coverage reform.

He can get it across and get people to listen to him.

[lysosome]

33. if they'll listen to anyone.

[rocktivity]

2. Send this to Rachel and Keith

They've been showing video of the teabaggers "winning"--it's time for equal time!

[e-mail]

[e-mail]

:bounce:
rocktivity

[peace frog]

3. The more I hear and see of Al Franken

the more I wish he was my senator instead of that DINO Bill Nelson. Good work, Al!

[orleans]

4. that was very good. thanks for posting this. n/t

[Captain Hilts]

6. He said he'd take on Ted Kennedy's HC cause. I think he's THE guy to do it. Exhibit 'A'. nt

[Common Sense Party]

7. Is he backing away from a public option?

All his talk of Switzerland makes it seem like he'd be okay just regulating insurers.

[lysosome]

10. ... and when talking to teabaggers ....

... most of whom, like most americans, want reform start talking about insurance reform to their republican representatives then they will stop sand bagging.
Yeah, I'd like to see a public option. The problem with "public option or bust" is that I am old enough to have seen it bust last time. Let's make health care reform, like medicare, so popular that it's a new "third rail of politics". Then we can move forward.
Baby steps. Rome wasn't built in a day.

[goclark]

29. Bet those tea baggers will shut up now

Go Al!

[lysosome]

30. If you bet on that... We need to play poker! }(

[Union Yes]

13. Al Franken is a Single Payer advocate. He supports a strong PO first..

but with the ultimate goal of Single Payer.

[Union Yes]

15. Franken will be the next in line. McCarthy, Humphrey, Mondale, Wellstone.

And now Al.

Way to go Sen Al!

:patriot:

[Common Sense Party]

18. So why is he talking about just regulating insurers like Switzerland?

[blogslut]

8. I have great hopes for Senator Franken

A very smart man that knows how to handle a crowd.

[LiberalAndProud]

9. Patients as profit centers.

Franken did a wonderful job of first listening and then explaining what we are trying to accomplish. Excellent, excellent conversation. Amazing what can happen when dialogue occurs. It also explains why the teabaggers are trying to prevent the discussion from taking place.

[lysosome]

14. Of course.

He was a comedian for years. Getting people to laugh means knowing the crowd. Hell, he didn't have to get these people to laugh - just to think. The good news is that most people will think - if you take fox news out from in front of them.

[LiberalAndProud]

17. Welcome to DU!

I love Franken. I didn't always appreciate his humor, but I admire his political sense. He's terrif!

[Generic Other]

11. Impressive communicator

Glad he's in the Senate.

[imdjh]

12. Quote: If everybody has preventive care and we don't have enough doctors...

(quote was from the teabagger)

How does someone see that as a deal breaker? How does someone see that as an argument? IF WE DON"T HAVE ENOUGH DOCTORS, then it's time to restructure the way we do a couple of things.

It's time we start promoting people going into medicine, instead of hoping that enough people will start the honors math and science in 8TH FUCKING GRADE, and then WEEDING THEM OUT in "competitive schools" so that we end up with a class of doctors each year which is determined by money, athletics, affirmative action, and the folks who have the stamina and strength to fight for what they want.

It's also time we start tying scholarships to diplomas to a much greater extent than we currently do. There is nothing wrong with wanting to be a theater major, as long as you have a Plan B which could actually get you a decent job and serve the needs of those paying for your education. How about being an RN with a minor in theater or a theater major who happens to be a Nurse Midwife?

I'm not saying that we should draft and assign lives to our young people, but a little more direction and coordination wouldn't hurt.

[Unrepentant Fenian]

21. I think we just saw the next Ted Kennedy !

[kenny blankenship]

22. "...and we don't have enough doctors"

isn't that what is usually called a market opportunity? If there is a shortage of skilled, highly paid professionals, there is then a huge incentive for young people to chart their educational course to enter that field.

Why do these teabaggers hate the Free Market?

[Mixopterus]

34. Who the fuck would want to be a doctor?

You couldn't pay me enough money to do that shit.

Bust your balls for years in a literal crapshoot during med school and then you get to work insane hours during your residency followed by more insane hours later with maybe the small hope of raising to a position where you don't have to pull crazy shifts. God bless my uncle for what he does, but the medical profession is simply not appealing in regards to what they put people through.

My aunt is also a nurse, you couldn't pay me enough to do that shit either. Same work load as the doctor with even less respect, fuck that.

Seriously, unless there is a fundamental change in the way the medical professions are structured it is simply not an appealing option for all but the most motivated, by greed or compassion. Unfortunately, that doesn't pull the numbers in.


One final thing: My best friend's father in college is a surgeon of some skill. His advice to his son: Stay the fuck out of the medical profession unless you are really thrilled about being jerked around. He's shooting for law school instead, I can't say I blame him.

[Union Yes]

16. KNR GO Sen Al!

:patriot:

[JamesA1102]

19. Is Al the new Ted Kennedy? nt

[LiberalAndProud]

24. There will be no "new" Ted Kennedy.

There will be champions, great ones even, who will take up his gauntlet. But there will NEVER be a new Ted Kennedy. He was singular. He will always be the only Ted Kennedy.

There was never a new Daniel Webster either.

[Swamp Rat]

20. k&r

[ceile]

23. My friends and I were just talking about El Paso/McAllen

the other day. Great article if anyone is interested:
http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/06/01/090601fa_fact_gawande?currentPage=all

[LiberalAndProud]

26. They got more of the stuff that cost more, but not more of the

stuff they need. That describes our health care delivery system in a nutshell, doesn't it?

[FiveGoodMen]

25. I'm impressed!

(for the first time in quite a while)

[Spazito]

27. Wow, that was VERY impressive!

Watching some of the people go from shaking their heads at the beginning to listening intently to him with a more open mind was great to see!

Senator Frankin did an awesome job of explaining the facts in terms his 'audience' could identify with and understand.

Recommended.

[imdjh]

28. "My daughter had (unintelligible) .... screening to get a wheelchair, suppose when government gets

..... involved and things like that balloon and...."

Yes, suppose that government gets involved and everyone who needs a wheelchair gets a wheelchair.

WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH THESE PEOPLE? That woman looks rather normal, doesn't she? She doesn't look like your glassy eyed righty, certainly not like the woman who kept saying "I'm not crazy." at the last town hall.

Suppose government gets involved and "this balloons". You mean, suppose that you don't see poor people in STOLEN wheelchairs anymore? God for fucking bid.

I can hardly think at the moment. These people are disgusting.

My mom is 80 years old. Yes, she's a model citizen, and makes some of those teabaggers look like slackers. She got up at 5 am and went to work five days a week for 30 years straight after working mommy jobs before that. And I am do grateful that she has everything she needs. I am so grateful that when she hit the wall (figuratively) I could just take her check card and go buy her a scooter, and a wheelchair, both of which she rarely uses, but needs when she needs them. Sick room equipment, medicines, services here and there, as well as the fun stuff like restaurants, computers, and other indulgences. But the medical stuff is the part that makes me feel so grateful that we have the things that we need and IT"S STILL HARD when she's not well or can't get out of bed. I'm trying to imagine what it's like when you don't have the chairs, the potty chair, the bath chair, the grips and rails, the diapers, the salves, the skin care stuff, hospital gloves, and all the other stuff that makes it so much easier to be sick and to take care of a sick person.

Indeed, what will happen when people have the things they need.

[htuttle]

32. He's got the chops to handle hecklers -- he used to do standup

Actually, it's probably a LOT harder to be a successful comedian than a Senator.

[LostInAnomie]

35. To be fair, those weren't the same kind of shit throwing wing-nuts we've seen before.

They allowed him to speak, they didn't shout him down, their questions weren't directly from Glen Beck, they didn't try to paint him as a socialist traitor, etc.

[lysosome]

36. They're from Minnesota

Those were the radical ones.