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Health & Fitness

Jim Himes Tries To Defend ObamaCare

Posted by Bob MacGuffie 4-24-14

In a recent series of town halls congressman Jim Himes emerged to face the music with his constituents…and the band was playing the ObamaCare blues. Clearly the controversial healthcare law, for which Mr. Himes voted and continues to defend, was the topic of the season. In Shelton, citizen after citizen approached the microphone; small business owners, sole proprietors, seniors, employed individuals, and yours truly. Their stories of how ObamaCare has negatively impacted their lives illustrates Mr. Himes has much for which to answer.

A small businessman with less than 50 employees advised Himes that if he were to make his company's group health insurance policy compliant with the ObamaCare mandates, the premium would increase 35 percent! Because he has less than 50 employees his company is not subject to the mandate, and he made it clear the mandate would keep him from hiring past that mark. Himes swallowed hard and mumbled something acknowledging dislocations, but that the law would work itself out.

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Another told Himes that the medical specialist he sees advised he is about to be hit with a 23 percent reimbursement cut and believes he will have to withdraw from the health insurer's network. A senior stepped to the mike to advise that her doctor can't take the new reduction in Medicare reimbursement and may soon stop taking Medicare patients. A sole proprietor with a family plan told Himes that his plan doubled in price. Then his primary physician and pediatrician advised him they would not accept any of the health insurance plans that conform to ObamaCare.

Then I took the mike to remind him that at least two teams of conservative grassroots citizens met with him in separate one hour office visits in September 2009. They showed and warned him of the specific passages in the ObamaCare bill which would force people off their current plans, increase costs, and ration care, in addition to many other infringements on our individual freedom: https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=9qWrW8AGSCw

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He was warned that the two major problems with healthcare insurance, pre-existing conditions exclusions and availability/affordability, could be solved thru specific targeted legislation. High risk pools, catastrophic plans, and competition across state lines could be implemented as solutions without upending the entire industry and everyone's plans within it. Himes lied when he replied to the audience that there were loads of congressional hearings on the pending ObamaCare bill -there were none. Mocking me, he said "upending the entire healthcare system is a bit of an overstatement to say the least." I trust my characterization is the one being borne out across the country today.

In a July 1, 2012 town hall in Westport Mr. Himes stated that ObamaCare was fully "paid for" with a $1.1 trillion tax. However, and no surprise to most of us, the Congressional Budget Office just announced that ObamaCare's cost is now estimated at $2.6 trillion. His promise in the 2009 town halls was that each family would save $2,500 under Obamacare and we would get to keep our doctors. When pressed on the premium increases highlighted in his recent town hall, Himes said "we're trying everything but we can't be certain when savings will kick in." At which point a citizen shouts out "we can be certain that the country will go broke."

You may be thinking, how does he stand in front of his constituents and parry such a barrage of criticism. He employs the same slick techniques he and senator Chris Murphy have been schooled on by Democrat training operatives in DC. In the ObamaCare example, first, to cool the tension he feigns humility and an acceptance of culpability for the flaws in the law. But he restates the problem in terms which diminish its magnitude and impact. He then quickly digs out by relating a positive emotional personal anecdote. He recovers by reiterating the utopian intentions of the law and repeats that it can and will be fixed and we'll move on. Himes is supported verbally and with applause by a dozen or so reliable partisans he places in the crowd - some of which go to the mike and extol the wonders of ObamaCare. When successful the technique renders the questioner neutralized and the naïve in the audience get the sense Himes is reasonable and trying.

One of Himes's key objectives is to marginalize particularly critical questioners. The technique he employs is to focus on any exaggerated or outlier comment the questioner may make. He will take that comment as his piñata and ridicule it to a pulp absorbing time at the mike, effectively running out the clock on the questioner. The questioner is usually baited into defending the comment and Himes, with a virtual wink to the crowd, is left standing as the apparent centrist in the room.

Another more risky ploy he uses is to take a point the questioner is making and re-state it to the crowd as a twisted strawman question designed to get no one to raise their hand. When no hands arise Himes looks at the questioner like they are way off base - again, he stands as the centrist.

When a congressman comes to visit with his constituents one should expect to see a relaxed, confident person explaining his views and votes. Jim Himes always looks nervous, constantly pausing to reach for words which will color events, issues and his positions to reflect well on him. When critiqued with the facts he looks like the classic deer in the headlights while his mind is searching for a deceptive ploy to escape admitting to reality.

Jim Himes is the Great Dissembler, and more people seem to be seeing thru him in every passing season. And as Lincoln said, you can't fool all the people all of the time. The time of his illusion may well be running out.

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