TV Smackdown: Ratigan Brings Populism To Cable News, Makes Polite Society Democrat Gag On Her Own Talking Points Bullshit

What You Should Know / December 18, 2009

www.huffingtonpost.com -- On MSNBC Friday, "Morning Meeting" host Dylan Ratigan got into a heated dispute with Rep. Debbie Wasserman-Schultz (D-Fla.) over health care reform.Ratigan pointed to the rise in insurance company stocks as a sign that the Senate health care bill's coverage mandate is good for the industry and not for struggling Americans.The host asked Wasserman-Schultz repeatedly why those stocks would go up if the bill was really bad for the insurance industry. Whenever she tried to talk about the the benefits of the legislation, he cut her off.

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18 Comments

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1. Wenjo | December 18th, 2009 at 10:28 pm
This whole thing is a scam. I’m all for socialized medicine, but this reform package is not even close to doing anything to reduce the absurd cost of health care.
First they force you to buy insurance, and provide Medicaid for those who can’t afford it. Medicaid sucks by the way; you can easily be bankrupted in that system. Medicaid only serves to keep you poor if you get sick, and unless you die quickly, you will end up in a hospital some day.
Then they put “caps” on the out-of-pocket expenses and eliminate the pre-existing conditions exclusions. Those two devices will wipe out the smaller insurance companies, so even if Congress goes forward with the anti-trust rules, they will be forced to relax those rules when there aren’t enough insurance providers to cover the government-mandated requirement to carry health insurance.
So we will be left with a handful of insurance groups who will have guaranteed income and no competition. They will set the rates for patients, medical providers, and everyone in between and we will be stuck with their decisions-by law.
2. Mish | December 19th, 2009 at 12:49 am
I usually like Ratigan, but..
Ratigan handled that poorly. Not saying he shouldn’t have yelled at Wasserman-Schultz, but he handled it poorly.
3. matt | December 19th, 2009 at 6:53 am
Ha! I saw this yesterday afternoon and I knew it was gonna be on here. I should just be the exiled’s internet lackey, since I’m unemployed and spend my time on the nets reading up on how fucked are country is.
As for Ratigan, I agree to an extent with mish that the yelling doesn’t really help; smacked a little of O’Reilly and the other Fox news hacks. But to be fair, she didn’t answer the man’s question, all she did was break out some fucking platitudes about how “historic” the bill was. It has to be frustrating as a host to ask a simple question and listen to someone spew bullshit. I hope Ratigan keeps fucking with these people.
4. teh football gambler | December 19th, 2009 at 7:54 am
IF I COULD PASS A LAW TO MAKE EVERYONE WATCH MY CABLE SHOW AND STOP THEM FROM CHANGING THE CHANNEL!!! Jajajaja 🙂
5. Dammerung | December 19th, 2009 at 8:11 am
I have made a conscious decision not to “invest” in health care. It’s nothing but gambling after all; you gamble you’ll need more treatment than you can afford, and the insurance agency is gambling you’ll pay more in than you will get out. So the government is now going to REQUIRE us to step into a gambling hall and put our hard earned money on the roulette wheel? I don’t fucking think so.
Furthermore, I think these insurance agencies are and always have been grossly immoral. Conservatives have had a point about abortion – why should they fund something they find personally or religiously wrong? Liberals have a point about war – why should THEY fund something they find personally or morally wrong? Considering all the cartoonishly evil stories we’ve heard about the health care industry, I’m not about to start giving them MY money.
I wonder how many refusniks we’ll see if this is forced down the American peoples’ throats. I sure plan to be one.
6. scott | December 19th, 2009 at 8:55 am
“Ratigan handled that poorly.”
yea, i know that was uncomfortable…but wtf should a reporter do? I can’t help but think of a youtube clip that greenwald linked to that featured a montage of a British journalist asking his guest the same question over and over again because the guest was being dodgy and refused to give a straight answer to his question…i know there are far worse members of congress than shultz, but her responses sucked and needed to be called out…journalists need to be dicks
7. Alex | December 19th, 2009 at 9:46 am
While I’m sure she didn’t have any good answers, talking over her and constantly changing the question isn’t really the way to show it.
8. Flatulissimo | December 19th, 2009 at 12:33 pm
Wow, I am almost…impressed?
9. jay | December 19th, 2009 at 1:14 pm
I like Dylan in general but this was stooopid.
Asking about why the Health care stocks were going up.
If wall street & stock market were so smart to price everything correctly why were they at all time highs in 2007 october when the problems in the financial sector were so crystal clear?. One year later in 2008 we were talking abt armageddon!
10. Aaron | December 19th, 2009 at 1:14 pm
He’s probably a Ron Paul republican who believes in Austrian school economics but at least that means he’s an honest man.
11. Spade | December 19th, 2009 at 3:04 pm
Wenjo is 100% dead on… the whole thing is a carefully constructed scam.
12. scott | December 20th, 2009 at 12:30 am
While I’m sure she didn’t have any good answers, talking over her and constantly changing the question isn’t really the way to show it.
yea…talking over her…
13. Mish | December 20th, 2009 at 4:16 am
I think Ratigan could’ve done better by letting her issue her talking points, then pointing out how weak they are and how stupid she must believe the viewers are.
Then again – this interview seems to be getting him a good deal of attention. Perhaps that was his goal.
14. Marquelot | December 20th, 2009 at 6:32 am
Although I don’t usually like these talking head shitbags, it was interesting to watch this one take this negress/jewess apart.
15. Whatever666 | December 20th, 2009 at 10:41 am
Dylan Ratigan says, “the stock market reflects reality.”
Really? Where the fuck has Ratigan been from 1999 through 2009 – a cave on Mars?
16. 22andDownTrodden | December 21st, 2009 at 1:30 am
“I wonder how many refusniks we’ll see if this is forced down the American peoples’ throats. I sure plan to be one.”
Well, I will stand with you and refuse to pay into this horrible scheme. I don’t mean to sound unpatriotic, but I seriously am considering leaving this country. I’m only 22, and I see a fascist technocracy springing up with seemingly no opposition. Are American citizens really this dumbed-down to where the vast majority of them have no idea what “health care reform” really entails, and the left-over sect blindly merits the pros and cons vicariously through the two-party system?!?!?!
I just want to get on a nice sail boat while listening to styx…
17. Carbon | December 21st, 2009 at 6:53 am
Bravo. Period. It’s about time somebody in the MSM calls these republicrat demons out on their lies.
This is why Ratigan is a hero. This is why he will be remembered as one long after the milquetoasty, suck-up, “reporters” who play nice are consigned to the dustbin of history.
18. aleke | December 28th, 2009 at 12:31 am
I would’ve been much less calm in the face of her focus-group NewSpeak.
And the stock market DOES reflect reality. The reality of Wall Street consolidating power and wealth.