Chuck Todd, with this interview, illustrated how the media allow itself co-optation by corporate and think-tank driven misinformation and deception.
Chuck Todd is a smart journalist, and as such, this interview was journalistic malpractice given that he promoted a false and misleading narrative.
Chuck Todd misleads on Medicare for All
Chuck Todd's #MedicareForAll interview, shows media allow itself co-optation by corporate driven deception. (VIDEO) pic.twitter.com/1uTxQdyI2v
— Egberto Willies, Politics Done Right host 🇺🇲🇵🇦 (@EgbertoWillies) September 14, 2017
Todd asked Senator Merkley, why muddy up the issue by supporting single-payer Medicare for All. After all, he said, Democrats took a lot of bullets for Obamacare, and it is still the law of the land. Merkley had the perfect answer.
“Over the course of arguing over Trumpcare, wealth care I might add,” Merkley said. “We talked to our citizens across the country. I had 36 town halls in Oregon, mostly in Republican counties, two-thirds of them. Those citizens in Republican counties came out and said our health care system is just too complicated, too inefficient, and too stressful. And there was a real desire, and I am talking Republican counties, for a simple, seamless, health care, that just by virtue of being an American, you have coverage when you need it.”
Merkley made it clear that even Republicans were eager for a system like single-payer Medicare for All health care system, which is simpler and much more efficient than what we have now.
After Merkley sang the praises to Medicare for All, Chuck came back with the same old argument.
“Look it sounds great,” Todd said. “Everybody wants this until you tell them there are going to have their taxes raised in order to pay for it.”
But Chuck would not be done there. He found an underhanded way to attempt to get Merkley to demonize Obamacare.
“Again, go back to Obamacare,” Todd said. “Is this your way of saying Obamacare is a failure?”
Mekler explained succinctly. He said Obamacare was a big leap forward. He stated that health care is still stressful. Moreover, he pointed out that Medicare for All is much less expensive.
That statement caused Todd to go into the corporate spin about how much single-payer Medicare for All would cost. He shamefully just included the cost in increased taxes without the reality that every American would now have no premiums to pay, nor any charges when going for medical services.
Merkley summarily corrected him. He even made it clear where many of those additional costs were including the private insurance overhead which is at least six times as much as single-payer, 3% overhead for Medicare vs. 18+% for private insurance.
Chuck then went back to the silly narrative stating that Medicare for all seemed just too rosy, ‘It sounds like, you, are promising the world.’ Merkley had the perfect answer.
“Those who say never talk about a vision of where we could go to because we can’t get there tomorrow,” Merkley said. “I would say we would never have any progress.”
The video above contains a few of the highlights, but Merkley’s replies were much more in-depth. Senator Jeff Merkley held his own very well. Watch the full interview here. Also, watch Canadian Doctor, Danielle Martin, on Canada’s health care system at the Medicare for All announcement with Senator Bernie Sanders here.