Rep. Pence: Frank Luntz's Puppet
On May 12, 2009, House Republican Conference Chair Mike Pence issued a press release strictly obeying the rules set forth by GOP wordsmith Dr. Frank Luntz.
The Advice-Man Cometh (Again)
In a press release issued today, Rep. Pence claimed the Obama administration's health care plan would "lead to federal bureaucrats denying critical care for patients. Taking money from seniors to pay for a government takeover of health care is an irresponsible prescription for reform."
Sound familiar? It should. Last week, Dr. Luntz gave Republicans in Congress a memo describing how they should go about defeating health care reform. Rather than take the time to articulate an alternative plan (they don't have one), Republicans robotically repeat Luntz's talking points in a desperate attempt to block health care reform (as Rep. Boehner did earlier today).
Government Takeover
Dr. Luntz: "You'll notice we recommend the phrase 'government takeover ' rather than 'government run' or 'government controlled'"
Rep. Pence: "Taking money from seniors to pay for a government takeover of health care is an irresponsible prescription for reform."
Denial
Dr. Luntz: "Once again, focus on the importance of timeliness, but then add to it the specter of "denial." Nothing will anger Americans more than the chance that they will be denied the healthcare they need for whatever reason."
Rep. Pence: "... lead to federal bureaucrats denying critical care for patients."
Bureaucrats
Dr. Luntz: "The idea that a 'committee of Washington bureaucrats' will establish the standard of care for all Americans and decide who gets what treatment based on how much it costs is anathema to Americans.
Rep. Pence: "deprive roughly 120 million Americans of their current health care coverage and lead to federal bureaucrats denying critical care for patients."
(Every emphasis added)
