Stop That Chart! The Republican Single-Payer Health Care Flow Chart That Has Democrats in an Uproar
Posted By Vicki McClure Davidson on July 23, 2009
Here it is: ObamaCare: Nightmare Organizational Flow Chart of the House Democrats' Health Plan
After Obama’s wincingly bad, rambling TV press conference last night on his single-payer/socialized health care plan (no TOTUS, just The One dodging questions with weak, indirect answers), it looks like all efforts to buoy the sinking government-run health care plan are being revved up to maximum.
Now, Democrats are blocking a Republican mailing, claiming that the ridiculously complicated ObamaCare flow chart that the Republicans created is wrong and misleading (although, they’ve not identified what exactly is wrong or misleading about it).
Republicans, of course, are fighting back, saying Dems are trying to censor their efforts to communicate with their supporters and that the Brady flow chart (with its colorful, mind-numbing preponderance of new government takeover departments and divisions and lots of lines and arrows) is based on the Democrats’ convoluted, expensive, still-to-be-completed health care bill.
Some good ol’ bloody Shakespearean drama is heading our way. Heads will roll…
From Roll Call:
Democrats Block GOP Health Care Mailing
July 23, 2009
By Jackie Kucinich, Roll Call StaffDemocrats are preventing Republican House Members from sending their constituents a mailing that is critical of the majority’s health care reform plan, blocking the mailing by alleging that it is inaccurate.
House Republicans are crying foul and claiming that the Democrats are using their majority to prevent GOP Members from communicating with their constituents.
The dispute centers on a chart (view larger PDF of chart) created by Rep. Kevin Brady (R-Texas) and Republican staff of the Joint Economic Committee to illustrate the organization of the Democratic health care plan.
At first glance, Brady’s chart resembles a board game: a colorful collection of shapes and images with a web of lines connecting them.
But a closer look at the image reveals a complicated menagerie of government offices and programs that Republicans say will be created if the leading Democratic health care plan becomes law.
In a memo sent Monday to Republicans on the House franking commission, Democrats argue that sending the chart to constituents as official mail would violate House rules because the information is misleading.
In their eight-point memo, which was obtained by Roll Call, Democrats identify a litany of areas where they believe the chart is incorrect.
For example, Democrats argue that the chart depicts a “Health Insurance Exchange Trust Fund” that is “simply a recipient of IRS funds, with no outflow. … This is false.”
The chart’s illustration of low-income subsidies is also “misleading and false,” Democrats argue.
Congressional rules for franked mail bar Members from using taxpayer-funded mail for newsletters that use “partisan, politicized or personalized” comments to criticize legislation or policy.
The dispute over Brady’s chart is being reviewed by the franking commission, which must approve any mail before it can be sent. No decision had been made on the matter by press time.
Brady adamantly denied that the chart was misleading and said Democrats are simply threatened by the content of the graphic.
“I think their review was laughable,” Brady said. “It’s … downright false in most of the cases. The chart depicts their health care plan as their committees developed it.”
“The chart reveals how their health care bureaucracy works, and people are frightened by it,” he added. “So this is their effort to try and discredit” the chart.
Republican Members have made 20 requests to mail a version of the chart to their constituents and have been told that the requests are being delayed while the commission reviews allegations that the chart is misleading.
“Hiding the truth about wildly unpopular policies is a Democrat specialty,” said one GOP aide. “I’d like to see the flow chart on how Speaker [Nancy] Pelosi plans on implementing the open and transparent government she keeps promising everyone.”“We have initiated discussions with the minority to try and resolve current differences and are operating in good faith to achieve that goal,” said Kyle Anderson, a spokesman for House Administration Chairman Robert Brady (D-Pa.). The committee has oversight of the commission.
Rep. Dan Lungren (R-Calif.), ranking member of the committee and a member of the franking commission, said through a spokeswoman that he is also aware of the situation and is working with the members of the franking commission to resolve the differences, but he added that he believed Democrats on the commission were overreaching.
“He strongly believes that the franking commission does not have the authority to deny Member communications based on partisan differences of pending legislation,” said Salley Collins, a spokeswoman for Lungren.
The franking commission is made up of three Democrats and three Republicans.
Republicans quickly embraced Brady’s chart, and over the past week about 50 Members have posted it on their Congressional Web sites or used it in a floor speech. It has also been posted on the home page of the Republican National Committee.
Additional ObamaCare posts:
John Boehner: Republican Chart Outlines House Democrats’ Government Takeover of Health Care
America Watches Obama: Under UK socialized medicine, Disabled children wait up to two years for wheelchairs
Michelle Malkin: Well, well: Dems revoke gag order on GOP health care chart and House GOP smacks down Democrat censors and “It’s better to have a product based on quality and thoughtfulness rather than try to jam something through.” and Obamacare for illegal aliens and Obamacare: Code Blue and Barack Obama speaks the truth! Update: Mayo not okay-o with Obamacare and Glimpse of Obamacare future: 83 million would lose private coverage and The more he talks about nationalizing health care and spending more money… and Not about you, huh? and The fear-mongerer-in-chief and Exposed: A trial lawyers’ pay-off in Obamacare
American Elephants: Here’s the Chart that the Democrats Don’t Want You to See!
The Powers That Be: Obama Guarantees Provisions in a Health Care Bill He Doesn’t Know the Provisions Of
Google News, AP: DeMint refuses to take back ‘Waterloo’ statement
MT Pundit: Are Democrats afraid of an informed electorate?
Stop The ACLU: Even Obama’s Doctor is Against it… (video) and Obama Attacks More Private Citizens During Prime Time Presser
Jason Killian Meath, Big Hollywood: Obama’s Health Care ‘Money Pit’
Jim Blazsik: President evades question about abortion and Obamacare
John Romano, Big Hollywood: The Barack and Joe Variety Show
Frugal Café Blog Zone: Rush Limbaugh: Obama on Edge as Magic Fades; DeMint Hits Nerve with “Waterloo” and Dems’ Sheep-herding Health Welfare Program Like Eastern Bloc: Reckless Disregard for Economic & Fiscal Reality
GayPatriot: Why the Rush to Overhaul Health Care?
Founding Bloggers: Ghost Of Obamacare Future Ravages Europe
Threedonia: The Shape of Things to Come
The Foxhole: Dem Foes of ObamaCare Will ‘Destroy his Presidency’
VotingFemale Speaks!: Obama Health Care – like All Americans Taking Up A Three Pack a Day Smoking Habit; both Costly and Deadly
Family Security Matters: Look Here to See What’s in the Health Care Bill: CHILLING!
Politico: RNC website takes aim at Democrat health care plan
Hot Air Green Room: Oh Please Don’t Throw Me into that Brady Patch, Ms. Pelosi! and Obama: To Save Healthcare, I must Impugn the Motives of those who Provide It and Happy talk will not jump-start Obamacare
The Substratum: ObamaCare In The Gallows – Quick, Get A Rope
Steven Crowder, Big Hollywood: Lonewolf Diaries: The Truth About Dumb, Liberal Canadians and Their Lies
Why Mommy is a Palin Supporter: Terminally Ill Denied Treatment, Offered Suicide in Oregon
John T. Simpson, Big Hollywood: Story and the Power of Conservative Themes in Film
Marginal Revolution: Don’t take this the wrong way
The Weekly Standard: Obama: ‘Time for Talking is Over’ But I Have No Idea What’s in This Bill
Gary Graham, Big Hollywood: Obama Wants to Buck Us Up
Gateway Pundit: Claire “ACORN” McCaskill Blames Neighbors For Flipping Bird at Tea Party Protesters
Track-A-’Crat: Rep. Russ Carnahan – Useful Idiot
Hot Air: Newt’s six-point health-care reform and Awesomely awesome: War breaking out among Democrats over ObamaCare and Video: Pawlenty accuses Obama of “scamming” people on health care and Obama: On second thought, it’s totally okay for Congress not to pass ObamaCare by August and Obama says talking time over, but has no clue what’s in ObamaCare; Update: Obama admits bill needs more work and A brief lesson on markets and rationing and House Democrats block GOP mailers on ObamaCare
Goodtimepolitics: Blue Dogs threaten to bring down Pelosi’s healthcare bill
The Patriot’s Mind: Why Government Health Insurance will be a Disaster
McNorman’s Weblog: Poll: Public losing trust in POTUS, Really?
Lindy’s Blog: Where Mom is Always Right: Obama: lies, lies, and damn lies, UPDATED!!
Pronk Palisades: Obama’s Waterloo– Government Compulsory Single Payer Socialized Medicine!–Videos
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[...] Stop That Chart! The Republican Single-Payer Health Care Flow Chart That Has Democrats in an Uproar … [...]
You know that all this chart really shows me is that the so-called jobs that TheOne is taking credit for creating are all bureaucrats. Creating jobs to justify their existance.
This whole thing stinks.
Roxy
Amen to that, Roxy.
VMD
It’s funny how the chart doesn’t make one bit of sense, and was created by Republicans, not Democrats…
It’s an organizational flowchart, American, and except for a couple of places that are not clear, it makes perfect sense to me. Also, I believe the box with HIPDB in it crossed out could be removed, but I’m guessing it is showing a defunct department.
Here’s a thought. Maybe only Republicans can understand the chart because of their understanding of corporation department/employee work flow and most Democrats don’t work with org flowcharts at their social services jobs or when they get their welfare checks?
just a thought
I have always loved flow charts. I’m proud that Brady put this together; Democrats should make up their own if they are so proud of their efforts. Lets do it ; more flow charts; the people are waiting and deserve an understanding of who is doing what in Washington. Flow charts are economics 101 let’s do it. May we have more please. Quit treating us as though we are sheep.
I absolutely agree with you, Pastrybiz. I learned about flow charts back in college, and have designed many as a technical writer for different employers I’ve had. They visually and quickly present the way work flows and how organizational relationships intersect or are part of the sequential “flow” in any system. The more complicated the system, the more helpful a flow chart is… you can write paragraphs about how Person A gives information or a product to Person B, who then sends it to Department X, and so on, but a flow chart offers quick visual understanding with little fuss. They can be used to help in Girl Scout encampment planning, for a PTA organization to make it easier to understand parent volunteer roles in a school fundraiser carnival, for starting and smoothly running a small business with just a few people. They are not limited to “big, bad corporations.”
Democrats who are mocking this org flow chart are either A) panic-stricken that the bloated, taxpayer-funded government-run health plan is now presented so that the majority of Americans can see it quickly for the gigantic debacle that it is, or B) are embarrassed morons who have revealed how little they understand about “the real work world” and wouldn’t be able to interpret an organizational flow chart if their lives depended upon it.
Either way, I agree with you. Thanks for your input.
The first thing I noticed about this chart is that once you enter into it there is no way out. Your health will be held hostage by bureaucrats. With every paycheck you earn you will pay a ransom in the form of taxes, yet freedom will never come to you. This maze is our destiny if the current healthcare bill passes into law. After further study of this “flow chart”, it did reveal something interesting. If the plan on the chart works as it is laid out, right about where the chart says “consumers” is where the Road Runner gets hit with a really big rock.