As Congress returns from recess and gets back to work to pass legislation to bring access to quality, affordable healthcare to everyone, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce is wasting no time working hard to hang onto the same reckless business practices that got us in this hot financial mess in the first place. The Chamber is launching a new $2 million ad campaign attacking the Consumer Financial Protection Agency. From the Wall Street Journal:

The Chamber's goal is twofold: move the spotlight off the unpopular commercial banks and mortgage lenders that are the target of the legislation and muster a roster of more sympathetic opponents.

[...] The business lobby intends to expand its campaign to include nationwide TV and radio ads later this month. Its lobbying push could feature other small-business owners, such as accountants, landlords and event planners.

The Chamber's first ad--running in Washington-area newspapers--could actually almost be a warning ad for what could happen if we don't find a way to increase real consumer protections to Americans and businesses alike. The print ad, which will run first in Washington-area newspapers, has a picture of a butcher with the line: "Virtually every business that extends credit to American consumers would be affected -- even the local butcher and the credit he extends to his customers."

The Chamber's claim that they are opposing this legislation primarily out of concern for the interests of small businesses is not very convincing. Our first clue? They admit that the whole point of the ads is to draw attention away from the banks and mortgage lenders and the dangerous and deceptive products and practices they've been driving, at which the CFPA legislation takes aim. But even a quick examination of their legislative record shows them opposing bill after bill that may help small businesses--and consistently siding with big corporations. Resorting to these kinds of right-wing scare tactics is nothing new for the Chamber; their history of using misinformation to bolster campaigns against pro-worker policies speaks for itself.

Kirstin Brost, a spokeswoman for Senate Banking Committee Chairman Chris Dodd, said the business community is wasting money with this anti-worker campaign attacking the Consumer Financial Protection Agency. "The public doesn't believe that there was too much consumer protection," said Brost.

Experience has taught us that allowing financial firms to abuse consumers is bad for our overall financial system health...and that's putting it lightly. This abuse has lead directly to the current crisis that resulted the loss of millions in jobs and in millions of Americans losing their homes, their jobs, and their retirement savings. Not to mention a pervasive mistrust by consumers in our country's financial systems. The current regulatory framework simply doesn't provide adequate protection to consumers--and we need to put a stop to the new, risky financial products that banks continue to push out, even now.

The truth is now that the Chamber and big banks and corporations they represent are once again flush with cash (mostly thanks to taxpayer bailouts), they're back to doing everything they can to continue the egregious, reckless business practices in the consumer lending market that allowed them to make money then move on.The Chamber of Commerce should represent the interests of American business -- not just the interests of a few of its big donors. Don't let the U.S. Chamber set the agenda on financial reform.

Update: Read SEIU Secretary-Treasurer Anna Burger's piece looking at the role the Chamber of Commerce has played in the financial breakdown, posted on the SEIU Blog & Huffington Post.

"With sponsorship by more than thirty religious denominations and organizations including SEIU, an estimated 140,000 people of faith from across the country joined President Obama's healthcare call on Wednesday and committed to press Congress to finish work on health care reform when they return after Labor Day Recess. Obama urged the listeners to reject misinformation about his plans, saying "There are some folks out there who are, frankly, bearing false witness."

President Obama cited one example the right-wing has used to create a sense of fear in their base supporters -- the rumors that the government is planning to set up "death panels" to determine the fate of the nation's elderly. "That is just an extraordinary lie," said President Obama, explaining that that it was based on a provision in the House legislation that would allow Medicare to reimburse someone who voluntarily sought counseling on how to set up a living will for the end of life.

"For 75 years, this nation has tried and failed to bring everybody into the healthcare table of plenty, so success is far from assured," said Dr. Joel Hunter, a Christian leader and pastor from Florida. "But we're not alone....our differences are unified for a higher purpose." "40 Days for Health Reform" is an effort from the faith community to make sure reform creates a path to making healthcare secure and affordable for all American families.

Listen to the call here.

Click here to get straight facts on the President's plan to fix health care.

All across the country, right-wingers and opponents of health care reform are spreading misinformation about President Obama's proposals to improve health care coverage for all Americans. To help debunk the misinformation about what health care reform actually means, a new coalition called Americans for Stable Quality Care--which includes the SEIU, American Medical Association (AMA), PhRMA, the Federation of American Hospitals and FamiliesUSA--will launch their first ad today as part of an August recess campaign for health care reform.

From Politico:

The group is likely to be the biggest spender in support of health reform. The campaign will serve as a counterweight to the critics at town meetings, which are getting saturation news coverage while Congress is out of town.

In a reversal from former President Bill Clinton's 1993-94 health care debacle, the group's campaign is likely to mean that White House supporters keep the upper hand on the airwaves.

Watch the ad here:

As President Obama said at the town hall in New Hampshire, "where we do disagree, let's disagree over things that are real, not these wild misrepresentations that bear no resemblance to anything that's actually been proposed." In line with prospering the truth about reform, here's the text of the first ad from this coalition:

What DOES health insurance reform mean for you? It means you can't be denied coverage for a pre-existing condition, or dropped if you get sick. It means putting health-care decisions in the hands of you and your doctor. It means lower costs, a cap on out-of-pocket expenses, tough new rules to cut waste and red tape, and a focus on PREVENTING illness before it strikes. So what does health insurance reform really mean? Quality, affordable care you can count on.

An official from Americans for Stable Quality Care elaborates on the groups' objectives for the campaign, saying "Now that the debate is turning on what health reform means for the individual, they felt the need to launch a new front that addresses some of those particulars while debunking some of the myths that are floating around. Plus, these groups recognize that their collective voice packs more punch than if they were to just speak out individually." The ads will air in Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Indiana, Louisiana, Maine, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, North Dakota, South Dakota and Virginia.

For the 47 million Americans without health insurance and the rest of the country, reform in health care is worth doing. If you're looking for an opportunity to help turn the tide on reform, attend a town hall to contribute to civil public debate about important healthcare issues our country faces. Find a town hall meeting near you (hat tip to FireDogLake).

FALSE CLAIM: Multiple SEIU members hit/kicked Kenneth Gladney, a conservative activist from St. Louis, while he was minding his own business selling buttons.

REALITY: In fact, it was an SEIU staffer --a disabled minister--who was assaulted. When the video that has been all over the radio and cable news shows begins, the Reverend Elston McCowan is already on the ground. Rev. McCowan is also seen clutching his shoulder, which was dislocated in the fall, once he is finally able to get up after the attack. He also sustained a chipped bone during the fall.

REALITY: Even Gladney, in the video, doesn't claim this happened. He only claims his hands were "hit"--which has been disputed--and he never claims that this took place before the disabled Reverend was hit.

FALSE CLAIM: There's video evidence of SEIU members beating Gladney from the town hall meeting.

REALITY: Videos taken that night, edited and unedited, do not support Gladney's claims. In fact, in this freeze-frame video, it's pretty evident that the person who has been pushed to the ground -- on his back -- is a wearing a purple SEIU shirt--and is not Kenneth Gladney. Teabaggers have consistently confused Rev. Elston McCowan with Gladney, a conservative activist who has said he was attacked by some of those arrested as he handed out yellow flags with "Don't tread on me" printed on them.
REALITY: Newspaper reports from that night cited no witness accounts of the incident, only Gladney's story. There are two sides to every story, and right now Gladney's is the only one being publicly told.

FALSE CLAIM: Gladney was rushed to the hospital after the alleged 'attack'.

REALITY: Gladney left the protest upright, walking and talking--and conducting live television interviews. In the video, Gladney does fall to the ground at one point in the shuffle--but he jumps back up and is standing up less than two seconds later. Furthermore, as Media Matters' excellent deconstruction of the supposed "union beating" points out, Gladney was not whisked away by an ambulance and "hospitalized" immediately after the town hall. Rather, he sought treatment of his own accord to treat injuries to his "knee, back, elbow, shoulder and face." All that from a two-second fall to the pavement?

That same night, Gladney also did interviews on live television. Yet two days later at an anti-SEIU protest, Gladney attended in a wheelchair. His lawyer claimed that Gladney was "under heavy medication" and would not be speaking at the event.

FALSE CLAIM: This was a "hate crime."

REALITY: Kenneth Gladney is accusing an SEIU staff member (and minister) who is African-American. SEIU is the nation's most diverse union: 56 percent of its members are women, and 40 percent are people of color.

FALSE CLAIM: Gladney has no health insurance.

REALITY: At the anti-SEIU protest, Gladney told reporters that he was recently out of work and had no health insurance, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. However, by Tuesday, his story had changed and conservative blogs were reporting that Gladney does, in fact, receive insurance through his wife. When Gladney's (now-former lawyer) David Brown was asked about this, he replied: "Well, who doesn't need a donation? If people want to give him a donation because he's injured and unemployed, that's up to them." Brown said Gladney has raised about $1,100 in donations so far. (St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 8/9; Washington Independent, 8/10)

FALSE CLAIM: Gladney was only hired to sell buttons at the town hall meeting, and has no ties to the broader Tea Party movement.

REALITY: Gladney, along with his lawyer (at the time), a Tea Party activist, were spoiling for a fight. Gladney came to the protest with his lawyer and Tea Party activist, David Brown. In February, Brown formed an LLC in Missouri under the name The Political Mint LLC. The Political Mint has openly promoted the fact that they are involved in "Tea Party Fundraising." Despite walking away from the protest, Gladney and his lawyer then contacted reporters and conservative bloggers with their tale, appearing on Fox News the next day. They immediately announced that they would be filing a civil suit. Brown's brother, Andrew Beeney, is going to be the lawyer officially presenting him.

FALSE CLAIM: The Tea Party protesters are only voicing the concerns of real Americans in the healthcare debate--and the protest in St. Louis is an important part of that debate.

REALITY: The Teabaggers themselves admitted that their real goal is "no reform at all;" the focus on St. Louis is an attempt to distract from our national healthcare crisis. On a private conference call, top Tea Party and conservative activists--including organizers from RecessRally.com, American Liberty Alliance, and "Tea Party Patriots"-- openly admitted their real goal: to defeat ANY healthcare reform bill. "The goal is not compromise, and ANY bill coming out this year would be a failure for us," said the call's moderator, according to reports at Greg Sargent's blog, The Plum Line. The report also indicated that one of the organizers on the call also added, "The purpose of Tea Parties is not to find a solution to the health care crisis -- it is to stop what is not the solution: Obamacare." (The Plum Line, 8/11/09)

In St. Louis, a Reverend and SEIU staffer was assaulted at a town hall dedicated to discussing our national healthcare crisis. The incident, along with a town hall in Tampa, Florida, has been all over the radio and cable news shows. GOP operatives are rushing to paint it as SEIU thug violence. That couldn't be further from the truth.

In fact, the Reverend Elston McCowan, a St. Louis Post-Dispatch reporter, and others who attended the town hall meeting in hopes of a peaceful dialogue about our nation's healthcare crisis, endured the latest attempt by right-wing fringe groups to hijack the democratic process through violence if necessary. The Teabaggers' violent tactics broke and dislocated the shoulder of the Reverend.

Teabaggers have consistently confused Rev. Elston McCowan with Kenneth Gladney, a conservative activist from St. Louis who has said he was attacked by some of those arrested as he handed out yellow flags with "Don't tread on me" printed on them.

Reality Check: False Claims Debunked About Last Week's Town Hall in St. Louis

Video Transcript

Now that we're closer than ever before to reforming our health care system, the opposition is ratcheting up the fear-mongering and deception. They'll say anything to dominate the public conversation and disrupt productive dialogue, and do anything to block reform--including harassment, intimidation, and physical violence.

For several days now, radical-fringe right-wing opponents bent on blocking any reform legislation have disrupted town hall meetings conducted by members of Congress. At the same time they're engaging in Astroturf [read: fake grassroots] activism, these radical-fringe groups are disseminating discredited myths about health care reform bills that were adopted by four Congressional committees. Astroturfing by conservative opponents of reform is particularly dishonest because it masks the true motivations of the powerful interests--like the desire of industries to maintain the status quo.

These conservative lobbyist-run groups are leading the way orchestrating town hall mobs.

FreedomWorks
According to TPM, FreedomWorks is teaming up with the Tea Party Patriots to target Blue Dogs on health care reform. "Take, for instance, an email exchange, obtained by TPMDC, between a protester and a FreedomWorks field organizer on a list serv operated by the latter. Last month, Tom Gaitens, a FreedomWorks field manager posted a spreadsheet containing contact information for Blue Dogs and their chiefs of staff, to a tea party organizers list serv that he manages." In addition, Roll Call reported that FreedomWorks is one of the organizations "behind the efforts" to disrupt town hall meetings. [Talking Points Memo, 8/4/2009; Roll Call, 8/5/2009] The group, chaired by former House Majority Leader Dick Armey, is emailing 380,000 supporters an "August Recess Action Kit" link this week.

Conservatives for Patients' Rights
Conservatives for Patients' Rights, a $20 million operation that's running a national campaign against a public plan to kill progressive health care reform, is now publicly taking credit for helping stir up the sometimes-rowdy outbursts targeting House Dems at town hall meetings around the country. Which makes these disruptions seem....a little less than spontaneous, or simply a reflection of grassroots sentiment. CPR has posted a list of congressional town halls to be held over August recess "as a resource for our visitors." The fact-checking website Politifact.com has rated Conservatives for Patients' Rights statements about health care reform, "Barely True."

Americans for Prosperity
Americans for Prosperity Helping to Organize Tea Party Protests. The Charlotte Observer reported that Americans for Prosperity is "the organization behind this year's taxpayer tea parties," and the Roanoke Times reported "the Tea Party Patriots and Americans for Prosperity organized the Nationwide Tea Party protest day." [Charlotte Observer, 7/22/2009; Roanoke Times, 7/18/2009] The group is listed as a "Health Care Freedom Coalition Partner" on the Tea Party Patriots website. It was established by oil magnate David Koch, and its creation is a result of a split from an earlier Koch-based enterprise, now called FreedomWorks (sound familiar?) AFP was also instrumental in orchestrating the anti-Obama, anti-tax tea party protests in April.

Americans for Prosperity's various fronts and disclosures that point to ever-increasing oil and corporate donations to the group are guided by AFP President Tim Phillips--who, as The Wonk Room notes, "has built a long career of inventing fake grassroots causes." Phillips' resume includes founding an Atlanta-based firm with Abramoff-connected Ralph Reed. The firm, Century Strategies, has a history of mounting "grassroots lobbying drives," and Reed in the past has said (when attempting to help Enron deregulate the electricity industry), "it matters less who has the best arguments and more who gets heard -- and by whom."

Club for Growth
Right-Wing founder Steven Moore pushed for ending all assistance to low-income Americans, calling Medicare "Catastrophic." In 2000, Moore advocated abolishing welfare, stating, "The most valuable step the Congress could take to help dismantle the welfare-poverty trap would be to abolish all programs that provide benefits for not working: food stamps, AFDC, and public housing, for example." In 2003, Moore wrote, "Every American taxpayer knows full well the fiscally catastrophic impact of programs like Medicare, Medicaid and other black-check income redistribution programs." [Washington Times, 4/07/00; Detroit News, 7/21/03]

Americans for Tax Reform/Grover Norquist
Americans for Tax Reform President Grover Norquist Pushing Members to Attend Town Hall Meetings. Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform, "said he encourages his members to attend town-hall meetings - and arms them with suggested questions." [Roll Call, 8/5/2009]

A serious and civil discourse about healthcare reform - tied to facts, not myths - will substantially increase the public's support for reform. "America's families want the peace of mind that comes with knowing that health insurance and care can never be taken away - when they switch jobs, lose jobs, start a business, or become sick. That's why a civil discourse is so important, and that's why health insurance reform is essential," said SEIU Healthcare Chair Dennis Rivera.

Playing politics with health reform is simply unacceptable. We must fight back against lies and fear-mongering to drown out the opposition--and send the message that health care reform must happen this year. That starts with knowing who we're up against--so read our "fact checks" on FreedomWorks, Conservatives for Patients' Rights, Americans for Prosperity, Club for Growth and Americans for Tax Reform/Grover Norquist.

Club For Growth and Founder Steven Moore: Extreme Right-Wing

Moore Pushed For Ending All Assistance To Low-Income Americans, Called Medicare "Catastrophic." In 2000, Moore advocated abolishing welfare, stating, "The most valuable step the Congress could take to help dismantle the welfare-poverty trap would be to abolish all programs that provide benefits for not working: food stamps, AFDC, and public housing, for example." In 2003, Moore wrote, "Every American taxpayer knows full well the fiscally catastrophic impact of programs like Medicare, Medicaid and other black-check income redistribution programs." [Washington Times, 4/07/00; Detroit News, 7/21/03]

Club for Growth Opposed Raising the Minimum Wage, Saying It Would "Harm" Workers. In 2007, the Club for Growth called on members of Congress to vote against the bipartisan bill to raise the federal minimum wage to $7.25 an hour. Announcing their opposition to the wage hike, the Club cited a conservative foundation that argued "high minimum wages only harm unskilled, low-wage workers." Explaining in a November 2007 interview why Club for Growth so strongly opposes Mike Huckabee, Pat Toomey, then President of the organization, listed a number of Huckabee's "worst hits," including the fact that he "happily signed a minimum wage increase and encouraged national Republicans to do the same." [Club for Growth Key Vote Alert, 2/1/07; National Review Online, 11/28/07]

The Club for Growth Spends Millions of Dollars to Defeat Moderate Republicans in Deference to Extreme Right-Wing Candidates. The Club for Growth "often uses its money to influence what kind of Republicans get elected." In the 2006 election cycle, two-thirds of the more than $2.5 million they spent nationally "went to attack Republican primary candidates like GOP incumbent Sen. Lincoln Chafee in Rhode Island, various candidates in Idaho's 1st District, and Crank and Rivera in Colorado's 5th District." [Rocky Mountain News, 10/30/06]

Club for Growth Wanted Bush's Privatization Plan To Go Into Effect ASAP. Discussing President Bush's proposal to privatize Social Security in 2005, Pat Toomey said, "I think there is a lot of support." In addition, not only did Toomey and the Club for Growth praise Bush's inclusion of Social Security privatization in the 2007 budget resolution, but he lamented that privatization "couldn't be implemented sooner." [CNN, "Crossfire," 3/3/05; Club for Growth Press Release, 2/5/07]

Club For Growth: Right-Wing Shill

Right Wing's Biggest Names Rule Club.  The group's donors "include some of the conservative movement's biggest names: Richard Mellon Scaife, the House majority leader Tom DeLay and the columnist Brent Bozell, as well as businessmen like the pharmaceutical executive Dan Searle, the cosmetics executive Ronald H. Lauder and the financiers Charles Schwab and Richard Gilder. The conservative economists Arthur Laffer and Lawrence Kudlow advise on policy." [New York Times, 4/11/04]

Club For Growth Walks Legal Line

Club Made False Statements according to Ohio Ethics Commission.  In October 2007, the Ohio Ethics Commission ruled that the Club for Growth had made false statements about Ohio congressional candidate Bob Latta "when it issued an Internet and e-mail press release stating Latta supported a penny sales-tax hike in 1998." [Toledo Blade, 10/19/07]

FEC Complaint Filed Against Club for Running Ads in Maryland House Primary.  In January 2008, the campaign of Maryland State Senator E.J. Pipkin, running in the GOP MD-01 primary, filed an FEC complaint against the Club for Growth. "The complaint, filed with the Federal Election Commission, alleges Mr. Harris and the Club for Growth coordinated $250,000 in advertising to attack Mr. Harris' opponents. Mr. Harris and Mr. Pipkin are challenging incumbent Rep. Wayne Gilchrest in the Republican primary for the Eastern Shore congressional seat." [The Capital, 1/16/08]

Americans for Tax Reform President Grover Norquist Pushing Members to Attend Town Hall Meetings.  Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform, "said he encourages his members to attend town-hall meetings - and arms them with suggested questions." [Roll Call, 8/5/2009]

 

Norquist Helped Jack Abramoff Funnel Funds Through Americans for Tax Reform.  According to a report released by the Senate Indian Affairs Committee, "Americans for Tax Reform served as a 'conduit' for funds that flowed from Abramoff's clients to surreptitiously finance grass-roots lobbying campaigns.  As the money passed through, Norquist's organization kept a small cut, e-mails show." [Washington Post, 6/25/2006]

• Norquist Funneled More Than $1 Million To Ralph Reed for Abramoff. According to the Senate Indian Affairs Committee report, "Norquist's Americans for Tax Reform became a conduit for more than a million dollars from the Mississippi Choctaw to Reed's operation, while Norquist, a close White House ally, took a cut...Relying on an email by Abramoff, the Senate report said 'Norquist kept' $25,000 from each of two transfers from the Choctaw to Reed." [Associated Press, 6/23/2006]

 

Norquist "At Switchboard" of Vast Right Wing Conspiracy. "Those who believe in a 'vast right-wing conspiracy' might trace its path to a generic conference room of a nondescript office building here, where fresh bagels and cream cheese await more than 100 conservative activists every Wednesday morning...Overseeing all the activity is Grover Norquist, a baby-faced anti-tax crusader with a clip-on microphone and an enthusiasm unusual in jaded Washington circles. 'To the extent that there is a conservative network, Grover is at the switchboard,' said John Pitney, an expert on the Republican Party who teaches government at Claremont McKenna College in Claremont, Calif." [Orlando Sentinel. 6/15/2003]

 

Norquist Formed Lobbying Group With Abramoff-Embroiled David Safavian and Represented Numerous Questionable Foreign Clients. In the 1990s, Norquist formed the lobbying firm the Merritt Group (also known as Janus-Merritt Strategies) with David Safavian, who was convicted in 2008 (after his first conviction was overturned), of "obstruction and making false statements to investigators" and "trying to hide his relationship with Abramoff and his participation in Abramoff's now-famous golf junket to Scotland with members of Congress."  Norquist was "a registered foreign agent, at $10,000 a month, for the political organization of Jonas Savimbi, the Angolan rebel leader, until the group did some belt-tightening after paying Mr. Norquist $80,000" in 1996. [Associated Press, 12/19/2008; New York Times, 7/8/1997]

• Safavian Represented Supportors of Hezbollah and Hamas at Firm. At Merritt, Safavian represented "local Muslim leader Abduraham Alamoudi, who in October 2000 made widely publicized comments supporting Hezbollah and the Islamaic Resistance Movement, or Hamas...Alamoudi has since been convicted and imprisoned for accepting money from the Libyan government as part of an alleged plot to assassinate the crown prince of Saudi Arabia." [Washington Post, 9/21/2005]

 

1997: Americans for Tax Reform Investigated for Coordination With RNC. In 1997, Senate investigators revealed that "In the closing weeks of the 1996 campaign, the Republican National Committee steered more than $1 million in contributions from its major donors to sympathetic outside groups, collecting the checks at the RNC and then passing them on to other organizations...Americans for Tax Reform...made 4 million phone calls and sent 19 million pieces of mail urging voters to dismiss Democratic warnings about Medicare cuts."  The group received about $100,000 in addition to the $4.6 million the RNC directly gave. [Washington Post, 10/23/1997]

 

Norquist Refuses To Release Donors of Americans for Tax Reform, But Reports Have Revealed 'Array of Special Interests' Fund the Group.  According to the Boston Globe, Norquist "has always refused to name his financial backers. But interviews and copies of Norquist's donor lists, obtained by the Globe, show that contributors include an array of special interests ranging from tobacco companies to Indian tribes to a Las Vegas casino." [Boston Globe, 3/31/2006]

The video above is an example of good work by the White House to rebut smears that the right-wing has used to create a sense of fear in their base supporters. Linda Douglass, who leads White House communications on healthcare, responds to the false accusations that President Obama is seeking to abolish private health insurance and is pushing for legislation that would prevent individuals from choosing their own doctors. Obviously both are false--and Douglass does a great job of going point-by-point to defend Obama.

What's even more effective is that the video features cuts of President Obama himself stating clearly what he thinks reform should and should not do. For example, the President has consistently said that if you like your insurance plan, your doctor (or both), you will be able to keep them--and he's even proposed eight consumer protections relating specifically to the health insurance industry.

Not surprisingly, the right-wing doesn't have a leg to stand on when they are left dealing with facts and not fear tactics.

Video crops out truth of Obama's comments on healthcare

As chronicled by Media Matters, some of the fabrications on Obama's health care reform plan are so blatant they make you want to jump up and yell "Liar, liar, pants on fire!" at the talking heads, politicians and corporate lobbyists. For example: On August 2rd, a YouTube video surfaced of from an SEIU/CAP event in 2007 featuring Obama discussing health care--specifically, the then-Senator was discussing how health insurance could transition away from a system of primarily "employer coverage."

Cut to Drudge Report and Fox News declaring, "Uncovered Video: Obama Explains How His Health Care Plan Will 'Eliminate' Private Insurance" and "2007 Video! Did Obama Say He Wants to Kill Private Insurance?," respectively. Funny, we were at that event in 2007, and that's not quite how we remember it.

Here's Media Matters for the fact check:

Contrary to cropped video, Obama did not suggest "employer coverage" would be "eliminate[d]" in 10 to 20 years. Nor did he suggest it would be eliminated by his plan. What Obama actually said [YouTube video cropped the comments in italics]: "But I don't think we're going to be able to eliminate employer coverage immediately. There's going to be potentially some transition process. I can envision a decade out or 15 years out or 20 years out where we've got a much more portable system.

Obama stated during forum that under his plan, employers "still have the option of providing coverage." Following the remarks included in the YouTube video, Obama stated that under that "much more portable system": Employers still have the option of providing coverage, but many people may find that they get better coverage, or at least coverage that gives them more for health care dollars than they spend outside of their employer. And I think we've got to facilitate that and let individuals make that choice to transition out of employer coverage."

Later in forum, Obama stated that under his plan, pooling options would exist "in addition to the employer based system." Obama stated: "[O]ne thing that I think is important is to recognize that there are a lot of small employers who would like to get health care for their workers but they themselves can't afford it because they don't have access to large enough pools to allow them to save money. That's why I think it's going to be important for us in whatever system that we set up to make sure that in addition to the employer based system that we've got an alternative system that individuals who aren't getting it through the job can access."

This is the most important time in the movement to fix health care; we need to continue shining a light on the distortions and biased stats. When all else fails (i.e. the facts), the right-wing always resorts to what it knows best. Could it be because they're hoping you'll be so scared, you won't ask for any?

The video above is an example of good work by the White House to rebut smears that the right-wing has used to create a sense of fear in their base supporters. Linda Douglass, who leads White House communications on healthcare, responds to the false accusations that President Obama is seeking to abolish private health insurance and is pushing for legislation that would prevent individuals from choosing their own doctors. Obviously both are false--and Douglass does a great job of going point-by-point to defend Obama.

What's even more effective is that the video features cuts of President Obama himself stating clearly what he thinks reform should and should not do. For example, the President has consistently said that if you like your insurance plan, your doctor (or both), you will be able to keep them--and he's even proposed eight consumer protections relating specifically to the health insurance industry.

Not surprisingly, the right-wing doesn't have a leg to stand on when they are left dealing with facts and not fear tactics.

Video crops out truth of Obama's comments on healthcare

As chronicled by Media Matters, some of the fabrications on Obama's health care reform plan are so blatant they make you want to jump up and yell "Liar, liar, pants on fire!" at the talking heads, politicians and corporate lobbyists. For example: On August 2rd, a YouTube video surfaced of from an SEIU/CAP event in 2007 featuring Obama discussing health care--specifically, the then-Senator was discussing how health insurance could transition away from a system of primarily "employer coverage."

Cut to Drudge Report and Fox News declaring, "Uncovered Video: Obama Explains How His Health Care Plan Will 'Eliminate' Private Insurance" and "2007 Video! Did Obama Say He Wants to Kill Private Insurance?," respectively. Funny, we were at that event in 2007, and that's not quite how we remember it.

Here's Media Matters for the fact check:

Contrary to cropped video, Obama did not suggest "employer coverage" would be "eliminate[d]" in 10 to 20 years. Nor did he suggest it would be eliminated by his plan. What Obama actually said [YouTube video cropped the comments in italics]: "But I don't think we're going to be able to eliminate employer coverage immediately. There's going to be potentially some transition process. I can envision a decade out or 15 years out or 20 years out where we've got a much more portable system.

Obama stated during forum that under his plan, employers "still have the option of providing coverage." Following the remarks included in the YouTube video, Obama stated that under that "much more portable system": Employers still have the option of providing coverage, but many people may find that they get better coverage, or at least coverage that gives them more for health care dollars than they spend outside of their employer. And I think we've got to facilitate that and let individuals make that choice to transition out of employer coverage."

Later in forum, Obama stated that under his plan, pooling options would exist "in addition to the employer based system." Obama stated: "[O]ne thing that I think is important is to recognize that there are a lot of small employers who would like to get health care for their workers but they themselves can't afford it because they don't have access to large enough pools to allow them to save money. That's why I think it's going to be important for us in whatever system that we set up to make sure that in addition to the employer based system that we've got an alternative system that individuals who aren't getting it through the job can access."

This is the most important time in the movement to fix health care; we need to continue shining a light on the distortions and biased stats. When all else fails (i.e. the facts), the right-wing always resorts to what it knows best. Could it be because they're hoping you'll be so scared, you won't ask for any?

The same extreme right-wing groups that are fighting efforts to reform health care and protect workers in 2009 have spent many years - and tens of millions of dollars - fighting legislation that helps working families in Maine every day. With 58,000 Mainers out of work, now is the time to do everything we can to stand up to these extremists - and stand up for working families.

These opponents include the Club for Growth, a right-wing organization that has spent millions of dollars to defeat moderate Republican members of Congress who don't agree with their extreme policies; the so-called Americans for Job Security, a front group for the insurance industry and other corporate interests that has run ads against the Employee Free Choice Act; and the Heritage Foundation, a think tank that promotes ultra-conservative policies.

These groups opposed raising the minimum wage, that not only benefited thousands of Mainers but also pump more than $8 million into the state economy. They even opposed a children's health care bill that will not only cover 11,600 more children in Maine, but also will create nearly 2,000 jobs in the state. Extreme front groups in Washington do not speak for working families in Maine.

When the U.S. Chamber of Commerce opposed early versions of the healthcare bill Tuesday, we weren't surprised. This is, after all, the same group that colorfully told the Associated Press it was "time to unload the powder and fill the musket" in their fight against health care reform. Call us cynical, but we didn't think they were planning on using that $100 million "campaign to defend the free market" on tea parties and Civil War reenactments.

The fact is, America's healthcare system is broken and all the right-wing continues to do is champion the status quo and purposely distort the reality of what fixing healthcare will mean to millions of American families. The Chamber's assault on the current bill is simply the latest in a string of attacks on common-sense healthcare reforms during the course of their existence. Here's our "Top 10."

Top 10 Historical Chamber Quotes Against Healthcare

10. U.S. Chamber of Commerce Denounced Patients' Bill of Rights As Special Interest Giveaway To Trial Lawyers. Bruce Josten, executive vice president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce said that 2001 of the Patients' Bill of Rights "should be called the Trial Lawyers' Right to Bill...adding new mandates and expanding liability will only serve to increase insurance costs and undermine employers' ability to offer this valuable benefit." [U.S. Chamber of Commerce Press Release, 6/12/01 ]

9. U.S. Chamber Spokesman Said OSHA Is a "Blatant Denial of Fundamental Fairness." When describing the structure of the Labor Department within the Executive Branch rather than the Judicial Branch of the government, Richard Berman, director of labor law for the United States Chamber of Commerce, said "This has a chilling effect on an employer's exercise of his right to appeal and is thus a blatant denial of fundamental fairness." [U.S. News & World Report, 11/24/75]

• The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Vigorously Opposed Occupational Safety Regulations and "led the fight to defeat the 1968 bill." In an article written between the initial bill supported by President Johnson and the second bill, that passed, supported by President Nixon, the New York Times reported: "The first legislation providing for a comprehensive nationwide system of health and safety standards was proposed last year by President Johnson. Strongly supported by labor, the bill ran into immediate and vigorous opposition from industry, led by the Chamber of Commerce of the United States." [New York Times, 12/10/69; New York Times, 3/19/70]

8. U.S. Chamber President Called OSHA "An Abysmal Failure." In 1980, Richard L. Lesher, President of the U.S. Chamber of Congress, charged, "OSHA at best has been a major disappointment, at worst an abysmal failure." "To date, there has been no solid documentation that OSHA has yielded any gains in safety or health," said Lesher. [AP, 4/1/80]

7. U.S. Chamber Spokesman Compared Employer Mandates to Jumping on a "Runaway Train." In 1989, U.S. Chamber Spokesman Frederick J. Krebs was asked by the Washington Post about employer mandated coverage and said, "Health-care costs are out of control -- so being forced to provide these benefits is like being told to jump on a runaway train." [The Washington Post, 4/13/89]

6. Referring to Mental Health Parity Legislation, Chamber Officials Said Personal Tragedy is a "Poor Way to Make Legislation." Complaining that opposing Republicans on mental health parity legislation put them in an awkward position, Neil Trautwein, manager of health care policy for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce said, "It's tremendous to have someone with the stature of Pete Domenici or Alan Simpson get up and describe these personal tragedies, but it's often a poor way to make legislation," says Trautwein. "An emotional argument late in the night is not the way to make policy." [The Washington Post, 6/19/96]

We thought we'd save the best for last, so: be sure to read the "top 5" quotes, after the break.