Conservative media and American citizens are up in arms over United States Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s blanket proclamation this week that ALL Obamacare “ horror stories ” are lies, propaganda paid for by the Koch brothers. And they aren’t taking it lying down.
Talk show host Rush Limbaugh was all over the story. “I mean, the numbers are in the tens of thousands of people who have been harmed to one degree or another, some seriously, by Obamacare — and here comes the Senate majority leader just saying it’s all lies, all made up by the Republicans.” But it’s not just an attack on Republicans or Fox News, according to Limbaugh. He states, “It’s an attack on you.”
Breitbart News quickly linked to dozens of stories of people from many states who have been harmed by the United States Affordable Care Act, slamming Harry Reid for spreading slander.
Fox News cited stories from all over the United States by people who have been affected. Fox interviewed the mother of a 17-old teen who has undergone 89 surgeries for congenital malformations on her brain. Eileen Benthal states that she was “so offended” by the Senator’s remarks, because she has worked diligently to secure care for her daughter. Now, because of Obamacare, their insurance plan was terminated in the fall. The best option she has been able to find eliminated one doctor and all out-of-state care. But some of the tests and treatments needed are not available in her state. She is now relying on a grassroots group, the Angioma Alliance, to help with the needed care.
It’s not just conservative outlets reacting to the Majority Leader’s inflammatory comments. A number of United States Senators have united in challenging Reid with stories from people in their own states.
Wisconsin’s Senator Ron Johnson states on his website, “It is shocking, even in today’s crass political climate, that the leader of the Senate Democrats would have the audacity to say outright that those real people with real stories are all liars. An apology is in order.” He described Reid’s comments as not only offensive, but irresponsible.
Senator Ted Cruz spoke to a group of Tea Party Patriots Thursday evening telling them that the Senator had “ contempt ” for the people of the United States by calling the very people who elected him liars, citing the millions in various states who have lost their health insurance and others who have lost their jobs.
A spokeswoman for Missouri Senator Roy Blunt said that Blunt has taken to the Senate Floor several times to read personal stories from his constituents about how Obamacare has negatively impacted them. She wants to know if Harry Reid believes the people from her state made it all up.
It has been reported that Reid’s own staff has been given an exemption , leading some to question why he believes the Affordable Care Act is good enough for the American people but not good enough for the staffers of the United States Congress.
Senator Reid has since downplayed his comments, but it’s only after many people were outraged at being called liars by their own United States government.