Bart Stupak doesn’t agree with Madison and Jefferson

Bart Stupak had an interview with Frank Beckmann back in November of 2009.  When pressed on the constitutionality of the Health Care Reform legislation, Stupak reveals that he doesn’t agree with the framers of the Constitution.  The Constitution he took an oath to uphold.

Stupak on the Frank Beckmann show, WJR Detroit–click to listen.

I am in the 1st district where I am taxed without representation.  Stupak is my Congressional Representative.

I found this podcast of the Frank Beckmann show, which is only accessible in these parts by computer streaming.

I am a huge fan of Frank Beckmann, even though I don’t get to listen to him very often.

The podcast runs 17 minutes, you should listen to it, but here is my take of what was said;

On the Stupak Amendment

The first hypocrisy of Stupak is that he agrees with Beckmann when Beckmann says that Stupak has been making it clear that he in no way would vote for the health care bill with federal funding of abortion in it.  That is a lie, in Cheboygan Stupak made it known that even if his amendment failed, he would still vote for the bill, as I have outlined in Stupak “whipping” on Abortion from afar, doesn’t really mean it.

Next Frank plays the audio of Obama’s now famous, “This is a healthcare bill, not an abortion bill,” and wonders how the President can have it both ways, how can he wish each side of the abortion issue, to eventually be placated.   But Stupak only hears the President say that we should keep current law.  This is interesting because either Stupak is purposefully trying to train the audience to listen to certain words of the President, and forget the rest, or that is what he does without knowing it.  What the President said was that he doesn’t want to change the status quo on abortion, which right now is legal because of a Supreme Court case, not by Congressional legislation.  Stupak goes on to explain the Capps amendment that he lost trying to block back in July.  So, to hear Stupak tell it, the bill has language in it to simultaneously allow for the federal funding of abortion and it stands amended to not allow federal funding of abortion, except in instances of incest and rape. Make sense?

On The Progressive Change Campaign Committee

Beckmann asks Stupak if the far left is turning on him because of the abortion amendment, and the quote that follows is the money quote of this part of the interview.

Well ya know, the far left is the one’s who want health care, they never would have received health care if it wasn’t for Bart Stupak and the Stupak Amendment.

It is nice to hear some truth for once from the guy.  The Amendment that Stupak admitted would not keep him from voting for the bill, as well as does not prohibit federal funding of abortions, was obviously put up as a trick to pass the bill.  That is sick, Bart.

Stupak Saves Healthcare and The Democratic Party

Frank cites the polls from Rasmussen and Gallup that say that the Republican Party is more favored and that the people of America don’t want the health care bill, and asks Stupak if the issue of health care has saved the Democrats.  Bart replies that the polls are close, and the calls and emails to his office run about 50/50, so everything is about right,  and when more members go to the public to tell what is in the bill that people will be less upset about it because in is view, right now, “Yeah, you’re passing health care, we don’t like it because we don’t know what it is.”  Um, no Bart, we don’t like it because we do know what it is.

On the Fines and Jail Time

Bart admits that if you do not purchase the health care insurance as the government tells you to, you will be taxed at 2.5%.  Stupak is a former law enforcement officer, but he suggests that those who don’t pay the penalty will face the jail time.  It is strange that he figures that moving ahead with this legislation is right and proper even though 1) the American people do not want this bill and 2)the American people on the whole are satisfied with their health insurance plan and 3)the American people are taxed enough already and 4)the American people are having a hard time finding jobs and 5)the American people buck at getting forced to do anything.  It is obvious Stupak thinks there is nothing wrong with the government telling you to pony up, or be prosecuted under the tax code as a fraud.  It is beyond unbelievable that Stupak does not see how he and his fellow democrats are commanding us to go along with this,

If you don’t want to go along with it, just pay your 2.5%.

Then he comes up with this incoherent point,

We all have to come together, and contribute to the health care system, to make sure its there.

We already do, congressman, it’s called insurance.

On the Constitution

Things get a little contentious here, and this is why I like to listen to Beckmann.  He rightly points out that no where in the Constitution does it allow for the government to take over the health care industry.  Bart insists it does say so in Article I, Section 8 with the words the left have been using to bring the country to point it is today with rampant socialism and welfare programs that have done nothing but create a dependent society-”The Congress shall have power to lay and collect taxes, duties, imposts and excises, to…provide for…..general welfare….”

When Frank tells Stupak that we must look for the intent of the signers like Madison to understand the article, Bart says, “not everyone agreed with Maderson (sic) and Jefferson,” and that if the government agrees that it is in the best interest of the nation, it is constitutional.  Frank replies:

Congressman with all due respect, if you are promoting that, with all due respect, I think you are promoting tyranny.  You are not following the constitution which  says, that there are ways to change the Constitution through amendment, and a majority vote in the congress is not one of them.

This statement befuddles Stupak to the point that Frank has to reiterate that the Constitution places restrictions on congress, and Bart still doesn’t get it, and says if you don’t agree that what the one-party rule says in Washington, take it to court.

Bottom line, Stupak believes the health care bill will be challenged in court, and the Supreme Court will rule the law Constitutional.

This is what I don’t get,

Frank:  You are tellin me now, because I live and breathe on this plant, that I have to buy insurance.

Bart:  In this country, right.

Well, then, why don’t you just force the people who refuse to buy insurance into the system?  What is this, we all have to do it stuff?  I know the answer, the answer is, that the government wishes to take over 1/6th of the economy so that every political battle from here on out will be about how the Republicans are mean and they want people to die and so on.

The Oath Stupak took is this:

“I, ___ do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God.”

God help us.