The Public Option Dachshund Song

The trade group known as AHIP -- "America's Health Insurance Plans" -- is a powerful insurance lobby that spends $5 million dollars a WEEK trying to kill health care reform.

Billionaires for Wealthcare, doing a small protest here, is a grassroots network looking to stop them - with song. They are so close to the mark on how industry and their paid apologists actually think, that the corporate types sometimes think they really one of them. The web site of Billionaires for Wealthcare (where they maintain the charade of being weatlhy insurance CEOs, lobbyists and talk show hosts profiting from the turmoil) contains their motto: "If we ain't broke, don't fix it."

Perfect!

The person who is starting his keynote speech in the video, above, is right-wing pollster Bill McIntuff who is perhaps most famous for helping create the infamous "Harry and Louise" ads that sank health care reform during the Clinton era. He was also the pollster for John McCain in the last election cycle..

At first, McInturff thinks the person thanking him for his previous work killing health care reform is someone from the staff of AHIP, and he says thanks them cheering him on, and notes that he is not being paid for his appearance (his money is sure to come later for doing AHIP polling work).

Just to put this video in context, 70 percent of all Americans support a public option.

Every year, 45,000 people die in the U.S. because they can't get access to the health care they need.

Lyrics to "Public Option Annie"
(to the tune of "Tomorrow" from Annie)

SINGER #1: No, thank you! FOR KILLING THE PUBLIC OPTION
AND BLOCKING ANY HOPES OF ITS ADOPTION. THANK YOU, SIR!

SINGER #2: Sure, BUT WHAT ABOUT COMPETITION? IT'S AN OLD AMERICAN TRADITION
OR SO I'VE HEARD?

SINGER #1: Meh.

SINGER #3: WHEN OLYMPIA SNOWE SAID NO, IT CROAKED. Right?

SINGER #2: NO, THE OPTION'S NOT DEAD

SINGER #3:: OR RED!

SINGER #1:: EXPLAIN! Who let these hippies in here?

SINGERS #2 AND #3, and CHORUS MEMBERS: IF WE GET A PUBLIC OPTION
WE CAN SNIFF OUT WASTE JUST LIKE A DACHSUND. COSTS COME DOWN!

SINGER #1:: Hey, those "costs" are my profits!

SINGERS #2 AND #3, and CHORUS MEMBERS: THE OPTION. THE OPTION. THE PUBLIC WANTS OPTIONS. WITHOUT IT, IT'S A GIVEAWAY.

SINGER #1: Exactly. To us. Am I in the right room?


SINGERS #2 AND #3, and CHORUS MEMBERS: THE OPTION. THE OPTION. THE PUBLIC WANTS AN OPTION. OR REFORM IS A CORP'RATE GIVE-A-WAY!

SINGER #1: Well, I've heard enough - my helicopter is parked in a handicap space.

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