Mediaite’s Tommy Christopher To Thom Hartmann: The Media Has Done A ‘Terrible Job’ On Birth Control Debate

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by Frances Martel | 2:51 pm, February 11th, 2012

» 9 comments

This week has been marked mostly by a debate on how far the federal government can go in mandating some forms of health care. But beyond the actual controversy surrounding the birth control issue lies all the rhetoric surrounding it– particularly some of the more incendiary comments Rick Santorum made this week that this sort of thinking led to dangers such as “what’s left in France… the guillotine” (?). On The Big Picture this week, Mediaite’s own Tommy Christopher sat down with host Thom Hartmann to discuss whether this is a religious issue or a health care one, and what the rhetoric surrounding it can say.

“The media has done a horrible job on this story,” Christopher told Hartmann, “but that’s because the Obama administration hasn’t done a great job, either.” The focus of the problem has been more and birth control than on health care in a general sense, Hartmann replied, explaining that “we’re the only one of the fully developed nations in the world that doesn’t have a common health care system on its own,” and the narrative has become one of religious liberty when “this should be a national health care issue, the failure of our health care system.” Christopher agreed, adding, “I don’t see running a hospital as the practice of religion” except in cases where some treatments were privately given in addition to a secular system.

The two also discussed the 2012 elections and the possibility that a brokered convention could lead to someone being drafted. “There’s no way Christie is going to run this year,” Christopher asserted, “or Rubio.” Even if they were talked about at a brokered convention, Christopher concluded there was no way they would rather risk themselves on an incumbent instead of waiting for a safer general election run: “Why do Rubio or Christie want to shoot their wads this year?”

The segment via RT America below:

barack obama, Health Care Mandate, Mediaite, Mitt Romney, Rick Santorum, RT America, The Big Picture, Thom Hartmann, Tommy Christopher

Anonymous

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Anonymous

Of course Tommy shows up on Russia Today… Liberal Lovefest. Let the government close the catholic institutions… who loses?
Anonymous

Good grief. What a haggard mug on that harpy. Tommy the tonedeaf turdburglar has a face for radio, but a voice for Smokers Anonymous. Thom Hartmann should try interviewing someone with a brain next time.
http://twitter.com/bohratom Bohr Atom

Tommy stick to radio/print/internet….You just dont have that TV image…
http://pulse.yahoo.com/_45S32GWGDRUJIL6E2U4HOZW4BM Bob

and you can say this because Rush Limbaugh, Michael “Savage” Weiner and your heroes in rightwing radio are such perfect physical specimens.
Anonymous

Keep mythical religions out of healthcare.Twenty eight staes including catholic providers have been paying for contraception since 2001.No outrage when it was a bush policy,but when it’sObama,it’s an attack on religion.Pure politics as usual.
Anonymous

If you’re interested in the truth tune into RT america,if you want right wing propagada tune in fxed news or it’s original name gop-tv.
Anonymous

There’s a reason those ugly-as-sin sobs are on radio.
http://pulse.yahoo.com/_U7T5LVIQK7AMIBM5WI765VDVDQ smald4lib

We have a health care system that has employer provided health care. Obama care moves us to a system of individual choice of provider. Since the church provide the health care, then they are mandated to provide what all other providers must provide to their employees. This whole problem would be mute if we had single payer system, or a regulated insurance industry that must provide health insurance at affordable rates for all, as France does. In 2013 exchanges are suppose to be set up for individuals to buy insurance.