Republican criticisms of democratically-backed health care legislation are “distortions” designed to scare the American public into opposing reform, said Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) during a conference call with reporters on Friday.
Van Hollen sought to paint partisan attacks against the plan as being futile, arguing that that the “campaign of distortion during the medicare debate years ago didn’t work then, and it won’t work now.”
Van Hollen’s remarks illustrated how he and other Democrats have found a new buzz word with which to strike back at their detractors.
On the question of whether or not reform would mean granting health insurance to illegal aliens, Van Hollen replied, “The notion that the House bill allows illegals to get insurance is a distortion.”
As for concerns that the legislation would hurt small businesses, Van Hollen stayed the course; “The myth that somehow all small businesses will be heavily taxed is a distortion.”
Finally, Van Hollen addressed bi-partisan worries that the bill contains a mandate for taxpayer funded abortions, saying, “Republicans have tried to distort that issue, but that has been addressed.”
House Committee on Education and Labor Chairman Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.) echoed Van Hollen’s assertions, accusing Republicans of “inundating Americans with lies and distortions.”
“We’ve seen this all before,” Miller said. “Republicans are scaring people into thinking that the government is going to take over their health care.”