Do You Really Trust A Man Whose Company Stole $1.7 Million From Feds To Be Patients' Advocate?

Just as Rick Scott's so-called "Conservatives for Patients Rights" put out an ad attacking President Obama's healthcare plan, Scott himself came under more scrutiny in another segment on Rick Sanchez's television show on CNN.
Notice how Scott tries to weasel out of answering Sanchez's questions about the $1.7 million his hospital group had to pay in fines for activities that happened while he was heading the group.
Here's the clip:

Sanchez's Scott piece didn't go without notice. Wrote Jason Linkins in the Huffington Post:

On Friday, Rick Sanchez went after Conservatives For Patient's Rights, another one of these groups that likes to pretend to want "real reform" when what they really want is a big ol' dollop of status quo. Rick Scott, who heads up the organization, is a real piece of work, the kind of guy you cross the street to avoid. His Hospital Corporation of America bilked the government by fraudulently "upcoding" Medicare billing codes, and it ended up paying $1.7 billion in penalties for stealing from American taxpayers. You might also recall that when Health Care For America Now called Scott out in an advertisement, CPR and Scott manufactured a phony controversy that took me about five minutes to debunk. Scott has hobbies, too, among them "sitting on the board of a company used by Saudi Arabia and Iran to suppress Internet access." All you guys out there with green-tinted Twitter avatars should take note!

Trusting Rick Scott to be a leading spokesman for patients' needs and rights is like trusting Bernie Madoff to be a leading advocate of financial responsibility. As Rick The Thief and his crew travel to Martha's Vineyard to hound our president and falsely claim that his anti-reform position represents the will of the American people, I hope those AT Martha's Vineyard are ready to expose the real Rick Scott everywhere he goes.
Maybe that'll make him think twice before continuing to con the American people against their own interests and against real healthcare reform.

Anti-Healthcare Reform Group Plans More Protests

Even when confronted with polls showing 77 percent support for a public option in any healthcare reform bill, failed health industry executive and head of the so-called "Conservatives for Patients Rights," Rick Scott, continues on in his make believe world that his side against any reform is winning the battle.
According to Greg Sargent, Scott's organization is planning a new series of ads and other activities designed to defeat the measure (and healthcare reform in general).
Here's part of what Sargent reported:

In a clear sign that conservatives are worried that the public option could still survive, an internal memo from a top anti-health care reform group claims that “rumors of its death” have been “greatly exaggerated,” discusses plans to run new ads targeting it, and vows to redouble efforts to foment opposition to it at town hall meetings.

The Sargent piece continued:

The internal memo, which I (Sargent)obtained from a source, was created by staffers at Conservatives for Patients Rights, the well-funded group run by controversial former hospital exec Rick Scott, who reform proponents see as public enemy number one.
The memo discusses a “Martha’s Vineyard ad strategy” that’s set to kick in next week. According to a source familiar with the group’s plans, this is a reference to a planned national ad targeting the public option that will reference the President’s vacation.

You can see the complete memo from Scott after clinking on this link.
Another thing. Whenever you read or hear of any story about Rick Scott and his orgainzaition, look no forward to his checkered past in the healthcare industry
To hear more about who Rick Scott is and what he represents, check out this video:

...and this video in which Scott is unable (or unwilling) to give straight answers about his checkered past in the health insurance industry:

You would think the anti-healthcare reform advocates would find a better advocate for its cause than Rick Scott, especially after one hears about his past and how he answers questions about it.

More Mainstream Media Outlets Wake Up To Lying Right-Wing Healthcare Attacks And Those Funding Them

I'm glad that some in the media are finally waking up to the barrage of lies and baseless personal attacks that have been made against President Obama's healthcare proposal.
As I was checking out Daily Kos this morning, I was happy to see a diary that explained how it's no longer just Keith Olbermann and Rachel Maddow that are exposing the right-wing lies and those who are propagating them in the mainstream media.
The article cited in the Daily Kos diary couldn't have been more direct:

Much of the money and strategy behind the so-called grassroots groups organizing opposition to the Democrats' health care plans comes from conservative political consultants, professional organizers and millionaires, some of whom hold financial stakes in the outcome.

From reading the rest of the McClatchy story, these folks fighting the Obama plan sure aren't the average folks that they're selling themselves as.
As a point of review, let's take just one of those mentioned as opponents of the Obama plan-- Rick Scott.
Here's the excellent Think Progress piece explaining who Rick Scott is:

And here's Rick Scott having problems giving straight-forward answers to the queries of CNN's Rick Sanchez:

There's still some time left before Congress reconvenes to consider the president's proposal, but as the time draws near, I'm glad to see so many fighting back against the right-wing lies and more folks in the mainstream media exposing the lies for what they are and those who are propagating them.