Here is the letter that Mr. Brown wrote to President Obama:"The Affordable Care Act saved my life" —Brent, a Republican who just introduced @POTUS in Milwaukee https://t.co/ixLt8d1vOF
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) March 3, 2016
To My President,
I sincerely hope that this reaches you, as far too often praise is hard to come by. Apologies to people who deserve it perhaps even less so.
I did not vote for you. Either time. I have voted Republican for the entirety of my life.
I proudly wore pins and planted banners displaying my Republican loyalty. I was very vocal in my opposition to you–particularly the ACA.
Before I briefly explain my story allow me to first say this: I am so very sorry. I understand written content cannot convey emotions very well–but my level of conviction has me in tears as I write this. I was so very wrong. So very very wrong.
You saved my life. I want that to sink into your ears and mind. My President, you saved my life, and I am eternally grateful.
I have a ‘pre-existing condition’ and so could never purchase health insurance. Only after the ACA came into being could I be covered. Put simply to not take up too much of your time if you are in fact taking the time to read this: I would not be alive without access to care I received due to your law.
So thank you from a dumb young man who thought he knew it all and who said things about you that he now regrets.
Thank you for serving me even when I didn’t vote for you. Thank you for being my President.
Honored to have lived under your leadership and guidance,
Brent Nathan Brown
And remember this is the presidency that the current crop of GOP candidates say was such a failure.
Here's something wonderful happening in Alaska
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ybIjO18JuWU
Thank you for posting that. That kid is amazing and gives me hope.
DeleteQuite the kid. He definitely deserves all the awards and recognition coming his way. Kudos to his parents also for supporting his study of Arabic. Love this story!
DeleteYou read so many stories about businesses and government agencies desperately looking to hire people who speak Arabic. Not only does this boy help to bridge differences and foster understanding between cultures, but he will also have his pick of career directions when he is older.
DeleteWow!!!!!
ReplyDeleteSaw that letter on The Obama Diary, along with a beautiful photo of President Obama having lunch with a group of area people who had written to the White House about their experiences with the ACA. We have been so lucky to have this man in the White House for the past two terms and we will sorely miss him. Every time I read in the New York Times about his aloofness I think of the ordinary Americans he meets with regularly to talk about issues over a meal. When ever did Republican presidents ever do that?
ReplyDeleteBeaglemom
Good for him, he at least has a functioning brain and can see past the BS his party spews out on a daily basis. Let us hope he tells more of his party about this and makes the see the light.
ReplyDeleteI firmly believe that's why we're seeing the GOP playground mentalities that we are. President Obama WAS that good and they've got nothing to equate it.
ReplyDeleteSame thing for me.
ReplyDeleteI had a condition that no insurance company would cover until the ACA made it so that "pre-existing" conditions could no longer be used as an excuse.
The health insurance and drug companies were, and still are making hundreds of billions every year off the back of suffering and dying people, and only the ACA stood in their way.
Now, they are still making their billions, but their executives might only get 25 million a year instead of 30 million, like the CEO of United Health care.
I doubt we will see another President with the steady hand, the thoughtful demeanor, and the willingness to hear all sides of an issue for a whole generation.
$tupid $arah Paylin was right in 2008 when she leaned over to John McCain and told him that "god will make sure the right people get elected"
I hope that young man is prepared for all the right wing hate that is now going to come his way. Bravo to him for speaking out.
ReplyDeleteSome of it being slung on FB on The Coffee Party's post about this. Many saying positive things, too, but lots of stories about how ACA ruined their lives and wondering if this story is REALLY TRUE.
DeleteACA, or as I love to call it, Obamacare, saved my son's life. I am forever grateful.
ReplyDeleteI always think of this when the ACA is mentioned.
ReplyDeletePresident Obama has great deadpan comedic timing.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UnW3xkHxIEQ
Gryphen, thank you so much for sharing this "Ode to President Obama."
ReplyDeleteThere were so many wonderful lines of tribute expressed by Mr. Brown. My favourite one also sums up my sentiment towards President Obama:
"Honored to have lived under your leadership and guidance"
Thank you for sharing. Beautiful.
ReplyDeleteWhich is exactly the point Bill Maher made last night on his show. Republicans are against everything until it affects them personally. Maher went on to remind us that Nancy Reagan is in favor of stem cell research because of Ronnie's Alzheimer's; Cheney accepting the LGBT community because his daughter is gay; and of course those old-timey Repubs who now cherish their Social Security and Medicare (socialist programs that they are.)
ReplyDeletePerhaps if the next Adam Lanza targets the school that the Cruz daughters attend or the Santorum children go to, we may see some promising gun control legislation passed and passed asap.
DeleteBill Maher rocked it last night!
Delete@8:19 a.m.
DeleteEven if Ted Cruz's daughters were shot dead or raped and pregnant he would never change his mind on anything.
Cruz is the most extreme example of a militant, hard core Christian fanatic, and he's never going to think differently, imho.
The only thing that might change Cruz would be to kidnap him, and dose him up with some quality LSD , MDMA, or hash oil.
What a lovely, heartwarming post to read. This will make me feel good all day.
ReplyDeleteGreat way to start my day. So happy for this young man. And grateful to our pres.
ReplyDeleteOT-GOOD READ>
ReplyDeletehttp://www.salon.com/2016/03/05/some_of_trumps_strongest_supporters_are_registered_democrats_heres_why/
Integrity and courage.
ReplyDeleteThank you young man.
Thanks for posting this feel good story G. It was a great way to start the day.
ReplyDeleteAnd yet, VG at c4p still blames 'Obamacare' for his health problems. Now his wife has breast cancer and apparently they are in dire financial straits and may lose their home...and they are blaming our President for all of it. Fellow c4pers set up a 'gofundme' for him and are trying to find someone to privately refinance his home. If he wasn't such a hateful, racist old bastard, who blames EVERYTHING on the President, I would have considered throwing some money his way...maybe. The bible he quotes so regularly says, "as yea sow, so shall yea reap."
ReplyDeleteIt's funny to me that people who support Obamacare because they are tired of having to pay other people's medical bills, don't see that Obamacare officially forces them to pay other people's medical bills or pay a fine.
ReplyDeleteWhat it didn't do was lower the cost of health care which is supposedly what it was supposed to do.
They evidently don't teach logic on school these days.
Is that your idea of logic?
DeleteI don't have a problem contributing to everyone's health care because they contribute to mine.
Supporters aren't the ones bitching about having to buy health insurance. They either already had it or couldn't get it and are now happy. I don't mind helping supplement health insurance for those less economically fortunate the I am because I have a heart (and because none of us know when we might find ourselves in similar need).
Supporters who complained about paying other people's medical bills did so because "other people" didn't have health insurance and couldn't pay their medical bills, had to use the emergency room, waiting until things were serious to go see a doctor.
Now that "other people" have access to health insurance, we are all better off.
Did you read the story Gryphen posted about one of the multitudes of "other people" who are alive and not bankrupt because of Obamacare, or did you just jump to the comment section to bitch about how illogical we all are?
Even funnier is that those of us who had to go without health insurance because we were dropped when we needed it most now have insurance.
DeleteIt DID in fact lower the cost of health care by arresting the rapid escalation of costs. But I'm pretty sure you already know that, twofux.
DeleteWow, how long did it take you to come up with that supposed insult? You're sharp!
DeleteWhat has really happened is people who were already covered have had to pay way more for worse coverage with way higher deductibles. Where are those rate drops that President Obama promised?
And those who couldn't afford coverage and are now supposedly covered? Here is a quote from a friend who posted this about her own situation tonight on FB.
"A nasty virus, that I'd been trying to beat for the last month, finally got its hooks into me badly. I went for a Doctor's visit, and almost immediately was sent to the emergency room where I was nebulized, given IV and oral medications, was X Rayed and MRI'd, and diagnosed with acute bronchits with possibly a pneumonia brewing. The attending told me that it was his preference to have me admitted to the hospital so that I could receive IV antibiotics and be monitored through the night, but that my insurance wouldn't allow it so he discharged me with a handful of prescriptions and told me that if I started to feel worse or was not improving, to come back to the ER."