The Gipper's HMO

Michael Moore's Sicko turned me on to another great moment in Ronald Reagan. In 1961 The American Medical Association hired the Gipper for a viral marketing campaign dubbed I kid you not, 'Operation Coffeecup.' Doing his part to scuttle the arrival of Medicare Reagan lays down an 11 minute rap explaining how Socialized Medicine can only lead to an America where men are not free. This record was then mailed out to the 'ladies auxiliary' (doctors wives) of the AMA in each county.
Was it this little record that kept Medicare from being signed into law until July 1965? Is this why we still don't have Universal Health Care? Give a listen: Reagan Speaks Out Against Socialized Medicine (mp3)

For more on Operation Coffeecup here is a history lesson from the Huffington post (link) and some more archival material from the TexasBestGrok site (link)

Comments

[Hellbound Alleee]

He forgot to mention that medicare is a Ponzi scheme.

[rollertrain]

damn. i thought it was gonna be reagan actually rapping.

[Matt]

Ughhh, that man set this country back by at least 20 years. We're still paying for all his BS.

[Ian]

Michael Moore's Sicko turned me on to another great moment in Ronald Reagan.

how is this possible? that movie hasn't even been released yet!

[Brian Frye]

I found a copy of this record when I was in high school, probably 15 years ago. Still had all the promo materials inside. One of the best things I ever came across. Right up there with the Chairman Mao's 5 minute physical program 7" and booklet.

[Parq]

Incredibly, the excesses and sheer wanton arrogance of the current administration make one yearn for the Reagan years. To cite but one example, the "religious" right is large and in charge nowadays to an extent of which Reagan-era fundies could only have dreamed.

[norelpref]

thank you, thank you.

[Doug]

My favorite part of this is Reagan's joke at the beginning about people wanting to kill actors. Oh, that Gippper wit.

[Matt Braynard]

This is a great reminder of what a great man Ronald Reagan was. If only he were more successful in stopping socialized medicare we wouldn't be spending so much on it today. Long live the legacy of the greatest president of the 20th Century.

[Roger]

It is amazing how one speech can be heard with two completely opposite understandings. I listened to this today as a speech by a man of greatness and vision. And prophecy. Look to Canada, England, Cuba (where did Fidel Castro go when he was gravely ill? He imported specialists from Spain, outside of his wonderful medical system). The evidence is there about the failure of socialized medicine. People who still want to discredit Reagan are driven only by their hatred of the man. Clearly Doug is right about Reagan's greatness.

[Sid]

Roger,
you said: "where did Fidel Castro go when he was gravely ill? He imported specialists from Spain..."

There is free universal health care in Spain, just like Canada and most of Europe. So what exactly is your point?

Universal Health Care seems to work all over the world (I have lived in England, Germany, Austria, Taiwan), but some how Americans believe it can't work here.

Why not learn more about the issue before you speak.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/sickaroundtheworld/
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/sickaroundtheworld/view/main.html

[Scott Mercer]

Hellbound:

All of capitalism is a Ponzi scheme, dummy.

I think Charles Ponzi should be given the Nobel Prize for Economics, (posthumously, I am aware that he is long ago dead), and then shut down the Prize permanently. Because Ponzi nailed it back in the day.

[ajy]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aEXFUbSbg1I

Good 20/20 6 part series on the subject.