Can Town Hall Protesters Defend Medical Bankruptcies? Sen. Franken Comes to Life.

Two points on medical bankruptcies. First this exchange from an energized Sen. Al Franken, who might show the old guard a thing or two about knowing your subject, and winning the argument.

Think Progress: Sen. Al Franken (D-MN) questioned Hudson Institute Senior Fellow Diana Furchtgott-Roth about medical bankruptcies. Franken asked Furchtgott-Roth — who claimed that moving towards a European-style system of universal health care would increase bankruptcies — about how many medical bankruptcies there were in countries that have universal health care, like Switzerland and France. Furchtgott-Rott repeatedly told Franken that she didn’t “have that number,” and Franken informed her that the number was actually zero.

I also have this heart wrenching clip featuring a similar perspective from Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, courtesy of Keith Olbermann. The disciplinarian approach by Republicans on this issue is jaw dropping in its ruthlessness.