And the conservative freak-out begins

[Judi Lynn]

Monday, Mar 22, 2010 06:23 EDT
And the conservative freak-out begins
Now we're living under the Bolshevik heel, and the only escape is by, um...voting in our democratic elections?
By Gabriel Winant

"Darkness descends," wrote Patrick Ruffini last night on Twitter. Ruffini, a Republican operative and blogger, isn't a birther or a Glenn Beck-style conspiracy theorist. He's just a regular conservative. Likewise, Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., who has been hailed as the bright young face of a Republican Party seriously interested in the details of public policy, spoke on the House floor about how the idea of America is "pro-human," and how healthcare reform violates that principle.

As part of the general claim that what is really an incrementalist bill has somehow radically violated the national spirit, right-wing pundits are now also claiming that Democrats got everything they wanted. At the Weekly Standard, Matt Continetti echoes Ryan, writing that the bill will "complete the decades-long project of American liberals to create an American welfare state along the lines you find in postwar Western Europe." He then warns of the coming wave of liberal social welfare legislation, consisting almost entirely of stuff that won't be passing this Congress or the next one. "Next comes immigration, cap-and-trade, a universal entitlement to higher education, and card-check legislation empowering unions." (Hilariously, three sentences after this preposterous (if appealing) prophecy of doom, Continetti adds, "Do not believe anyone who tells you they understand the path American politics will take after this vote.")

Continetti also points out, "Obamacare is a testable proposition. The proponents of this legislation have made distinct claims regarding its costs and consequences that should not be forgotten." Similarly, over at The Corner, the blog of the National Review Online, Kathryn Jean Lopez chimes in, "Congratulations, Democrats. Beginning now, you own the health-care system in America. Every hiccup. Every complaint. Every long line. All yours."

It’s like Lopez didn’t notice that the bill took almost a year to pass because of the constant bait-and-switch run by conservatives who pretended to be interested in a compromise. No Republicans voted for it in the end, but because of that process, the law has the indelible imprint on it of the obstinate Republican minority. They helped make it, even if they didn’t vote for it. The bill doesn't even have a weak public option or healthcare cooperatives. It's got no employer mandate. It didn't spring fully-formed from the head of Nancy Pelosi: in fact, it was the product of sustained thrashing about between the parties. But Lopez is like a new parent who walks out on a partner and young child and, on the way out the door, turns around to say, "Now it’s your fault if the kid is screwed up."

More:
http://www.salon.com/news/politics/war_room/2010/03/22/conservatives_healthcare_panic

[Joanne98]

1. Yep. Get your teabagger be good stick ready.

[h9socialist]

2. Conservatives have a disinformation machine . . .

. . . that would've made Dr. Goebbels envious. Their ranting would be more understandable if there was any truth associated with them. It seems obvious that they're living in la-la land, and have no desire to deal with reality.

[Tutankhamun]

3. Imagine how popular Democrats would be if we actually did get everything we wanted.

Imagine if we had gotten a single-payer "Medicare for all" type solution. Imagine if it were funded by a commensurate decrease in funding for the military/industrial complex. Imagine it were also funded by once again requiring the wealthy to pay a fair amount of income taxes based on the infrastructure their businesses use. And imagine if our health care were also funded by corporations actually paying taxes once again!

Of course, these changes would provide far more funding than we would need to cover free health care for all Americans. But since we Democrats have finally gotten everything we wanted in terms of health care and its associated costs, we're going to be EXTREMELY popular once people realize how much money they have saved and how healthy they feel now that they don't have to forego health care.

How I wish...

[JohnWxy]

4. Great article. M$M talking heads should be forced to read that last paragraph on the air:

"It’s like Lopez didn’t notice that the bill took almost a year to pass because of the constant bait-and-switch run by conservatives who pretended to be interested in a compromise. No Republicans voted for it in the end, but because of that process, the law has the indelible imprint on it of the obstinate Republican minority. They helped make it, even if they didn’t vote for it. The bill doesn't even have a weak public option or healthcare cooperatives. It's got no employer mandate. It didn't spring fully-formed from the head of Nancy Pelosi: in fact, it was the product of sustained thrashing about between the parties. But Lopez is like a new parent who walks out on a partner and young child and, on the way out the door, turns around to say, "Now it’s your fault if the kid is screwed up."




The Corporate media echo-chamber has never pointed out for people that the Democrats made enormous efforts to try to get participation from the degenerates on the Right. As a result almost nobody knows how much effort was made by the Dems and how much they had to put up with over the last year to get the Senate and House bills completed.

If it wasn't for M$M not informing people of the facts the disinformation campaign by the Corporate Lobbyist party would not have been nearly as successful it seems to have been.



recommended.

[awoke_in_2003]

5. "bright young face of a Republican Party "

Bright? Code-word for "white"?