This week 39 Democratic Congressmen voted with the Radical Republicans for a bill intended not to fix problems with ObamaCare but to sabotage it. That is 39 foolish and cowardly democratic House members who would help dismantle the first law in American history to actually move us closer to fulfilling the sacred promise of our government to secure the blessing of life for the 40 million Americans who cannot afford access to health care.
Instead of speaking out in condemnation of these weak politicians or bucking them up with support, the leadership of the Democratic party has shrunk into a fetal position under Radical Republican propaganda. Instead of responding to the trumped up anecdotal complaints of a very a small number of people canceled by insurance companies almost all of which have better and cheaper options under ObamaCare; the Democratic Party is scurrying around like a nest of ants who’s hill has just been kicked over by an attack anyone should have seem coming.
I’ve found the Sturm und Drang over the Affordable Care Act to be as astonishing in its vacuity as it is devoid of grounding in the truth. I’m not going to hold up Obamacare as the best, most wisely-crafted solution to our health care delivery problems. At best, it’s a compromise forged by those with a distressing lack of wisdom or political courage.
The latest pointless kerfuffle is over Americans whose policies are being cancelled. It’s a perfect example of the media’s will to parrot Right-wing talking points. What’s rarely been mentioned in the weeping and gnashing of teeth over those being done wrong is that the policies being cancelled are crappy from top to bottom. They provide a thin veneer of coverage, but they fall far short of the standards set by ACA…which no reasonable person would think to refer to as “stringent.”
Even more to the point (and therefore ignored by the media) is that the federal government hasn’t cancelled a single policy. The cancellations came from insurance companies, who will now be forced to provide policies that meet a minimum standard of coverage. Yes, President Obama was inartful and inaccurate in stating that anyone who likes their policies will be able to keep them. What he should have said is that if your policy meets a minimum standard of coverage, you would be free to keep it. Instead, the media feeding frenzy, and the “gotcha” politics so fashionable today have combined to paint the President as a liar. Inaccurate? Certainly. A liar? Not by a long shot.
Why is the media not addressing the numerous Republicans who tell lies about Obamacare with the same ease they draw breath? Why are Right-wing lies from here until Christmas no problem, but one inartful and inaccurate statement by the President is proof that he’s a liar? Does the media and the Far Right really feel that the President was deliberately lying to the American Sheeple in order to force socialized medicine on them? (Uh, hello? What is Medicare and Medicaid but socialized medicine?)
If we’re looking to throw stones, perhaps we should take into consideration that Republicans were the ones asking for patience in 2006 when the disastrous rollout of Medicare Part D occurred. Perhaps if Democrats possessed some stones, they’d stand up for what they and the President believe in. They’d point out that Obamacare is the single biggest and most comprehensive attempt to improve our health care system ever attempted. They’d call Republicans out for their hypocrisy and for conveniently forgetting that when roles were reversed in 2006, they were the ones asking for patience.
The problem is that when Republicans roar, Democrats run for shelter. And now 39 of them have signed on to the latest Republican attempt to sabotage Obamacare.
Way to stand up for the American Sheeple and your President. How about standing up and doing the right thing instead of running for cover? If you stood up for Obamacare, if you could be bothered to try and sell the features and benefits to your constituents, perhaps we wouldn’t be in a situation where Americans hate Obamacare but LOVE the Affordable Care Act. If you presented your constituents with facts, perhaps they wouldn’t be making up their minds based on lies, propaganda, and fear-mongering.
How about growing a pair and standing up to the bullies in the Republican caucus? Or is that just too much to ask of a collection of cowards with no moral or ethical center?
