The Used

The thing that's most tragic and disconcerting about the spate of "Death Panel" rhetoric coming from notable Republican spokespersons is that some very unfortunate people - people who need social insurance from the government even more than most - are swallowing it, thus adding to their already considerable psychological burden and pain. Here's a scene from outside President Obama's health care town hall this week:

Diane Campbell of Kingston, N.H., held a sign with Mr. Obama's face superimposed on a Nazi storm trooper, a sign, she said, that was made by her chronically ill mother. Her mother's hereditary autoimmune disease is treated with expensive transfusions of gamma globulin, paid for by Medicare. Her sister, Louise, was born with no arms and one leg, and is also covered by Medicare, the government-run, health-insurance program for the elderly and disabled. "Adolf Hitler was for exterminating the weak, not just the Jews and stuff, and socialism -- that's what's going to happen."

There's something terribly sad in this scene of a family utterly dependent on social insurance for desperately needed health care vehemently protesting legislation that expands medical coverage to more people. The word "irony" doesn't do this anecdote justice. In this context, the hysteria and lies being spread by the likes of Sarah Palin, Rush Limbaugh and Newt Gingrich are all the more reprehensible and irresponsible. These demagogues are nothing less than users - users with no shame exploiting fear, ignorance and weakness. When I think of Diane Campbell in this context, I'm not so much disgusted by her crazy depiction of Obama as I'm saddened at the turmoil and anxiety she must be experiencing to go to such extremes. Ms. Campbell isn't just another dummy falling for a partisan ploy. Given her family's situation, she's in the grip of emotional pain stirred by the most cynical of political apparatchiks. It's appalling that cynics willing to stoop this low and spread such hysteria appear to be a dime a dozen among GOP "leaders" these days.

H/T Political Animal

Comments

[Akaky]

Reg, your belief in the efficacy of government to solve all of our problems is a wonder to behold, although I do wonder why it is appalling to stoop this low now that Mr Obama is President and why it wasn't only one short year ago. I could claim a double standard, but that would be cynical of me.

[reg]

Hey, I was for universal health insurance back when Teddy Roosevelt proposed it...

And I've never been a fan of wackos who scream "Hitler!" at US Presidents. Although when it's done in response to a "war of choice" invasion that results in hundreds of thousands of deaths and rationales for torture it makes a bit more sense as crackpot hyperbole than this nutty bizness about "Death Panels" as a feature of health care reform. Sarah Paliin and the rest of them are evil for spreading this hysteria.

[reg]

"your belief in the efficacy of government to solve all of our problems"

A bit of honesty please. That's bullshit. But anyone who argues that the "market" is the best solution to social insurance for medical care has exactly zero empirical evidence on their side - either in terms of cost/benefit ratios, effectiveness of care or breadth of coverage. France, among others, has shown that government insurance is a superior system. Belief in the efficacy of the market to solve "all of our problems" - which is an actual article of faith among the anti-universal coverage crowd, is little more than a crackpot bit of ideology in the face of the comparative evidence from various modern health care systems. You have nothing to stand on, other than faith.

[Randinho]

Reg, your belief in the efficacy of government to solve all of our problems is a wonder to behold,

Wow. More strawmen than all the road show productions of The Wizard of Oz combined.