I admit, I was really hoping for something a little wittier from the Democrats. I mean, the Republican leaders in Congress today launched the preliminary steps to what will likely be a major overhaul, if not an all-out repeal, of the left’s magnum opus from the Obama era—the eponymous Obamacare. With that boondoggle ready to evaporate before their very eyes, Democrats today pulled out the big guns. That’s right. A HASHTAG campaign on Twitter.
Personally, I was hoping for something a little more imaginative than “Make America Sick Again.” Yea, it’s short and catchy and tries to use Donald Trump’s successful Presidential slogan as the basis for a pun. But…I don’t know. I expected more. Something more shrill, I suppose. I won’t set the bar so darned high next time.
Of course, like all good rallying cries, it plays loose with the truth. If you honestly believe that the goal of those working to reform or repeal Obamacare is to make people sick, then I can’t help you. You are too far gone down the Rhetoric Turnpike. You missed the Common Sense exit many miles ago. Godspeed. Unfortunately, that highway is a bit crowded these days.
The silliness is just beginning on the minority side of the aisle. Former Florida Representative Alan Grayson, as reliably loathsome as a human can be, tweeted today that Trump would be spending the year “pulling out catheters.” Seriously. And we had the ultimate strawman today from incoming DNC Chairman Rep. Keith Ellison. He tweeted that Vice-President Mike Pence was meeting with GOP leaders to “take away your health insurance.” He added, “Republicans are great at taking things away from Americans that they desperately need, and terrible at giving them an alternative.”
Let me tell you something, Rep. Ellison. People like me and many others have said you and ACA supporters were lying from the get-go. We were mocked. We said this entire venture was mathematically impossible. We were mocked. We said the President’s “If you like your Health Care Plan, you can keep your Health Care plan” was, by definition, impossible. We were mocked. We said the President’s “If you like your Doctor, you can keep your Doctor” was, by definition, impossible. We were mocked. This is classic divisive rhetoric. Do not attack your opponent’s arguments—attack their character. This is what happens when a political *operative* gets real power. A leader acknowledges opposition and tries to treat them as humans—not as bloodthirsty animals who want people to die.
If you actually thought that Obamacare would lower premiums, cut into the deficit, maintain our choice of doctors and provide health insurance for everyone—I am NOT interested in your thoughts about how to fix it. The most accurate predictions about this Titanic have come from people you despise.
The irony is that Obamacare is one of the key reasons Republicans control the White House and Congress—but also hold as many state-level leadership positions as ever. That’s what happens when you tell bald-faced lies to people to get something passed. Pass it ANYWAY, despite major opposition. Then assure people that all is well when their premiums tell them it is not. Of course, that applies only to those who didn’t lose insurance outright; but that’s another story.
As Republicans (and many others) bitched about Obamacare, the White House sent out a Tweet that highlighted the spot on the Affordable Care Act that the President signed. The Tweet read “Its. The. Law.” Someone should reply to that tweet, saying “Not. For. Long.”
Elections DO have consequences.
Chuck's Common Sense 