Posts
Michigan GOP Spearheads Deceit
OK, this is obviously not going to be a non-partisan post (but then how many such have there ever been here?). If someone is able and willing to argue the other side, I would be both grateful and welcoming. Genuinely. It is terrifying to see one of our major parties devolve further into the Big Lies.
I am not naive. I have spent enough time in state politics to know that the truth does not count for much in political debate. It's talking points v. talking points. Sustained and fair-minded exploration of an issue is rare indeed.
But this level of fear-mongering and deceit strikes me as grotesque as anything I've seen. In a democracy, I do not hesitate to call attempting to willfully deceive the public a kind of treason.
Here is what I just received from the Chair of Michigan's Republican party.
***************************************************************
"Dear Friends:
Some Democrats in Congress, including members from Michigan, are trying to pass laws to cancel your private health insurance and put your family on Medicare.
This is not a scare tactic; it’s the truth. ...
“The Democrats have presented very false choices to the American people..,” said Congressman Mike Rogers. “I believe we can do better. The American people deserve real bipartisan health care reform that will lower costs and keep the federal government out of personal health care decisions.”
Click here to hear the other damaging and life threatening options Obama and Pelosi are offering. You can donate today to send a message back to Congressman Rogers and the other members of our Congressional Delegation and tell them what you think!
In the past six weeks you have helped us kill ObamaCare and protect the health of American families. But the liberal elites who run the Democrat Party are back at it again. They’ve retooled their approach and are strengthening their voice in memory of the late Senator Ted Kennedy. They are determined.
The threat to your families health care is not just in Washington, D.C.
Michigan’s Lieutenant Governor John Cherry recently said in a townhall meeting state government should provide a system of health care for all. Cherry also encouraged a group of leftwing activists earlier this year to hit the streets promoting his vision of a government take-over of family health care. [Cherry is the likely Dem candidate for Governor.]
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Justice, I’m sending a note to Congressman Rogers to let him know I’m unable to donate today, tomorrow, or ever as I’ve allocated all my donation money to President Obama. Also, I'm going to suggest he brush up on his letter writing as potential employers don’t like to be threatened.
ReplyDeleteWe need a new term for these kinds of tactics. I would call it "Abu-Ghraibing": Putting a hood over the public, maliciously toying with them, and, literally, trying to scare them to death.
ReplyDeleteJustice,
ReplyDeleteNot only are they fear mongering, they are just plain stupid. Why did they send this to you of all people?
Thanks for sharing....
Anon., like you say, they're stupid.
ReplyDeleteMeanwhile, I get a lot of emails from groups with whom I agree about almost nothing. Good to keep track of the shinola that's out there.
Guess which industry was the top contributor to Mike Rogers 2008 campaign?
ReplyDeleteThat's right, pharma. Insurance was #3.
Even the 2010 elections are as far away as they are, the leading contributing industry to Rogers' campaign is insurance, and pharma is number 2.
You get what you pay for.
That’s a surprise. I would have thought pharma and the insurance industry made better investments. Something they’d be proud to own in a few years. Futures are risky investments.
ReplyDeleteHe’s just following the script…
ReplyDeleteIn talking about Michigan Lt. Governor John Cherry, Rogers used the phrase “government take-over.”; scare tactic wording in the script written by Republican strategist Frank Luntz. See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Luntz
From Bill Moyers’ interview with former Cigna VP, Wendell Potter:
“BILL MOYERS: I have a memo, from Frank Luntz. I have a memo written by Frank Luntz. He's the Republican strategist who we discovered, in the spring, has written the script for opponents of health care reform. ‘First,’ he says, ‘you have to pretend to support it. Then use phrases like, ‘government takeover,’ ‘delayed care is denied care,’ ‘consequences of rationing,’ ‘bureaucrats, not doctors prescribing medicine.’ That was a memo, by Frank Luntz, to the opponents of health care reform in this debate.”
Moyer’s interview shows several examples of anti-reformers using such tactics.
See: http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/07102009/watch2.html
Right. As we've learned in the preemption struggle, we essentially hear the same bullhockey again and again.
ReplyDeleteWhat's interesting here is that the Abu-Ghraibers are using the old Red Scare lingo--the communist menace, etc..
Just when you thought the 50s were over....