Intellectual dishonesty

There is really nothing I hate more than people saying shit that they know is just not accurate, but they say it anyway because they figure they can get away with it. Enter the Republican party during this health care debate, a group whose behavior has been nothing short of despicable. Its aggrivating how dishonest they have been about the whole thing, but they have correctly calculated that Americans are mostly stupid enough, and easy enough to scare, so that they have mostly gotten away with it.

Obamas bill is not a radical one. Its actually a very moderate, cautious bill. But what do we hear about it from Republicans?

Death panels. In actuality, discussing end of life care for sick patients is extremely important from a patient perspective. It is also important from a financial one, so we don't spend thousands of dollars trying to prolong life a few days because the patient isn't conscious to tell the docs to let them go.

Government takeover of health care? Maybe if there was a public option, which there isn't.

Other republicans run commercials where they, in the same thirty seconds, present themselves as saving America from government-run healthcare and the defenders of medicare. This is so disingenuous, you would only expect to find this kind of hypocrisy / irony in an onion article, not a US Congressional campaign.

Now there is this "controversy" about reconciliation. The founders intended the senate to run by majority rule. Hence the need for the president of the senate, aka the vice president, as a tie breaker. Reconciliation is a way to get an actual vote, its a way to get around the ridiculous filibuster that has been abused by democrats and now republicans increasingly for the last decade.

There may be good honest arguments against Obamacare, but if there are, Republicans are not making them. I hope the Democrats win this fight, if for no other reason than to send a message that this shameless, disingenuous obstructionism is not rewarded.

*** Update ***

Here is an actual GOP campaign advertisement.

Harry Reid’s big government health care plan will raise taxes, put a bureaucrat between you and your doctor, weaken Medicare, kill jobs, push us further into debt. I’m Sue Lowden and I approve this message because government run health care is wrong.

If I had read this in isolation, I would have thought for sure it was satire from The Onion or maybe SNL.