Untethered : Opinion : Smile Politely

Untethered

Posted in OPINION to The Loyal Opposition by Dan Schreiber on Tuesday, August 11, 2009 at 7:00 am

I must admit that I thoroughly enjoyed Bill Maher's recent screed about how dumb we are:

On the eve of the Iraq War, 69% of Americans thought Saddam Hussein was personally involved in 9/11. Four years later, 34% still did. Or take the health care debate we're presently having: members of Congress have recessed now so they can go home and "listen to their constituents." An urge they should resist because their constituents don't know anything. At a recent town-hall meeting in South Carolina, a man stood up and told his Congressman to "keep your government hands off my Medicare," which is kind of like driving cross country to protest highways.

There must be something about being out of power that frees you from the traditional constraints of logic, decency or sanity. A significant minority of the country seems untethered from all three since Obama was elected.

First up: those adorable Birthers. It's downright inspiring how dedicated the Birthers are to their brand of crazy. To believe that Barack Obama was born in Kenya and therefore not eligible to be president, you have to believe that:

His Hawaiian Certificate of Live Birth is forged.
Both of his birth announcements in Honolulu's newspapers were faked, even though they came from the Department of Health.
The director of the Hawaii Department of Health, who has personally verified Obama's original Birth Certificate, is lying.
All the other people who have physically seen the Birth Certificate are lying.
Obama's unwealthy father flew his 9-month pregnant wife to a politically troubled Kenya in order to give birth in Mombasa, which was neither his home nor in Kenya at the time, and then flew her and baby back within a few days, during a time when air travel was expensive, long and tedious.

Despite this, the Birthers were actually getting some traction. As of the end of the July, 58% of Republicans either believed Obama was not born in the US (28%) or weren't sure (30%). But, as happens when people get too excited, they overreached when someone created a fake Kenyan birth certificate for Obama. Now anyone can get a fake Kenyan birth certificate by going to http://kenyanbirthcertificategenerator.com. So go get one — it's all the rage, so to speak.

Next up: The Teabaggers. Silent during 8 years of massive government deficits in the service of unjustified war and tax breaks to the wealthy, they are suddenly very, very angry that government money is being used to ... stimulate the economy. They sent teabags to Congress, because teabags, of course, symbolize taxation without representation, and also Obama is a socialist because he is raising taxes 3% on those in the top 5% of the tax bracket, tyranny the like of which we have not seen since King George repressed the colonists.

Or something like that. The only thing we know for sure is that they are really, really angry about the civic responsibility of paying taxes. Also, we know that they gather in public, tax-supported parks to air their grievances.

Finally, there are the Astroturfers. Crazed mobs are now disrupting town hall meetings around the country and yelling angry, senseless things, almost as if they were at a Palin rally. They are not so cute. In lieu of an actual, civilized debate about health care reform, they are hanging congressman in effigy and trying to convince everyone that the government is going to start killing old people. It's as incoherent as it is insufferable. As Krugman points out:

"There was a telling incident at a town hall held by Representative Gene Green, D-Tex. An activist turned to his fellow attendees and asked if they "oppose any form of socialized or government-run health care." Nearly all did. Then Representative Green asked how many of those present were on Medicare. Almost half raised their hands."

No partisan discussion is complete, however, until someone brings up the Nazis. Not to worry, Astroturfers and Rush Limbaugh have come through, and are now equating Obama with Hitler. But who can blame them, since the comparison between healthcare reform and genocide is so natural and obvious?

And not to be outdone, even Sarah Palin herself weighed in, claiming that baby Trig will have to go before a death panel of bureaucrats to plead for his life. I now have my own Bill Maher-style New Rule: No partisan discussion is complete until one side claims the other is trying to kill baby Trig.

To be fair a lot of these crazies are the same people, and not all of them are Republicans. Moderate Republicans, if there is such a thing these days, have at least stuck by their old mantra: the government can't do anything right, so it shouldn't be involved in healthcare. It's not much of an argument, but you have to admire their slavish obedience to their ideology. Even Bill Kristol can't defend it in front of Jon Stewart:

In fact, this whole line of reasoning that government is bad and can't do anything well reminds me of a scene in Life of Brian:

So, what can we learn from all this? I'm not saying that Republicans are crazy and dumb, nor am I saying that they are responsible for all the dumb things people in their mobs think and do. All I'm saying is that their best argument against healthcare has reduced them to being the People's Front of Judea. And if you promise to really, really hate the government, they will probably let you write angry graffiti on the town walls too.

16 comments

T. McDade

08/11/09 at 08:52

Dan, you didn’t need to get all birther on us to prove the point.

You just needed to look at the first question in that Kos poll: Do you believe that America and Africa were once part of the same continent?

(Okay, so it’s a little inelegantly phrased since only one of those proper nouns is a continent. Still.)

76% percent of Repubs and 49% of Dems said either “no” or “not sure.“ I mean, honestly. That’s three-quarters and one-half, respectively, who aren’t confident enough to say “yes” to this fairly basic question.

In short, I really, really, really, really hope this poll is not representative. Really.

stuart

08/11/09 at 08:19

The Guardian writer George Monbiot recently asked why the rest of the world allows the US to act as a failed state on climate change. The same question applies to our health care system. Maybe the answer is that the US *is* a failed state, but we just don’t know it yet. Just how much different is the position of Tim Johnson on health care from the angry white guys in the mobs?
I fear James Kunstler’s take on it might be right:
The week past, some so-called “conservative” political action groups (read: brownshirts pimped by corporate medical interests) trumped up a few incidents of civil unrest at “town meetings” around the country, ostensibly to counter health care reform ideas. The people behind these capers may be playing with dynamite. It’s one thing to yell at a congressman over “single payer” abstractions. It’ll be another thing when the dispossessed and repossessed Palin worshippers, Nascar morons, and Jesus Jokers haul the ordnance out of their closets and start tossing Molotov cocktails into the First National Bank of Chiggerville.
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john

08/11/09 at 08:21

ha, to point out the obvious between people’s views and things that actually effect them, I went to the TEA party thing at west side park, which turned out to be quite illuminating. the audience was made up largely of senior citizens. I found it funny that the meeting was held right about the time that funding for human services for Illinois was being slashed and many programs to protect seniors from exploitation and more were being cut.
but there they were, shooting themselves in the foot, along with several people who recieve services locally from human service organizations, both for themselves and for their immediate family, who were in attendance.
people just don’t understand.
and beyond this idea of socialized health care, we should remember that police, emergency personnel, our education system, our postal service, our firefighters, and our military are all elements of a socialized system, we pay for these services.
i suppose with the military, the profits are privatized, so it’s kind of a one way street on that aspect of socialism.
but to get back to the TEA party, I walked up to hear a bunch of the standard fare about change and how DC just doesn’t get it, loose change about nothing much. Then they brought some slick looking guy in his thirties with a smooth haircut up to the podium. His name might as well have been “Rick” or something. He went on saying how they were going to bring change to DC, all that, a lot of blame assigned, people yelling out against obama, pro-nationalist sentiment.
after he got done, and people milled around, he walked to the corner of west side park and set up a table where he was selling his novel.
and a joe the plumber book.
so maybe it was just an elaborate ruse to get people to buy his book. which should illustrate that if you want to make a profit, tell people what they want to hear, blame the people your audience is prejudiced against, and provide them with something you can profit from. like your novel.
its a shame that people can’t see their own exploitation though.

P. Gregory Springer

08/11/09 at 08:38

Great column and clips, Dan. Last night I watched Kathy Griffith dating Levi Johnston on the Larry King show. The world is more surreal than I can even imagine. Actually, I think they should nominate Johnston for the 2012 election. He’s got the same blunt charisma and looks that Palin had. Use of past tense intentional.

Tim

08/11/09 at 08:52

“Keep your government hands off my Medicare.“
I can’t stop laughing at that.

John

08/11/09 at 08:39

Nice post. I enjoyed reading it. I linked it at my blog.
http://theobservedblog.blogspot.com/2009/08/what-have-governemnt-and-taxes-ever.html
I also wrote about Cal Thomas today
http://theobservedblog.blogspot.com/2009/08/youre-bad-person-and-cal-thomas-likes.html

Wow...

08/11/09 at 08:52

...am I the only opposing, non-partisan here. Seems to me every argument presented here is reactionary, left/right BS. What did Pelosi say about the town hall eruptions, “drowning out opposing views is simply un-american.“ What? So we have to agree huh. This is a federally funded town, the university being the economic center, and its obvious in the article/comments. Health care is very important, as I’m uninsured currently, and needs a definite overhaul. But at the federal level - I think no. Am i crazy that I’d rather see it state-based, and that be the angle we approach it on? Am I a birther, or a bagger, or a bigot. In my view, healthcare reform from either party in Washington is the equivelant to asking a McDonalds manager to recommend a diet, or Capitol records CEO who’s got the best new record out.

Daylight

08/11/09 at 08:05

To Tim,
On Sunday, the Washington Post published an editorial, “The Health-Care Sacrifice,” which provides a fairly frank presentation of the implications of the Obama plan. The Post criticizes the president for failing to level with the public and prepare it for massive cuts in their health care—a change that has the newspaper’s full support.
“Getting health costs under control,” the Post writes, “will require saying no, or having the patient pay more…”
The newspaper notes that technological innovation in medical care is the fundamental driver of health-care inflation, and declares that reducing costs will require rationing access to the most advanced treatments. “In other words,” it states, “You can’t always get want you want—at least if you want costs to be lower. This would require an enormous change from the current practice, particularly in Medicare…”
So the protester is not a stupid wignut for suggesting the government not mess with her Medicare. Armed with that information and her vulnerability, you might be tempted to do the same thing.
We’re told the health care system is untenable –yet if we like our plan we don’t have to change –yet reform is so vital to the economy it must be passed now –yet it increases the debt & explodes the federal budget –yet they’re doing it for families on the verge of bankruptcy -yet the majority strongly opposes the Bill -yet they are vilified by the very people who wants to help them.
And you think the protestors are unhinged?

Dannie

08/11/09 at 08:44

To Wow:
I volunteered for many years with the Campaign for Better Healthcare, and Illinois organization which has proposed varieties of health care legislation to the Illinois legislature since the 1980s.
When Tim Johnson was a state legislator he ducked out on health care reform because states couldn’t go it alone. Then he argued that it was a national problem. Now that he is in Washington he opposes it because ......
Obama is offering those of us who need insurance the opportunity to get what he, and Tim Johnson and every federal employee have. The chance to choose affordable healthcare from a menu of options ranging from traditional fee for service plan to HMOs.
I don’t want much and certainly don’t want something we can’t afford. All I want is what Tim Johnson has. If it is good enough for him and his family, I am certain it will suffice for me.
Dannie Otto

Daylight

08/11/09 at 08:22

#10

To Dannie:
The health insurance enjoyed by federal employees is a wonderful fringe benefit - paid for by tax dollars. How can the government give an additional 40 million uninsured “a menu of options ranging from traditonal fee for service plan to HMO’s”? How will this ever be paid for without cutting services from those already covered, increasing the debt, and explode the federal budget? The CBO says it can’t be done.
Today, at a Town Hall Meeting in New Hampshire, Obama compared the plan to UPS, FedX, and the US Postal Service when asked if a public option would destroy private providers.
That is the perfect example of why it will not work. The agency is facing a nearly $7 billion potential loss this fiscal year despite a 2-cent increase in the price of stamps in May, and cuts in staff. They are also freezing salaries, closing offices, and cutting back on services. Health care will be a substantially larger enterprise than the postal service.

Wow...

08/11/09 at 08:41

#11

Why address me? Why do I care about one politician over another? Is it beause he’s a state politician and yer “proving” they’re idiots and we need federal politicians who aren’t? We’ve (IL) have had some of the most corrupt politicians in the country over the past decade - coincidentally Obama and his lighting rise to power also come from here. That’s what I see. I’m apolitical, but it seems that with a gesture or a facial expression Obama can convince his supporters of anything. Have you read the 1100+ pg. cap and trade or health care bills. That should never even BE, in my opinion. Lawyers “clarifying” health care for all - to help fulfill some campaign promise to get re-elected. Then each side blames the other when it never really works out for us non-politicians. left/right BS

Dan Schreiber

08/11/09 at 08:54

#12

I would welcome a rational discussion on the tradeoffs associated with health care reform. For instance, we could argue whether it is better for the insurance industry to ration healthcare based on profit (our current system), or whether it would be better for some other group to do it based on public welfare.

But, my point is that a discussion is impossible when Republican leaders insist on talking about death panels and fringe groups shout down the process. It’s not Unamerican to disagree, but that’s different from drowning people out.
And no, this isn’t left/right BS. Democrats have a proposal on the table to make healthcare better. Republicans have no such proposal. Their ideology that government is always bad prevents them acknowledging that single-payer, government run healthcare systems in lots of countries do a better job than ours does.

Wow...

08/11/09 at 08:37

#13

Please just look at it like an induvidual. I take offence at terms like “angry idiot” and “their ideology.“ It doesn’t apply to me and it doesn’t apply to all protesters. You saw the man in MI with a son in a wheelchair. You’ve heard of the black guy calling another black guy the N word then beating him cause he was protesting a town hall -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zTXBOgPCh9w&feature=player_embedded

And now “socialist” means “N” word!?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f3dFh8YYd70&feature=player_embedded

Come on.

Daylight

08/12/09 at 08:36

#14

There are other options being presented but they are muscled out by the majority party in DC and ignored by a compliant media. The attitude is “everyone who thinks like us agress that this is the only way to do it. Everyone who doesn’t think like us is obviously either stupid or racist because everyone who thinks like us agree this is the only way to do it.“
Polls show that the mojority of Americans believe we need some kind of reform but now a plurality of them do not trust the reform as it is being presented. The passionate response by so many, (whether its organized or not makes no difference in what they believe) tells me that they feel like “reform” is something that is being done to them instead of for them.
The administration started the year with the good will of the majority of Americans. His poll numbers were very high and even many of those who did’nt vote for him were hopeful and willing to give him a chance. His party controlled both houses of congress. The press gave him endless favorable coverage. And now look at it. Instead of making affective change we have all hell breaking out.
The culture war is wagging again but this time its gone nuclear. Partisanship is an ugly as it as ever been, civil discourse is almost non-existent. Why? Not so much because of what Obama wanted to do but how he has gone about doing it.
Instead of a new kind of politics, he surrounded himself with Clinton retreads, political thugs from the Chicago political machine, and more corrupt csars than any past president.
His world apology tour began to soured many.
His inexpeience is really begining to show. He has better ideas than plans for achieving them. He has put a congress with the lowest polling numbers in history in charge of turning his ideas into plans. They use their power to ram through legislation without reading the bill or allowing for public debate, breaking a core campaign promise of transpancy and bi-partisanship. Town hall protest would not even be going on if Obama had his way and the vote happend before August recess.
Obama and the democrats have spent more money in six months than the all others combined. The specter of long term deficits and debt is down right scary.
Now average americans, who have never protested anything in their life have gotten organized (so called tea-baggers) to express their genuine concerns. And the response they get is - “shut up you bunch of stupid, hate-filled racist. Your nothing but astrotrufing, unpartriotic, mobs”. The hypocrisy of that, especially coming from 8 years of Bush hate, is enough to make someone scream - and so they are.
The more the dems continue to dismiss and demonize the opposition the less likely there will be anykind of health care reform. And that just hurts everone.

criz

08/12/09 at 08:19

#15

I started to write about how this situation reveals a grave danger to our ability to govern ourselves. The too many citizens not thinking farther past issues than painting them red or blue, as if it were a sporting event; while congressmen’s voting can be predicted by who is giving them money. Then I selected this quote:

“ The most effectual means of preventing the perversion of power into tyranny are to illuminate, as far as practicable, the minds of the people. It is an insult to our citizens to question whether they are rational beings or not, and blasphemy against religion to suppose it cannot stand the test of truth and reason. Light and liberty go together. I look to the diffusion of light and education as the resource most to be relied on for ameliorating the condition, promoting the virtue, and advancing the happiness of man. Enlighten the people generally, and tyranny and oppressions of body and mind will vanish like evil spirits at the dawn of day. If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be. No nation is permitted to live in ignorance with impunity. “

-Thomas Jefferson, From: Light and Liberty

criz

08/12/09 at 08:22

#16

wow, my last attempt had stealth html that got copied in the quote… trying again

“ The most effectual means of preventing the perversion of power into tyranny are to illuminate, as far as practicable, the minds of the people. It is an insult to our citizens to question whether they are rational beings or not, and blasphemy against religion to suppose it cannot stand the test of truth and reason. Light and liberty go together. I look to the diffusion of light and education as the resource most to be relied on for ameliorating the condition, promoting the virtue, and advancing the happiness of man. Enlighten the people generally, and tyranny and oppressions of body and mind will vanish like evil spirits at the dawn of day. If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be. No nation is permitted to live in ignorance with impunity. “

-Thomas Jefferson, From: Light and Liberty
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