PrintAugust 16, 2009
Elite Meltdown
The face-off between the ruling party and the people continues to unfold, as Democrat politicians hold town hall meetings across the country to build support for the Obama administration's latest power grab, misleadingly labeled 'health care reform.'
The faux outrage politicians manufacture on demand has been replaced by real outrage. Outrage at the American people for failing to understand the nuances, the broad outline of a 1,000 page plus bill that most politicians haven't even read. Hey, that's what staff is for, explained new Democrat, Arlen Spector.
Peons from fly-over country are daring to challenge the carefully scripted and (deliberately?) misleading talking points. Talking points which, by the way, have been endorsed by the media. Don't these guys read the New York Times?
Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi are using the standard liberal tactic of diverting attention from the issue by demonizing the dissenter, in this case, the American people. According to Pelosi and Reid, voicing objections to the federal government's take over of 17% of the formerly free market economy is 'un-American.' Harry Reid has gone a step further, tarring dissenter's as 'evil mongers.'
White House spokesman Robert Gibbs has blithely dismissed the burgeoning dissent by informing one and all that these 'townhalls are not representative of America.' Obama, meanwhile, is trying to divert the issue by blaming the 'headline hungry television networks', accusing them of 'enflaming an ugly backlash.'
Unused to any opposition that can't be spun to their advantage or ignored, Democrats are desperately trying to convince Americans that the tidal wave of opposition is not genuine. Used to viewing every issue in political terms, our elected officials are actually convinced that the disruptive townhalls are merely the product of an evil conservative cabal. After all, every person these lawmakers know agree with them on this issue. Its called the 'inside the beltway syndrome.'
Despite a new $12 million ad campaign designed to soothe Americans into relying on misplaced compassion instead of common sense, pesky Joe Six-Pack and Susy Homemaker still don't get it. And adding insult to injury, American citizens are starting to question where all the money is coming from to run these ads. And by the way, who's signing the paychecks for the new army of health care advocates who are being paid $12 to $13 an hour for their support? Inquiring minds want to know.
Answers to these questions are not forthcoming. Like the classic case of a wife catching her husband in bed with another woman, the question has become, "Who are you going to believe? Me, or your lying eyes?"
Obama, in his latest finger-pointing lecture to the great unwashed, assured the masses that the proposed 'public option' won't put private insurers out of business. When confronted with his own words to the contrary in 2007, he dismissed the discrepancy as a 'mis-statement'. Oops. Time to move on. Time to focus on the real villains.
Identifying a common enemy is another tried and true tactic liberals employ when it gets too hot in the kitchen. But the historically favorite villain, those dastardly drug companies, have already made their deal with the government health plan. And blaming the insurance companies won't work either, since they're on board, too. The only villain left is the American people.
Not all Americans, Obama and the media assure us. No, the real villain can be traced to the 'hate groups' that have suddenly, and conveniently emerged. As reported by ABC: "Experts say a sharp growth in so-called militia groups that helped spawn a wave of domestic terrorism in the 1990s - are now using YouTube, rock music and the Internet to recruit members and spread hate and fear - and shouldn't be ignored."
These hate groups, we are assured by the ultra liberal Southern Poverty Law Center, are protesting President Obama, not his health care plan. Not only that, they are putting his life in danger. Headlines inform us: 'Fear For Obama's Safety Grows As Hate Groups Thrive On Racial Backlash.'
This is a media twofer. Obama is the now the victim instead of the oppressor. And dissenters are racist rednecks.
The only problem is, Americans aren't buying it. They're suffering from the political equivalent of the 'battered woman syndrome.' Americans have been deceived and beaten up by the government so many times lately, that, even thought they still love Obama, they're taking steps to distance themselves from what has become an increasingly dangerous relationship. Flowers, new cars, and soothing words are no longer effective. Even the race card isn't ringing their bells.
Liberals have finally succeeded in persuading Americans to look at the broad picture instead of inconvenient details. The kicker is, as more Americans see the broad picture, they see the unprecedented devolution of power to the federal government. They see the loss of America's traditional reliance on individuals instead of government. They see the loss of personal liberty and freedom of choice. And they don't like it.
Nancy Morgan is a columnist and news editor for RightBias.com. She lives in South Carolina
Nancy Morgan is a columnist and news editor for RightBias.com. She lives in South Carolina
