Previous presidents, whether you agreed with them or not, all operated within the normal range of American political discourse. Maybe some tested that range, but they still had the ability to be civil and comforting when the country needed it. You know what needs to be “great again”? The American President. ... See MoreSee Less
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After the Labor Department released the September job numbers, revealing the unemployment rate dropped to 7.8% (below 8% for the first time during Obama’s presidency), the right-wing lunatic asylum kicked into full-bore conspiracy mode. First we had “9/11 truthers, ” then we had “birth certificate truthers (birthers),” then just last week we had “poll truthers,” and now this week we have “unemployment truthers,” led by former GE CEO Jack Welch.
This is the start of a new series on The Left Call called Right-Wing Lies. It will debunk the mountain of conservative and Republican lies, one-at-a-time. It’s a monumental task for sure, but it’s going to be done with clear and concise language. No need for thousand-word articles, or complex analysis. This series will present the cold hard facts and nothing else.
In a speech last week President Obama had his Elizabeth Warren moment. The president accurately explained (although he could have worded it better) why government has a role in the economy. At no time did Obama say that business owners aren’t responsible for creating their own businesses. He’s only pointing out what should be obvious unless you are someone who believes without proof that government is always evil or wrong. In other words, a right-wing partisan hack.
There is no question Medicare needs fixing. The biggest problem with Medicare is that it is a high-risk pool. Insurance will be expensive per person when the only people in the insurance risk pool are 65 and older or disabled. That makes it fairly remarkable that Medicare has managed to survive for as long as it has. The reason it has survived is because of a vast supply of political will and public support. But sooner or later we are going to have to address the root issue, high risk. All insurance works by having diversified risk whether it’s car insurance or health insurance. Therefore, diversifying the risk pool when it comes to Medicare means extending it to all Americans, or ‘Medicare for all’. Having one insurance payer makes the financing of health care simpler and more efficient. Removing profits from the financing side of health care means nobody is deciding what is and isn’t covered based on shareholder sentiment and CEO bonuses. Removing profits means less overhead, hence less costly health care. Fixing health care in this country means extending the same coverage your grandparents have to all Americans.
I want to start by pointing out that I’m not talking about true conservatives in this article. I’m talking about a growing faction of right-wing extremists that have taken over the Republican Party and who are advocating policies that have no resemblance to conservatism.
In a Daily Beast op-ed, author Stephen King blasts the anti-tax crowd that controls the Republican party. King believes it is the patriotic duty of the rich to contribute more and if inequality is not addressed the rich, and their bought politicians, may ultimately face an unpleasant backlash.
Republicans will likely roll their eyes when you point out that there is no equivalence when it comes to left/right rhetoric. Both sides engage in hyperbole and insults but Republicans get away with a special kind of rhetoric that is in a class of its own. Eugene Robinson writes about this false equivalence in his latest Washington Post column: Republican rhetoric over the top.