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Right wing crazy talk host Michael Weiner “Savage” blamed Justice Roberts’ decision on the drugs he takes allegedly for epilepsy. In a closed door House GOP meeting onThursday,Indiana Congressman Pence (and the GOP candidate for Governor) likened the Supreme Court’s ruling to the Sept 11 terrorist attacks, according to several sources present. He apologized afterward, calling the remarks “thoughtless”. Ben Shapiro (Breitbart “journalist”) tweeted: “This is the greatest destruction of individual liberty since Dred Scott. This is the end of America as we know it. No exaggeration.”
And Senator Rand Paul said, “Just because a couple of people on the Supreme Court declare something to be ‘constitutional’ does not make it so. The whole thing remains unconstitutional. While the court may have erroneously come to the conclusion that the law is allowable, it certainly does nothing to make this mandate or government takeover of our health care right.”
If that wasn’t enough to make you sick, all you had to do was watch the parade of Mitch McConnell, John Boehner and Paul Ryan on the Sunday talking head shows in lock step talking about moving “step by step” to dismantle the law that will now help millions of uninsured Americans to be able to get health care.
We wen t though many of those statements on the show this morning in our Fools on the Hill segment with Crooks & Liars‘ Nicole Belle:
It’s funny. We keep being told that Americans don’t like ‘Obamacare’, and polling shows some truth to that, but it’s only part of the story. When you ask Americans about the various features of the Affordable Care Act, largely, they love them. So there’s a big disconnect there, a disconnect that I blame largely the media, who allows the conservatives to fear monger and outright lie about what the ACA does and does not do and never, ever offer a pushback on the facts.
And it’s still going on, even after the Supreme Court decision. Norah O’Donnell interviewed Speaker of the House John Boehner insisted that this “government take over of the entire health insurance industry” has to be “ripped out by its roots”.
And Mitch McConnell knew he’d have a sympathetic audience when he told Chris Wallace that ‘uninsured people’ are ‘not the issue’ with ACA.
Tom Coburn—who is an OB/Gyn doctor himself—goes even better, telling Norah O’Donnell that the ACA has “Sovietized” American health care.
Paul Ryan got to lie in front of George Stephanopoulos and claim that ACA cuts Medicare spending. Listen to him get indignant as Stephanopoulos mildly suggests that it’s a lie. Maybe it’s that reason why he claimed that we have to repeal health care because our rights come from nature and God. No, I don’t know what the hell that means either.
In the first hour, I was joined by the awesome Lee Camp, whose “Moment of Clarity” videos are featured regularly on the show. Today, he joined in person, as he has a new album out, Pepper Spray the Tears Away, in addition to a recent book, Moment of Clarity: The Rantings of a Stark Raving Sane Man.
And, oh yeah, Anderson Cooper is gay. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, and certainly not that it was any surprise. But he finally came out today, via an email to Andrew Sullivan:
Andrew, as you know, the issue you raise is one that I’ve thought about for years. Even though my job puts me in the public eye, I have tried to maintain some level of privacy in my life. Part of that has been for purely personal reasons. I think most people want some privacy for themselves and the people they are close to.
But I’ve also wanted to retain some privacy for professional reasons. Since I started as a reporter in war zones 20 years ago, I’ve often found myself in some very dangerous places. For my safety and the safety of those I work with, I try to blend in as much as possible, and prefer to stick to my job of telling other people’s stories, and not my own. I have found that sometimes the less an interview subject knows about me, the better I can safely and effectively do my job as a journalist.
I’ve always believed that who a reporter votes for, what religion they are, who they love, should not be something they have to discuss publicly. As long as a journalist shows fairness and honesty in his or her work, their private life shouldn’t matter. I’ve stuck to those principles for my entire professional career, even when I’ve been directly
asked “the gay question,” which happens occasionally. I did not address my sexual orientation in the memoir I wrote several years ago because it was a book focused on war, disasters, loss and survival. I didn’t set out to write about other aspects of my life.
Recently, however, I’ve begun to consider whether the unintended outcomes of maintaining my privacy outweigh personal and professional principle. It’s become clear to me that by remaining silent on certain aspects of my personal life for so long, I have given some the mistaken impression that I am trying to hide something – something that makes me uncomfortable, ashamed or even afraid. This is distressing because it is simply not true.
I’ve also been reminded recently that while as a society we are moving toward greater inclusion and equality for all people, the tide of history only advances when people make themselves fully visible. There continue to be far too many incidences of bullying of young people, as well as discrimination and violence against people of all ages, based on their sexual orientation, and I believe there is value in making clear where I stand.
The fact is, I’m gay, always have been, always will be, and I couldn’t be any more happy, comfortable with myself, and proud.
I have always been very open and honest about this part of my life with my friends, my family, and my colleagues. In a perfect world, I don’t think it’s anyone else’s business, but I do think there is value in standing up and being counted. I’m not an activist, but I am a human being and I don’t give that up by being a journalist.
Since my early days as a reporter, I have worked hard to accurately and fairly portray
gay and lesbian people in the media – and to fairly and accurately portray those who for whatever reason disapprove of them. It is not part of my job to push an agenda, but rather to be relentlessly honest in everything I see, say and do. I’ve never wanted to be any kind of reporter other than a good one, and I do not desire to promote any cause other than the truth.
Being a journalist, traveling to remote places, trying to understand people from all walks of life, telling their stories, has been the greatest joy of my professional career, and I hope to continue doing it for a long time to come. But while I feel very blessed to have had so many opportunities as a journalist, I am also blessed far beyond having a great career.
I love, and I am loved.
In my opinion, the ability to love another person is one of God’s greatest gifts, and I thank God every day for enabling me to give and share love with the people in my life. I appreciate your asking me to weigh in on this, and I would be happy for you to share my thoughts with your readers. I still consider myself a reserved person and I hope this doesn’t mean an end to a small amount of personal space. But I do think visibility is important, more important than preserving my reporter’s shield of privacy.
THIS AFTERNOON ON THE RANDI RHODES SHOW
I’ll be guest hosting the Randi Rhodes Show again this afternoon with lots of time for your calls at 866-877-2634, and these fabulous guests:
Katherine Eban blew the bottom out of the crazy Fast & Furious story with an amazing piece for Fortune magazine entitled “The truth about the Fast and Furious Scandal”;
T.R. Reid – author, lecturer, journalist, filmmaker wrote a book a few years ago called The Healing of America: A Global Quest for Better, Cheaper and Fairer Health Care. I was fascinated by it then, and thought it warranted another look today!
And we’ll talk, again, with Lee Camp too…
