Ok, so I just saw the stoopidest TV commercial. Dick Gephartd was trying to be all artsy-fartsy-welfare-mom-asskisser. Here’s how the commercial went (my comments in green):
My child was diagnosed with cancer a few years ago
OH! Ok, I feel bad for you.
And while we were in the hospital getting a rare experimental treatment from my health insurance
Oh, now I don’t give a F----. Most of us have to live with basic health coverage. I suppose yours came with a free ass-wiping service too???
I saw many people there without insurance. If I’m elected I’ll take back all the tax cuts Bush gave you and give insurance to all Sooo…you’r campaign is to RAISE taxes, and then pretent to give SOME people a “free” service because we are already paying for it.
Now HTH is this a good commercial? He offers to raise taxes, gloats about being better off than the “commoners” and comes off condescending. WTF???
Gephardt saw some uninsured people. Lots of people in the US don’t have health insurance. Gephardt would take away the Bush tax cut and give everyone health insurance. No more uninsured people. To the uninsured people, that might sound pretty damn good.
Now if you can just convince WallMart to do that, we might be on to something.
-Sven, unemployed, uninsured, and fully aware that 75% of the jobs she is looking at- even jobs at companies that are turning outstanding profits, indeed, perhaps mostly at companies that are making outstanding profits- don’t offer health benefits.
No, I think healthcare is good. What I was trying to say is that that was a pretty screwed up commercial. Things you never want to say in a campaign are:
I will RAISE your taxes
And (for Democrats) show that you are from an “elitist” upper class.
I probably won’t vote for Gephardt, but for what it’s worth, I appreciate a politician that says what he means.
I think most politicians tend to leave out the “bad news” part of the equation, so we get a lot of people saying, “I’m going to provide health insurance for everyone,” without discussing the attendant costs. I think it’s good – and even honorable – that Gephardt has included at least an acknowledgment of those costs.
Age Quod Adis, I remember when Walter Mondale said he’d raise taxes in when he accepted the nomination at the 84 Dem Convention. I remember thinking, “Damn, he just said he’d raise taxes, quite a ballsy - but honorable - thing to do.”
Of course, then he got the crap kicked out of him by Reagan.