Monday, November 2, 2009
Partisanship in Recession
This crisis has given the political parties of the US just as much of a platform to differentiate themselves from their opponents, as well as denigrate them. Obama was elected on a platform of change, and change is very much against the conservative mindset; they tend to favour the status quo. This mires any debate about financial policy in a bitter, combative tone, rendering the process into a shouting match about who is right and who is wrong with little regard to the facts of the matter. One Republican even considers the most recent proposals to health care reform to be more worrying than terrorism http://www.poetv.com/video.php?vid=69663.
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Honestly, I would have to agree with that one Republican. It may seem and insensitive, but what can terrorists do besides take lives and costing America time and energy dealing their attacks?
ReplyDeleteHealth Care on the other hand could fundamentally change American society. Even watered down reform could be just another step along the slippery slope that future generations will learn to accept and embrace.
The thing about her comments is that they are there for simple fear-mongering; they cause people to subconciously transfer that fear of terrorists onto any changes that are proposed. That's not real debate, it's simple emotional manipulation in order to appeal to an easily scared crowd, and it's not just the Republicans that are guilty of it. I will agree that not all reform is warranted, and that I lack a good deal of the facts, but I object to manipulation by those who try to get by on oration alone.
ReplyDeleteI believe the type of terrorist she was implying was not one that take lives and costing time, money, and energy of the people. Instead, mental terrorism where it is the fear of the unknown enemy that strike fear into people hearts. Unlike the Vietnam war the American knew who was the good guys which was them or capitalist, and the bad guys which was communism. In this scenario it is unclear when change of the health care system is be for the greater good or will even hit harder from the downfall of the economy.
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