QUOTE OF THE DAY…. Roll Call ran an item today about the various efforts to get far-right activists to disrupt town-hall meetings. It included this gem.
Grover Norquist, president of the conservative Americans for Tax Reform, said the protests are the result of real public anger at Democratic proposals. He said he encourages his members to attend town-hall meetings — and arms them with suggested questions.
“People are pissed,” Norquist said. “They’ve been lied to.”
Well, yes, I suppose so. They “are pissed” precisely because they have been “lied to.” The key to remember, though, is who’s been doing the lying.
Norquist and his pals have convinced the Republican base that health care reform means a “government takeover” of the system. They’ve said it will mean “socialized” medicine. They’ve said it “may start us down a treacherous path toward government-encouraged euthanasia.” They’ve said reform would eliminate private insurance options. They’ve said reform “will literally cost nearly a trillion dollars in higher taxes.” They’ve said reform would cover undocumented immigrants.
All of these claims are false, but the right’s Powers That Be have to convince the activists otherwise. They have, in other words, perpetrated a con, preying on far-right Republicans who don’t know better.
“People are pissed. They’ve been lied to.” That’s true. They’re just directing their anger at the wrong people — those who’ve been telling the truth.
