Which Side Are You On?...Day 33

AP falsehood: Budget officials say Obama's plan could "increase the federal deficit" by $1 trillion

Truth: Budget officials said House bill would increase deficit by $239 billion -- not $1 trillion


The health care debate has strayed from the truth as opponents have misperceived facts, either intentionally or through inadequate understanding.

First is a piece from Media Matters which shows serial mistakes on the part of the Associated Press.

________________________________________________________

Mr. Hill stood in front of a mainly pro-health care group of federal workers at a Monday night forum at Indiana University Southeast. Mr. Hill, what did you expect to hear from a group that had nothing to fear or lose in the health care debate?

Mr. Hill had two New Albany Police Department officers waiting behind the curtains in case one of the mostly friendly, invitation-only group would become violent. Big chance of that happening before such a friendly group.

Ken Easterday, Jeffersonville

The letter excerpted here reports on a meeting which I attended. The writer's contention that the crowd was mostly friendy is wrong. Is it maliciously wrong or simply delusional? Who can say?

I offer as proof that the crowd was, in fact, not friendly toward Rep. Hill, a display of loutish behavior by the majority of the crowd: when Rep. Hill mentioned Senator Edward Kennedy, whom one might recall, had died and was buried only about 48 hours previously, the name was met with boos and catcalls. It was a disgusting display of right-wing bile spewed against a liberal standard bearer, not for a coherent reform plan or even against a reform plan. (I chose not to report this in my first post of the meeting Tuesday morning)

The conclusion I draw from this display is that these people have no facts on their side, they have hate and they have fear. And they don't want a black man in the White House. And they're mad because John McCain isn't President and Sarah Palin isn't Vice.

There may have been some who had legitimate concerns about health care reform, but their defensible opposition was colored by the bilious braying of the haters.