2011.09.13
The lie of compassionate conservatism
At yesterday’s GOP debate, moderator Wolf Blitzer laid out a scenario for candidate Ron Paul in which a young person without health insurance has a terrible accident and is in a coma. Should society intervene to provide health care? Paul said no. The hypothetical person made a choice and should live with the consequences.
Blitzer wanted to be very clear. He asked if America should just stand by and watch this person die. Paul started to backtrack. The cheering crowd of conservatives, however, shouted, “Yes!”
The concept of shared national responsibility and sacrifice is dead on the right. ”Compassionate conservatism,” if there ever was any truth to it, truly has become a lie.
Since when does Rand Paul become THE voice of compassionate conservatism?
Careful with that big brush you got out to paint ALL compassionate conservatives with.
Do you still have your solstice tree up?
Comment by Bob H — September 13, 2011 @ 1:13 pm
So in another thread we’re being lectured that Islamist Extremists do not represent all of Islam, yet here we’re being told RP speaks for ALL conservatives.
Interesting.
And for what it’s worth, I happen to agree that if you don’t take responsibility for your own health, then you should live with the consequences.
It’s called “Personal Responsibility”…something the Left has no clue about.
Comment by Michael — September 13, 2011 @ 1:20 pm
@2 Actually, Ron Paul is not speaking for conservatives. As the post notes, he backtracked. The conservative crowd cheering for the death of an uninsured injured person, on the other hand, offers a representative sample.
Comment by C. Trejbal — September 13, 2011 @ 1:30 pm
Of course, Ron Paul also wants to do away with all government licensing including doctors. SO, when a person gets sick, they won’t have to go to a doctor anymore, they can call up the local witchdoctor or herbal salesman and get help. Shoot, if he is lucky there will be a traveling medicine man that will sell him a bottle of moonshine as a cure all. Ron is big on going back to the 19th century for all facets of life.
Comment by Richard J Beason, CPA — September 13, 2011 @ 1:35 pm
Watching a GOP sponsored event gives some great insight into why our country is circling the drain. Michael,I have no doubt you “agree” with them.
“The conservative crowd cheering for the death of an uninsured injured person, on the other hand, offers a representative sample.”
I can’t think of one reason the country wouldn’t be better off with exactly zero RWers at all (these people don’t count as Conservatives…a real Conservative like W F Buckley wouldn’t have scraped them off of his bespoke loafer).
Comment by Kristen — September 13, 2011 @ 1:41 pm
Yeah Michael that damned “left”, always trying to force people to buy health insurance and be responsible! How dare they! At least some have the courage to admit their true “compassion”. As if we did not know.
Comment by Sandi Saunders — September 13, 2011 @ 2:15 pm
Christian,
You are slow on the draw ! Even Dan had this canned talkimg point up on his blog hours before the RTEB could copy it. How about something original ?
Comment by John P Kemp — September 13, 2011 @ 2:46 pm
I don’t hear the CROWD CHEERING FOR THE DEATH..they are cheering Paul’s explanation of what he views freedom to be. At the very last part Wolf asks something to the effect..should we just let that person die? And you can hear two male voices shout “yeah” from the crowd. And before Paul can respond the clip (conveniently?) stops.
Comment by BUD — September 13, 2011 @ 2:55 pm
Yeah Christian spend your day blog hopping so you don’t dare discuss the same or even similar issues! What is the world coming to?
Comment by Sandi Saunders — September 13, 2011 @ 2:59 pm
8. BUD – The live telecast more assuredly had the cheering for letting the person die.
Shocking to say the least, but then again so was Ron Paul. But then so was Bachman accusing Perry of selling innocent 12 year old girls to Merck for lobby money, or his being offended becasue it was only $5,000 of money.
Comment by Richard J Beason, CPA — September 13, 2011 @ 3:22 pm
Crowd? I heard maybe 3 people say yea. Do we know who they are? Maybe we should interview them and find out and ask them. They may be a “sample” for their row, but certainly not for the crowd. Paul ended up answering that question well.
Comment by Uptheriver — September 13, 2011 @ 3:38 pm
Liberal Compassion–Zero Job Growth, 9.1% Unemployment, more people living in poverty then at any other time in the history of the country, dollar at its lowest value ever, trade imbalance blowing through the roof, highest debt on the planet, spending at a rate of almost $3 to ever $1 collected. Yeah those children crying themselves to sleep at night that shows great compassion. Keep it up liberals you are doing such a great and humane job.
Comment by Jack — September 13, 2011 @ 5:08 pm
Well that answers one question want to shut up liberals just point out the honest truth of their record in governing. The most failed President in history there is not one economic number of indicator that has not crashed since he became President. It is his economy he owns it.
Comment by Jack — September 13, 2011 @ 7:03 pm
@Jack, except the Democrats aren’t liberals. They may be more liberal than you but most of them are more conservative than Nixon was.
Comment by Scott M. — September 13, 2011 @ 8:34 pm
I heard very few people in the crowd yelling “yes”. Maybe a handful. Of course Christian, in lockstep with the liberal media, tries to translate this into “the entire crowd cheered ‘yes’”. Just more liberal lies. Their savior Obama is such a ridiculous excuse of a president, and they can’t possibly defend his record, that all they can do is attack anyone who opposes him (which just happens to be the majority of Americans).
Comment by Ralso — September 13, 2011 @ 9:52 pm
A long-term trend has finally become dominant: conservatives no longer believe in “the public” or “the American People” because this group includes “others” who either aren’t nice white people or don’t particularly want to be like them. Traditional as well is the conservative opposition to a truly integrated society. The reality of demographics will overrule them eventually — nice white people just aren’t as important as they used to be.
Comment by olderguy — September 18, 2011 @ 10:50 am