We’re against it but if we were for it we’d be very upset
by digby
Noam Scheiber catches Congressperson Marsha Blackburn chattering mindlessly about Medicaid and helpfully supplies the translation:
Blackburn says Obamacare is a failure because the promised Medicaid expansion isn’t happening. Journalist points out that Blackburn’s own state has blocked Medicaid expansion from happening. In response to which Blackburn says, Damn right! No way would we ever let Medicaid expand!
Actually, that’s not entirely fair. Blackburn’s response was more like: Hillarycare-Sebelius-debacle-no way would we ever let Medicaid expand! But you get the idea. It’s quite possibly the most cynical exercise in Obamacare-bashing I’ve ever seen.
This is pretty bad, I’ll admit. But it’s not the only example of this sort of confusing argument around Obamacare. The whole hissy fit they’re having about the administration allegedly “cooking the books” about the sign-up numbers is similarly dissonant. Basically they’re saying “we hate Obamacare — but it’s terrible that so few people are signing up and the administration is lying about it!”
Or this one: “how dare the president extend the deadlines for this program nobody wants!” If it’s so terrible why should they care if the deadlines are extended? If people don’t want it they don’t want it, right?
This is actually a tough issue for them. They want it to fail but they have to sound as if they don’t. But conservatives are actually very good at simply delivering gibberish in an appropriately hysterical tone to get their point across which, in this case, is basically: “we’re against health care reform but if we were for it, this would be very upsetting because this is a disaster!” They don’t need much more than that to get their people to the polls.
.