Here at the Zingularity, we wouldn’t normally come within three degrees of separation between this blog and a link to Ramesh, but this is a very special day:
But it’s clear now that one scenario with a lot of purchase among conservative opponents of Obamacare — that the law would “implode,” “collapse” or “unravel” — is highly unlikely. A quick death spiral was always a remote possibility, even if the early troubles of the exchange websites made it look a little less remote. Many congressional Republicans wanted to believe the idea, though, especially because they viewed it as one more reason they could avoid coming up with their own health-care agenda. (This was illogical — if the program was going to self-destruct in months, wouldn’t the country need a replacement ready? — but the psychological impulse was to avoid grappling with health-care issues.)
Even that little smidgen of reality didn’t go over well, all across the Teabagger universe the hatred and vitriol is a-flyin. You really should sample some of the comments, that’s where the most sugary sadness dwells. Many of the grieving wingnuts preface their contribution with the niftiest name of contempt they can muster. My fave so far is Katheter Syphilis for HHS Sec Kathleen Sibelius: you know deep tender bone has been hit and hit hard when even the cabinet gets their own customized Teaparty ugliness. The nicks for Obama are mostly lacking, the best ones have long ago been worn out. One of the most trending this fine morning is OWEbama, which we presume is a not-so-veiled racist reference to African ethnicity. Runners up include Gaybama and O-beezelbulb.
It’s strange, how certain they are that Obama hates America and wants to destroy it. I was in the thick of it during both Bush terms, near the beating heart of the hard-core growing netroots, a nascent movement that truly despised Bush and Cheney and everything the neocons said or did, and there were the occasional lefty crazies who bought into 9-11 trutherism or X-files level nuttery of one kind or another. But I don’t remember any kind of equivalent consensus narrative taking hold that George Bush was intentionally destroying America out of pure spite. Probably because that would be fucking delusional.
Unhappy comments are solid wall-to-wall whining, rightwingers going through the five stages of grief, lingering, for now anyway, mostly on the most familiar and comfortable rung they’ve come to know when surprised by predictable defeat, sheer raw anger.
Sprinkled throughout the mess are occasional past article of faith. Chief among them that the numbers are cooked, that the numbers don’t matter, that millions more have lost their insurance than gained it, the now half-hearted predictions the law really will collapse any day now, and that there’ll be hell to pay come the November midterms! It’s probably better to leave them alone, they’re like a wounded, rabid grizzly thrashing around in its death throes. Except this particular bear is safely behind glass and heavily anesthetized. So it’s safe to heap the well deserved scorn and laughter on by pointing out the midterms don’t matter for shit. Dems won’t win back the House, the GOP won’t come close to getting a veto or filibuster proof over ride in either respective chamber, let alone both, so Obama can veto anything too odious between now and 2016 and they can’t repeal anything he doesn’t sign onto.
I apologize if this strikes folks as rubbing salt in the open wound, but after the ordeal and spectacle of non-stop hysterical fanatics lying 24/7 fanned by pretty much every right-wing site and network for the last four fucking years, their tears of unfathomable sadness taste sweeter than chocolate covered honey.
Reminds me of the words of that great philosopher –
Good luck on the job prospect, Stephen!
A recipe for something to eat in celebration:
http://whatever.scalzi.com/2006/09/26/how-to-make-a-schadenfreude-pie/
First, claiming Bush was intentionally destroying ‘merka would have given way too much credit to him, although Cheney may be another story.
Second, schadenfreude….sweet, sweet, schadenfreude. Cut me a piece o’ that pie!
I don’t get the supposed racist reference to OWEbama. I would think it comes from the wrongwingers buying into the idea that the ACA is going to cost more, than say a couple of F-35s, when the reality is that it will probably save the country lots of money over the long run.
It didn’t bother the right wing when it was Heritagecare or Chafeecare or Romneycare. They had not been very enthusiastic about it, but they didn’t hate it the way they hate it when it became Obamacare.
Heritagecare — 1989 — the Heritage Foundation proposed it
Chafeecare — 1993 — John Chafee (R-RI) proposed it as the Republicans’ answer to Clintoncare
Romneycare — 2006 — Mitt Romney, then Governor of Massachusetts, implemented it there
Mitt Romney even recommended it to President Obama as encouraging individual responsibility. I’ve read his US News op-ed on that subject.
I hope that you get a call back on that job soon.
I really want to see your video version of the ad on TV where the pretty girl dances in the mall saying “I got the job! I got the job!”
Quick question about the ACA. I’ve read that docs aren’t supposed to ask if your insurance policy came from the exchange. Yet, when I recently visited an endocrinologist for thyroid testing here’s the sign that was in the lobby – SIGN UP FOR OBAMACARE? PLEASE LET US KNOW IF YOU HAVE ONE OF THESE PLANS.
Is that office doing something illegal? Can they even tell if a person’s BCBS policy was bought through and employer or through an exchange? It is Texas, but can they treat people differently just because they bought a policy through the federal exchange?
Magistramarla, after they have performed their diagnosis, you could ask them why they want to know.
It could be that the doctor is genuinely interested in knowing the effectiveness of the plan. A doctor friend of mine is well-informed on the issues and has his opinions on how things ought to be done; I could see him informally finding out how well the new system works.
It could also be that he’s an idiot opening himself up to a lawsuit if he refuses to work for someone covered under such a plan.
Don’t worry, in years to come when America is well used to having Obamacare, the name Obama will be swiftly dropped from the vocabularies of Republican pundits, and all will be singing the praises of Glorious Mitt Romney, The Brave Conservative Who Stuck It To That Nasty Black Man (Whose Name We Daren’t Mention) By Giving America The Best Gosh Darn Health Care Reform Ever!!! All mention of the democrat involvement in the ACA will be dropped and all credit will be heaped upon themselves, “It Was Our Plan All Along But He Whose Name Must Not Be Mentioned (Mostly Because He Is Black) Stole Our Idea!”
Guaranteed.
Pretty soon we’ll hear about universal coverage as something Jesus would have wanted for His people.
Bah. I didn’t “lose” my insurance. My employer ended it. My insurance didn’t vanish into the ether with a poof, puzzling scientists; it didn’t catch a greyhound to Tuscaloosa; my EMPLOYER ENDED IT. Hearing anyone speak of it as if it got swallowed in a chasm of a parallel universe pisses me off. No, Obamacare did not make me lose my insurance. My employer’s choice not to pay for a program that people might actually use did.