What Obama Calls “Cynicism,” We Call Freedom
In one of the best essays I’ve read on the President Obama’s attitude toward those who oppose his plans for a government overhaul of our health care system, Katherine Mangu-Ward dissects the Democrat’s words, notably his op-ed in Sunday’s New York Times, concluding When it comes to health care reform, Obama doesn’t believe reasonable people can disagree.
Mangu-Ward finds that even before this past Sunday, Barack Obama was eager to deride those who opposed further government control of health care as cynics:
Back in the misty days of January 2007, he warned the Democratic National Committee about us. The “cynics,” he predicted, would fight health care reform. “With such cynicism, government doesn’t become a force of good, a means of giving people the opportunity to lead better lives; it just becomes an obstacle for people to get rid of. Too often, this cynicism makes us afraid to say what we believe. It makes us fearful. We don’t trust the truth.” He blended together his own health care plan, government as a force for good, and truth into a delicious rhetorical smoothie, and they ate it up.
Sorry, Mr. President, it’s not cynicism which prevents me from seeing government as a force of good, but experience, experience with the efficacy of the free market and experience encountering the obstacles of state-run services. That’s not just my own experience, it’s also that of countless others who have seen the failure of government endeavors to improve out lot, initiatives which succeeded only in impeding the efficient delivery of services and slowing (if not blocking) innovation. Such experiences have reaffirmed the commitment of many who now oppose Obamacare to a principle, the idea of freedom.
Based on this principle, this idea, many have put forward reform proposals to improve our health care system different from those Democrats have offered. Yet, the President ignores our proposals, suggesting that since we don’t want to fix things the way he believes they should be fixed, we want to do nothing and so preserve the status quo, leaving Mangu-Ward to conclude:
Obama’s path is so clearly illuminated by the light of his own reason, he simply can’t entertain another possible way of being, a different set of beliefs, held by an intelligent person who is well-informed and well-intentioned—or so his language about cynicism, fear, and lies strongly implies. His assumption of bad faith or idiocy on the part of his opponents is done, it seems, with a pure heart.
As Glenn who alerted me to this essay might say, just read the whole thing.
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‘he simply can’t entertain another possible way of being, a different set of beliefs, held by an intelligent person who is well-informed and well-intentioned—or so his language about cynicism, fear, and lies”
You mean he is just like a conservative?
When was the last time a rightwinger entertained such notions about any of their opponents????
Once again, for the millionth time. You roundly castigate your opponents for doing exactly what you do.
Comment by Tano — August 20, 2009 @ 9:20 pm - August 20, 2009
and Tano, no matter how much you repeat a lie or dodge questions directed at you, your statements have no truth.
Related. Cyncisim is asking veterans to die for their country
Comment by The_Livewire — August 20, 2009 @ 9:22 pm - August 20, 2009
Hmm. The liberal folks I’ve tried to debate with are so sold on their own conclusions, they can’t even acknowledge opposing points of view. Can’t debate, obviously there’s no argument so they MUST be correct!
Comment by JaxBungee — August 20, 2009 @ 9:24 pm - August 20, 2009
Ann Coulter, love her or hate her, has a pretty readable, truthful and worthwhile column on health care:
http://townhall.com/columnists/AnnCoulter/2009/08/19/liberal_lies_about_national_health_care_first_in_a_series?page=1
I can think of several socialists on this blog – one or two of whom who even try to call themselves conservative, for some reason – who desperately need to read and understand it. Natch, they won’t.
Comment by ILoveCapitalism — August 21, 2009 @ 1:23 am - August 21, 2009
Humm…cynics…uh…yeah!!! Check out the BIA…the Bureau of Indian Affairs and you will find that many Natives are cynical about government being able to do anything right. The BIA funded students who wanted to attend Community Colleges at a higher rate than those students who wanted to attend Universities!!! I dont get it…those who had higher aspirations got less money than those who had higher aspirations??? Yes, we are more cynical, Mr. Prez.
Comment by Duffy - Native Intelligence — August 21, 2009 @ 1:53 am - August 21, 2009
When was the last time a rightwinger entertained such notions about any of their opponents????
Note the key words:
held by an intelligent person who is well-informed and well-intentioned
Not to mention honesty. I can’t think of a damn thing the liberals have said in, at least, the past 9 years that was remotely true. You invent racists, astroturfers, and Nazis and you want to be taken seriously????
Comment by ThatGayConservative — August 21, 2009 @ 5:12 am - August 21, 2009
#4 – Duffy, there was a piece on FoxNews.com about the plight of Native Americans who are on a government-sponsored healthcare program. Have you seen it? Shocking, to say the least.
And the Dhimmicrats want the rest of the country on this so-called “government option?”
Puh-leeze.
Regards,
Peter H.
Comment by Peter Hughes — August 21, 2009 @ 10:40 am - August 21, 2009