Something Someone Else Said II

"Look, I think we all know why the prescription drug bill wasn’t fought against where health care reform is: the elderly are a protected political class, and those without health care are not. But few people are willing to admit to such naked horse race concerns behind their policy preferences. So what can people who are explicitly opposed to health care because of concerns of fiscal responsibility say in defense of the prescription drug benefit?

If you are blogging or writing politically now, and you weren’t then, you get a pass. If you have some separate reason for resistance to reform other than the expenditure, that’s ok too. But if you are specifically arguing that you don’t like health reform because it’s too expensive or fiscally irresponsible, and there’s no record of you arguing similarly against the wildly expensive prescription drug bill, it’s hard not to see that as hypocritical and partisan. Fair?" -Freddie, The League of Ordinary Gentlemen, commenting on the lack of conservative outrage when George W. Bush passed the prescription drug benefit.

This seems entirely fair to me. I consistently make this argument to conservatives who are opposed to health care reform and the almost universal rebuttal is, "Hey, I was mad about Bush's overspending too!" Really? Because I don't recall seeing you standing on street corners at the time holding up signs calling him a socialist. In fact, I don't recall any public conservative protests against anything Bush did over his eight years in the White House. It is of course your right to protest or not protest anything you see fit but don't be surprised when your current shouting is dismissed as partisan ire rather than legitimate fiscal concerns because your own hypocrisy has clearly made it so.

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