Take a look at this list of supposed “special deals” listed by Fox to supposedly illustrate the corrupt nature of health care reform:
The list, put together by Fox’s “brain room” (their words, not mine), says more about the weakness of reform obstructionists than it does about reform itself. (The same can be said about Fox’s refusal to broadcast President Obama’s health care reform speech earlier today.)
The most obvious weakness in this list is that reconciliation — which Fox seems to think will destroy the republic — will actually remove the noxious “special deals” like the Cornhusker Kickback.
More importantly, the biggest item on the list — what Fox calls the “Vermont Special” — is actually funding for a nationwide network of community health centers. This program is utterly uncontroversial and its benefits would be spread throughout the nation. No one region would benefit more than any other.
So the bottom-line is that Fox’s “brain room” put together the top five most noxious things in the bill, and the single largest item on that list, comprising the vast majority of the spending targeted by Fox, is actually something that everybody should be able to support. And the bad stuff on the list will be cut by reconciliation.
As last gasps go, this one is worthy of the hall of fame.
–by Jed Lewison posted Daily Kos on March 15, 2010