Wednesday, October 17th, 2007
The side of the S-CHIP debate Stalkin’ Malkin doesn’t want you to know about
You know that S-CHIP expansion bill that President Two-Trillion-Dollar-War-of-Choice vetoed to prove his fiscal conservative (laugh) bona fides? Turns out, it also contains two provisions to help families of wounded veterans. Those provisions would provide one year of protection from employment discrimination for families caring for severely wounded soldiers, and would extend FMLA protections for such families to six months (as opposed to current universal three month protection under FMLA).
Whoops.
Michelle, why do you hate the troops?
Why didn’t the Democrats put the wounded veterans’ provisions in a separate bill, instead of lumping it in a bill ostensibly for children but doomed to be vetoed? Do the Dems think soldiers are children (again), or do they not care enough about soldiers to provide for them in an almost guaranteed-to-pass separate bill? These are the first questions I thought of. They’re certainly more relevant than a loaded question to Malkin.
Comment by Sethery — October 17, 2007 @ 7:34 pm
Ha! That’s a laugh! When the Rethuglicans controlled Congress, they did not pass one bill authorizing better armor for our troops. In fact, Republicans and their allies in the punditocracy actually argued that giving armor to our troops was BAD. They even denigrated the soldier who asked Rummy why the troops had to scrounge through scraps to adequately armor their vehicles as a “librul” plant! This president has outsourced feeding the troops to Unka Dick’s buddies at Halliburton (something the army had done quite competently for decades), and facilities management at Walter Reed to a company run by former Halliburton execs - because every single thing private enterprise does is 1000000000000000000000% correct, apparently. Meanwhile, since the ‘06 midterms, Senate Rethuglicans have filibustered every single bill the Dems have put forward - even the ones supporting the troops. And for no other reason than the Dems were the ones proposing it! Do you REALLY think that the Rethugs would let this through on its own merits?!
And yet in your bizarro world, it’s the Dems that hate the troops! HA!
And as for loaded questions, every time someone has dared question the infallibility of The Most Holy George W. Christ since 9/11, conservatives have bellowed “Why do you hate the troops?” It’s about time someone threw their bullshit back in their teeth!
Comment by J. A. Baker — October 18, 2007 @ 11:37 am
I don’t actually think the Democrats “hate” the troops, but I do genuinely wonder why they would attach these provisions to a children’s health insurance bill. It wasn’t likely for political reasons, as you are the only one I’ve read comment on it. But it really would be more appropriate in a separate bill, and I sincerely hope you agree.
In contrast, however, you really do seem to think (or want to think) that Republicans hate the troops. Rather than speculate on the reasoning behind putting these provisions in a politically controversial bill, you evade the question by frothing exaggeration and hyperbole. Way to go.
Comment by Sethery — October 20, 2007 @ 5:11 pm