sorry for what might not be classically considered a "substance heavy diary" but with all the back and forth on Obama's decision today, it might allow something quite serious to slip through.
So I know he's not the first, and most likely won't be the last, but Tom Coburn (R-Crazytown) crossed the proverbial media sanity line today on the floor of the Senate by stating to seniors ""I have a message for you: You're going to die sooner," during todays health care debate. Now normally I would just chalk it up to their usual disgusting behavior and carry on with my life, except one key thing missing from the reports of this story, questions of whether he makes Republicans look bad.
You see, not to long ago back in September, a kossack named Alan Grayson decided to sum up the opposition plan as this: "The Republican health care plan is this: 'Don't get sick, and if you do get sick, die quickly.". The response to this from luminaries in the Republican party was along the lines of: "That is about the most mean-spirited partisan statement that I've ever heard made on this floor, and I, for one, don't appreciate it," Tennessee Republican Jimmy Duncan said. "It's fully appropriate that the gentleman return to the floor and apologize," said Rep. Marsha Blackburn, another Tennessee Republican. So I assume we will be hearing from them regarding this? But no, we shouldn't expect that.
But what should we expect? Should we expect news coverage questioning Coburn's sanity for a few weeks, like Grayson got? How about suppositions about whether Coburn's "inflammatory rhetoric" should be condemned by Republicans or goes too far or risk further alienating independents? Will we get treated to months of speculation comparing Coburn to Joe Wilson? Will Coburn be portrayed by the media as an attention "whore" who is only trying to excite the base to gain personal notoriety? Will their leaders distance themselves from Coburn the way ours did from Grayson? I could go on, but you get the gist. Just watch this fade from the media as just another story, a United States Senator saying the opposition has planned a bill that will lead to people's death on the Senate floor shouldn't just fall off. Because, as always, it's only fringe and noteworthy if it's a liberal.
Here's a link to the story with the quote in case anyone want to read the weak Democratic response, which I have no use to quote.
http://www.usatoday.com/...