Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) claims the Senate health care reform bill would eliminate private insurance by subsidizing it to the tune of $450 billion:
CORNYN: It's breathtaking to me, Chris, the disdain with which this administration and Senate Democrats have for the private sector. If you eliminate the private sector when it comes to health provision, you're left with only the government.
CORNYN: I think, actually, Senator Durbin has underestimated the amount of tax dollars that would go to insurance companies under the Reid bill. I think it's about $450 billion.
CORNYN: This shouldn't be about demonizing the private sector, and, you know, glorifying the government sector.
CORNYN: I think it's about $450 billion that will go in the form of tax credits that will be directed by the Treasury Secretary to insurance companies.
Forget the fact that Cornyn is speaking in what is -- at best -- broken English, the most amazing thing is that he said all this within a span of 60 seconds or so.
One second he's is claiming that Senate Democrats are trying to eliminate private insurance companies, and the very next second he's claiming that they are subsidizing them to the tune of $450 billion.
That just doesn't make any sense at all, but he says it with a Straight face and Deeply Serious voice dripping with Concern for all Americans.
It really is a microcosm of the entire G.O.P. approach to governance after Bush: say anything as long as it's negative, and hope that whatever sticks slows down progress.
It might yield them some short-term victories, but it's a bad long-term (or even medium-term) strategy. As long as Democrats have their act together, it should be easy to defeat the "Party of No."
Oh, and another thought: if John Cornyn thinks giving an industry $450 billion is an act of disdain, then please, let me be disdained.