Our friends at News Hounds caught this one from the other day. Apparently one of our favorite wingnuts thinks that helping the 9-11 responders with their health care equals another evil entitlement program, and we all know how much Republicans hate welfare or Medicaid or Social Security as long as it's a program that's helping working people and not welfare for corporations.
Michele Bachmann Calls 9/11 Responders Bill “A New Entitlement Program”:
On Wednesday (12/22/10), Michele Bachmann (R-MN) spoke with Brian Sullivan before President Obama's news conference. At about the 2:40 mark in the segment, Sullivan asked about the passage of the 9/11 responders bill. "Do you think the GOP, though, took a little bit of a PR hit in opposing some of the spending on this bill?"
Bachmann said the GOP doesn’t oppose compensating first responders, per se. "It’s the fact of a lack of transparency and this bill, unfortunately, is a new entitlement program for all practical purposes."
Comment: Entitlement? To 9/11 first responders, it’s a matter of life and death. Shame on her. And shame on Sullivan for letting her get away with saying such a thing.
As their guest blogger suggests, yes, shame on both of them, but any response acknowledging that would require either of them of having the capacity to feel shame in the first place. It's pretty obvious neither of them does. Taking care of those that sacrificed their health when responding to 9-11 should be a no brainer politically, but this wingnut thinks it's a good opportunity to call it another "entitlement" and pretend that Republicans ever had any intention of doing right by those workers. Bravo Michele for doing your best to continue to show to the voters that you don't give one iota for the working class in this country.
And sadly the Republicans have decided this loon deserves a spot on the Intelligence Committee.
