Commentary by Steven Reynolds: As ThinkProgress notes, RedState, the most vitriolic of the right wingers who attacked twelve year old Graeme Frost and his family, is crowing about the attacks on Graeme Frost today, and even defending the ugliest of its members. Heck, they’re even bitching about Michele Malkin, who has decided to lash out at her fellow right wingers rather than take responsibility for her own ugly words concerning the Frost family. Of course, none of these folks get the real story at all.
Insurance for a family with a couple kids has reached over $10,000 in cost, and especially when kids have pre-existing conditions. A family that earns under $50,000 per year can ill afford to spend 20-30% of its income on healthcare. Yeah, that’s how broken our healthcare system is, and there’s no small fault for that broken system to be laid at the feet of both Republican and Democratic politicians. Right wingers want to make Graeme Frost into a Welfare Queen like back in the day with Ronald Reagan. What they’re doing is distracting everyone from the failures of both parties. Yeah, you heard it here — both parties are at fault, though at least it can be said of the Democrats that some of them have tried to solve the healthcare crisis in the past.
But only Republicans are at fault this time, in publicly abusing a brain-damaged 12 year old boy.
I’m understanding there are columns in the WSJ, WaPo, NYTimes, and numerous other publications shaking a finger at Malkin and RedState and all those other wingers who have led this battle aginst the Congressional override of SCHIP by attacking Graeme Frost. It can be sure the White House pays no attention to any of these publications when it comes to the SCHIP legislation. It’s never been about kids for them, but about some kind of legacy or something. I’m thinking they’d rather identify with the disgusting folk at RedState, with those proud of abusing Graeme Frost, than they would support legislation that will help keep kids healthy. Why? I suppose they’ve done their legacy calculus. For a time they thought compassionate conservatism and “No Child Left Behind” might at least give a veneer of kindness to the Bush legacy. They’ve changed that calculation now, and they’ve evidently decided, after six years of record deficits, that they want Bush to be remembered as a fiscal conservative.
If they think they can fool historians, they are truly off kilter.
The Garlic: As the flames of this hate-filled vitriol lick at the Frost Family, the Compassionate Conservative, The Decider Guy, has, once again, demonstrated his uncanny skills of failed leadership. Rather than sitting back (perhaps laying out the spin on the Osama bin Laden ideotape leak), apparently relishing the work of the Rightwing Freakshow (and M-Squared) in battering this family (Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell stated he was "relieved" his office didn't denounce the family - Way to step up there Mitch, really putting yourself on the line) it was a moment that called for a real president, a real leader, to step to the podium and repute the red hot, partisan bullshit, lay down the law (for a change, instead of subverting it) to lay off the family, further pointing out the sickness of attacking children for solely political purpose. But not a word was issued. ... To expect this, from a President who allowed his staff to leak the identity of a covert CIA agent - for mere political purpose ... Why would I possible think he would step up to stop the bashing of a young child?
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