I told Vicki the other night I thought that it was probably possible for the ultra-conservative movement in the U.S. to turn any positive development spearheaded by a Democratic president into a threat. The current "Kill Granny/Death Panels" viral attack that came out of a bill provision that attempted to pay for a citizen's voluntary consultation with their doctor about their own living will is, of course, what got me thinking along these lines.
Here are just a few (mostly made up, but hardly far-fetched) examples of what I meant:
Democratic Proposal: Introduce a tax credit for anyone who buys a vehicle with gas mileage above a certain threshold
Republican Spin: "And now Obama is taking away your freedom to choose what kind of car to drive! He's trying to insert a bureaucrat between you and your car dealer!! We can't just stand idly by and allow this to happen!"
Democratic Proposal: Provide additional funding, in the form of deferred-interest loans, for those below a certain income level to use in attending university or college
Republican Spin: "Here we are, in the middle of the worst financial disaster since the Great Depression, and Obama wants to increase the debt load on our children! Our children!! This is really just sub-prime mortgages for the young!"
Democratic Proposal: Address some of the growing deficit concerns by allowing the Bush tax cuts - which were never budgeted for in the first place - to expire next year
Republican Spin: "It's our worst nightmares come true: Obama is out to cripple our economy! There's no way on Earth our small business owners can possibly survive such an unprecedented attack on their bottom lines! This is socialism, pure and simple!"
It's no wonder there's so much money to be made in the "think tank" business on the right in the U.S.... just look at the creativity required for the job!
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