Pundits: They Love Political Norms that “Both Sides Do It,” Hate Accurate Descriptions of Republican Policies
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Evidently Brendan Nyhan followed me on Twitter. Nyhan is a political scientist at Dartmouth and frequent writer in the New York Times who contributes eye-rollers such as this, which when it was published I thought was going to be about real and annoying left conspiracy theories and not Robert Reich accurately noting right-wing plans to attack universities.
Now, you may be aware of a set of Republican health care policies with the upshot of killing thousands of people. The gold standard is the attempt to repeal the Affordable Care Act. The silver is the unwillingness to reauthorize CHIP. I don’t see how one can take any conclusion from the last decade and especially the last eight months of Republican health care policy other than they literally do not care if people die, including children. So that’s what I said on Twitter.
Killing children: Republican policy goal unlocked https://t.co/cAAt0LdVJ5
— Erik Loomis (@ErikLoomis) October 1, 2017
Nyhan was outraged by my statement of fact, which I mocked immediately.
Come on. Unfollowing
— Brendan Nyhan (@BrendanNyhan) October 1, 2017
"Political writer determined to believe that Republican Party isn't as vile as their actions demonstrate, clings to norms. News at 11." https://t.co/y6eBTZF9tw
— Erik Loomis (@ErikLoomis) October 1, 2017
In the aftermath, a whole bunch of people, including LGM commenters such as Bijan and Malaclypse asked Nyhan how I was wrong, but he never responded to my knowledge.
To come to some resolution on this issue, let’s talk to Senator Ron Johnson:
WOW: U.S. Senator Ron Johnson tells group of high school students that food, health care and shelter are all "limited resources" that should only be given to those that have earned the "privilege" and can "afford those things." https://t.co/dv50EcTrzv
— Jud Lounsbury (@JudLounsbury) September 30, 2017
To the sense that Ron Johnson can articulate anything at all, it’s amazing to hear him say these things out loud like they are no big deal.
It’s pretty clear from senators saying that food, shelter, and health care are “limited resources” that one should only have if they can afford it demonstrates that the greatest crime one can commit in Beltway discourse is accurately describing Republican policy positions. I guess I will never get me a gig in the New York Times this way.