Grand(standing) Old Party
It seems like the Bush White House and Republicans on the Hill have really overplayed their hand on this one.
Having gotten so comfortable receiving little substantive opposition from congressional Democrats or from the mainstream press, someone (Karl Rove?) actually thought it was a good idea to get involved with the Terri Schiavo case.
It has become very clear that it was all a political move from the start, promoting the favorite Republican theme of “culture of life”, (whatever that means), by demanding that a brain-dead woman be kept on life support.
Only there are problems.
Start with this line from the 2000 Republican platform: "Medical decision-making should be in the hands of physicians and their patients."
Or this one from the 2004 Republican platform: "We must attack the root causes of high health care costs by... putting patients and doctors in charge of medical decisions."
Allan Lichtman, of American University, says the conservatives are being blatantly hypocritical.
"It contradicts a lot of what [conservatives] say they believe: the sanctity of the family, the sacred bond between husband and wife, the ability of all of us to make private decisions without the hand of government intervening, deference to states and localities as opposed to the centralized government," he said in an article in the Washington Post.
And the American public largely agrees.
About seven in 10 Americans say Congress inappropriately intervened in the case, according to a new ABC News poll.
About 60% said they agreed with the decision by a Florida judge to remove the feeding tube from Schiavo.
In the quickly convened congressional hearings on the case there was much grandstanding, with conservatives attempting once again to portray themselves as “moral values” politicians. But morals and ethics seem scarce in congress these days.
Senate majority leader Bill Frist (who also claims to be a doctor) ventured into some potential ethical lapses when he made a medical diagnosis based on the viewing of videotape of Terri Schiavo. Many in the medical profession would see this as unethical at the very least and possibly malpractice.
The Republicans seem to be gaining little and risking a lot, and they are finding themselves caught in a trap that they built themselves.
Having gotten so comfortable receiving little substantive opposition from congressional Democrats or from the mainstream press, someone (Karl Rove?) actually thought it was a good idea to get involved with the Terri Schiavo case.
It has become very clear that it was all a political move from the start, promoting the favorite Republican theme of “culture of life”, (whatever that means), by demanding that a brain-dead woman be kept on life support.
Only there are problems.
Start with this line from the 2000 Republican platform: "Medical decision-making should be in the hands of physicians and their patients."
Or this one from the 2004 Republican platform: "We must attack the root causes of high health care costs by... putting patients and doctors in charge of medical decisions."
Allan Lichtman, of American University, says the conservatives are being blatantly hypocritical.
"It contradicts a lot of what [conservatives] say they believe: the sanctity of the family, the sacred bond between husband and wife, the ability of all of us to make private decisions without the hand of government intervening, deference to states and localities as opposed to the centralized government," he said in an article in the Washington Post.
And the American public largely agrees.
About seven in 10 Americans say Congress inappropriately intervened in the case, according to a new ABC News poll.
About 60% said they agreed with the decision by a Florida judge to remove the feeding tube from Schiavo.
In the quickly convened congressional hearings on the case there was much grandstanding, with conservatives attempting once again to portray themselves as “moral values” politicians. But morals and ethics seem scarce in congress these days.
Senate majority leader Bill Frist (who also claims to be a doctor) ventured into some potential ethical lapses when he made a medical diagnosis based on the viewing of videotape of Terri Schiavo. Many in the medical profession would see this as unethical at the very least and possibly malpractice.
The Republicans seem to be gaining little and risking a lot, and they are finding themselves caught in a trap that they built themselves.
posted by Steve Trumbull | 3/22/2005
<< Home