Dear Reader: If you know anyone at MoveOn or similar organizations, please do pass this along.
We cannot allow the tinfoil hats to sabotage healthcare this time. As Dr. J suggests, we may not get another chance for 20 years. I propose a series of commercials to counteract this week's obtuse right-wingnut media assault on Martha's Vineyard. The commercials should baldly expose the Townhall Tantrum wielding, fear mongering opponents to authentic reform for what they are: crazy.
These people simply don't play by the same rules that you and I recognize as foundational to informed, dialectic, civil society. Far too many actually do believe that "capitalism is from god & jeebus" and "socialism is from the devil." Seriously, this is the level of mental disability we're dealing with, here; in frighteningly large numbers.
So, the commercials I propose might begin by portraying video snippets of people who look exactly like the Townhall Tantrum crowd, explaining how Roswell UFO's are a huge "government" coverup (this won't be hard, because many are indeed the same people); next, a few more explaining why the moon landing was a "government" fraud; next, a few more explaining America's christian capitalist roots & how slavery was an unfortunate, but necessary and excusable evil that made this, "the great nation" that it is today; next, a few more explaining (body language now less confident, obviously fabricating) that "socialism" is equivalent to anything from the "government" while "capitalism" is anything from "regular people."
Essentially, the message of this "testimonial montage" is that these people are painting "socialism" with the exact same brush as UFO's, moon landing conspiracies, JFK schemes, and any other popular conspiracies we can come up with to quickly portray; because, in essence, this is precisely what they are doing.
Our opponents took their gloves off long ago. To date, we've courageously taken multiple full impact body blows and more recently some straight shots to the jaw. Our opponents wrongly interpret our accommodating natures as weakness -- always have, always will. It's time to stand our ground. It's time to expose those who would today descry a Public Option for healthcare and tomorrow file lawsuits because the "government" didn't protect their children from the H1N1 virus for precisely what they are: crazy.
If we lose this battle, friends, I am deeply concerned that we will have only ourselves to blame for the potential backlash hillbilly fascist tyranny that could all too easily follow.