Blood on GOP’s hands: How many would be covered without its sabotage plan? - By Joan Walsh

[DonViejo]

7 million sign-ups is nearly miraculous -- now imagine the right hadn't been doing all it could to block even more

JOAN WALSH

The cynicism of the GOP’s anti-Obamacare strategy has been obvious forever, but some particular kinks in it only became clear as the enrollment deadline approached and it seemed the Obama administration would not just meet but beat its public-exchange enrollment target. Republicans went from shrieking about what an awful program it was to complaining that not enough people had signed up, and then, when the goal was met, complaining that not enough uninsured people had gotten coverage, and of course lying about that, too.

The lunacy of their complaint – “This program is a nightmare – but not enough people are being helped by it!” – is like the old joke about the kvetchy restaurant patron who complains the food is terrible, and the portions are too small. It would be funny if it weren’t sad.

I confess that the freakout over the federal exchange’s rocky start had me convinced the administration would miss its enrollment target. So hitting the seven million mark is cause for elation, but also anger: Imagine how many people might have enrolled if the entire Republican Party coast to coast hadn’t spent the last six months telling them not to?

Let’s take it further: Imagine if all 50 states had implemented their own exchanges, instead of just 17 of them. Imagine if all 50 states had expanded Medicaid, instead of just 27. Imagine if a well-funded noise machine, from Fox to Rush to the online swarm hadn’t publicized every glitch and every allegation of someone losing their insurance, often fabricating the problems, sometimes lying outright, while ignoring every positive story.

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http://www.salon.com/2014/04/02/blood_on_gops_hands_how_many_would_be_covered_without_its_sabotage_plan/

[blkmusclmachine]

1. ,

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[JoePhilly]

2. They'll kill off their own base if that's what it takes.

[busterbrown]

3. They’re in the process of doing that already.

Koch Brothers and other fossil Fuel magnates are poisoning the environment especially in the South...