In what may be the most ridiculous defense of the Bush administration ever, Sean Hannity actually argued that Condoleezza Rice’s support for the Iraq War and “enhanced interrogations” was the same as President Obama’s now-infamous statement about the Affordable Care Act, “If you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor.”
The comparison arose as Hannity attempted to demonize professors at Rutgers University for protesting an invitation to Condoleezza Rice as commencement speakers. During the discussion, big letters over Hannity's shoulder and in the lower right of the screen read, ‘THE LEFT’S INTOLERANCE."
Professor Rudolph Bell, one of the professors seeking to have Rice’s invitation rescinded, explained the objections:
I think we are concerned with two areas, primarily: the misleading of the American people on the situation in Iraq, particularly whether there were weapons of mass destruction, and then her co-involvement in “enhanced methods of interrogation,” I believe is the phrase she uses.
Bell later pointed out that the objection to Rice was as a commencement speaker. She'd be welcome to speak on campus otherwise, Bell said. But Hannity was so intent on using the moment to smear "the left" as intolerant, he didn't pay any attention.
In fact, Hannity was so busy finding ways to discredit the professor(s) and paint him/them as intolerant hypocrites, he never had time to defend Rice. First, Hannity asked if Bell would object to President Obama speaking. When Bell couldn’t answer the question, saying he’d have to think about it, Hannity obviously thought he had his gotcha moment. He began bullying:
An effort to mislead the American people. Did Barack Obama mislead the American people when he said, “If you like your plan, you can keep your plan?”
…Did he mislead the American people? ‘Cause this is the standard, this is what you say: “the effort to mislead the American people.” If that is the standard, did the president, Obama, mislead the American people when he said, “If you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor?”
Unfortunately, Bell did not throw the ridiculous comparison back in Hannity’s face. I so wished Bell had pointed out the huge difference in misleading the country into a needless war that cost so much blood and treasure and making a misstatement about a problem in a policy that aims to provide health insurance for all. I also wished Bell had demanded that Hannity explain why, if he thinks Obama’s misstatement is so terrible, he never condemns Bush or Rice.
But Hannity, realizing Bell was a polite, respectful guest – and not a bullyboy like himself - began badgering:
…Why don’t you apply the same standard to him? …Why not apply the same standard? …You don’t believe in academic freedom, freedom of speech? …Why are you trying to silence somebody you just don’t like her policies?
By the way, check out how “regular guy” Hannity just happened to drop how highly paid he is for a speech. When Bell suggested that Rice's fee of $35,000 was rather steep, Hannity jumped in to call it cheap.“I charge a lot more,” he said.
In a nice touché moment, Bell pointed out that Hannity had never been invited to speak at Rutgers.
Also, it’s interesting that Hannutty and the rest of the right-wing bloviators aren’t pinning a large portion of the blame on the doctors. There’s nothing that says a physician CAN’T accept all insurance programs; most limit the programs they participate in due to the paperwork involved because they feel it’s too “time-consuming.” Of course, there’s also a bit of greed at play. A doctor who doesn’t accept any insurance can charge rates equivalent to those of insurance-accepting doctors and get more money from the deal. (Even if he charges rates that are equivalent to the amounts that the insurers will pay for tests and procedures, he doesn’t have to wait for the money. He can demand payment at the time of the service and if you can’t pay, you don’t get service.)
Doctors move around. How is that the ACA’s fault?
I haven’t heard of anyone here that has been moved to one of the other Doctors in the Practice due to the ACA.
If I switch jobs and the new job has a different insurance provider network(Gund. Luth. vs. Mayo HC) I’m no-longer able to get my healthcare needs through my previous carrier network. Different network=different Doctors-simple.
All of this before, during, and after the ACA.
I wish right-wingers would stop conflating the differences.
Hannocchio is Using you Bunkers, and laughing all the way to the Bank.
You have to drink several cups of strong coffee just to stay awake while he’s speaking. He will talk about one topic, then suddenly drift into another topic unrelated to the first topic.
This aging cafeteria Catholic is a regular speaker at Talkers Magazine’s little conference in New York City. One time, Hannocchio gave a slide show presentation about the state of radio. To call it a “presentation” is a stretch. He can’t speak.
Joe, let’s examine Hannocchio’s qualifications to receive an honorary degree.
1. Good at speaking? No
2. Good at tennis? No
3. Good at journalism? No
4. Good at digital technology? No
5. Good at eating healthy? No
6. Good at anything? No
No reputable university would embarrass themselves by inviting this old and tired-looking media hack to the campus. He’s too old to relate to the students. He’s old enough to be their grandfather.
Coming down the pipe: An organization calls Hannocchio to the carpet.
NOTE TO HANNITY
Misleading, a topic you know very well.
And probably never will.
Likewise for :Princeton, Yale, Harvard, or any school where the speakers are required to have at least an ounce of intelligence. While many of these institutions award honorary degrees to college dropouts who’ve achieved something — anything — in their lifetimes, is there anyone here who think Slanthead would qualify?
Then again, he could probably get an invite from Hillsdale College in Michigan.
This is the “citadel of American conservatism” (label from National Review) that both Hannity and his good buddy, Mark Levin (the failed Philadelphia shyster) constantly promote on their radio shows.
Hillsdale would have no problem paying an exorbitant fee to Slanthead (poor Seanny’s got outrageously high property taxes on his 17-room Centre Island Manse). According to Wiki, Hillsdale’s current president, Larry Arnn earned over $600k (in 2009) making him “one of the highest paid liberal arts college presidents in the United States.”
This is also the school that claims It was the first American college to prohibit discrimination based on race, sex, or religion in its written charter.
Yet Arnn has been involved in “racial” issues since he took the job; he once complained about a letter from Michigan state officials that he said asserted Hillsdale had “violated the standards for diversity,” adding, “because we didn’t have enough dark ones, I guess, is what they meant.”
Hannity would feel so much at home at Hillsdale!
