Shame On CNN's John Roberts

You know, I expect all of the abhorrent things that people like Rush Limbaugh, Michelle Malkin and the cacophony of the right-wing blogosphere do to people that get in their way. Their assault on twelve year old Graeme Frost is disgusting, but not overly surprising. The worst thing is when the traditional media outlets start reporting with a wingnut point of view.

From ThinkProgress:

CNN’s John Roberts reported: “Some of the accusations [against the Frosts] may be exaggerated or false. But did the Democrats make a tactical error in holding up Graeme as their poster child?” A CNN political analyst then placed the blame squarely on the Democrats’ shoulders:

I think in this instance what happened was the Democrats didn’t do as much of a vetting as they could have done on this young man, his situation, his family. […]

More and more, Congress is acting less like a deliberative legislative body, and more like a political campaign. We’ve been seeing the politicization of every aspect of government.

There was no "tactical error" on the part of the Democrats. Graeme is the perfect example of why we need to have S-CHIP in the way that the bi-partisan Congress passed it. Their vetting of the Frost family was perfectly sufficient, the problem was when bloggers and pundits on the right cherry picked information to damage the reputation of this boy and his family.

As for "politicization," George Bush made the decision to go nuclear when he vetoed this overwhelmingly popular bill. Americans are by and large in favor of what Congress set out to do. The health care problem is out of control in our country and we are grateful that they are starting to help those who can hardly help themselves. These children are too young to have to be burdened with our failed system of privatized health care. It is our duty to make sure those that have the least among us and especially the most vulnerable be able to obtain medical care.

Conservatives Disparage 12 Year Old Without Knowing The Facts

Simply put, rightwing bloggers and their compatriots in the Senate have no shame. In their typically ignorant fashion, they went ahead to blast twelve year-old Graeme Frost and his family after he gave the Democratic address concerning the S-CHIP program. If it weren't for federal health insurance, him and his sister would not have gotten the care they needed after a devastating car accident.

The young boy made a compelling case for S-CHIP but right-wing bloggers went snooping around, looking for details that could make the case for their villainous President and his decision to veto the bill to expand the program. They thought they found items that were helpful for their side, but if they had actually done due diligence they would have known to keep their mouths shut.

From The Blotter:

"People make choices and it's clear the Frosts have made choice to invest in property and a business, but not in private health insurance," Mark Tapscott, editorial page editor of The Washington Examiner, wrote on his blog.

But Manley say conservative bloggers didn't dig deep enough. It turns out that the Frost children attend Baltimore’s Park School on near-full scholarships; they pay roughly $500 per child per year in tuition, he said.

Like many small-business owners, Halsey Frost can't even afford to provide health insurance to himself, Manley said.

"Last year, the Frost's made $45,000 combined," Manley said. "Over the past few years they have made no more than $50,000 combined depending on Halsey's ability to find work."

The Frosts did indeed decide to make a decision to invest....in their children. For one thousand dollars a year the kids will get a great education that can help provide for a great future. In our democracy, it is great that our representatives can enable the government to provide health insurance to families that can not afford the ever-increasing price of private programs.

When a couple only makes $45,000 a year, it is hard enough to put food on the table, let alone pay for adequate health care. For conservatives to spin facts for their benefit without caring about the full truth or the reputation of a middle class family is indicative of how they will stop at nothing to obey their failed ideas and a failed Presidency.