Dems Demagogue SCHIP

Update: From On High has covered the Frost story, in the posts Here's where we come in and Republicans would do well to watch and learn. Check it out.


Haven't seen much in the local blogs, but there's big talk about the family of the young boy who the Democrats trotted out a couple weekends ago to read their talking points against Bush's veto of their SCHIP expansion.

SCHIP is a medical insurance safety net for poor children, which Bush wanted to maintain with a budget increase. The Democrats decided to spend an extra 35 billion to expand the program to cover "children" up to 25, "poor families" up to $82,000, and illegals. When Bush vetoed their attempt, they blamed him for killing "the program", when they could easily pass a bill that would maintain the program at it's current levels (plus Bush's 5 billion additional spending).

So the Democrats, true to form as Ann Coulter called it, decided to use an SCHIP child to be their spokesperson, since then any attack could be deflected.

Except now it comes out that the family isn't as poor as made out. In some ways they are much better off than most of the smokers who the Democrats were going to force to pay for the insurance expansion.

But focusing in the family is such a "Democratic" thing to do. The whole idea of pushing a particular child on the nation to sell a program smacks of emotionalism substituting as policy. Of course, it's "fun" when the Democrats trot out a bad example, which they do all the time.

Just for a few: In 1994, Hillary posed with Kathleen Bush, a poor child suffering from undiagnosed maladies, who ran up hundreds of thousands of dollars in medical bills. Only much later did we find that the child was being poisoned by her mother for publicity, publicity the Democrats were all to happy to provide. Her mother eventually was convicted.

In 2000, Gore brought out "Winifred Skinner", an elderly woman who had to collect aluminum cans to buy food. But it turned out she didn't do that at all, but just was saying she figured other people had to do it.

in 2004, Kerry brought out "Mary Ann Knowles", who had breast cancer and supposedly had to work through her chemotherapy because we didn't have a paid Family Medical Leave. But it turned out her employer provided excellent benefits, with a well-paid long-term disability, but she decided to work through her chemo to make extra money.

And of course we know about Jesse Macbeth, who the Democrats trotted out to tell about war atrocities he and other soldiers committed in Iraq -- but it turned out he had never been to Iraq, and had washed out of basic training. He was just convicted of lying to get benefits.


SCHIP either is a good program, or not, regardless of this one family. EXPANSION of SCHIP is either necessary or not, regardless of this one family.

Finding this one family could have afforded insurance seems not to matter to proving SCHIP should be cancelled (although it's a sign that people who should take care of themselves are using our tax dollars so they can buy bigger houses and better things).

But the Democratic Leadership CHOSE this family to be their poster-family to prove how dire the situation is for the country, and how necessary an expansion of SCHIP is.

We now know that this isn't the case. First, the family didn't really NEED SCHIP because they had plenty of capital in their house, they own a business and a pretty decent commercial building, they both have jobs and could certainly get jobs with health care.

More importantly, this family, and these kids, actually BENEFITED from the SCHIP program as built by and funded by the Republican Majority. The President has called for increased funding to continue the program. This family only makes $45,000 a year, and would therefore continue to qualify under any incarnation of the program.

So Graeme is a perfect example of how the CURRENT program is working fine, and doesn't need to be expanded to illegals, 25-year-old, and upper-middle-class families.

This story just shows how rediculous the Democrats are being holding up the program to try to benefit illegals, adults, and rich people at the expense of people like Graeme -- if they had their accident NOW, they'd be without health insurance because of the Greed of the Democrats.

It's time for the Democrats to authorise the modest spending increase the President has authorised, so that families like this one don't have to worry about SCHIP being held as a political pawn by Democrats who want a campaign sound bite instead.

I haven't provided links for anything in this story. I've got links, but it's all pretty well known stuff. If commenters suggest otherwise I'll add them.