JONATHAN CHAIT FEBRUARY 16, 2010
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The Heritage Foundation has discovered what it calls a "flip-flop" by the Obama administration:
Last week, First Lady Michelle Obama launched a campaign against childhood obesity, which is interesting considering President Barack Obama’s past statements on hunger in America.
In November of 2009 — only three short months ago — President Obama “reacted with concern” at a report that Americans are suffering “record levels” of “food insecurity,” according to a report from the Boston Globe. ...
So which is it? Is the real problem here hunger, or is it obesity?
Good grief. Some poor people have trouble getting enough to eat, and others have sufficient calories but unhealthy diets (and/or a lack of exercise.) Is Heritage really unable to grasp that these problems can occur simultaneously? It's like saying that George W. Bush was a flip-flopper because he proposed to help New Orleans deal with a flood and California handle fires.
2 comments
You're talking about people who can't tell the difference between snow and cold when discussing the weather, so yes, Heritage probably really is unable to grasp the idea that obesity and hunger might coexist in the world.
- rhubarbs
February 16, 2010 at 5:17pm
Classic Heritage, so to speak. The whole world, and everything in it, is a binary place to them, so it's all one way or the other way, all the time. But even if Heritage "scholars" actually know that is a false dichotomy, they don't shy away from wielding it with others. It illustrates why the right wing is persistently effective at tapping into the fears and confusion of the general public - most people tend to see the world the same way.
- jsparks
February 16, 2010 at 5:27pm