Kill the Bill – Unfortunate Hypocrisy

While the proponents of the labor unions in Wisconsin have the right to protest, and their effort to challenge the shady tactics of Governor Walker is highly warranted, they should have the collective sense not to be hypocritical. Being a hypocrite does not make you a liar, and your view still can carry water, but the decision of many of the protesters in Madison to chant “Kill the Bill” shows very bad form and displays a level of hypocrisy which unfortunately is all too common in US politics. What were they thinking??

Just slightly over one month ago, in the wake of the shootings in Tucson, Arizona, which altered the life of Representative Gabrielle Giffords forever, national Democrats generated many sound bites to criticize the Republicans for using the work “kill” in legislation to repeal the Affordable Care Act. Granted, that was using the word “kill” in formal legislation, but the point was not lost – interjecting the word “kill” into political discourse was probably an unnecessary tactic. Granted, the Republicans never changed the name of the bill, although from a public relations standpoint they did seem to try to moderate their language. There is a difference between inserting the word “kill” into a bill, but using it on placards and chanting it in the halls of a state capitol is not all that different.

Shame on the protesters. But long live their right and reason to protest.