Michael Steele nearly made my head explode yesterday

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THANK GOD NPR didn't lob him a softball. Actually, listening to nis interview yesterday whilst I was driving to my job as a primary care doctor in these United States, I rejoiced that polite, informed, careful, hard interviewing still exists. I lamented, however, how often journalists roll out a bright red carpet for politicians, celebrities and anybody with something to sell. Instead of respectful questioning we get packaged sound bites and cute little misinformation packages.

Now, really, the blame lies at our feet. We buy the pablum. We buy the spin. We quote it! We use propaganda to make important decisions. Journalists might well be grinding their teeth as they dish up shit that we willingly gobble up because it makes for interesting conversation and it's easier than trying to wrap your mind around something really complicated. It's easier to listen to predigested vomit from talk radio than it is to grab a few different newspapers and think. Little sound baubles are easier to remember and often more amusing than dry, boring, accurate information. It's why I prefer People magazine to medical journals. But do you want me to practice medicine based on what I learned in People?

Michael Steele apparently has been making policy for the RNC by reading People magazine, FoxTV special edition. He didn't really display a solid grasp of facts, at least about Medicare and the insurance industry. Or how health care works. Or how goverment works. It's SO AWESOME to have a handsome, dribbling idiot in a pivotal role in the healthcare debate. The less informed you are, the more you have to contribute, right? Or maybe he just wanted to sound like an idiot yesterday on NPR. Read the transcript or listen for yourself and decide. Don't decide based on what I said because that defeats the purpose of what I'm saying!

Michael Steele doesn't understand health insurance (my title, not NPR's)

Shout out to Steve Inskeep, who had done his homework. Thanks for staying up late to study such an important issue and for trying to brush aside the little pebbles of rabbit poo Michael Steele was trying to sell to your listeners.

You can also check out a blog post from Rahul Parikh, a pediatrician in California, where he puts, side-by-side, quotes from Mr. Steele on the great health care debate. Now listen, I'm not being a big Democratic bleeding heart liberal here. I'm not going to take this CRAP treatment lying down from anybody: blue or black, white or yellow, Democrat or Republican, Liberal or Bovine, Conservative or Pickled. Mr. Steele shouldn't speak in public about an issue unless he knows his facts and can state his case cogently and consistently without showering me with useless bits of rhetoric. I'm happy to listen to what he says, but he has to treat me like a grown-up or I'm going to act like his mother and ground him for not doing his homework.

Michael Steele vs. Michael Steele

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