Friday, March 26, 2010

LA Times writer gets everything right but the facts

Actually, it's Johanna Neuman that gets it wrong. The LA Times simply published her article.

In her Top of the Ticket blog, Neuman asks (in the title of the post), "Who said government healthcare leads to socialism? Hint: It was 1961, and he was a Republican"

Well, not quite.

I'm not disputing that Reagan said what the video in her blog post says. It's just that he didn't say it first.

I've found a reference from 1945 to this quote: "Would socialized medicine lead to socialization of other phases of life? Lenin thought so. He declared socialized medicine is the keystone to the arch of the socialist state."

Now, let's clear one thing up right now. There has never been independent confirmation that Lenin ever said that. He didn't even speak English. Stupid commie.

But, according to SocialistWorker.org (a source that Neuman ought to love):
According to the Physicians for a National Health Program's (PNHP) Karen Palmer, the AMA assessed its members an extra $25 each to resist national health insurance, and in 1945, it spent $1.5 million on lobbying efforts, which at the time was the most expensive lobbying effort in American history. An AMA pamphlet warned, "Would socialized medicine lead to socialization of other phases of life? Lenin thought so. He declared socialized medicine is the keystone to the arch of the socialist state."
I'm not claiming that Lenin said it in 1927. I'm saying that it was said at least as early as 1945, even if the 1945 attribution to Lenin is incorrect. Many on the left (and some on the sort-of-right) say the AMA made it up. Well, if they did, they made it up in 1945.

Here's what Neuman said ... and the facts:
  1. It originated with Reagan.
    False. It was likely an AMA pamphlet writer, unless the Lenin attribution is correct (and there is no independent evidence to support the claim). Regardless, it wasn't Reagan.
  2. It was first said in 1961.
    False. It was said at least as early as 1945.
  3. Reagan was a Republican.
    False, believe it or not. In 1945, when the quote was already established, Reagan was a Democrat. And, even if the 1961 date was correct, Reagan didn't become a Republican until 1962.
Oh, and Ms. Neuman? You're welcome.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Please choose a Profile in "Comment as" or sign your name to Anonymous comments. Comment policy