Monday, August 07, 2006

Kakistocracy: Plan B Is Central to Plan A

John Cole has a post up at Balloon Juice reiterating his disgust with his former Party's manipulation of science and health for political ends. Cole:
There have been so many other attempts to insert the narrow version of Christianity currently practiced by the current GOP leadership into science and medicine that listing them all is not something I am up to this weekend, but this one is noteworthy:

Plan B decision made before data review by FDA staff
The decision whether the U.S. Food and Drug Administration should approve wider access to a morning-after contraceptive drug was made well before agency scientists finished their final review, two FDA officials said in court documents released on Thursday.

Supporters of over-the-counter sales for Barr Pharmaceuticals Inc.’s Plan B pills have accused top FDA officials of hindering the company’s bid for nonprescription sales for years, to please conservative supporters of President George W. Bush’s administration.

In a sworn statement in June, Dr. John Jenkins, director of the FDA’s Office of New Drugs, said he learned in early 2004 that then-FDA Commissioner Mark McClellan had decided against approval before the staff could complete their analysis.

[...] Dr. Florence Houn said she was also told that in January by Deputy Commissioner Dr. Janet Woodcock that Plan B needed to be rejected “to appease the administration’s constituents” but that it could be approved later.


[Cole again] ...it is clear now that this is what the administration has done since day one. Replace qualified individuals with appointed ideologues whose primary concern is the advancement of their religious beliefs. I am afraid to think how much damage these lunatics have done, but I am sure we will spend the next few years unscrewing what these lunatics have meddled with.

Welcome to the party, John. Too bad you waitied until 2005 to pull your head out.

Anyway in the comments, one-time spoof GOP4Me gets off a truly inspired rant:
It’s really all about mobilizing the majority of disgruntled Christian voters by providing them with handy scapegoat outlets for their misguided rage. The power thereby obtained is primarily used to advance the interests of the upper echelons of the Republican Party, but occasionally you do have to throw a bone to the fundies. Plan B’s rejection is such a bone.

[...] In the case of the modern Republican Party, you have politicians prostituting themselves out to prudes for their votes, then turning around and using this electoral advantage to line their pockets and those of their corporate boosters. The only people adversely affected are those concerned with a country not run by thieves, and those scapegoated as part of this electoral con game.

[...] You have to appear to be working against Roe v. Wade, even though it’s your number-one mealticket. You have to struggle against Hollywood, even though sex and violence are where the money’s at. You have to fight against some casinos, even if you have to use money from other casinos to help you do it. The ultimate goal isn’t the illegalization of condoms or the stoning of gay people in the street, it’s to continue the con game for as long as possible until people wise up or there’s no more money left to steal.

The balancing act is intricate, and some partisan Democrats would say it’s corrupt, but it’s the only way Bush can stay in power. And we need Bush in power if we want to keep America safe from terrorists. Either you support the incompetent kleptocrats and their allies in the theocracy movement, or you support the terrorists. Which is it gonna be?

True enough. In fact, it couldn't be better illustrated than with this particular case—the Republicans wanted to bounce Plan B so they could throw a bone to the base and "reject the abortion pill" in time for the election, but secretly agreed to approve it later on when no one was looking so Big Pharma could still get their money. When will these dupes voting "R" wake up?

6 comments:

Noah said...

You are absolutely right, and this is a great post. They rely on these fringe issues to court a shrinking (but very vocal) base, ignoring the contradictions. Without abortion, the Plan B pill, flag burning, gay marriage and the like, which are really small-potatoes issues, the conservatives really have nothing. All of those issues are blatant smokescreens to cover their real agenda of impenetrible power and wealth.

And I agree, too, that the former GOP guy who left his party is...umm..a little late. But I'll take it still.

Mr Furious said...

In fairness to John, he has been a pretty vocal critic of all things Republican.

It was the whole Schiavo mess that drove the final nail. It's actually what brought me to his blog in the first place, and it's my first stop every day.

Cole is a reformed Republican, his blog partner is liberal, and the commenters are a great mix, that these days is leaning left. Makes for a better read than a lefty echo chamber. You should check it out.

I and others among the regular lefties never let him forget that he voted foor Bush in 2004. He vows not to again vote for a Republican.

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What strikes me about this particular topic (Plan B) is the blatant sell-out of the religious base. It hapens all the time, but this case is really not even subtle.

Mr Furious said...

And I agree, too, that the former GOP guy who left his party is...umm..a little late. But I'll take it still.

I took this to refer to John Cole, but in case you were refering to the commenter I quoted, GOP4Me, he wants me to make clear that his pro-GOP posts have always been spoofs, and he has never actually voted for or supported a Republican.

Anonymous said...

That GOP4Me comment is a classic.

Re: Cole ("He vows not to again vote for a Republican.") I wouldn't be too sure.

If I read Cole right, he's the kind of guy who's inclined to react badly when those in power underperform, behave badly or show themselves as hypocrites. Obviously, Republicans have a huge lead in drawing his wrath now, but things could change.

Mr Furious said...

True. Cole has said he will not vote for the current Republican ilk, in the upcoming election. No word on when he becomes disgruntled enough with sitting out elections and changes his mind...

Noah said...

You are correct: I was referring to COle, not GOP4Me, who I agree is a spoof.

I will take your advice and check out his blog. Thanks for the tip!