BE COOL

The struggle for healthcare reform is a tough one. Victory is almost in sight and I'm not anxious to have anyone give up, but I have to confess, I’m getting a little tired of broadcast bullies ... on both sides.

Rush Limbaugh, Glen Beck, and Bill O’Reilly have, expectedly, proclaimed any attempt at healthcare reform to be socialism, pure and simple, joining together in a full-throated chorus of The Russians are Coming. However, they are not alone.

Lawrence O’Donnell, one of msnbc’s best and brightest stars, interviewed Rep. John Culberson (R. Texas) today on Hardball, though it was less of an interview than an ambush. As I have seen him do on other occasions, he specifically orchestrated the segment in such a way as to make the interviewee look like a fool. In this case, referring to comments from one of the town hall meetings about returning the country to the original intentions of the founders, O’Donnell asked Culberson if, given the opportunity, he would vote to repeal Social Security, which is, by definition, a kind of socialistic program. Needless to say, that question has no good answers: if the congressman says yes, he will be voted out of office by angry constituents; if he says no, he can’t claim opposition to healthcare reform because it’s socialistic. The question is a set-up.

Worse than that, O’Donnell badgered the congressman, refusing to allow him to explain his position, demanding that he answer the impossible question, and denying him any modicum of respect due to a national legislator. Chris Mathews, for whom O’Donnell was sitting in, often does the same.

I happen to like Lawrence O’Donnell. He has a deep well of experience, both in journalism and government service and is obviously smart. But that’s no excuse for incivility and rudeness. And just in passing, where has all this aggressive journalism been hiding for the last eight years? Where were these tough guys when George W. Bush was lying us into a war and emptying the treasury into the front yards of the nation’s wealthiest people? The national press corps was shamefully silent when it counted most.

Healthcare reform is a desperately important issue, which, if passed, could help propel this nation toward a more positive future. Both advocates and opponents would do well to take their cue from the president, who, despite the weighty implications of the outcome – for the nation and for his presidency - has somehow found a way to maintain his cool. Come on – that’s cool?