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January 31, 2007

Just ad hominem

Teddy Kennedy asked:

"We have now had amendments that have been worth over 200 billion dollars… Amendments that have been offered. We've had amendments on education of 35 billion dollars. We've had health-savings amendments that will benefit people with average incomes of $112,000… We've had those kinds of amendments and we're looking at the Kyl amendment at 3 billion dollars. But we still cannot get two dollars and fifteen cents -- over two years. Over two years!

"What is the price, we ask the other side? What is the price that you want from these working men and women? What cost? How much more do we have to give to the private sector and to business? How many billion dollars more, are you asking, are you requiring?

"When does the greed stop, we ask the other side? That's the question and that's the issue."

It's bombastic, yes. But it's a legitimate argument. In effect he's saying raising the minimum wage is so worth doing that it's an end to itself, not something that ought to be "bought" with "sweeteners" that aid not Average Americans, but the rich...

In response to that:

One pile -- labeled $8.3 billion -- was the value of small-business tax cuts that Republicans want to include in a minimum-wage bill. The other pile -- slightly larger, representing $8.5 billion -- depicted the federal contribution to a certain controversial public-works project in Kennedy's home state.

Basicaly they're saying Sen. Kennedy did something bad almost a decade ago. Now we're doing something 97.64% as bad. Rather than attacking the man's argument, they're attacking the man's integrity. Is he a hypocrite? Hell! Let's throw in liar and probable murderer. He's also fat. Saying any of that is a refusal to engage the substance of the man's arguments. Such a refusal is tacit admission that Kennedy is right: the Rich are making war on the Poor. And now we know who stands where...

Posted by Andrew at January 31, 2007 12:14 AM

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