In a moment very reminicent of the infamous Schiavo Memos where Republican staffers discussed how they could take political advantage of the horrific conflict and suffering of the Schiavo family - Thinkprogress has obtained a text message from Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConell's communications director Don Stewart which was apparently sent to reporters.
Seen the latest blogswarm? Apparently, there’s more to the story on the kid (Graeme Frost) that did the Dems’ radio response on SCHIP. Bloggers have done a little digging and turned up that the Dad owns his own business (and the building it’s in), seems to have some commercial rental income and Graeme and a sister go to a private school that, according to its website, costs about $20k a year ‹for each kid‹ despite the news profiles reporting a family income of only $45k for the Frosts.
Could they get any lower?
Yes, they could, and did.
So apparently the people in McConnell's office don't think the idea of attacking an injured and vulnerable child and their family is even a little bit - icky - (shades of Shawn Horbeck?) - they think this is a perfect time to do the one thing they seem competant at accomplishing.
Pardon my Rumsfledian self interview but...
- Would that be running the Country?
Uh, No.
- Governing anything?
No.
- Fighting terrorism?
No. (We've - the world that is - has had more terrorist attacks over the last 6 years than ever before)
- Winning wars?
No. (We're even losing in Afghanistan under their "leadership")
- Fighting Crime?
No. (After declining for over a decade and a half, crime rates are now rising)
- Handling our tax money responsibly?
(Snort) Hell No.
- Ok, What is it?
The obvious of course - Attacking Democrats.
This is how Stewart completed his email.
Could the Dems really have done that bad of a job vetting this family?
Thankfully no self-respecting News agency would take such fetid, rotted bait. No actual professional journalist would look at this poor 12-year-old who went through months of hospitalization and additional physical therapy after a car crash and presume that his family could be so calculated as to use him in such a cold heartless manner without first - y'know - a little Fact Checking?.
If that's what you thought, think again.
Ladies and Dems I give you CNN's John Roberts.
Roberts: Some of the accusations [against the Frosts] may be exaggerated or false. But did the Democrats make a tactical error in holding up Graeme as their poster child?
CNN Analyst: I think in this instance what happened was the Democrats didn’t do as much of a vetting as they could have done on this young man, his situation, his family. [...]
Limbaugh: The dirty little secret is this : the Democrats put lies into the Frost's kids hands - a 12-year-old kid being used - to advance distortion and a lie.
Roberts: The Frosts refuse to show their tax returns to a local reporter.
Analyst: More and more, Congress is acting less like a deliberative legislative body, and more like a political campaign. We’ve been seeing the politicization of every aspect of government.
Roberts: And we should point out as well the Frost's parents Halsey and Bonnie Frost still do not have health insurance.
They still don't have health insurance - as if that was a "choice" on their part? It's not like they were turned down three times recently by private insurance because of their so-called "pre-existing conditions". No.
Although this report - in passing - notes that the accusations made by FreeRepublic and repeated by Malkin and Limbaugh simply aren't true it does so in condescending terms. They re-broadcast Limbaugh's statments that "Dems put lies in the hands of a 12-year-old" but they don't bother to either point out what those alleged lies are or give anyone - ANYONE - a single second on-air to rebut Limbaugh!! No, instead the report that the Frosts only claim to be receiving scholarships to pay for their childrens tuition to these "hoity toity" schools. It's not like anyone at CNN knows how to like, ask the schools or maybe ask the state who happens to be supplying those scholarship or anything.
No, it's just a "claim" - nothing to take seriously. Move along, nothing to see here.
Yet, since the Frosts refused to turn over their TAX RETURNS TO THE PRESS, the same type of press - ok, well not exactly the "same" - that printed their home address on a site populated by not exactly the nicest and most stable persons in the country, naturally we should assume they must have something to hide!!!
Quick Side trip to Conservo-Land, Home of the Politically Sociopathic! 
- How could the Democrats be so stupid as to use a child to talk about a program for - um - children?
Who does that? (Not counting President Bush who used "Snowflake Babies" on his first Stem Cell Veto and an actual Stem-Cell recipient named Kaitlyne McNamara on his second Veto)
The Dems should have known that asking the Frost's to go public and saying that "S-Chip helped me when I needed it" would be an explosive political statement that would mean the opening of their entire lives to public scrutiny and vetting.
(Anyone check the Medical records on the McNamara girl and see if she really did get bona-fide Stem-Cell treatments? Y'never know right?)
I mean, doesn't this happen to every non-politician whose ever given the Democratic response?
Ok, now that we've completed our tour of crazy-town U.S.A... we return to our regularly scheduled reality, still in progress...
And all the while that CNN and the press are all a-twitter over how the Democrats could be so clumsy - never mind the, what do you call them? oh yeah, Facts - it turns out that they been lead by the nose to this conclusion by - ta da - the Republican Minority Leader who is gearing up to trying and sustain the President's S-CHIP Veto.
Think my little trip to unreality world was unfair? Ok, here's a return passage through it's dark dangerous lands via the Malkinator herself.
Snort-worthy conspiracy theory of the day...The tinfoil hatters at ThinkProgress actually believes conservative bloggers were in cahoots with Mitch McConnell, whom I lambasted below. The unreality-based community really does live in a different galaxy.
Right-Wing jack-booted Neo-Fascist Bint says wha?
Mitch McConnel wasn't involved in twisting this story for political gain to the direct detriment of children whom the President WILL throw off the program? Do tell.
Let's just keep in mind what is at stake hear - Health Care for 4 Million Children and what Mitch McConnel is really trying to do is undermine Republican Chuck Grassley's efforts to implement a Veto Override. From Olbermann last week.
Let's not lose sight of what's really going on here, let's not let the strum, drang, smoke and mirrors of political machinations distract us all from the simple fact that we are literally arguing over letting injured children suffer and sometimes die or else force their families into destitution.
This is not America. We can't let it be. This Can. Not. Stand.
Tell Senator Grassley to keep up the good fight, the Right Fight for all our kids if and when they should need it.
Sen. Chuck Grassley
135 Hart Senate Bldg.
Washington, DC
20510-1501
202.224.3744
And tell him Dkos sent cha.
Vyan
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