GOP Weasles Sleight of Hand Trick About Vet Healthcare

Oldest Trick in the Books

(GOP are masters at that, too)

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) on CNN

(He won't allow the GOP or us to forget)

I see three routine political ploys: (1) If you don't like the direction of the subject, change the subject; (2) if you don't like the message, shoot the messenger; and (3) If those two things fail, employ an old 3-D movie title trick: Dodge, Duck, and Deceive.

How does this relate to this post and subject at hand you probably are now asking about right now. Glad you asked. Here's how:

Let's just say we soon forget the finer details of an issue overall while staying focused on the minute political BS surrounding it. I have always believed and said that Vets are the easiest group to control, the least likely to get proper attention, and are pretty much ignored to be put back on the shelf when the war(s) are over to be dusted off later when needed. 

The current VA health care booking scandal is a great case in point. A little background from earlier this year from Sen. Sanders (I-VT) tells a different part of that story:

Sen. Sanders Blasts Republicans for Trying to Torpedo Veterans Bill With Iran Sanctions 

Bet you forgot about that, or maybe didn’t even know? Sen. Sanders blasted Senate Republicans for trying to betray the nation’s veterans by attempting to kill the veterans bill with a demand for sanctions against Iran.

Note: The two issues are totally unrelated, and not even close on substance, period. [...]

Sen. Sanders said Senate Republicans don’t want to cast a vote against veterans, but they don’t want the vets to have better benefits, so they are trying to add the poison pill of sanctions for Iran to the bill. Iran has nothing to do with taking care of veterans. 

The Iran sanctions demand is being used to hide the real reason why Republicans are doing their best to kill this bill. The truth is that Senate Republicans don’t want to support veterans.

Republicans threatened to kill the veterans bill with obstruction if Sen. Harry Reid would not allow a vote on sanctions for Iran. They know that President Obama will never sign a bill that would destroy the current negotiations with Iran so Mitch McConnell and company are trying to set up a situation where they force a presidential veto, then claim that the president is not supporting veterans.

Sen. Sanders bottom when asked by CNN's Wolf Blitzer what he would say to his fellow members of Congress who claim that the United States can't afford to pay for expanded benefits for members of our military was simple and direct and I totally agree:

He said: “If you can't afford to take care of your veterans, then don't go to war. They bear the brunt of what war is about. We have a moral obligation to support and care for them.”  

The whole interview is here Sanders appearance on CNN.