President Obama accepted VA head Eric Shinseki’s resignation today. In spite of Obama promising years ago to repair the broken VA system, the Washington Post’s Greg Sargent used the situation as an opportunity to criticize Republicans:
GOP strategy: Always claim everything proves government can't work, and then when one thing goes wrong, say, "See, toldja!"
— Greg Sargent (@ThePlumLineGS) May 30, 2014
Sargent also retweeted this attempt to blame the VA scandal on GOP underfunding:
And the old computers! Don’t forget to blame blame the old computers!
Sargent trivializing the scandal as just “one thing” gone wrong didn’t sit well with many:
@ThePlumLineGS "one thing" ???? Riiggghhht!
— prolificbreeder (@prolificbreeder) May 30, 2014
.@ThePlumLineGS That seems pretty petty when we are talking about dead Veterans. Stay classy.
— Aaron Gardner (@Aaron_RS) May 30, 2014
.@ThePlumLineGS FORTY DEAD VETERANS = “One thing goes wrong."
— #NeverTrump (@RedGalBlueState) May 30, 2014
@ThePlumLineGS However what? The VA has been a failure for decades. Dozens of veterans are now dead. But you feel the need to snipe at GOP?
— OK Great! (@chinobc) May 30, 2014
.@ThePlumLineGS One thing?? At least 40 people DIED being stuck on a waiting list! That is really offensive.
— Jay Caruso (@JayCaruso) May 30, 2014
.@ThePlumLineGS as opposed to your narrative: We need more government to fix the current government! I'll take the GOP strategy any day.
— eric (@eriContrarian) May 30, 2014
@ThePlumLineGS You dislike this compared to dems "Hide data that proves our policies keep failing"…?
— Wittorical (@Wittorical) May 30, 2014
The National Journal’s Ron Fournier issued a reminder that among Obama’s campaign promises was a pledge to fix the VA:
Landed. I see Obama fired Shineski. Did he apologize for breaking 6-year-old vow to reform #VA? Did he announce said reforms? #CatchingUp
— Ron Fournier (@ron_fournier) May 30, 2014
Here’s what Sargent had to say about that:
Leadership bar forever rising MT @ron_fournier Obama fired Shineski. Did he apologize for breaking vow to reform VA? Announce reforms?
— Greg Sargent (@ThePlumLineGS) May 30, 2014
Expecting a politician to keep a promise is raising the leadership bar? It is if said president is a liberal Democrat.
Amazement was not in short supply:
.@ThePlumLineGS Are you really going to act like this would be enough if it were a GOP POTUS? Really?! @ron_fournier
— Aaron Gardner (@Aaron_RS) May 30, 2014
"Those republicans forced Obama to promise to fix VA problems in 2009 when he ran!" @ThePlumLineGS
— Stephen Miller (@redsteeze) May 30, 2014
@ThePlumLineGS @ron_fournier the bar still has dirt on it
— Steven Shaw (@czechov) May 30, 2014
I mean, what do you people expect? The govt to *not* make thousands of veterans languish on fake waiting lists!? AS IF! @ThePlumLineGS
— #NeverTrump (@OrwellForks) May 30, 2014
"Never let the bodies of a few hundred veterans stop the march towards government-centered progress." –@ThePlumLineGS, pretty much.
— #NeverTrump (@OrwellForks) May 30, 2014
https://twitter.com/NathanWurtzel/status/472412948569550849
@ThePlumLineGS @ron_fournier Yes, refusing to act until pressure builds in your own party is real leadership.
— Streeter (@thestreeter) May 30, 2014
@ThePlumLineGS @ron_fournier My memory's foggy: who set the bar at making the VA "a leader of national health care reform"?
— Sean Davis (@seanmdav) May 30, 2014
@ThePlumLineGS @ron_fournier He's had 5 years to even look at the bar. He didn't. He failed the vets in every way due to incompetence.
— Never Forget (@Me_In_Jersey) May 30, 2014
@redsteeze @ThePlumLineGS @Aaron_RS Remember, the left considers the VA a total success to be emulated by the ACA and other "reforms".
— Never Forget (@Me_In_Jersey) May 30, 2014
Fournier had a good question for Sargent:
.@ThePlumLineGS Greg, if keeping promises is a bar too high for the people we cover, why the hell are we in #journalism?
— Ron Fournier (@ron_fournier) May 30, 2014
“Journalism”? Pfft.
