It was just a question of time. While it was hard to know where it would come from (although MSNBC is always a safe bet), someone was going to make the entire swine flu pandemic a partisan political issue.
MSNBC's Ed Schultz on the April 27 "The ED Show" blamed Republicans on two levels for the swine flu pandemic that some think has been a bit overblown.
"Well, here we go again - Republicans are playing politics with our health," Schultz said. "This kind of stuff just makes my temperature go up. I'm boiling over this - as many as 150 have been killed by this flu in Mexico. Cases are popping up allover the United States."
First he blamed Republicans that are blocking Kathleen Sebelius' nomination as Secretary of Health and Human Services on moral grounds and her position on universal health care, without explaining why, but just that it was playing "politics."
"Now we have a public health emergency, but no health secretary," Schultz said. "How come? Conservatives senators are holding up Kathleen Sebelius' confirmation. Republicans are playing politics with your health."
Schultz also took umbrage with Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, who was responsible for stripping some $870 million in funding for flu vaccines from the stimulus bill because it was not stimulative for the economy. According to Schultz, she should have foreseen the so-called swine flu pandemic. He played footage from February 5 of Collins explaining her concerns but did not mention that it was Collins, along with her fellow GOP Sens. Olympia Snowe and Arlen Specter, who made the passage of the stimulus possible.
"They play politics with the money, they play politics with the stimulus package to the tune of $870 million for pandemic flu that was stripped out," Schultz said.
Schultz somehow is convinced that throwing money at the problem might some how help. He even found a place in his "OpEd" rant for liberal boogeyman Karl Rove.
"Folks this is a classic case of Republicans having no forward thinking," Schultz lamented. "This is what you get when all you're concerned about is the money. And who helped frame the argument against the funding? Oh there he is again - Karl Rove."
"Republican senators like Sen. Collins said fighting off a deadly flu really had nothing to do with the economy," Schultz continued. "You see Democrats argued that a pandemic would lead to people - let's see not working, not traveling, not taking public transportation and a dramatic increase in the need for health services."
Schultz also took a shot at Texas Gov. Rick Perry for asking for flu medication from the federal government, while rejecting a portion of the stimulus for a principled stand on the growth of government.
"This is just not a health scare, it's a national security situation," Schultz grimly declared.
