'A racist is a conservative winning an argument with a liberal'

Apparently I caught the two most important moments of yesterday morning’s Obamathon to put the lipstick of Obama’s rhetorical powers on the pig of Obamacare.

I’m guessing this because these are the moments I see others have selected to write about. They are: (1), George Stephanopoulos asking Obama if mandating everyone buy health insurance (or pay a fine) is a form of tax, THEN reading Obama the Merriam-Webster definition of “tax,” which shows that it is, and Obama going into full scorn and weasel mode — the two-step where he dismisses a challenge as stupid and then scoots around it; and (2), George Will’s coining of the term “liberal McCarthyism” to describe the over-the-top, omni-directional liberal attacks on conservatives as racists in the hope that they can bully the nation to socialism now that lies, false promises, confusing and chaotic proposals and fear-mongering aren’t working.

With this one contribution to our lexicon, I can almost forgive George Will for the fact that the reason I never understood what conservatism really is all these decades is that it was he who was explaining it to me. Somehow I didn’t find being treated with condescension and contempt as a liberal all that persuasive in getting me to change my position.

Kathy Shaidle wrote a year ago that current accusations of racism are similar to the McCarthy era cries of “commie.” And, after making that point today, she sent me to Ed Driscoll at Pajamas Media, who writes about Will and Stephanopolous here. Driscoll notes that Kathy Shaidle quoted Peter Brimelow’s definition of “racist” that is the headline for this post. Driscoll’s piece links to Newsbusters, which has the video clip and transcript of Will’s remark.

Driscoll also links to Roger Simon’s post yesterday on the subject of the Obamathon and Obama’s character as a liar. I am including it here, just in case I don’t get to the link round-up I want to do on the subject of Obama as a liar.

Update, 9/21/09: Don’t miss Moe Lane’s takedown on Stephanopoulos trying to get Obama to admit that the mandate in the Obamacare proposals to buy health insurance is a tax. And dear Little Miss Attila goes at the same objective from the angle of the Republican proposals that really would make health care and health insurance affordable — plus she has the video clip of Stephanopoulos reading Obama the definition of “tax.”