Another show of conservative empathy

Asshole … with a capital ‘C’

Conservatives aren’t particularly well known for their empathy. They’ve made this clear time and time again, especially throughout the healthcare “debate” that’s been raging for over a year now, and also through their actions and reactions to other issues – the injustices at Guantanamo Bay, the covering-up of torture, and their stance on gay rights being only a few notable examples. But at times, they can behave like total douchebags in the face of misery and tragedy if it strikes their political rivals – just take this story, for example. From No More Mister Nice Blog:

I'm not able to watch the health care summit today, but I just found out about this statement made by Democrat Louise Slaughter:

I even have one constituent -- you will not believe this, and I know you won't, but it's true -- her sister died. This poor woman had no denture. She wore her dead sister's teeth, which of course were uncomfortable and did not fit.

Do you ever believe that in America that that's where we would be?

I find that moving. Reuters correspondent Caren Bohan tweeted,

Consensus of Blair House press pool: Louise Slaughter's tale of the woman who wore her dead sister's teeth was most compelling anecdote

Here's the clip:

Yet another sad tale showing the sort of wretchedness and ordeal caused by a broken healthcare system. I’m sorry, but when you’re forced to wear your fucking dead sibling’s dentures just to have some teeth, there’s a major freaking problem with the system.

So, of course, how did conservatives react to this anecdote?

So how did Fox Nation react to this?

Yes -- those insane Democrats! They think this debate is about how people with health care needs actually live in America! What madness! Don't they know it's really all about political posturing and seeing how close we can come to realizing Ayn Rand's ideal society? Don't they realize people are supposed to serve the capitalist economic system, and not the other way around? What crazy folk!

Oh, and Michelle Malkin thinks the anecdote is just a kneeslapper. Here's a tweet:

Slaughter: We need trillion-$ Demcare cuz someone had to wear their sister's dentures! O: "Terrific conversation"

And then from Malkin, about two hours later:

Phew. Biden hasn't said anything about wearing anyone's dentures.Yet.

Hyuk hyuk hyuk hyuk! Dentures! Har har har!

And from Malkin's blog:

1:00pm Eastern. Last speaker before the break: Democrat Rep. Louise Slaughter, who complains about women and minorities being excluded from clinical trials years ago and tells a sob story about a woman who was "forced" to wear her dead sister’s dentures. Or something.

Obama extols the "terrific conversation" so far.

Pray for the Republic, people.

Are these people even capable of ordinary human empathy?

****

UPDATE: As a commenter notes, Limbaugh calls this the "sob story of the day" and also says,

I mean for example, well what's wrong with using a dead person's teeth? Aren't the Democrats big into recycling? Save the planet? And so what? So if you don't have any teeth, so what? What's applesauce for? Isn't that why they make applesauce?

Stay classy, assholes. Stay classy.

(via @todayspolitics)