Ted Kennedy’s passing marks a great loss to America.  And, unfortunately, now it’s time to watch the politics of America overtly abuse his death as a reason that a bad bill should be passed.  All because the Senator’s long-term goal was health care reform.

And, of course, the media now furiously broadcasts the personal involvement Senator Kennedy had with health care reform.  While they didn’t say it in their broadcasts, there was an ugly, unspoken undertone in the messages: wouldn’t it be an insult to Senator Ted Kennedy’s life work if the health care reform, which he fought so hard for, would fail to pass.

Argumentum ad Misericordiam  (Argument based on Pity) ..

This is one of the classic argument traps, and the one you will see used in the media and by the Obama administration over the next several days and weeks. I found this great example of it here, reprinted below.

An Appeal to Pity is a fallacy in which a person substitutes a claim intended to create pity for evidence in an argument. The form of the “argument” is as follows

  • P is presented, with the intent to create pity.
  • C is true.

This line of “reasoning” is fallacious because pity does not serve as evidence for a claim. This is extremely clear in the following case: “You must accept that 1+1=46, after all I’m dying…” While you may pity me because I am dying, it would hardly make my claim true.

So up the aspirin dosage as need be while tolerating the media circus.  But keep in mind that the final desperate weeks are here for Obamacare.  And it shouldn’t be any surprise that politicians will abuse Senator Kennedy’s memory to try and sway the tide of opposition.

But nothing has changed: a bad bill is still bad bill.

No Comments
Politics and Public Policy