Christian Seniors Association Drags Out Healthcare Falsehoods, Warns of 'Death Panels'
The Christian Seniors Association, a project of the anti-LGBT hate group Traditional Values Coalition, is at it again.
In a recent fundraising letter, the CSA warns about 鈥渄eath panels鈥� and insists that the Affordable Care Act is the 鈥渟ingle greatest threat to America鈥檚 seniors鈥� (and, by extension, America). To make the case, the CSA drags out a quotation by Vladimir Lenin to further link the Affordable Care Act to the Soviet era. According to CSA, Lenin said, 鈥淪ocialized medicine is the keystone to the arch of the socialist state.鈥�
Never mind that Lenin probably , and that the quote appears to have originated in 1949, when the American Medical Association (AMA) launched a campaign against President Truman鈥檚 proposal to create a national health insurance system.
But playing loose with history hasn鈥檛 stymied the CSA, headed by James Lafferty, husband of current TVC president Andrea Lafferty.
In its latest letter, the CSA makes the case that the Affordable Care Act is how President Obama is going to 鈥渋nstitutionalize ObamaCare so that we can never get rid of it.鈥� He鈥檚 determined to do this, the CSA continues, 鈥渂ecause nationalized health care is the link that connects his promise to 鈥榝undamentally transform鈥� America and his drive to turn America into a Socialist state.鈥�
Similar claims equating the President鈥檚 health care plan to socialism have run rampant on the radical right. And this isn鈥檛 the first time the CSA has used fundraising letters that prey on unfounded fears.
In 2006, the CSA mailed letters with bogus 鈥淯.S. Taxpayer Census鈥� forms as part of a packet that included a survey about Social Security and warnings about politicians raiding the program for personal gain. According to the , the mailing did not explicitly point out that money donated to CSA would go directly to TVC.
Right Wing Watch also that CSA/TVC mailed its 鈥淭axpayer Census Forms鈥� out again in 2008, which garnered concerns from some senior citizens who had received them. And , CSA sent out more packets, attempting to fundraise in order to lobby against President Obama and AARP for their 鈥渟ocialist agenda.鈥�
But this current letter plays on historic memes, including the famous right-wing fabrication of 鈥渄eath panels鈥� 鈥� the right wing worry that government-sponsored 鈥減anels鈥� will determine which individuals are 鈥渨orthy鈥� of healthcare under the Affordable Care Act. The claim a provision in the ACA in which Medicare would reimburse doctors who discuss end-of-life wishes with patients and ensure those preferences are followed. To right wing media, however, it was 鈥渆vidence鈥� that doctors would somehow talk their elderly patients into 鈥渆uthanasia.鈥�
Nonetheless, the CSA states that, 鈥淔or us, ObamaCare means more than the end of freedom and the advent of socialism. For us, ObamaCare means the institution of DEATH PANELS that will decide what health care we can receive,鈥� putting 鈥渄eath panels鈥� in caps throughout the letter, to ensure you see the term.
The CSA also includes warnings about the president鈥檚 (especially in terms of forcing religious people to 鈥渟ubmit鈥� to marriage equality). According to the CSA, 鈥淭he President has unleashed every government agency 鈥� including the military! 鈥� to hound and persecute Christians because we oppose his God-less vision for America.鈥�
The letter of course includes no examples of this alleged hounding or persecution.
It鈥檚 no surprise, then, that Lafferty is also known on the anti-Muslim circuit. He headed up the 鈥�,鈥� and sits on the board of the anti-Muslim hate group, American Freedom Defense Initiative, along with notorious anti-Muslim activist .
So how can you help the CSA in its war against Obama, socialism, LGBT people, death panels, and AARP? Send money. Lots. The CSA requests just over $5 million to 鈥渄eliver a series of fatal blows to ObamaCare.鈥�
But before you deliver those fatal blows, go over to the for your daily dose of irony, where you can sign up for the . Billed as a private health insurance exchange, the CSA marketplace how the Affordable Care Act provides a public exchange funded by the federal government that ensures all Americans access to quality, affordable healthcare. If that鈥檚 not your bag, the page explains how private exchanges offer alternatives to people who don鈥檛 qualify for a government subsidy.
And then you can speak to a licensed agent. One wonders if that agent will bring up DEATH PANELS, socialism or the war on Christians. Somehow, we doubt it.
