Thread by @ASlavitt

When the GOP cited “health freedom” to make opposition to pre-existing condition protections their mainstream view a decade ago, it became only a half a step away from today’s full scale embrace of anti-science, anti-health measures. 1/

“Health freedom” is one of those phrases someone cleverly arrives at because it sounds better than “full hospitals and portable morgues.” But its without a practical difference.

What exactly am I entitled to with my health freedom?

2/

It’s a big rallying cry for major candidates.

Scott Jensen in MN, Larry Elder in CA & JD Vance in OH are untalented even as politicians go.

So 10k likes from Russian bots and @Yolo304741 are all the encouragement they need to convince themselves they’re on the right track. 3/

This new wave of GOP politicians aren’t out to just follow Trump’s lead. To be truly great, they aim to sound as unhinged today as he did in 2016 when the bar was much lower.

So the rhetoric has a natural escalation. For MN’s Jensen opposition to the ACA is almost quaint... 4/

Vance & Jensen are calling for people to break the law. Jensen is now comparing himself to a Civil Rights leader in an interview with the @StarTribune.

Scott, don’t worry at all that no one sees that. Sometimes you’re the only one who knows your own greatness. 5/

The passionate voices of a few lunatics should never be taken lightly again. Thankfully Elder & Jensen are waking voters up.

We’ll never know whether people were happy with Newsom in CA because once Larry Elder entered the race it became a referendum on, well, being alive. 6/

One reason “health freedom” doesn’t deliver politically is that eventually Ayn Rand Libertarians eventually get sick too. Sticking with a movement through illness & death requires real commitment.

5/

When your spouse or child or parent is in the hospital with something serious, it’s not “freedom” we pray for.

We’re begging for medical science, resilience, healing care & the money to pay for it. 6/

When our “health freedom” IS really challenged, it’s not an overzealous government, but an overzealous virus or disease that’s the threat.

The followers of JD Vance et al end up in the same refuge that health freedom lovers have found over the last decade— the Gofundme pages.7/

Gofundme is the denizen of the hardcore “health freedom” followers who come face to face with their choices.

Gofundme caters to freedom fighters who turn out to be not so prideful that they don’t expect others to pay their medical care or funeral expenses. 8/

GOP politicians have it backwards.

We should be concerned over the role of government when it infringes on the ability of people to live their lives. But when government protects our ability to live our lives, it is wildly wildly seen as doing their jobs. 9/

Larry Elder’s race ended in embarrassment. Scott Jensen will follow the same fate. Even in Texas, Beto O’Rourke stands an outstanding chance of decimating Abbott.

Amazing how people will show up when someone tries to serve them a plate of dangerous bullshit. /end