Cardiac unrest: Commenters clash at bostonherald.com
By Christine McConville and Chris Cassidy
Monday, March 26, 2012
The national chorus of Cheney-bashing over the ex-vice president’s heart transplant — with local lefties gleefully weighing in — disgusted Republicans and political observers who say the uncivil liberal Twitterfest is ... heartless.
The flood of Internet vitriol includes bitter claims that former Vice President Dick Cheney didn’t deserve a heart, jokes that he never had one and even cynical hopes that the transplanted heart will reject its new host.
“It’s a shame the political discourse has deteriorated to the point where people’s health is treated callously,” said former state Sen. Richard Tisei, who is running for Congress against U.S. Rep John Tierney. “I think people in general would like to see the political tone raised to a higher level.”
“That’s disgraceful,” Boston College political science professor Marc Landy said about the attacks, saying Cheney wasn’t the nation’s most-loved political leader, but “he is a man of tremendous integrity and talent.”
“You’d like to think people would be more restrained in their remarks,” said state House Minority Leader Brad Jones. “He just had the surgery yesterday. I assume there are still certain risks.” Jones added that while liberals often claim the moral high ground, “more often they take the moral quicksand.”
In Herald online comments, reader Dustycc53 remarked: “Wasted on a war criminal. Hey Dick how many kids did your lies kill? Thats ok, hell can wait a little longer.” A website joked Cheney’s operation failed because “surgeons mistakenly transplanted the bleeding heart of a liberal” into the unflinchingly hawkish veep.
“Damn. No more jokes about Cheney not having a pulse,” tweeted liberal blogger Dan Kennedy, a Northeastern University assistant professor. “Cheney’s only remaining medical problem is no reflection when he looks in the mirror.” He added defensively later, “Hey, it’s a great day for the Cheneys. Why shouldn’t we have some fun?”
Others suggested Cheney bypassed normal transplant protocols.
RightWingWatch MA tweeted, “#iloveobamacare because you shouldn’t have to be a rich former vice-president to get lifesaving care.”
Yesterday, doctors at Inova Fairfax Hospital in Virginia declared the transplant operation a success. Experts said it’s unlikely Cheney could have used influence to get a heart.
U.S. Sen. Scott Brown’s campaign declined to comment. Democratic challenger Elizabeth Warren stated: “I wish the former vice president a speedy recovery.”
Glenn Reynolds of Instapundit.com dismissed the left’s online mean-spiritedness as a sign of weakness: “Barack Obama’s presidency is a failure and all they have left between now and the election is to get the base angry. So they’re spreading a lot of hatred. Hate is all they have left.”
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