“‘Obamacare’ … is a disparaging reference to the president of the United States. It is meant as a disparaging reference to the president of the United States. It is clearly in violation of the House rules against that,” said Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla. “Obamacare,” according to several blogs, is the new “n” word. When did “Obamacare” become a slur? Proponents, after all, boast that President Obama succeeded in signing “universal care” legislation when every Democratic president since Harry Truman failed to “get it done.” Why isn’t President Obama flattered to have his name attached to his signature achievement and a now-fulfilled campaign promise? Was there a hissy fit over “Hillarycare” or the widely used “Romneycare”?
A LexisNexis search turns up what might be “Obamacare’s” first use in print. An April 4, 2008, enthusiastically supportive article in the Salt Lake Tribune said: “Obama’s national health insurance program, let’s call it ‘Obamacare,’ provides Americans with affordable premiums, co-pays and deductibles.” Hmmm, not too much racial insensitivity there.
