Hypocrisy is defined as "an expression of agreement that is not supported by real conviction," (Princeton University). Well, no one better personaifies hypocrisy than Senator Bill Frist, MD of Tennessee.
As we all know, Republican Senator Frist, MD is the majority leader in the Senate. He led the failed movement in the Senate to amend the Constituion in order to ban gay marriage. The party in which he leads has made it very clear what their stance is on the two issues of abortion and gay marriage rights. They are against funding institutions that perform abortions, and are against allowing homosexuals the right to marry and receive benefits as a result of marriage.
http://www.gop.com/media/2004platform.pdf
But did you also know that Senator Frist, MD, gets money from abortions provided at hospitals he OWNS and that those very same for-profit hospitals are now PROVIDING BENEFITS for same-sex domestic partners? http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2005/Jan-16-Sun-2005/news/25660502.html
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/809651/posts
That's right kids! The Republican Senate majority leader, one of the key banner carriers of a GOP party that makes it very clear that it hates gays and wants to overturn Roe v. Wade, makes money off abortions and is extending benefits to same sex marriage couples through hospitals he owns.
Senator Frist, MD a major shareholder in HCA, a large for-profit hospital chain founded by his father and brother. Dr. Frist, MD owns $26 million in HCA stock in a blind trust, and receives mega-money annually from this stock.
I do not understand, for the life of me, why Democrats have not jumped on this and bashed Frist into dust with it. Mark Crispin Miller feels the same way:
"Those liberals who refuse to speak out on this issue just don't get it. They think they're being politically correct concerning gays, when all they're really doing is covering for the sickest homophobes. It was much the same thing with those Democrats who wouldn't make an issue of Bill Frist and his family making major profits off abortion. The Frists own a chain of hospitals that do abortions. That's astonishing hypocrisy, and ought to have been named as such, but it was not, because of Democratic shyness about saying anything that might sound anti-choice."
And while they're at it, why don't Democrats frame Dr. Frist's obvious hypocrisy in a broader criticism against the GOP: that they are a lip service party without integrity, and lack the conviction to back up their noise? This is a clear example of a modern neoconservative speaking out against something "immoral," and then actually making MONEY from that "immoral" act on the side.
I realize Frist, MD is leaving the Senate soon due to a self-imposed term limit, but Democrats should still jump on this obvious double-standard and use it to frame the GOP as a "say one thing-do another" party.