On the Whole Foods CEO
Give me a break. The left (myself included) spend weeks in shock at the tactics of the radical right trying to hijack the health-care debate and succeeding. And we complain bitterly about it.
Now, a CEO puts forth concrete proposals for health care reform alternatives, and instead of trying to elevate the discourse by engaging in a critique of the opinion piece from a policy point of view, the progressive blogosphere goes into full-bore echo chamber mode and attacks this man for having the temerity to carefully express his ideas in a national newspaper.
We get the government, the politicians and the debate that we deserve in a democracy. And right now, what we deserve is right-wing demagogues making up crap about death panels. And we only have ourselves to blame.
Now, a CEO puts forth concrete proposals for health care reform alternatives, and instead of trying to elevate the discourse by engaging in a critique of the opinion piece from a policy point of view, the progressive blogosphere goes into full-bore echo chamber mode and attacks this man for having the temerity to carefully express his ideas in a national newspaper.
We get the government, the politicians and the debate that we deserve in a democracy. And right now, what we deserve is right-wing demagogues making up crap about death panels. And we only have ourselves to blame.
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I don't fault him his ideas. some were good, some were ill advised, and some just too Milton Friedmanish. Personally he would have been well advised to keep pen from paper and should have thought as much before submitting his piece to the WSJ. Which according to John kind of screwed him over by adding Obamacare to the headline. However, be that as it may when your lively hood depends on the goodwill of customers one should have enough common sense to stay well out of hot political issues. There is no opinion he could have given that wasn't going to piss someone off.
Since I do not shop WF I cannot say if I would boycott or not. However, right now people are pissed and frustrated at the right and to many on the left he came off sounding like a right wing fiscal conservative. So if you piss your customer base off expect to reap what you sow. Life's a bitch, but this too shall pass. In the meantime I hope John's board takes him out the wood shed.
August 14, 2009 10:06 PM | Reply | Permalink
Question: Let's suppose I didn't read any other comments trashing Mackey's op-ed, and I disagreed with most of his prescriptions for change and moreover was incensed by some of the canards he uses to justify his arguments. In the end, I see him as just another voice against the deep reforms I believe the country needs.
Are you saying that my refusing to patronize Whole Foods in the future is irrational? Or you suggesting that I write a letter to Mackey to try and take the discourse to a higher level?
August 14, 2009 10:32 PM | Reply | Permalink
that's a smart question.
August 14, 2009 11:52 PM | Reply | Permalink
but is there such thing as discourse on a higher level in this country?
When's the last time you saw an honest debate? Honest, intelligent open-minded discourse?
August 14, 2009 11:56 PM | Reply | Permalink
I agree, Gary. In all the hours of air time dedicated to health care, how many have been spent with real doctors, university professors, experts on comparative systems worldwide. The people are out there, for sure, but it doesn't seem like the media (esp TV and cable) want to bore us too much. The NY Times ran a good article on Canada's health system on Friday. No spin, just the facts.
August 15, 2009 12:55 AM | Reply | Permalink
The NewsHour spent a solid 15 minutes investigating health care tonight. Good coverage is out, just hard to find.
August 15, 2009 2:11 AM | Reply | Permalink
How many times must his wingnut ideas be refuted, shredded, with fact, before you realize they AREN'T good ideas?
August 15, 2009 11:02 AM | Reply | Permalink
This post is the most ridiculous piece of crap that I've had the misfortune to read at TPM for a long time. The analogy to interrupting town halls with racist rants and screaming down peoples opinions so they can't be heard, to my reading Mackey's op-ed and deciding not to shop there anymore is a bullshit analogy. Mackey's voice was heard-hell he utilized a forum where his views were heard/read by millions of people. Not so for the poor mothereffers that dont get to a town hall early enough to get a seat in the front row.
His decision to write an anti public option op-ed seemed knee-jerk and without any regard to what his customers may think of it (ie. "fuck you people that made me a billionaire, I've joined the teabag movement and I'm proud of it). If I was a CEO I would think twice about how my customers might react to policy philosophy, whether it be personal or company, because alot of my shopping decisions are based on a companies basic principals of operation.
If he really wanted to air his views in a manner that we would have heard, he could have put his rant on the whole foods website where a back and forth discussion could have been given a chance. But as it were, he's decided to take the bully pulpit to announce his full opposition to a public option. Fine. If he were a politician he'd lose my vote. Just so has it that he owns a store, and I won't shop there anymore.
August 15, 2009 11:52 AM | Reply | Permalink
The SCOTUS has decided money is equivalent to political speech. Boycott Whole Foods!
August 15, 2009 1:41 PM | Reply | Permalink
Well, because I am not a billionaire (and am not a right-winger) the WSJ will never publish my thoughts on health care; like the wild concept that if all health care money were spent on HEALTH CARE, we could save a ton of money on providing HEALTH CARE!
If he were the president of the NRA and came out in favor of preventing people from having the right to own Howitzers and surface-to-air missiles, he would probably be drummed out of office, and maybe even shot.
So, the CEO of Whole Foods wrote down what he believes, and because he is a CEO of Whole Foods, it got published in the WSJ. Fine so far. If those of us who have made a habit of shopping there decide that his conclusions are repellant to us and we don't want to enrich this guy further, I fail to see why you have a problem with that.
No one has suggested doing any harm to Whole Foods; there have been no threats, except to withhold our money from this guy's business. As far as I know, no one is suggesting carrying signs with him dressed in a KKK suit (like the wing-nuts' signs of Obama with a Hitler moustache, or made up like the Joker) and no suggestions that death would be a fitting solution to teach him a lesson, as we have seen against our President.
I guess what I am saying is this: HOW DARE YOU EQUATE RATIONAL AND QUIET DISSENT AND THE CRAP THAT IS GOING ON WITH THE FAR-RIGHT?
If you believe these reactions are equivalent, then I would suggest that you are a part of the problem; not the solution.
August 15, 2009 6:34 PM | Reply | Permalink