Jimmy Kimmel moved audiences around the country with his touching monologue about his newborn son’s heart condition. Joe Walsh, a former Congressman from Illinois, tweeted this disgusting response:
Sorry Jimmy Kimmel: your sad story doesn't obligate me or anybody else to pay for somebody else's health care.
Kimmel’s anecdote was a gentle, thoughtful segue into why Obamacare is so important in this country. Per Kimmel:
“We were brought up to believe that we live in the greatest country in the world, but until a few years ago, millions and millions of us had no access to health insurance at all. Before 2014, if you were born with congenital heart disease like my son was, there was a good chance you’d never be able to get health insurance because you had a pre-existing condition. You were born with a pre-existing condition. And if your parents didn’t have medical insurance, you might not live long enough to even get denied because of a pre-existing condition.
If your baby is going to die, and it doesn’t have to, it shouldn’t matter how much money you make. I think that’s something that, whether you’re a Republican or a Democrat or something else, we all agree on that, right?”
Twitter, though, was not as gentle with its response to Walsh:
The laws of your state and this nation obligate you to pay your child support.
Brian Tyler Cohen is a political writer, actor, and comedy sketch director. He graduated from Lehigh University with a dual degree in English and Business. He currently lives in Los Angeles.
