Thursday, September 10, 2009

Lying Liars and the Lies they Tell

I generally don't like those that are holier than thou. As the saying goes, "people who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones" or, "those without sin should cast the first stone". Most often, those that make judgments about others are likely far from perfect themselves. I generally try and not make judgments about others. That's because I have plenty of my own problems. I've had plenty of financial struggles, professional struggles, and I've done plenty I'm not proud of. The only time I make moral judgments is on the issue of corruption. That's because often at my own expense I stayed away from corruption.

So, there we had President Obama bemoaning all the lies directed at his health care proposal: "death panels", "health care for illegals", "a government takeover", and "federal funding for abortions". On both ends, the charges are dubious. First, there is no bill. So, technically, President Obama is right. It's unfair to say there's anything in the President's bill since there is no one bill. Then again, if there is no one bill, the president can't then say that his bill will protect consumers, hold down costs, and provide universal coverage. Since, after all, there is no bill.

There are however many bills floating through Congress. There's H.R. 3200 in the House. This bill has elements of each of the four charges that president Obama says are lies. More than that, it's over 1000 pages and has 53 new bureaucracies, so who knows what will happen as a result of this bill. As former Governor Palin points out, there's the Independent Medical Advisory Board. It will be tasked with deciding what medical procedures and medicines can and can't be allowed to continue. Isn't that potentially a "death panel"? There's language in the bill that forbids illegals from getting health care but there's also language that doesn't force medical providers with getting legal status. So, isn't that potentially providing health care for illegals? Furthermore, the president continues to say that 47 million people currently without coverage will get covered. In that 47 million, that includes ten million or more illegals. So, isn't the president saying he'll cover illegals? While there's nothing in the bill that demands federally funded abortions, there's also nothing that specifically forbids it. With 1000 pages and 53 new bureaucracies, that is a government take over. So, how are all these charges lies?

Then, there's the things the president himself said. The AP takes apart his speech and there's plenty there that the AP had a problem with.

OBAMA: "Nothing in this plan will require you or your employer to change the coverage or the doctor you have."

THE FACTS: That's correct, as far as it goes. But neither can the plan guarantee that people can keep their current coverage. Employers sponsor coverage for most families, and they'd be free to change their health plans in ways that workers may not like, or drop insurance altogether. The Congressional Budget Office analyzed the health care bill written by House Democrats and said that by 2016 some 3 million people who now have employer-based care would lose it because their employers would decide to stop offering it.

In the past Obama repeatedly said, "If you like your health care plan, you'll be able to keep your health care plan, period." Now he's stopping short of that unconditional guarantee by saying nothing in the plan "requires" any change.

The AP took issue with President Obama's assertion that his plan won't add to the deficit, it won't force anyone to change their coverage, funding for illegals, preventative medicine saves money, and protecting Medicare. So, while the president was calling out others as liars, he was making all sorts of dubious claims himself.

The president is a master of this. He often accuses others of name calling all while calling others names. He calls others divisive all while being a partisan and divisive. He bemoans the lack of facts on the other side while making all sorts of statements of dubious factually. The president is really so much the typical politician. He wants a civil debate all while calling his opponents liars. He calls others liars all while making dubious claims himself. He wants to bring people together behind a very, very liberal bill and then calls his opponents obstructionists when they don't jump on board. This is how he operates, it's the Chicago Way, and it's just one reason why his support is cratering.

5 comments:

  1. Craters are interesting things. The have peaks on one side, a trough in the middle, but there's a peak on the other side as well. So in light of the rebounds in both Obama's approval rating AND health care reform's approval rating, I guess you could call his support a crater.

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  2. Rebound in approval ratings? Do you mean a CNN study with 45% Democrats and 12% Republicans?

    Crater is what will happen to the career of any Blue Dog Dem who goes along with Obamas lieing.

    Obama is a liar. If you don't think so - defend his untruths.

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  3. I felt like he was very confrontational and very,excuse the term but it's the only term that fits, "dictatorial".
    The hostile environment in Washington is all his own doing.
    Who is he going to "call out" anyway the 52% of Americans who know more that he'd like to admit to?
    Oh and another lie notice he said 30 million last night and not 47 million. And we should believe everything else?
    These democrats are all over the place. No wonder so many don't trust them.
    Didn't you mean "Carter" not "Crater"(pun intended)

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  4. Mike, if it turns out that health care reform does cover illegals, abortions and ends up forcing many to get the government plan, won't that ruin Obama's legacy? Won't that make him out to be deceitful? Why would he jeopardize himself this way?

    Also, doesn't he realize that if he fails as the first non-white President, it will be a long time before the voters will trust another non-white person?

    He is carrying a lot of weight, not just the Presidency, whether he actually realizes it.

    Lonzo

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  5. Here's the thing they will probably give amnesty to all illegals by the time this bill goes into effect. So he's right and he's wrong and he's smart because I think over time he wants a government takeover by back dooring it in and then he won't have to get blamed for it because he originally said he didn't want it all knowing what the end result will ultimatley be.
    Did anyone see this:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q9GMKK_fWKg

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