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.