Obama's Not Looking for the Truth

July 24, 2009 12:00 PM 5 comments

Interesting article from The Wall Street Journal.  Is it any wonder Obama’s numbers are falling?

The Washington Post recently ran a story quoting Democrats as bragging that President Obama has deliberately patterned his legislative strategy after LBJ’s, circa 1965.This may explain the treatment of Douglas Elmendorf, the director of the supposedly nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office who last week told Congress that you can’t “save” money on health care by having government insure everyone.

For that bit of truth-telling, he was first excoriated by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. Then he was summoned, er, invited to the White House for an extraordinary and inappropriate meeting Monday with President Obama and a phalanx of economic and health-care advisers.

Writing on his blog after news of the meeting became public, Mr. Elmendorf diplomatically noted that “The President asked me and outside experts for our views about achieving cost savings in health reform.” No doubt he did. But Mr. Elmendorf, a Democrat, will also have received the message that continuing apostasy will not be good for his future political career.

As Douglas Holtz-Eakin, the Republican who ran CBO from 2003 to 2005, put it, “The only appearance could be that they’re leaning on him. CBO was created for Congress, for independent analysis. The White House did him [Elmendorf] a terrible disservice.” On second thought, perhaps we’re being unfair to LBJ, whose method was a combination of muscle and flattery. Mr. Obama learned his methods in Chicago.

 

Did you like this article? Get new articles daily for free via RSS or Email.

 

5 Comments

  • Harrison,
    President Obama does, in fact, have a health care plan that will save costs over the long run. Are you insinuating that he is deliberately lying to the public about health care because he is an evil, wicked man, out to destroy our great Republic? We all know that the health care system in this country is far too costly, and we all know that reform is needed; even the Republicans. Why can’t the Republicans stop their “Party of NO’ bickering and sniping for a few short months and get health care reform done?
    .-= askcherlock´s last blog ..Where are all the Hoovervilles? =-.

  • I’m not insinuating Obama is lying to the public about the costs I am saying he is. He wants to get his agenda passed (that’s what politicians do). Is he evil? Is he wicked? Is he out to destroy the country? Well on the first two I’d say no as to the last point I’d say that might not be his intention but it will be the result.

    If someone had a gun to their head and was going to kill themselves would you say “no” or not? Why do you equate “no” with negativity? No can be very helpful, particularly when someone is trying to drive you off a cliff.

    And you want to pass healthcare reform in a few months? Make the largest change ever to the U.S. economy in a few months and affect everybody’s lives? That is quite daring and hasty. Obama is rushing it through because it knows the longer people have to think about it the less chance he’ll get it passed. Doesn’t sound too good to me.

  • Take a “chill pill”, Harrison; I’m quite sure that Obama will not single-handedly destroy the country. That’s just the same old fear-mongering that Republicans have gotten so good at. America has had forty years to think about health care reform and has done absolutely nothing. The reason for this is that special interest groups are more interested in maintaining the status quo than in providing affordable health care for everyone. Believe it or not, the American people aren’t blind; they know that the Republican stall tactics have killed health care reform in the past, and many right-wingers hope it will work again. By the way, equating “no” with negativity seems pretty obvious to me. Am I missing something here?
    .-= askcherlock´s last blog ..Where are all the Hoovervilles? =-.

    • I don’t think “chill pills” are covered under Obamakare, sorry.

      And if this Obamakare is so great then why are members of Congress exempt from it:

      “If Democrats in Washington think their health care reform with a public option is a good thing, why have they exempted themselves from it? Why isn’t what’s good for their constituents good for them?

      As World Net Daily points out, on Page 114 of the Orwellian-titled Affordable Health Care Choices Act authored by Sen. Ted Kennedy’s staff and the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee (HELP), there is a provision that specifically exempts members of Congress from the public plan.”

      http://www.ibdeditorials.com/IBDArticles.aspx?secid=1501&status=article&id=333327285894028&secure=1&show=1&rss=1

      Hmm… a little critical thinking and a little more “no” sound good to me.

  • The desire for truth can clash with other motives. In the case of Barack Obama, I suspect political self-interest.
    .-= vulcanhammer´s last blog ..Obama The Bully =-.

Leave a Reply


*
CommentLuv badge

Trackbacks

Other News

  • Featured, Liberals

    Wacky Wednesday: Are SeaWorld Killer Whales Illegal Slaves?

    Part of me wishes I was making this up but People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) is suing SeaWorld for how its Killer Whales are being treated at three of its locations: The suit, filed in October 2011, asked that the court declare that the orcas are “held in slavery and/or involuntary...

    Read more →
  • Featured, Liberals

    The Magic of the Open Road (In a V8)

    There is something special about taking a roadtrip in the United States.  Getting out onto the open road, seeing the country, taking in the sights.  Once you’re outside of the metropolitan areas you begin to realize just how sparsely populated America is.  Driving for an hour and only seeing...

    Read more →
  • Featured, Liberals San Francisco’s Parklets: Another Stupid Liberal Idea

    San Francisco’s Parklets: Another Stupid Liberal Idea

    I’ve lived in San Francisco since 1995 and, for part of that time, it’s been without a car.  I don’t mean I’ve been one of those hypocritical people who don’t own a car (and decry the internal combustion engine) but rents one for the weekends.  I mean without a car. Like...

    Read more →
  • Featured, Liberals Mercurial Occupyers Turn on Their Liberal “Masters”

    Mercurial Occupyers Turn on Their Liberal “Masters”

    Occupy Oakland: Violent Leftists are the same everywhere... The Occupy movement exists mainly in large metropolitan areas which are almost always governed by Democrats.  When the Occupy movement started in the United States the mayors of these cities were unwilling to clean these cockroaches out of...

    Read more →
  • Featured, Liberals Newt’s Flame Out

    Newt’s Flame Out

    Conspiracy theorists unite!  Some will say all of the negative press from The Druge Report the other day painting Newt in a negative light is responsible for his decline in the polls. Drudge picks his favorites, that’s true, but few were disputing stories with titles like: INSIDER: GINGRICH REPEATEDLY...

    Read more →
  • Featured, Liberals Wacky Wednesday: Hollywood Hypocrisy: Robert Redford, Sundance Film Festival, and the 1%

    Wacky Wednesday: Hollywood Hypocrisy: Robert Redford, Sundance Film Festival, and the 1%

    Nothing gets me fired up like some false Class Warfare/Liberal Hypocrisy.  Robert Redford, the “Golden Boy” of American cinema, said the following about his corporate/affluent Hollywood-sponsored event: We show stories of what people in America are really dealing with, and really living...

    Read more →
  • Conservatives, Featured, Liberals A Fig for Newton?

    A Fig for Newton?

    What's all the fuss about? In the strange world outside the United States there is something called the Metric System.  Found in this peculular way of measuring things is the “Newton Meter” which gauges how much torque is applied to something.  In America, tonight, we also have a...

    Read more →
  • Featured, Liberals ObamaNation: Bonus Edition

    ObamaNation: Bonus Edition

    Mitt Romney helped carry out a useful function in a capitalist society while he was at Bain Capital… helping companies to become more efficient and stay in business… even grow.  What better representative of everything Barack Obama is against? We hope you enjoy this week’s ObamaNation: Share/Email

    Read more →