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.

 

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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 =-.

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