Republican congressman Joe Wilson yelled “You lie” to Obama during his healthcare speech and there’s been a great deal of stink over it which eventually led to Wilson’s appropriate apology. But that doesn’t change that what Wilson said was absolutely entirely without question 100% dead on accurate.
Obama lied last night. A lot.
And while politicians I’d never heard of came out of the speech running up to cameras to call out Wilson, can’t we even mention the fact that the President of the United States called Sarah Palin a liar last night? As Ace points out, Obama called Palin a liar in his speech when he said this:
Some of people’s concerns have grown out of bogus claims spread by those whose only agenda is to kill reform at any cost. The best example is the claim, made not just by radio and cable talk show hosts, but prominent politicians, that we plan to set up panels of bureaucrats with the power to kill off senior citizens. Such a charge would be laughable if it weren’t so cynical and irresponsible. It is a lie, plain and simple.
You can say he didn’t mention her by name but nobody didn’t know who he was talking about. So Obama can call Palin a liar and that’s cool. But when one congressman blurts it out that’s way over the line.
Cut me a break, OK?
Never mind that the AP essentially came out last night and concurred that Obama is a liar of the big fat variety. Except the AP calls Obama’s lies “omissions” or “oversimplifications.”
Psst. That’s code for lie.
The AP concludes that Obama uses “iffy math.” But here’s the thing. Math is pretty simple in at least one way. In the end, it’s either right or wrong. There’s no iffy. But hey, that’s the closest the AP can come to criticizing THE ONE so we’ll take it, I guess.
These are a few of the lies…I mean oversimplifications told by Obama, according to the AP:
OBAMA: “I will not sign a plan that adds one dime to our deficits either now or in the future. Period.”
THE FACTS: Though there’s no final plan yet, the White House and congressional Democrats already have shown they’re ready to skirt the no-new-deficits pledge.
House Democrats offered a bill that the Congressional Budget Office said would add $220 billion to the deficit over 10 years…
OBAMA: “Nothing in this plan will require you or your employer to change the coverage or the doctor you have.”
THE FACTS: …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…
OBAMA: “Don’t pay attention to those scary stories about how your benefits will be cut. … That will never happen on my watch. I will protect Medicare.”
THE FACTS: Obama and congressional Democrats want to pay for their health care plans in part by reducing Medicare payments to providers by more than $500 billion over 10 years. The cuts would largely hit hospitals and Medicare Advantage, the part of the Medicare program operated through private insurance companies.
Although wasteful spending in Medicare is widely acknowledged, many experts believe some seniors almost certainly would see reduced benefits from the cuts. That’s particularly true for the 25 percent of Medicare users covered through Medicare Advantage.
So while I don’t want congressmen yelling out at Presidents in the middle of speeches, at least Joe Wilson told the truth when he called Obama a liar. Obama lied about Palin being a liar. And then he lied about the costs of his plan. He lied about who it would cover. He lied about Medicare. He lied….He lied…He lied…
Update: Santorum defends Palin.
September 10, 2009 at 10:22 pm
Honestly, since none of us has gotten to see the bill yet, I don't know if Wilson was right about Obama's plan funding illegal immigrants or not. But what I DO know is that it was NOT an appropriate forum for him to make that comment. He could have very easily gotten the ear of any number of journalists afterwards and explained his views, or done so in any number of legitimate ways. What he did just makes Republicans look bad. There is no doubt about this.
It's like when that pudgy, mentally challenged delinquent carved a "B" into her face right before the election. I (and a number of people, including Michelle Malkin) saw it was immediately a hoax. And I said to myself, "well, there goes the election." Why? Because it made Republicans look bad, like we were out to do or say anything to win.
Even though Wilson is his own man and the chick who likes to carve herself is her own…er…woman(?), they were both working for the Republican party at the times of their incidents. Do we not have any screeners anymore????
September 10, 2009 at 11:14 pm
Let's face it, Sarah Palin, agree or disagree with her, was correct and for Obama to call her out at a presidential address was tawdry at best, sneering at worst. She's struck a nerve and we all ought to tell her to "Go for it!"
September 10, 2009 at 11:25 pm
Anon at 5:22: Why does that make Republicans look bad? I was pleased to see someone with an "R" after his name actually voice opposition instead of pandering and reaching across the aisle. He certainly represented ME and probably a lot of other people. I seem to recall that, back in the old days, there were actual fights and beatings in the Congress; this is far more mild than that. I don't know if you are genuinely concerned or not, but I truly believe that more people would applaud Joe Wilson than feel he embarrased the "party"
September 11, 2009 at 12:38 am
To paraphrase Harry Truman, if you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen. I am proud of Congressman Joe Wilson, and only sorry that he apologized for being right.
This isn't some kind of polite tea party…these are life and death matters that could force us into chosing whether or not to support mandated abortion and euthanasia or wind up in prison. The Democrats en masse, with then Senator Barack Hussein Obama in the forefront, mocked President Bush during his 2006 State of the Nation address, and slandered him up and down without any protests from Leftist anonymous bloggers.
What would we do with a British parliamentary environment where feisty give and take is part of being a grown up not a wimp. Now why are we not looking at the real villian here…the guy who called for a presentation in front of the joint houses of Congress to promote his own personal agenda for our Republic. We need to start thinking of impeachment in 2011, not apologies.
September 11, 2009 at 2:33 am
Meg, it's congress, not a tractor pull. Re-read my post and if you still have difficulties with the concept, then so be it.
September 11, 2009 at 3:07 am
I read it fine the first time, and am well aware that it's Congress! I don't think I'm the one having difficulties with the concept, LOL
September 11, 2009 at 5:16 am
Congress and the President are acting like children pretending to be adults. They are playing at formality and decorum, and when that's violated they cry.
September 11, 2009 at 6:15 am
Last I checked, Tea Parties aren't polite any more, John.
Ba-da-zing! And just like that, it's Friday.
September 11, 2009 at 2:15 pm
Anon 5:22,
we have gotten to see the House bill, and the President's speech was just a book report of it. You can read it for yourself, all 1,018 pages of it and check out the amendments at the House Energy and Commerce Committeee website.
September 12, 2009 at 2:13 pm
Mouse,
The only reason mainstream media (MSM)talks about Palin is because they love controversy, not because she is a threat. Palin is guaranteed to give MSM a quote they can run with.
There's a reason so many people know so little about what's actually at stake in the healthcare debate and that reason is MSM. Doing actual research and explaining it to the masses is too hard and boring for them.
Both the left and the right complain endlessly about the media and say they are biased when the fact is, for the most part, they are all about entertainment and sensationalism nowadays and could care less about doing actual reporting.
Also, I have no real animus for Palin. I expect she'll have some sort of talk show on Fox soon since she is popular with the Republican noise machine set.
September 12, 2009 at 2:13 pm
Mouse,
The only reason mainstream media (MSM)talks about Palin is because they love controversy, not because she is a threat. Palin is guaranteed to give MSM a quote they can run with.
There's a reason so many people know so little about what's actually at stake in the healthcare debate and that reason is MSM. Doing actual research and explaining it to the masses is too hard and boring for them.
Both the left and the right complain endlessly about the media and say they are biased when the fact is, for the most part, they are all about entertainment and sensationalism nowadays and could care less about doing actual reporting.
Also, I have no real animus for Palin. I expect she'll have some sort of talk show on Fox soon since she is popular with the Republican noise machine set.
September 13, 2009 at 3:08 pm
Can you give me an example of something she's said that that's ridiculous. I must be pretty sheltered to have missed out on it. Context also, please.
Personally, I like her. She's a lot like the folks I knew growing up, family problems and all.
September 13, 2009 at 4:58 pm
Mouse,
She is like a lot of folks, but she does say inflammatory things that the media loves to focus on.
The whole Obama "death panel" comment was incendiary and did nothing to contribute to the healthcare debate, but that's all the talking heads of the media want to discuss and that is sad.
September 13, 2009 at 5:41 pm
Craig, the whole "death panel comment" was accurate. The bureaucrats making decisions about life and death can be called "death panels". Palin is right AND willing to speak when everyone else wants to through their hands up and roll-over.
Obama attacking her – that is what inflammatory. Obama lying about the plans – including, but not limited to federal money going to abortion. That is inflammatory. People trying to rush some plan without careful consideration, that is inflammatory.
September 13, 2009 at 8:38 pm
RobKPhD,
Obama did not attack her, as I stated in the comments above. The "death panel" comment was not accurate because insurance company bureaucracies are denying coverage to people every single day in order to maintain their profits and give bonuses to employees for doing it. The patient nor the healthcare provider get to decide a patient's fate in this country.
Also, there is careful consideration going on but you wouldn't know it by listening to MSM.
The abortion debate can be hashed out but you cannot deny the fact that 90% of all the private insurers offer abortion coverage and I don't see anybody attacking them for doing that.
September 13, 2009 at 8:58 pm
Craig, you have all kinds of assumptions in there.
Firs, read the original CMR report- Obama did all but name her in calling her a liar – I heard him myself, I concur that this is what he was doing.
There is something different between a company being allowed to do something (abortion), and forcing me to pay for it by my government. I would love to make it illegal all together, but right now we are fighting against the expansion BO wants to implement (and he lied about in his speech).
Second, because companies do something does not mean the government should do it.
Third, there is nothing immoral with a just profit. If there is something that someone is doing unjustly or illegally, let's address it, not have just claim it and then have government take over.
Fourth, If a company does something wrong or even illegal. We have recourse to the government. When the government does it – whom will we have recourse to?
September 13, 2009 at 11:41 pm
Craig,
Sorry, this is going to be short, since I'm short on time and haven't had a chance to look at all the sources you posted yet.
So, if the "death panels" comment (what was the whole thing again?) did nothing to contribute to the debate, why did congress change the bill the next day to address the concerns of the folks who thought "death panels" was accurate?
September 14, 2009 at 2:01 am
RobKPhD,
It is you who are assuming that he was talking about Palin, not I.
We are all being forced to pay insurance companies to pay for abortions. My choice at work is to go with my company's choice for health insurance or not be covered at all.
You say it is not immoral to profit off of people's suffering and death? Wow. And people on this site tell me I support the "culture of death".
Insurance companies are bankrupting and killing people every day and laughing all the way to the bank. That's why something needs to be done about it.
September 14, 2009 at 2:59 am
Hey, Craig,
Just on your last comment (I'm on my way to bed). I see why you're passionate about health insurance reform. I agree that insurance companies can be very unprincipled. Because our insurance company was screwing us over, we had to switch to Medicare to deal with some pregnancy complications that our insurance company refused to pay for, even though we paid our sky-high premiums every month (my husband is a student, so we currently don't get insurance through an employer). It's not a point of pride that we're recieving assitance, to say the least. And we only really used it for the appointments dealing directly with the complications (we employed a midwife for our youngest, and we paid for her ourselves). As soon as my husband gets a job, we can go back to having regular insurance.
I'm just not sure the answer is to turn the entire operation over to the government. I'm all about reforming a corrupt system, but couldn't a third-party "watch-dog" program be set in place to keep the insurers from committing fraud? I'm just a bit suspicious of beaurocracy myself, and, where I live, even the Medicare system is pretty broken. If they can't keep that running in a major city, can the government be trusted with all of it, lock, stock and barrel?
And, incidentally, I think "culture of death" refers to a culture in which human life is negotiable. This could be insurance companies refusing life-saving meds because of cost, abortion on demand, or any form of slavery. I dislike it when the phrase is slung around casually to label someone we disagree with.
September 14, 2009 at 11:10 am
Mouse,
Did you get a chance to read the articles I linked to over on the "Will We March with the Death Cult?" post?
This reform bill isn't nationalizing the entire healthcare system, not even close. In fact the public option isn't even guaranteed to be in the final bill.
Right now, insurance companies are not committing fraud and cheerfully told to Congress that they will never stop denying people coverage for pre-existing conditions. Insurance companies are required by law to maximze profits, they are not required to help the people who merely pay them money to be insured as you, unfortunately, found out first hand.
It is absolutely wonderful that you and your family were able to get assistance from the government when your insurance company screwed you! Sadly, that is not the case for the majority of Americans.