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 1:46 pm
I concur. Although Joe Wilson will be hounded, it is the President who is just as much guilty of calling people liars–not to mention the fact that HE was the one doing all the lying.
It's hard to defend a man who was obviously in the wrong, but Joe Wilson is my hero for speaking the truth when he'll probably be ruined for doing so.
September 10, 2009 at 3:21 pm
We don't live in a polite age anymore. Democrats proved that in 2005 by yelling at Bush during his lousy speeches.
If the President spends all his time lying in his speech then he deserves to be yelled at and who cares if it's "just not done."
…then again. I am a Glenn Beck fan, so, enjoy your grain of salt, I guess.
September 10, 2009 at 3:31 pm
"Joe Wilson is my hero for speaking the truth when he'll probably be ruined for doing so." -Daniel
I think it will galvanize his electorate to vote for him. (Is it a coincidence that he was a staffer for Senator Strom Thurmond of SC?)
September 10, 2009 at 3:40 pm
I was off on my way, but I noticed an article that pulled me back for a second. "Number of uninsured has jumped to 46.3 million." Gee…. I wonder why, guys that don't give tax breaks on health insurance to the unemployed. I WONDER FREAKIN' WHY.
September 10, 2009 at 3:42 pm
Let's not forget the lie about Federal dollars not paying for abortions. There's no way that anyone on the public option will get an abortion that is not publicly funded, by definition.
September 10, 2009 at 4:37 pm
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.
Fair enough I suppose, but not exactly saying that such a thing is wrong is it? The implied call of "slippery slope!" would be more reassuring if there was some indication that he wasn't just fine with where things supposedly couldn't slip to.
September 10, 2009 at 5:03 pm
This column is a big pack of lies.
September 10, 2009 at 5:07 pm
Whoah.
Did Obama just call an Alaskan private citizen/hockey mom a "prominent politician"? Seriously?
Do these folks realize that by constantly jumping to discredit her, they are keeping Sarah in the limelight?
Maybe if they decided to leave folks whose only crime is using Facebook and writing op-eds alone, they could actually pretend that she is washed-up, has-been quitter they so desparately want her to be.
Jeez, guys. Logic?
September 10, 2009 at 5:19 pm
If they spend 1/3 of the time being concerned with putting people back to work, we wouldn't need government subsidized health care. We could pay for our own!
September 10, 2009 at 6:05 pm
Mouse,
I'm fairly certain that Obama was referring to people like Chuck Grassley in his speech.
As you pointed out, she is not in the politics game anymore, no matter how much her followers want her to be.
September 10, 2009 at 6:17 pm
Yes. Because we all know how Chuck Grassley has been calling out Obama on 'death panels' and how he garners headlines every time he talks.
We all know that the pro-Grassley movement is gaining steam every single day.
Every Democrat shudders at the name "Grassley" and are even now garnering their forces to stop the Grassley machine from sweeping Chuck Grassley into the White House.
Yeah.
September 10, 2009 at 6:39 pm
Mr. Archbold,
Dems only shudder in laughter at the name of Palin, not fear. I know I do.
The only people I see garnering their forces against Palin are other republicans. Mittens, Huckster, and the like.
September 10, 2009 at 6:56 pm
Craig,
I'm going to have to disagree with you.
"we plan to set up panels of bureaucrats with the power to kill off senior citizens"
That sounds like "death panels" to me. Has any other prominent politician used this language?
And if the Dems are all really laughing at her, why would Obama feel the need to use this language when attempting to discredit a percieved opponent? If none of the other Dems are afraid of her, why is he?
I'm an independent, so I don't have a horse in either party. Its kinda fun to watch, though. 😉
September 10, 2009 at 7:00 pm
Matthew, it's not that Obama was or wasn't lying. Personally, I can't think of any politician who hasn't lied at some point in their career. It comes with the territory. But Wilson's outburst was an extreme lack of decorum, procedure, self restraint and just plain common sense. It's the bloody House of Congress, not the Jerry Springer show.
Once again, you're backing the wrong horse here. I stand with my fellow Republicans and denounce this hayseed rube who needs to get an education and act like the office to which he was elected.
September 10, 2009 at 7:12 pm
So, the hayseed rube should cheat on his taxes, run a prostitution ring and wriggle out of his problems by calling everyone terrorist racists?
Sorry, low blow.
September 10, 2009 at 7:48 pm
Mouse,
Here's what Grassley said in August:
“In the House bill, there is counseling for end of life,” Grassley said. “You have every right to fear. You shouldn’t have counseling at the end of life, you should have done that 20 years before. Should not have a government run plan to decide when to pull the plug on grandma”
Here's the article which has even more quotes and info:
http://iowaindependent.com/18456/grassley-government-shouldnt-decide-when-to-pull-the-plug-on-grandma
Also, Grassley is the ranking Republican on the Senate Finance Committee, so has a great deal to say about what goes in the Senate version of the bill whereas Palin has zero input except what she puts up on Facebook.
Also, the speech last night wasn't about attacking/discrediting Palin, she does that well enough on her own. The speech last night was about garnering support along with debunking nonsense like the death panels.
September 10, 2009 at 8:04 pm
Craig,
Well, sure, they might be referring to Grassley. But she's the one making headlines and the known to talk about death panels. And, far as I can tell, no one from the left is helping the ex-fiance of one of Grassley's kids write a book to discredit him with obvious contradictions.
The media, which, by and large, likes Obama, is ignoring Grassley and targeting Palin. What that says to me is that they perceive her to be the threat. Also, they never bothered to crucify Grassley's kids, which is unpardonable when done to anyone's children.
Why would Obama bothering refuting someone so out of the spotlight? That doesn't make sense to me.
Also, you appear to have some animus for Palin. Why?
September 10, 2009 at 8:13 pm
It certainly is a sign of the division this president has done nothing to soothe. He is an adept liar and his agenda is insidious.
Perhaps the age of treating our politicians and government institutions as though they are sacred is over. Perhaps the cynicism that all the officials we have are liars and cheats or hayseed rubes is the cause of this fall.
It seems to have started in the '90s and continues to get worse. I wonder if the rift is reparable. It does seem as though we are not one people.
September 10, 2009 at 8:26 pm
I feel like everyone is lying – dems and reps. I have no idea what the truth is about health care and I don't trust that people from either side are giving me the full truth. I think that health care DOES need some major changes as it makes me very sad that people I know cannot afford insurance, or that others are dropped because they get cancer or whatever. But I have no idea if this is a good plan because I hear conflicting things everywhere and people are flipping out. Can we all stop the name calling and arguing and have a real discussion please??
September 10, 2009 at 9:24 pm
A beyond sensible opinion these days, Anony. Neither party deserves any trust, in fact, I'm actually more for Blue Dogs in a strict "political" sense.
I'll still probably vote Republican, but man would I jump at the chance not to.