From the Fact Check Desk: President Obama Says “I Didn’t Campaign on the Public Option”

as in jobs created/saved… this is what the presidency has come to. what a great country we (used to) live in

:-)

*cough* LIAR

What’s really important is that Goldman Sachs is doing well…
“Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (NYSE:GS) announces its third-quarter results on Thursday morning and is expected to bring a tidal wave of profits with it as the New York bank continues to have one of its best years ever.” – 10/14/09, The Deal

sure sounds like he campaigned on it to me. but these bums make so many promises to so many people with no intentions to keep any of them that it probably doesn’t matter at this point. plus, his followers are so star struck by him that he could probably eat a human baby’s on national tv and his followers would explain that he was somehow mis-viewed, mis-understood, or that bush was somehow to blame for the baby eating. at least, hopefully, some of his followers are comring to understand that their transcendent hero is really nothing but another blowhard politician.

What he didn’t say was the “public option” would be govt run, that was us as usual hearing what we wanted to hear, including me.

Obama also ripped into Hilary during the primaries for wanting a mandate for health care… saying it doesn’t make sense to force someone to buy something they cannot afford… and guess what, now he has it in his bill…
And then he pummeled McCain about wanting to tax health care, saying he gives in one hand and takes away in anoter hand… and guess what.. he has taxes in his bill.
So now I have heard it all.

Nobody believes this liar. His lies and corruption are catching up with him.
We can only hope we can stop this bunch before they ruin this great country.

No other president except Clinton’s wife ever WANTED govt health care because the American people who work and support this nation DON’T WANT GOVT RATIONED HEALTH CARE. It took 10 years for the Democratic party to recover from the Clinton push for tax paid health care. Because the people don’t want it. Reform yes…govt intervention NO!

when all you do is lie, it becomes tough to keep track of the truth!

This is kind of like closing Guantanamo!

The President, his wife, Congressmen, their families, and their staffs are all EXEMPT from the healthcare reform mandates.

“Reproductive services” is slick political speech code word for “Abortion”. We all know that, so let’s not mince words and let’s keeps things on the level shall we Mr. President?

He is on record, several times, in support of single payer plans so anyway you cut it a single payer plan is a public option.
These current swirls;house and senate versions, Harry liken to LBJ etc there are 2 important facts that stand out; benefits won’t begin for 4 years and politicians are exempt from this program.
Hope, change, transparentcy? These guys with the bribes, payoffs, promises are a disgusting bunch to say the least and I am pleased to see so many here and everywhere else state their dissatisfaction to this nonsense.

Joe Wilson is looking more and more like the child in the Emperor’s New Clothes, who called out, “The Emperor is naked.”
“Fool!” his father reprimanded, running after him. “Don’t talk nonsense!” He grabbed his child and took him away.
But the boy’s remark, which had been heard by the bystanders, was repeated over and over again until everyone cried:
“The boy is right! The Emperor is naked! It’s true!”
Obama lied.

Progressive Mama, what specifically are you saying about Bachman and Palin?
You admit Obama lied but you obsure the fact with a smear on two strong conservative women.
What is it about “progressive” liberal women that they need to attack other women. I am so tired of the “mean girl” attitude that is so pervasive amongst the lefty women (if you are indeed a woman).

On September 26, 2008, during the first presidential debate, Candidate Obama stated:
“And, absolutely, we need earmark reform. And when I’m president, I will go line by line to make sure that we are not spending money unwisely.”
Look at the proposed Senate health care bill, Mr. President. All the wheeling and dealing, bribes and payoffs look like money being spent unwisely to me.

What is it about “progressive” liberal women that they need to attack other women. I am so tired of the “mean girl” attitude that is so pervasive amongst the lefty women (if you are indeed a woman).
Posted by: The Audacity of Copenhagen | Dec 23, 2009 1:37:09 PM
Are you preaching? Lecturing?
I think all politicians end up sounding like liars– whether they’re actually lying or changing positions or covering all bases or its a matter of nuance that doesn’t translate well in our sound bite media culture is up to the individual to decide for themselves. However Politifact and other nonpartisan fact checks did give quite a few pants on fires to Bachmann and Palin–they stand out. In fact, Palin got the lie of the year– the big whopper, so to speak. So, its fair to bring them up as they’re front and center when it comes to spreading the biggest falsehoods.
I don’t consider that a “mean girl” attack. I take it you’re not all that familiar with actual “mean girls” though they tend to use tactics that seem well within your comfort zone and experience.

Are you preaching? Lecturing?
Neither. I am not a religious person nor a college professor. I am stating my opinion.
Palin did not lie about the death panels. She gave them a more realistic name, but she did not lie. Politifact is wrong. Congress took out the wording which was referred to as “death panels” (but they are back). How do you take something out if it didn’t exist?
Back to the “line by line” quote by Obama:
Last weekend, the Senate passed an omnibus spending bill that contained 5,224 disclosed earmarks worth $3.9 billion, according to Taxpayers for Common Sense. Then this past Saturday morning, the Senate passed a Defense spending bill for fiscal 2010 that included 1,720 disclosed earmarks worth $4.2 billion.

From Sarah Palin, herself (In a hurry? Read the last paragraph):
No one is certain of what’s in the bill, but Senator Jim DeMint spotted one shocking revelation regarding the section in the bill describing the Independent Medicare Advisory Board (now called the Independent Payment Advisory Board), which is a panel of bureaucrats charged with cutting health care costs on the backs of patients – also known as rationing.
Apparently Reid and friends have changed the rules of the Senate so that the section of the bill dealing with this board can’t be repealed or amended without a 2/3 supermajority vote. Senator DeMint said:
“This is a rule change. It’s a pretty big deal. We will be passing a new law and at the same time creating a senate rule that makes it out of order to amend or even repeal the law.
I’m not even sure that it’s constitutional, but if it is, it most certainly is a senate rule. I don’t see why the majority party wouldn’t put this in every bill.
If you like your law, you most certainly would want it to have force for future senates. I mean, we want to bind future congresses.
This goes to the fundamental purpose of senate rules: to prevent a tyrannical majority from trampling the rights of the minority or of future congresses.”
In other words, Democrats are protecting this rationing “death panel” from future change with a procedural hurdle. You have to ask why they’re so concerned about protecting this particular provision.
Could it be because bureaucratic rationing is one important way Democrats want to “bend the cost curve” and keep health care spending down?
The Congressional Budget Office seems to think that such rationing has something to do with cost.
In a letter to Harry Reid last week, CBO Director Douglas Elmendorf noted (with a number of caveats) that the bill’s calculations call for a reduction in Medicare’s spending rate by about 2 percent in the next two decades, but then he writes the kicker:
“It is unclear whether such a reduction in the growth rate could be achieved, and if so, whether it would be accomplished through greater efficiencies in the delivery of health care or would reduce access to care or diminish the quality of care.”
Though Nancy Pelosi and friends have tried to call “death panels” the “lie of the year,” this type of rationing – what the CBO calls “reduc[ed] access to care” and “diminish[ed] quality of care” – is precisely what I meant when I used that metaphor.

When you have an ego the size of Obama’s the assumption is–they love me so much, anything I say is automatically accepted.
That was probably how he got elected.
53% of the country was in awe.
Now–not so much.

Thank you! This article was the clearest and most concise of the several I looked through today trying to get a real idea of what Obama really did and didn’t say.

Obama….
The constant lying.
The childish whining.
The staggering arrogance.
The poisonous radicalism.
The dangerous narcissism.
The astounding incompetence.
Obama wants to put as much of the private economy under government control as possible to create his nanny state utopia where he is the boy king.
Let’s continue to stand strong against The Obama Buffoon in every way and get Congress out of the hands of the insane Pelosi and Reid in 2010.
Obama is a smug, smirking con man. Nothing more.

Posted by: The Audacity of Copenhagen | Dec 23, 2009 2:00:42 PM
Posted by: The Audacity of Copenhagen | Dec 23, 2009 2:12:28 PM
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I find Politifact’s call on it more accurate. And I’m in agreement with this post at Washington Monthly’s Political Animal: “MEDIA MANIPULATION AT ITS MOST INANE…. You’ve probably noticed the phenomenon. Former half-term Gov. Sarah Palin will say something ridiculous on Facebook or Twitter, which immediately becomes “news,” regardless of merit. There’s a problem with this that goes beyond news outlets’ comically poor judgment on what constitutes a noteworthy political development…. Take the “death panels” garbage. Palin made the insane claim on Facebook, which effectively became a press release that outlets were only too happy to embrace, without scrutiny…I’m often concerned that if some of her more unhinged policy claims go unchallenged, people may not realize how absurd they are. (A key difference between blog coverage of Palin and, say, CNN’s coverage of Palin is that we tend to do fact-checking.)”
She’s politically savvy, I’ll give her that. And she’s feisty, and determined. I don’t “hate her” or want to rip her to shreds and I don’t like the sexism used against her. I also don’t like attacks on her family –BUT I don’t consider truth, accuracy or honesty a strong suit by any stretch of the imagination. And I do hate the ridiculousness of some things she says.
She lies. She may not realize she’s lying, but I chalk it up to political savviness. I think she knows what she’s doing.
And I’ve noticed she and her followers rarely miss an opportunity to rip on another mother of five with guts– Nancy Pelosi.

She lies. She may not realize she’s lying, but I chalk it up to political savviness. I think she knows what she’s doing.
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Either that or her command of her thoughts and the language is just simply weak.
Polifact calls her ‘death panels’, the lie of the year – I support that. She scared millions of elderly people with her stupid comment.

There is nothing in Palin’s statement that “rips” on Pelosi. Read it again.
Back to Obama’s statement, “And, absolutely, we need earmark reform. And when I’m president, I will go line by line to make sure that we are not spending money unwisely.”
From The Corner
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
BREAKING: Senate to Vote Today on Earmark-Vote Trading [Robert Costa]
In a surprise move, Sen. Jim DeMint (R., S.C.), chairman of the Senate Steering Committee, will seek a vote this afternoon on an amendment to prohibit the practice of trading votes for earmarks in the United States Senate.
“Americans are disgusted by the earmarks, kickbacks, and backroom deals that have been used to buy votes for this health-care takeover,” says DeMint to NRO.
“I hope we can put every senator on record on whether they support this legislative bribery, and we’ll know who is part of the problem.”
12/23 12:50 PMShare
But, President Obama’s “will go line by line to make sure that we are not spending money unwisely” in the health care bill… Right?

That’s because Nancy Pelosi is an enemy of the state. Posted by: Jenn | Dec 23, 2009 2:59:25 PM
Oh, I see. Well, if we’re going to be ridiculous, then let’s say I think Sarah Palin is an enemy of truth, open-mindedness, progress, science, goodwill, equal opportunity,right to privacy, ethics, fairplay, big cities, and the rest of America that doesn’t fall under what she deems “real.”

Oh, I see. Well, if we’re going to be ridiculous, then let’s say I think Sarah Palin is an enemy of truth, open-mindedness, progress, science, goodwill, equal opportunity,right to privacy, ethics, fairplay, big cities, and the rest of America that doesn’t fall under what she deems “real.”
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Hard to forget Palin included Ireland as a country she had visited – when it was just a place her plane landed on route to somewhere else. Not exactly a lie, she visited the tarmac.

Even foreign governments are starting to understand. Obama’s words dont match his actions. He is a man with no moral judgement. Ive never been so disappointed in a human being as I am with this president. I wont ever trust another leader again. Ill just stay home for elections. Its not worth it anymore.

tierra and progressive mama, how did jake’s post on whether or not obama was truthful about the public option turn into a pelosi v. palin issue? (and if you say that someone else brought it up, this still does not explain to me why you cannot stay on the issue of obama’s veracity)
in the words of the obama white house: pure distraction!

and if you say that someone else brought it up, this still does not explain to me why you cannot stay on the issue of obama’s veracity
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Now that is weak, not complaining about the ones who ‘brought it up’ but focusing on us . .. weak

“It is almost laughable to hear Republicans attempt to defend Medicare and Social Security when they would rather do away with both.. ”
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I agree, the Republicans have been inept at instituting reform when they’ve held power. We did see Bush increase drug payments for seniors, but he did this on a credit card with no way of paying for it.

Hard to forget Palin included Ireland as a country she had visited – when it was just a place her plane landed on route to somewhere else. Not exactly a lie, she visited the tarmac.
Posted by: tierra |
Compare and contrast…
“I believe in natural gas as a clean, cheap alternative to fossil fuels,” – Speaker of the House and fossil fool Nancy Pelosi

how did jake’s post… turn into a pelosi v. palin issue?
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Read the thread. its a simple comment-response-comment thing though you seem not to like that answer and would rather use point-weakening questions to frame the conversation the way you wish it to go, while hurling an accusation.
As I originally said, Jake hit the nail on the head in the opener: It depends on what the meaning of “campaign” is.
I don’t see this as a huge issue. For some, it is. Personally, I never saw a government run public option as a cornerstone of his health plan and I never thought a robust enough public option would make it through the House and Senate. I don’t find the Senate bill plan to be significantly different from what he campaigned on, or significantly different from what the tea leaves showed that we’d likely get. I think it was wise to leave the public option on the table as long as possible since at one point the Republicans were going after the exchanges too. I think the netroots were given an opportunity to push, and they weren’t able to flip anybody. I think the admin didn’t want the whole thing to unravel, and they didn’t push for things as much as progressives further on the left wanted them to.
But I’m not displeased.
I think its disingenuous to call out certain folks as ” liars” and not others– some might think that’s a distraction. I don’t.

-Pelosi makes me want to vomit.-
Go work in her vineyard, you’ll feel better about her!

My idea is that Pelosi and Palin ought to debate
—
Unless Palin runs for Congress and challenges Pelosi for the Speaker role, I don’t see much point in that. Perhaps, the win would be in the eye of the beholder. I find them both admirable as strong women out there doing their thing– but I find Palin more savvy and gifted with coming up with catchy sound bites and charming the crowd than wonky on issues, and I agree with Pelosi on a wide range of issues.
Hillary, Olympia, Kay Bailey Hutchinson and some others would destroy them both in a debate, imho.
Aside: yes this is another comment-response thing which could be viewed as a distraction. No intent to offend.

How is Obama Care being paid for?
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Check the CBO reviews of the legislation. Lots of information in there about how this is being paid for and their assessment of the effects on the deficit.

Posted by: progressive mama | Dec 23, 2009 3:59:12 PM
It would appear the only thing holding back a public option is a few votes in the Senate.

Another day another Obama Lie.

Check the CBO reviews of the legislation. Lots of information in there about how this is being paid for and their assessment of the effects on the deficit.
Posted by: tierra | Dec 23, 2009 4:03:39 PM
Does it include an assessment on what 30 million unisured will do until 2013 or later without health care insurance? Will the cost of trips to the ER be counted for those without insurance for the next 3 years?

Iraq.

So she left out ‘other’ . .. big deal.
Posted by: tierra | Dec 23, 2009 4:08:54 PM
You’re assuming she left it out. You know what happens when you assume?
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Yes, ‘other’ should have been in there, so it was left out.
What a petty point to attack someone on . .. nothing too petty for the anti-Democrats.

I respectfully disagree with President Obama.
Supposedly ‘rescuing’ the economy was NOT the most important task — since it’s still not rescued and still held captive by the EMPIRE.
Nor is this ‘Health Care’ (sic) bill, which reminds me of the illogic of the Vietnam War: “It became necessary to destroy the bill in order to save it”
The most important agenda task for any American president is to expose and confront the ruling-elite Global corporate/financial/militarist EMPIRE — which controls our country by hiding behind the facade of its two-party ‘Vichy’ sham of democracy (aided by the equally ‘Vichy’ MSM).
Obama did not do this most important task.
But, hey, he never claimed that he would confront the EMPIRE that actually controls our country — in fact he never even mentioned this hidden EMPIRE.
So I guess it is right to say that he didn’t overtly lie about this, although he, like all U.S. presidents has lied by omission in not leveling with the American people about the EMPIRE that controls our country.
The last U.S. President to actually talk about this reality was Eisenhower (as he left office), although JFK quietly worked behind the scenes to confront the ruling-elite corporate/financial/militarist EMPIRE (as he also left office — for doing so).
F. Scott Fitzgerald knew and famously wrote about the end the American Dream, — “where the dark fields of the republic (turned to EMPIRE and) rolled on under the night”.
Alan M, Maine

So that would make obama a liar. Thank for clarifying that for us, Jake. But we already knew this about obama. He lies about everything for political gain, power, and control.

These 3 countries participated in the Manhatten Project to develop nuclear technology.
Who are the United States, Great Britain and… (drumroll please) C A N A D A !!!
Correct!

:-)
Posted by: Joe Wilson | Dec 23, 2009 10:52:59 AM
——————————–
Worth repeating! lol

And IMO from Canada – might as well say it since it will get removed anyway.
LOL. I didn’t catch the “Eh?”. j/k

This is as bald a lie as a politician can tell. Does he expect anyone to believe that?
He campaigned on the public option.
He campaigned on having Medicare negotiate drug prices.
He campaigned on drug reimportation.
He campaigned on a transparent process that would be televised on C-SPAN.
He campaigned on not having mandates.
He campaigned on not taxing health care benefits.
He broke every single one of those. He knows it. We know it. And yet he still lies about it.

You should report when Obama doesn’t lie. Now that will be news.

barry obama lies so much that I am surprised that his tongue hasn’t swelled up, turned black and dropped clean out of his lying mouth.

“Seems a bit of an exaggeration, however at least he hasn’t taunted the enemy to ‘bring it on’ like the last President – resulting in the deaths of who knows how many American soldiers.”
Nope, it’s not an exaggeration.

A third party will guarantee Obama’s reelection, so please don’t do it.

“Polifact calls her ‘death panels’, the lie of the year – I support that. She scared millions of elderly people with her stupid comment.”
—
I see. So we’re going to magically cut Medicare and not reduce services? How wonderful. You’d have to be seriously delusional to buy that one.

“Polifact calls her ‘death panels’, the lie of the year – I support that. She scared millions of elderly people with her stupid comment.”
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Yes, Palin was a complete liar talking about ‘Death Panels’ – there are no ‘Death Panels’ in either piece of legislation.
Palin is – how shall I put this – dumb as a doorknob. And you even worse to support her lies.

Steve said: “He broke every single one of those. He knows it. We know it. And yet he still lies about it.”
—
That’s exactly right. That’s exactly what pathological liars *do* — they lie even though they’re aware that their listener knows they are lying. That’s what agressive narcissists do, too, and borderlines. It’s unclear what Obama’s personality disorder is, but it’s clear he’s got one of the worst ones (heck, he’s probably got two or three of ‘em).

How many times has he lied?? I guess we’d have to know how many times he’s opened his mouth. The number is the same.

“Willam Ayers is just a guy in my neighborhood” – Lie; “I never heard what Rev. Wright was saying though I sat in his pew for 20 years” – Lie, “I will not sign a bill with Earmarks” – Lie, “No tax increases for those who make below $250,000″ – Lie; “US Forces only fly over Afganistan and drop bombs killing innocent women and children” – Lie; “Iran is a small nation, not a threat to anyone” – Lie; Obama is so full of Lies, it is rare whenhe tells the truth – He is a man-child and is not qualified to be President; is he a natural born US citizen? – NO.

We all should have health care, but not “Obama” who chooses it and what it involves.
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The health care legislation has not been drawn up by the President. It’s been drawn up by the house and the senate.

Obama lied case closed. Any effort to claim otherwise or deflect critism by bring up other people or other topics is ignoring the documented facts and makes one come off as a kool-aid drinking ignoramus. This was a self inflicted wound. He could have stated that the votes were not there to get all that he wanted. I understand that anyone who speaks enough is bound to contradict themselves but I don’t believe this was one of the instances. Sometimes you just need to admit your guy screwed up.

tierra:
Just curious…is your blind faith in this man because he is black or because he’s a radical lefty?
It seems you defend him when really, there is no way to rationalize some of his lies and the damage he is doing…It’s gotta be something other than just his policies….you seem to have a personal loyalty to him that you defend him this way and attack anyone who disagrees…
just wondering…