Ron Fournier:
A lie is apolitical, or at least it should be. If there is one thing that unites clear-headed Americans, it’s a belief that our leaders must be transparent and honest.
And yet, there seem to be two types of lies in our political discourse: Those that hurt “my party” and “my policies”; and those that don’t. We condemn the former and forgive the latter—cheapening the bond of trust that enables a society to progress.
This truism came to mind when I read a Washington Post story headlined, “Who Is Jonathon Gruber?” It was an important and workmanlike report on the Obamacare adviser who bragged about the political advantages of deceiving voters, whom Gruber called stupid.
“Those comments have struck a nerve on the right,” wrote Jose A. DelReal (emphasis added), “with some of the law’s critics pointing to Gruber’s comments as evidence that the administration intentionally deceived the American public on the costs of the programs.”
My first reaction was, “No! No! Not just on the right!” I strongly support bipartisan efforts to expand the availability of health coverage to the working poor, and bending the cost curve that threatens federal budgets for years to come. While I think President Obama and congressional Democrats helped contribute to the 2009 standoff over what became the Affordable Care Act, I’ve openly rooted for Obamacare’s success. I’ve denounced the knee-jerk opposition from the GOP, a party that once embraced key elements of Obamacare. My ideology is amorphous; I am not “on the right.”
All of that, and yet: Gruber’s remarks struck a nerve with me.
Appearing on an academic panel a year ago, this key Obamacare adviser argued that the law never would have passed if the administration had been honest about the fact that the so-called penalty for noncompliance with the mandate was actually a tax.
“And, basically, call it ‘the stupidity of the American voter,’ or whatever, but basically that was really, really critical to getting the thing to pass,” Gruber said.
He called you stupid. He admitted that the White House lied to you. Its officials lied to all of us—Republicans, Democrats, and independents; rich and poor; white and brown; men and women.
Liberals should be the angriest. Not only were they personally deceived, but the administration’s dishonest approach to health care reform has helped make Obamacare unpopular while undermining the public’s faith in an activist government. A double blow to progressives.
What a surprise.
Obamacare is based totally on lies.
You were told you could keep your doctor and your insurance if you liked them. You cannot.
You were told it wasn’t a tax, and it only passed SCOTUS review as a tax.
You were told it would decrease the cost of insurance by $2500/yr for a family of 4. Costs have gone up.
You were told it would be deficit neutral, and it is not.
You were told only states that set up state exchanges would be able to obtain taxpayer subsidies for premiums, but when only 14 states were stupid enough to do it, Obama is fighting in court saying that was never the intent of the law.
You were told dismissively that there were no “death panels”, yet that is what IPAB is.
You were told healthcare.gov would run smoothly but it was a disaster.
Everything the dems claimed about obamacare was a lie. Only now are leftists being forced to accept these lies, because of Gruber being exposed as a liar on video.
Obamacare delenda est.
Speak for yourself Mr. Fournier. I don’t care what party the politician is, I for one want the truth from our nation’s leaders when they are talking to us.