GOP: Obama lied about health insurance law
President Obama acknowledges that he was wrong when he said Americans could keep their existing health plans under the Affordable Care Act. He鈥檚 apologized, and he鈥檚 told insurance companies they should let people keep those plans for a year.
But has that mollified Republicans eager to kill Obamacare, either outright or by draining it of all meaning? No way. If anything, this perceived weakness has them sharpening their political rhetoric.
On Saturday, their designated attacker as much as said Obama lied when he repeatedly assured the public, 鈥淚f you like your doctor, you will be able to keep your doctor. Period. If you like your health-care plan, you will be able to keep your health-care plan. Period. No one will take it away. No matter what.鈥�
Among the phrases used by Sen. Ron Johnson (R) of Wisconsin in the weekly GOP : 鈥減hony鈥raudulent鈥rand deception鈥alse promises.鈥�
鈥淧resident Obama's so-called apology was as phony as his fraudulent marketing of Obamacare,鈥� Sen. Johnson said.
鈥淭hose assurances weren't slight exaggerations or innocent shadings of the truth. They were statements that were fully vetted, coldly calculated, and carefully crafted to deceptively sell your health care plan to a trusting public,鈥� Johnson charged. 鈥淚t was a political fraud echoed relentlessly by House and Senate Democrats who should be held accountable for the disastrous consequences of their grand deception.鈥�
鈥淐onsumer fraud this massive in the private sector could 鈥� and should 鈥� bear serious legal ramifications,鈥� he said. 鈥淔or President Obama, however, it helped secure enough votes to pass Obamacare, and win reelection.鈥�
Whether or not Obama knew early on that some people would be kicked off their health insurance policies may never be known. There鈥檚 no smoking gun 鈥� no secret Oval Office tape 鈥� so far.
But large numbers of Americans 鈥� already fed up with the debacle 鈥� are not inclined to give him the benefit of the doubt.
Asked whether Obama 鈥渒nowingly deceived the public when he said that if people liked their health insurance plans they would be able to keep them under the 2010 health care law,鈥� 46 percent of respondents in the latest Quinnipiac University National Poll say 鈥測es,鈥� including 17 percent of Democrats and 51 percent of independents. (Forty-seven percent say 鈥渘o.鈥�)
A new Fox News聽poll came up with similar results: half of those surveyed believe the president knowingly lied when he made the notorious 鈥測ou can keep it鈥� pledge, nearly 60 percent believe the administration knew ahead of time that people would have their health insurance policies canceled because of the law, and 55 percent think the White House has 鈥渢ried to deceive鈥� people about it.
With midterm elections around the corner, Republicans are stalking political prey 鈥� especially any Democratic incumbents who voted for Obamacare. And they鈥檙e using Obama鈥檚 鈥済rand deception,鈥� as Sen. Johnson put it Saturday, in politically predatory fashion.
"There's nothing more damaging than when your word is devalued and people think they were misled," Rep. Greg Walden, (R) of Oregon, who heads the National Republican Congressional Committee, the House GOP's campaign arm, told the Associated Press. "And especially damaging is when it actually affects you and your family. So in terms of degree of impact, this is off the Richter scale."
For his part, Obama might have been expected to talk about the Affordable Care Act in his radio and Internet address Saturday.
But at this point, it鈥檚 actions instead of words that will be judged. And to dwell on it in this venue 鈥� apologizing some more, promising that things will get better with HealthCare.gov 鈥� would look like he鈥檚 trapped in one issue.
In , Obama talked about energy policy.
鈥淛ust this week, we learned that for the first time in nearly two decades, the United States of America now produces more of our own oil here at home than we buy from other countries,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 a big deal.聽That鈥檚 a tremendous step towards American energy independence.鈥�
