Barack Obama is a man that often needs both fact-checking and pointing out that what he’s saying isn’t meshing with what he said the other day. Indeed, here’s a great article on Prose Before Hos that shows a downright depressing battery of fundamental flip-flops Obama’s made between the campaign trail and his presidency. Hell, that huge change between campaign promises and presidential actions is another way Obama mirrored bush.
But sometimes people just get stupid, and the AP’s latest attempt at “fact-checking” is so full of holes I’m surprised all their letters didn’t just fall right through onto the floor.
The first paragraph is a hedgy mess, placing Obama’s “the government will let you keep your private insurance if you want” statement in juxtaposition with possibilities of the government maybe eliminating some private insurance if the plan expands. Also mentioned is that the government would determine what is and isn’t covered under each plans, and not let private insurers drop clients if they get too sick. A big stretch, but not terrible.
Then things get dumb.
OBAMA: “I have also pledged that health insurance reform will not add to our deficit over the next decade, and I mean it.”
THE FACTS: The president has said repeatedly that he wants “deficit-neutral” health care legislation, meaning that every dollar increase in cost is met with a dollar of new revenue or a dollar of savings. But some things are more neutral than others. White House Budget Director Peter Orszag told reporters this week that the promise does not apply to proposed spending of about $245 billion over the next decade to increase fees for doctors serving Medicare patients. Democrats and the Obama administration argue that the extra payment, designed to prevent a scheduled cut of about 21 percent in doctor fees, already was part of the administration’s policy, with or without a health care overhaul.
This is what happens when fact-checking debunks itself. Read that last sentence again, and let it sink in. The AP brings up extra Medicare spending as proof that the plan isn’t deficit neutral, despite the fact that the Medicare spending isn’t actually part of the health care reform. And they even admit it. Furthermore, the reforms may not be deficit neutral themselves, but if cuts are made elsewhere (like, say, scrapping the F22), then when all the numbers are added up the deficit hasn’t increased. It’s how budgeting works. Spend an extra $10 this month on text messaging but offset it by not going out to the movies.
Moving on!
OBAMA: “You haven’t seen me out there blaming the Republicans.”
THE FACTS: Obama did so in his opening statement, saying, “I’ve heard that one Republican strategist told his party that even though they may want to compromise, it’s better politics to ‘go for the kill.’ Another Republican senator said that defeating health reform is about ‘breaking’ me.”
I’m struck by a paraphrase from The Princess Bride: “Blaming. You keep using this word, but I do not think it means what you think it does.” Obama isn’t blaming anything on Republicans. He’s pointing out that their policy seems to be going after him and nothing else. “Blame” requires a target. He’d be “blaming” Republicans if he said Republicans are the reason the legislation hasn’t passed. He ain’t, and they ain’t. He can pass it perfectly well just with Democratic votes and if he wants to blame anybody it’d be the “blue dog” assholes. Obama here is just addressing a rather pathetic state of affairs with his opposition: their lack of actual substance.
Come on, AP. Try a little harder.
