Posted by
Bill Crawford on Friday, August 14, 2009 1:09:55 PM
If it isn't interesting enough to watch Obama work a Health Care town hall dominated by softball questions, when the folks from Capitol Hill are walking into hostile LZ's at every turn.
The man is used to developing a debate point without serious flak thrown in his path. This includes the campaign trail in 2008, where his biggest problem (Hillary) could not find a comfortable way to put it to a well-spoken, earnest Black man. She had all the issues to lay on him, but when he sidestepped them, she was at a loss to follow up.
So there he is, announcing that the AARP in "on board" with his plan. That, folks, is lawyer speak. "On board" doesn't mean anybody endorsed anything. It could mean that they heard his plan and nobody has tried to assasinate him yet.
So what if the head of the AARP saw a need to come out later that day and announce that there was no such support? He can count the gray heads shouting at the meetings nationwide just as I can.
The point is, Obama lies at will to sell his stuff. He lied so much this week, I stopped writing down exactly where. I just watched him go and had to admire the moxy.
Here is where the White House screwed up: when they passed the "Stimulus Bill", he busted on a campaign promise to have Bills on the internet for at least 72 hours before they were voted on. There was no public access to "Stimulus" until it was signed.
The health care thing has gone on so long that all five versions, Senate and House, are available now. I've been though most of the House stuff. It smells, and it doesn't match much of what is coming out of Obama's mouth.
Does he think we can't read? Or does he think he is so smooth and organized that it doesn't matter?
The history is all there, folks. Obama got his start in Illinois, where it is almost a tradition for the Governor to do time in the Cook County slammer before his career ends. The doings in Chicage are decidedly worse than that.
What did you expect?
You want health care reform? Oh, I'm sorry, now it's "insurance reform". The three big ideas that the GOP is bringing are in the dungeon for the duration. This is an Obama/ Pelosi/ Reid/ Daschle/ Emanuel high wire act. All or nothing.
I vote nothing. Then we wait for 2010 and try it again. In the meantime, I will be happy to be posed as an uncaring do-nothing who loves the status quo. Sometimes you have to take a trimming to win a fight.
Follow up: after listening to Obama's remarks at another town hall meeting, he came out and said that the AARP had "endorsed" his plan. I retract my statements about him speaking like a lawyer. He is simply lying. I'm just trying to be accurate here.