The Patriot Post - Alexander's Column 12-05-2013

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The Patriot Post - Alexander's Column 12-05-2013
From The Federalist Patriot
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Memo to Demos: It Ain't the Website
Obama Launches Reboot Tour

By Mark Alexander

Dec. 5, 2013

“He who permits himself to tell a lie once, finds it much easier to do it a second and a third time, till at length it becomes habitual; he tells lies without attending to it, and truths without the world’s believing him.” –Thomas Jefferson (1785)

Much to Barack Obama’s chagrin, his once-compliant mainstream media continues to devote extensive coverage to the failed launch of ObamaCare’s $600 million website and its incremental do-over. But Senate and House Democrats are far more concerned about the rapidly emerging liability of O'Care’s mandates, framed by a litany of bald-faced lies from their party’s standard-bearer.

At the March 2010 signing ceremony of Barack Obama’s1 lifetime legislative achievement, the so-called “Affordable Care Act2,” Joe Biden was caught on an open mike whispering to Obama, “This is a big f—ing deal.” Three weeks into the failed launch of O'Care’s portal, Healthcare.gov, Obama proclaimed, “The Affordable Care Act is not just a website. It’s much more.”

Clearly, Biden, Obama, and all the Democrats who endorsed O'Care failed to fully comprehend the political implications of their “big f—ing deal.” The cascading website failures are but the proverbial tip of the iceberg, which may sink a growing number of Democrats in 2014, and well beyond!

Actually, the Bad Ship Demo is pinched between two icebergs.

The first is the fact that Obama has depleted all his credibility capital. The entire nation now knows that he lied about O'Care just to pass it, assuring Americans they could keep their insurance and doctors3 if they wanted to. “Period.” Obama then repeated those lies4 often. Then it was discovered that Obama knew he was lying5 way back in 2010. Then he claimed that the 5.5 million cancelled policies6 were statistically insignificant. Then it was discovered that almost 100 million additional policies7 are subject to cancellation come January. Then he told new lies to cover up the old lies8. Then he crowned those lies with another BIG lie9.

Of course, these are just the latest of Obama's lies on healthcare. Remember these: “I will sign a universal health care bill into law by the end of my first term as president that will cover every American.” “I will not sign a plan that adds one dime to our deficits – either now or in the future.” “Whatever ideas exist in terms of bending the cost curve and starting to reduce costs for families, businesses, and government, those elements are in this bill.” “This law means more choice, more competition, lower costs for millions of Americans.” “We'll lower premiums by up to $2,500 for a typical family per year.” “Under my plan, no family making less than $250,000 a year will see any form of tax increase.”

But these two – “If you like your health care plan, you'll be able to keep your health care plan, period.” and “No matter how we reform health care, we will keep this promise to the American people: If you like your doctor, you will be able to keep your doctor, period.” – are the crown jewels of his deception.

Obama knew he was lying when he sold O'care to the public, period. Apparently this consummate pathological narcissist10 believes that if he says it that trumps the truth and reality. Or maybe he believes, as his sycophants do11, that, “We can deal with the lies that President Obama tells us because we believe in his heart he has the best interest for the American people.”

Got that? Even Obama’s defenders now admit he’s a liar.

Reputable public opinion surveys indicate that Americans trust Obama, at this point in his presidency, less than even Richard Nixon. Democrats hope that their association with Obama’s deceptions will not bankrupt their political fortunes, suggesting that his precipitous 35-point collapse in public trust is due to recent revelations about his O'Care lies. However, Obama had already slid 30 points four months before the ObamaCare launch.

Obama once quipped, “I actually believe my own” BS. Apparently. Peggy Noonan sums up Obama’s admiration for his own words as follows: “[Obama] sort of lives in words. That’s been his whole professional life – books, speeches. Say something and it magically exists as something said, and if it’s been said and publicized it must be real. He never had to push a lever, see the machine not respond, puzzle it out and fix it. It’s all been pretty abstract for him, not concrete.”

Senate Democrats boldly repeated Obama’s lies to their constituents.

Sen. Mary Landrieu (LA) pledged, “If you like the insurance that you have, you’ll be able to keep it.” Sen. Mark Pryor (AR) said his constituents wanted to know “are we gonna be able to stick with our plan? The answer is yes.” Sen. Mark Warner (VA) proclaimed, “I’m not going to support a health care reform plan that’s going to take away the health care you’ve got right now or a health care plan that you like.” Sen. Kay Hagan (NC) repeated the mantra, “If you like your insurance and your doctors, you keep them.” Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (NH) also said, “Everyone will have the freedom to keep their health plan if they like it.” Sen. Mark Begich (AK) told his constituents, “Alaskans who have health insurance now, and are happy with it, can keep it.”

Lies, one and all. And each of these senators is up for re-election next year. What, did they not read the legislation before passing it?

In political analyst Jonah Goldberg’s12 assessment, Obama’s lie is “the biggest lie about domestic policy ever uttered by a U.S. president.” It dwarfs Richard Nixon’s “I am not a crook” and Bill Clinton’s “I did not have sex with that woman.”

Of course, Obama did offer a faux apology for the “misunderstanding,” which opinion writer Bryan Preston paraphrased as follows: “I’m sorry you believed me when I told you things that I knew weren’t true the whole time. I’m sorry I hurt you but I have no plans to stop hurting you. Now get me a sammich!”

The collateral damage done by Obama’s credibility deficit is so severe that Democrats who still support the measure are discontinuing the reference to “ObamaCare” and are now referring to the legislation13 by its actual name, the Affordable Care Act.

This week, Obama launched a three-week dog-and-pony show to promote the re-invention of O'Care, punctuated by painting his failed economic policies as a success. (What’s another lie?)

At his first stop, he told his fawning admirers, “Do not let the initial problems with the website discourage you. We’ve learned not to make wild promises. … The bottom line is this law is working and will work into the future. You got good ideas, bring them to me and let’s go, but we’re not repealing it as long as I’m president.”

Indeed, Obama has made some “wild promises” to sell this behemoth socialist boondoggle.

As for “good ideas,” how ‘bout this one: STOP LYING!