Obama's Speech: Misrepresentations and the Misrepresentations of the So-Called Misrepresentations

If Obama's speech last night was subject to "truth in advertising" laws, he would be sure to find himself in court trying to defend it. Obviously, with all the distortions put forth, we can easily say that Obama is from Venus and Congress is from Mars. And, neither one are from this planet.

From the deficit impact to "Death Squads", there were so many discrepancies that I could write for hours on the topic. But, for compactness, here's my top five:

1. Deficit Neutral. This is probably the biggest distortion of all. No matter which House or Senate plan is being scored in terms of deficit spending, they all will add a minimum of $1 trillion and upwards of $1.6 trillion to the deficit. Many experts predict 2 or 3 times that amount based on the historical failure of government to accurately predict the long-range costs for past social programs like Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and so on. Even simple Post Office rate increases have been wrong. To say that any of the these health care reform bills will be simply paid for by Medicare savings is just blowing smoke. If those savings against fraud and waste are so easy to get, why, then, aren't they being implemented, right now. With Obama's massive deficit spending, we need every bit of savings we can get!
2. You Can Keep Your Health Care Insurer. This is complete B.S. Every time Obama says this, he is playing a lawyer's game of "semantics". No plan from the government will actually force you to drop your insurer. Instead, over time, you insurer will be squeezed out of business by regulation, ORLY rules, and inability to compete with the "public plan" or "co-op" or whatever the Democrats want to call it at this particular moment in time.
3. Death Squads. The term "death squads" is a complete gaming of the original intended use of those words. The using of the term "death squads" was a metaphor for the various forms "rationing" and "end of life" counseling that is being proposed in almost all the Congressional bills. It was intended to be a metaphor for rationing attempts like best practices, or QALY, and the resulting limiting of expensive drugs, or unapproved but-life-saving medical procedures. It also targets the attempts at end of life counseling and the pushing of people to end their own lives; rather than be a financial or emotional burden on their families. Just two weeks ago, the Obama Administration announced that it was cutting the reimbursement of fees to Cardiologists and Oncologists. In some cases, these cuts were to levels that were below costs. As a result, the elderly on Medicare may not be able to have access to these two specialties at a time when cancer and heart disease might be threatening their lives. While not a true death squad, this is medical access denied. And, access denied, for some, can be a death sentence. The campaigning Obama used these kinds of distortions, quite frequently, to defeat McCain. For example, he would distort what McCain had said by saying "McCain doesn't mind if we are in Iraq for 100 years". Anyone that knows the truth knows that this was a complete distortion and exaggeration of what McCain actually said. But, that is what Obama does; over and over, again! And, he didn't stop doing it last night!
   
4. Abortion is not going to be paid for. I think Obama should spend more time reading the bills in Congress and less time making speeches about them. Abortion is in the bill in a variety of backdoor means. That's all I'm going to say about this.
   
5. There Are Those Who Are Putting Special Interests Above the Health Care of America. If ever there was a case of the pot calling the kettle black -- this is it! The Democrat-defined health care bills are riddled with special interests. To pay for the plan, HR3200 will tax everyone for their health care packages "except" for those plans that are held by union workers -- the Democrat's "BIG, BIG, BIG" special interest group. The lack of tort reform in any of these bills is for the pure protection of another special interest group of the Democrats -- the trial lawyers. To imply that the Republicans are "special interesting" anything is a complete farce. For one thing, the Republicans have had "zero" input into any of these bills. So, how could there be any special interest language from the Republicans?
   

I really question what the President was trying to do last night. For one thing, he kept saying "my plan" in the speech. Are we now to assume that all the existing plans in the House and Senate are to be scrapped for his new "Wonderful World of Disney" plan that was outlined last night? My guess is not. That rhetoric was intended for us, and the reality is that the House and the Senate Democrats will just continue to do what they have been doing, all along; and, I am quite sure, without any input from the Republicans.

That speech was totally divisive. Once again he attacked the Republicans, the doctors, the insurance companies, the Town Hall objectors, and anyone else who would dare to disagree with him. In fact, if you do disagreed with Obama, he said he would "call you out" in what can only be described as a thuggery tactic used by Community Organizers or Chicago-style politicians. It is an attempt to thwart free speech by this supposed Constitutional lawyer. Further, that is hardly progressing a bipartisan agenda.

Obama's approval numbers will probably go up because of that speech. People always seem to hear what they want to hear when he talks; and, never seem to hear what he is truly saying and how it contrasts with the actual truth. That's how he got elected. In that speech, there were no real details to get all warm and cozy over. Obama was all over the place last night: From fiction to reality; and, from the truth to exaggerations. Much of what he said were complete misrepresentations of the bills in Congress. Then, he even misrepresented what he calls misrepresentations; like the death squads.

In conclusion, it will all come down to the reality of what is passed in both Houses of Congress and what will ultimately be signed into law by this President. My guess is that the final legislation will hardly line up with what he even said or promised. This guy has no track record of keeping promises; and, that speech, last night, will once again confirm that. Like that old, tried-and-true saying : "The devil is in the details!"