Today marks the eighth anniversary of his press conference in prime time. Notice how soft the questions were -- and how scripted the answers.
BEN FELLER, AP: Is it your job to get a deal done?
OBAMA: Absolutely it's my job. I'm the President. And I think this has to get done. Just a broader point -- if somebody told you that there is a plan out there that is guaranteed to double your health care costs over the next 10 years, that's guaranteed to result in more Americans losing their health care, and that is by far the biggest contributor to our federal deficit. I think most people would be opposed to that. Well, that's the status quo. That's what we have right now.
(The total answer was 471 words, including this preposterous promise, "Even if we don't reduce our health care costs by the $6,000 that we're paying more than any other country on Earth, if we just reduced it by $2,000 or $3,000, that would mean money in people's pockets. And that's possible to do.")
DAVID ALEXANDER, ASSOCIATED PRESS: Thank you, Mr. President. You've been pushing Congress to pass health care reform by August. Why the rush? Are you worried that if you don't -- there's a delay until the fall, the whole effort will collapse?
OBAMA: A couple of points. Number one, I'm rushed because I get letters every day from families that are being clobbered by health care costs. And they ask me, can you help? So I've got a middle-aged couple that will write me and they say, our daughter just found out she's got leukemia and if I don't do something soon we just either are going to go bankrupt or we're not going to be able to provide our daughter with the care that she needs. And in a country like ours, that's not right. So that's part of my rush.
(The total answer was 549 words. No one held him to his deadline.)
CHUCK TODD, MSNBC: Thank you, sir. You were just talking in that question about reducing health care inflation, reducing costs. Can you explain how you're going to expand coverage? Is it fair to say -- is this bill going to cover all 47 million Americans that are uninsured, or is this going to be something -- is it going to take a mandate, or is this something that isn't -- your bill is probably not going to get it all the way there? And if it's not going to get all the way there, can you say how far is enough -- you know, okay, 20 million more, I can sign that; 10 million more, I can't?
OBAMA: I want to cover everybody. Now, the truth is that unless you have a what's called a single-payer system in which everybody is automatically covered, then you're probably not going to reach every single individual, because there's always going to be somebody out there who thinks they're indestructible and doesn't want to get health care, doesn't bother getting health care, and then unfortunately when they get hit by a bus end up in the emergency room and the rest of us have to pay for it.
(The total answer was 389 words.)
***
And so the evening went on for nearly an hour. No interruptions. No challenges to his answers. No fact checks. No requests for proof that this would work.
And no one asking the basic question of how raising demand for a product (health insurance) without increasing supply could possibly reduce prices, when in fact increasing demand without increasing supply is the formula for higher prices.
The press did not hold that president accountable at all.
The result was the most stunningly bad and least popular program since Prohibition.
I do not want to hear the lectures on the importance of the press to a democracy.
The press failed America eight years ago, and continues to do so today. One of the sweet things about electing Trump president is it showed once and for all that the American political press is useless.
Laugh at them. Especially the ones who call Trump a failure.
Caution: Readers occasionally may laugh out loud at the media as they read this account of Trump's election.
It is available on Kindle, and in paperback.
Caution: Readers occasionally may laugh out loud at the media as they read this account of Trump's nomination.
It is available on Kindle, and in paperback.
Autographed copies of both books are available by writing me at DonSurber@GMail.com
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Look at it this way, Don: The enemedia IS why we got Trump.
ReplyDeleteI had pretty much forgotten how smarmy our former president is. Pardon me while I wretch. - Elric
ReplyDeleteAmazing how people were misled when he stated the truth right out the gate. "Just a broader point -- if somebody told you that there is a plan out there that is guaranteed to double your health care costs over the next 10 years, that's guaranteed to result in more Americans losing their health care, and that is by far the biggest contributor to our federal deficit. I think most people would be opposed to that. Well, that's the status quo. That's what we have right now."
ReplyDeleteSure, he injected a misdirection and people bought it crook lie and stinker.
It was the job of the enimedia to sell it, and they sold us down the river.
On January 6, 2016 The House approved the Senate's bill to repeal Obamacare. Why was this bill never presented in its original form, during this session of Congress? The media had nothing to do with the actions in Congress.
ReplyDeleteThe Senate voted to approve a house bill to repeal with 52 GOP votes for passage with only Susan Collins of ME and Mark Kirk of IL voting nay. The Reconciliation bill was approved by the House with only 3 GOP nays - Bob Dold of IL, Richard Hanna of NY and John Katco of NY.
So this bill has been completely ignored by both houses when a quick fix for Obamacare is desperately needed? Why is it not copied in its final 2015 form and submitted to Senate Floor for a vote ASAP?
Forget it, Jake, it's GOP-town.
DeleteThanks for the reminder, Big D. That stuff is impossible to parody because it's self-parody to the max. Yurt Andropov should have had it so good. Suffice to say, our press would have reported Chernobyl as a minor technical glitch that was efficiently and quickly corrected. Pay no attention to those tons of glowing produce, comrades!
ReplyDeleteWould it be OK if I cross-posted this article to WriterBeat.com? There is no fee; I’m simplym trying to add more content diversity for our community and I enjoyed reading your work. I’ll be sure to give you complete credit as the author. If “OK” please let me know via email.
ReplyDeleteAutumn
AutumnCote@WriterBeat.com