DNC, MSM Smear Mitt with Deceptive Edit

DNC, MSM Smear Mitt with Deceptive Edit

The Democratic National Committee has released a web ad purporting to show Gov. Mitt Romney in 2008 advocating for an individual mandate at the federal level. This would, of course, be a devastating "smoking gun" proving that Romney had explicitly endorsed and even campaigned on "ObamaCare" before it was an unconstitutional glimmer in Barack Obama's eye.

The problem with the video the DNC has released (and which has been picked up by their reliable minions including Ezra Klein at the Washington Post, Huffington Post, and Talking Points Memo) is that the excerpt from a Jan 5, 2008 New Hampshire debate is selectively edited and does not include an exculpatory moment one minute later where Gov. Romney clearly and unequivocally states he would NOT be in favor of an individual mandate at the federal level.

The DNC's video is misleading and dishonest since it does not include Gov. Romney's clear refusal to call for a national mandate, and the CNN/Acosta video is vague and can be interpreted in various ways.

Is the selectively edited DNC video the blockbuster tape that Begala promised CNN's audience? Or does he have something else hidden away? And, since he is a paid analyst for CNN, shouldn't the network press him on this issue, as it is their public responsibility to seek the truth rather than enable their employees to use their airwaves for political brinkmanship?

If You Like It (and Can Afford It) You Can Keep It

You like it, you can’t keep it

Throughout the debate over healthcare reform, President Obama insisted that individuals would be able to maintain their current healthcare plan: “If you like it, you can keep it.” It was a refrain that was used as Congress was writing the bill, as the bill struggled to pass, and now the president continues to claim that the law will allow individuals to keep their coverage.

The talking point may be consistent, but talking points aren’t law. Right now, the Department of Health and Human Services, administered by Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, is implementing the law in ways that radically transform the coverage of many Americans.

Over the next few years, millions of American families, individuals and retired seniors will see their health coverage transformed by new regulations and decisions made by the Secretary and her successors. The bill uses the phrase, “The Secretary shall,” or one of its variants, more than 1,000 times. This means that Congress has left many of the important decisions regarding implementation up to the Secretary and the bureaucracy.

If you like it, you can keep it; but only if the Secretary agrees.

And you can afford the 50% increase in your premium and the $3,000 yearly deductible.

Read more:

Your Tax Dollars At Work

HHS Giving States Millions of Taxpayer Dollars to ‘Help Consumers File Complaints’ Against Their Health Plans

Lets Give the IRS More Authority, Shall We?

I wonder if they've taken delivery of their new toys yet?

Income
Rendition
Services

IRS to Enforce Health Reform

(CNSNews.com) – The Internal Revenue Service will function as the government’s chief enforcer for health care reform, should President Obama sign the bill into law as expected, monitoring both businesses and individuals to certify whether they have the insurance coverage the government requires.

The tax collection agency will be responsible for monitoring and enforcing compliance with the individual and employer insurance mandates which form the backbone of the Democrats’ hard-won reforms. The bill states that the purpose of the mandates is to regulate “economic and financial decisions about how and when health care is paid for, and when health insurance is purchased.”
/snip
The IRS would monitor individuals and businesses’ health insurance statuses through the mandatory reporting the bill requires. Under the law, every individual and most businesses are required to report to the IRS, on their tax returns, whether they have purchased or provided the required level of coverage and disclose to the IRS which months, if any, in which they failed to do so.
Using this information, the IRS would then determine whether an employer or individual falls under the mandate, which contains exceptions for religious conscience, hardship, incarcerated persons, and members of Indian tribes.

Yeah baby..Lets give the IRS more authority and better shotguns.

Senate Healthcare Bill

Family Security Matters

A Fact a Day Keeps Senate Health Care Away...
The Washington Post has picked up on something we reported a few weeks ago, which is that most of the provisions in the Senate bill don't take effect until after 2014. "Measured against the promises of President Obama... the [health care] bill the Senate begins debating this week could be setting Americans up for disappointment: Some of the main reforms would not take place for several years, and even when they do... the bill does too little to make sure they would be enforced." There are plenty of reasons why Democrats are delaying the "benefits" of the bill that they have long promised. If they postpone the biggest provisions of the bill, it gives taxpayers a false sense of security about the bill's cost. The longer they delay the most expensive entitlements, the lower the price tag will seem.
On the Senate floor yesterday, Senate Finance Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) finally admitted what we've known all along--that his bill will cost as much as $2.5 trillion. "Health care reform, whether you... start in 2010 or 2014... it is still either $1 trillion or $2.5 trillion, depending on where you start..." Of course, it's no coincidence that President Obama will be facing reelection in 2012, so the potential failures of the bill wouldn't be fully known until two years later. But liberals shouldn't worry too much about raising money for the plan; the major provisions that tax and fine Americans begin as soon as the bill passes.