More Scummy From Obamacare Architect Jonathan Gruber (Another Video Discovered)
There's now another newly uncovered video of Jonathan Gruber talking about a "clever" way to exploit "the lack of understanding of the American voter." Jake Tapper writes at CNN:
As Congress voted on the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, in 2010, one of the bill's architects, MIT economist Jonathan Gruber, told a college audience that those pushing the legislation pitched it as a bill that would control spiraling health care costs even though most of the bill was focused on something else and there was no guarantee the bill would actually bend the cost curve.In recent days, the past comments of Gruber -- who in this 2010 speech notes that he "helped write the federal bill" and "was a paid consultant to the Obama administration to help develop the technical details as well" -- have been given renewed attention. In previously posted but recently noticed speeches, Gruber discusses how those pushing the bill took part in an "exploitation of the lack of economic understanding of the American voter," taking advantage of voters' "stupidity" to create a law that would ultimately be good for them.
In this fourth video, Gruber's language is not as stark as in three previous instances, but his suggestion that Obamacare proponents engaged in less-than-honest salesmanship remains.
"Barack Obama's not a stupid man, okay?" Gruber said in his remarks at the College of the Holy Cross on March 11, 2010. "He knew when he was running for president that quite frankly the American public doesn't actually care that much about the uninsured....What the American public cares about is costs. And that's why even though the bill that they made is 90% health insurance coverage and 10% about cost control, all you ever hear people talk about is cost control. How it's going to lower the cost of health care, that's all they talk about. Why? Because that's what people want to hear about because a majority of American care about health care costs."
In a previous post, I called Gruber "redolent with contempt for the voter." Who brings a guy on to write legislation like this? An administration that shares his contempt.
"...taking advantage of voters' "stupidity" to create a law that would ultimately be good for them."
The hallmark of the "progressives" running the Democratic party. Thank God all those smarter-than-us and better-than-us folks are in charge, amirite?
Jay R at November 13, 2014 1:34 PM
The Obama administration and the Dems didn't lie because they thought people were stupid. They lied because they knew that people were smart enough to see the false promises of Obomacare if they were told the truth about it.
Jay at November 13, 2014 1:48 PM
Ms. Pelosi is now lying about her acquaintance with Mr. Gruber (isn't that some villain's name?).
Do any of you want to associate with this woman and what she stands for?
Radwaste at November 13, 2014 2:57 PM
Mr. Gruber appears to be Irony's straight-man.
Only a fool would think he could say this in public, on tape, and not have it come back to dig its teeth into his backside.
David at November 13, 2014 3:08 PM
"No one believes more firmly than Comrade Napoleon that all animals are equal. He would be only too happy to let you make your decisions for yourselves. But sometimes you might make the wrong decisions, comrades, and then where should we be?” ~ George Orwell, Animal Farm
Conan the Grammarian at November 13, 2014 3:47 PM
She cited him by name in 2009 and 2012 when defending the bill.
http://reason.com/blog/2014/11/13/nancy-pelosi-says-she-doesnt-know-who-jo
Conan the Grammarian at November 13, 2014 3:51 PM
The true irony here is that Gruber is, in effect, calling progressives stupid.
After all, they were the only ones who fell for Obamstrosity Care.
Jeff Guinn at November 13, 2014 4:27 PM
If the media were doing their jobs, this could not have happened. The citizens are not stupid, they were deceived.
MarkD at November 14, 2014 5:21 AM
Mr. Gruber (isn't that some villain's name?)
You maybe thinking of Hans Gruber from Die Hard, or his brother Simon from Die Hard with a Vengance.
Hans: The following people are to be released from their captors: In Northern Ireland, the seven members of the New Provo Front. In Canada, the five imprisoned leaders of Liberte de Quebec. In Sri Lanka, the nine members of the Asian Dawn movement...
John McClane: [listening on the radio] What the fuck?
Karl: [mouthing silently] Asian Dawn?
Hans: [covers the radio] I read about them in Time magazine.
I R A Darth Aggie at November 14, 2014 5:55 AM
"The true irony here is that Gruber is, in effect, calling progressives stupid."
There is a certain flavor of low-information voter that is attracted to leftism. The essential belief of said voters seems to be that resources are infinite, or would be if they weren't all being hoarded by The Other (obviously these people don't comprehend the meaning of the word "infinity"). Obamacare was a pure con, a shell game, a promise of something for nothing.
There is a possibility that the low-information voters will turn on Obamacare and favor its repeal. However, they do so simply because it failed to deliver on its promises, not because said promises were impossible to keep. They remain committed to the principle and will happily support the next slickly marketed Ponzi scheme when it comes along. The irony is that what attracts them to leftism is the populist veneer; they're always disappointed when they get the authoritarian core instead, but it doesn't stop them from falling for the next scam, and the next one, and the next one.
Cousin Dave at November 14, 2014 8:48 AM
Amy Alkon
http://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2014/11/13/more_scummy_fro.html#comment-5490754">comment from Cousin DaveRelated: http://blog.sfgate.com/djsaunders/2014/11/14/nancy-pelosi-forgot-about-fact-checking/
Amy Alkon at November 14, 2014 8:55 AM
I have friends, who are reasonably intelligent, or so I thought, with decent careers, etc, that still seem to believe the hype. I don't understand it.
They still seem to believe what I did 20 years ago when I was young, naive, and idealistic.
I don't think it can be quite explained by them being low information voters (I know some of those too).
Katrina at November 14, 2014 12:50 PM
Mark D: "The citizens are not stupid, they were deceived."
Not all of the citizens were deceived; just the stupid ones.
Ken R at November 14, 2014 9:38 PM
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