During the debate over passage of Obamacare, I was appalled at the mendacity and willingness of some supporters to say anything to get the big mess through. In fact, in my 40+ years of paying close attention to politics, I don’t think I have ever seen a more dishonest sales job for major domestic legislation.
The worst of the worst in this regard was (thankfully) former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, who claimed that the law would create 4 million jobs–about “400,000 almost immediately.” Have you seen the job reports? We apparently gained 44,000 fewer jobs in the last two months (revised numbers) than originally and only gained 18,000 last month. Many in McDonald’s-type work. Entrepreneurship is in the toilet, not unleashed. Unemployment is back up to 9.2%. Where are the Obamacare jobs?
The above embedded clip is of Pelosi spouting her nonsense. She just made it all up, as she so often does. This law was founded on misguided ideology and sold with snake oil–and the consequences will be karmic if we don’t repeal after 2012.
HT: Real Clear Politics
July 8th, 2011 | 12:17 pm
That there has been a net loss of jobs nationally says little about the redistribution of jobs from the manufacturing to the service sector. Are you claiming that no jobs have resulted from “Obamacare,” or that the number is less than the vaunted “400,000?”
You wrote: “I don’t think I have ever seen a more dishonest sales job for major domestic legislation.” As I recall, the Bush tax cuts were supposed to produce lots and lots of jobs too. So, where are THOSE? Your definition of “dishonesty” seems to float around like the flotsam on a polluted tide.
HW
Wesley J. Smith Reply:
July 8th, 2011 at 12:22 pm
No. She said passing Obamacare would lead to 400,000 new jobs almost immediately. It didn’t, and there was no reason to think it would. Pure mendacity.
Jack Thomas Reply:
July 9th, 2011 at 3:45 pm
@HistoryWriter, The jobs created by Bush were part of the 2.1 million jobs created by Obama. :)
July 8th, 2011 | 12:43 pm
HW, you could say they did create some jobs, or rather, that the businesses had more money in their pockets to expand operations and they created the jobs. It’s a sound theory, and we can debate whether or not it led to some growth before the ’08 crash, and if it was related in any way to it. Nancy Pelosi pulled that one straight out of her derriere, plain and simple. I doubt anyone really bought it anyway, unless they imagined 400,000 bureaucrats stalking the federal triangle magically creating medical paradise and bending the cost curve like Beckham out here in America. I guess those three wishes from the golden government magic genie lamp haven’t kicked in yet… But those Medicare cuts and “pushing Granny of a cliff” is just a years and a few IPAB appointments away. But hey, let’s keep annihilating our future taxpayers, call that compassion, and picture social security winning the lottery and managing to pay off everyone in the end!
July 8th, 2011 | 6:00 pm
The jobs will come.
Newsflash:
WASHINGTON – The US health care system ranks last among other major rich countries for quality, access and efficiency, according to two studies released Tuesday by a health care think tank.
The studies by the Commonwealth Fund found that the United States, which has the most expensive health system in the world, underperforms consistently relative to other countries and differs most notably in the fact that Americans have no universal health insurance coverage.
“The United States stands out as the only nation in these studies that does not ensure access to health care through universal coverage and promotion of a ‘medical home’ for patients,” said Commonwealth Fund president Karen Davis.
“Our failure to ensure health insurance for all and encourage stable, long-term ties between physicians and patients shows in our poor performance on measures of quality, access, efficiency, equity, and health outcomes.”
In “Mirror, Mirror on the Wall: An International Update on the Comparative Performance of American Health Care”, the study focused on interviews with physicians and patients in Australia, Britain, Canada, Germany, New Zealand and the United States who were asked to speak about their experiences and views on their health systems.
The US ranked last in most areas, including access to health care, patient safety, timeliness of care, efficiency and equity. Americans were also last in terms of whether they had a regular physician.
Here’s the kicker:
This story was published on Tuesday, May 15, 2007 by Jocelyne Zablit.
Barrack Obama didn’t become president until a year and a half later.
Joe DeVet Reply:
July 9th, 2011 at 6:38 am
@Harryhammer, The study cited by Harry was an absolute fraud.
Harryhammer Reply:
July 9th, 2011 at 10:09 am
@Joe DeVet,
Joe,
The United States, the “leader of the free world”, doesn’t have universal health care.
It’s a disgrace.
Here’s a reality check:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bX1rLv_hNeI
July 8th, 2011 | 6:33 pm
Harry, how? Nothing about Obamacare leads me to believe we will save enough money to create what is an absurd amount of jobs. 4 million is close to or equal to the total amount of cashiers, and near double the amount of RNs that exist. Creating 400k instantly is a feat in itself.
Your newsflash has nothing to do with the article, lol.
Harryhammer Reply:
July 9th, 2011 at 12:18 pm
@Dblade,
Dblade,
Prior to the recent health care reforms, there was a great deal of dissatisfaction with the insurance industry which was regarded as dysfunctional.
In other words, it was bad.
[Harryhammer: That would take us into a broader political debate about Rep. versus Dem. economic policy. Too broad. Stick with the subject of the post, please.]
Harryhammer Reply:
July 10th, 2011 at 2:40 pm
@Dblade,
Dblade,
Let me put it to you in plain English and basic Math.
Before Obama came along America had a horrible health-care system.
About 16% of America’s GDP was going into a system that didn’t deliver.
The U.S. Census Bureau reported that a record 50.7 million residents or 16.7% of the population were uninsured in 2009.
Here’s where the math comes in:
How many are uninsured now?
Uninsured Then – Uninsured Now = What?
It equals millions of would-be new customers for the health-care industry.
Incidentally, in 2007, before the economic downturn, over 60% of all bankruptcies in the United States were driven by medical incidents.
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