This is one of the trickiest political lies to come along in quite some time, so bear with me as we walk through it.
You might’ve heard just about every Republican member of Congress, along with Fox News and AM talk radio, shrieking about how President Obama has “exempted” Congress from Obamacare. The point they’re trying to make is that Obamacare is so awful and so ridiculous that the Obama administration has offered Congress a Get-Out-Of-Obamacare-Free card. Taking it one step further, they’re insisting that if Obamacare isn’t good enough for Congress, why should the American people be forced to endure its awfulness? The people should be exempted, too, which means the elimination of the individual mandate, and, without the mandate (a Republican idea by the way), premiums would skyrocket and the law would explode. Political sabotage, pure and simple.
During his filibuster and Meet the Press appearance, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) mentioned this “exempt” talking point numerous times. And in final hours before the government shutdown Monday night, Speaker John Boehner, among others, took to the floor of the House of Representatives and shouted, “Get rid of the exemption for Members of Congress! It’s a matter of fairness for all Americans!”
It’s difficult to encapsulate in any language, living or dead, the sheer intellectual violence of this lie… [CONTINUE READING]