Lie of the Year: Government takeover of health care

By Michael J.W. Stickings

The St. Petersburg Times's PolitiFact.com has come out with its "Lie of the Year," a Republican lie that's a most deserving winner -- "A government takeover of health care":

In the spring of 2009, a Republican strategist settled on a brilliant and powerful attack line for President Barack Obama's ambitious plan to overhaul America's health insurance system. Frank Luntz, a consultant famous for his phraseology, urged GOP leaders to call it a "government takeover."

"Takeovers are like coups," Luntz wrote in a 28-page memo. "They both lead to dictators and a loss of freedom."

The line stuck. By the time the health care bill was headed toward passage in early 2010, Obama and congressional Democrats had sanded down their program, dropping the "public option" concept that was derided as too much government intrusion. The law passed in March, with new regulations, but no government-run plan.

But as Republicans smelled serious opportunity in the midterm elections, they didn't let facts get in the way of a great punchline. And few in the press challenged their frequent assertion that under Obama, the government was going to take over the health care industry.

PolitiFact editors and reporters have chosen "government takeover of health care" as the 2010 Lie of the Year. Uttered by dozens of politicians and pundits, it played an important role in shaping public opinion about the health care plan and was a significant factor in the Democrats' shellacking in the November elections.

Readers of PolitiFact, the St. Petersburg Times' independent fact-checking website, also chose it as the year's most significant falsehood by an overwhelming margin. (Their second-place choice was Rep. Michele Bachmann's claim that Obama was going to spend $200 million a day on a trip to India, a falsity that still sprouts.)

By selecting "government takeover' as Lie of the Year, PolitiFact is not making a judgment on whether the health care law is good policy.

The phrase is simply not true.

Republicans uttered countless lies this year -- for example, nasty and bigoted ones about Muslims and the Park51 community center -- but this was certainly one of the most significant and enduring, rivalled only by the various lies, also nasty and very often bigoted, spun by the Teabaggers, whether about Obama or "government" or taxes or whatever.

There was a lot to choose from, but PolitiFact, in its independent and non-partisan way, chose wisely.

A bumper-sticker-sized meme

By Creature

And here you have it, financial reform is officially a "permanent bailout bill." From Luntz's page, to Boehner's mouth, to all the media laps. Like the "government take over of health care" scare, this should be fun (in a painful, tooth-pulling sort of way).

Financial Reform

By Creature

I still have hope that the White House and Congress will get their shit together and pass strong financial reforms, but with the GOP using the Frank Luntz's, up-is-down talking point that the proposed regulations will make future bailouts more, not less, likely I fear the GOP will control a message that should clearly be on the Democrats side.

While I don't think the GOP's Luntzing of financial reform will succeed (and kudos to the White House for pushing back already), I do think it will lead to a protracted fight and a glum electorate (which I assume is the GOP's plan) and this is something the Democrats cannot afford after the long health-care reform fight.

Update: Dodd's on the case. He calls out McConnell's lie, waves Luntz memo. Love it.

Luntzing financial reform

By Creature

Democrats be warned. I've seen this play before and it doesn't end well. In an up-is-down, black-is-white world Frank Luntz is an evil genius. Emphasis on the evil.

72% for a public option

By Creature

Again, the people want it. Not only that, but they are willing to be taxed for it. It could not be clearer, but already this morning we have Republicans, using weak-kneed Democrats as a screen, spewing Luntz talking points on how socialized medicine will ruin the country. They are all Dick Cheney giving a big fuck you to public opinion. Democrats should take note. They should publicly and enthusiastically get on board the public-option train. If not, a shitty, or no, public option will be hung around their necks for decades to come. Let's go, Democrats. It's a no brainer.