After this pushback, NBC deleted paragraph 3 without noting why they had done so.Now, after what I imagine was a furious bout of lobbying by Lisa Meyer, NBC has restored paragraph 3 (or at least close enough to the original). The new story does indeed recapitulate Meyers' reporting:
None of this should come as a shock to the Obama administration. The law states that policies in effect as of March 23, 2010 will be “grandfathered,” meaning consumers can keep those policies even though they don’t meet requirements of the new health care law. But the Department of Health and Human Services then wrote regulations that narrowed that provision, by saying that if any part of a policy was significantly changed since that date -- the deductible, co-pay, or benefits, for example -- the policy would not be grandfathered.
Emphasis added again. And to emphasize yet again, those employees writing regulations for HHS do so at Obama's discretion.
But why was it deleted in the first place? Why did NBC decide to trust the Obama Administration on this -- obviously a party that stinks of self-interest and potential deceit -- over its own reporter, who got it right?
I really want to stress this to everybody, because no one seems to get this yet:
These regulations, being a creature of the Executive branch, can be rewritten by the executive branch at any time. We don't need a law for this (though one would be useful, to force Obama to do the right thing).Ace's point is how the political hacks protect Obama, whether it be NBC or apologists in the government. But here's my question, at what point does one who might have some involvement in this mess start to take a step back and really question what's going on here?
We know that people are getting hurt by Obamacare. We know the premiums are getting doubled and tripled, sometimes even more. We know people's insurance is getting cancelled. The very people who this is supposed to help are getting hurt.
As conservatives, we are fully aware that this would be the result. These government help programs always have the opposite effect they are intended. Every conservative and GOP member was against it. The democrats were mostly for it. It got rammed through. The press and the left have been crowing and telling us how good it would be ever since.
But it's not. We are seeing this. NBC is seeing this, the prime supporters of the president. The left is seeing this. And yet, all of this is somehow a talking point, somehow the right's fault.
There must be something in at least some of these people who see this and realize that this was a mistake. How do you on the left, keep fighting for this? Is it just so goddamn important that the right loses? Are you so twisted that hurting the poor is a better choice than the possibility of the right helping it?
NBC redacts something they know is damaging to the president. Why? Yes you backed the wrong pony but anyone who has come out and honestly admitted a mistake can gain a lot of respect. MSNBC could use a little of that. Sure the wonks will hate them and the cocktail parties will dry up but if that's what you're fighting for... well is it?
There has to be those in the administration having an "oh shit" moment. There HAS to be. But if they aren't and they see this, what the hell are they fighting for anymore? Helping the poor was your issue. We conservatives knew you were failures at it, but is your self-awareness that bad? These problems just really don't register with you at all?
At this point, it has to be that hatred for the other side trumps all. It's the only explanation I can see anymore. They hate us more than they want to help people. It's just never been so brazen before.
So I ask again, we know what you're fighting against. What the heck are fighting FOR?
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