White House Talking Points Declare Open War On U.S. Chamber

[babylonsister]

http://theplumline.whorunsgov.com/health-care/white-house-talking-points-declare-open-war-on-u-s-chamber/

White House Talking Points Declare Open War On U.S. Chamber


The White House is seizing on the news of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s planned anti-reform study to declare open war on the organization, circulating talking points on the Hill declaring it an “intentionally skewed” effort to “safeguard the insurance companies’ bottom line at the expense of the American people.”

There is no report yet, but the talking points, sent over by a source, launch a preemptive strike, linking it to the insurance industry’s earlier, widely-criticized anti-reform study:

* This so-called study would be at least the third intentionally skewed report as part of the last-ditch effort to safeguard the insurance companies’ bottom line at the expense of the American people.

* You may recall that last month, the insurance lobby offered an “analysis” that even the company who produced it said was skewed because that’s what the insurance companies paid for.

* And just days after that report, another insurance company produced a similarly flawed study.

* The only difference this time is that the insurance industry’s defenders were caught red-handed before producing their intentionally misleading “study”.

* So whenever we finally see this supposed analysis, we should all take it with a huge grain of salt.

The White House had been treading carefully in its standoff with the Chamber, perhaps not wanting to hand ammo to those portraying the reform proposal as a threat to the private sector. But the Chamber’s planned study has given the White House an opening to put the Chamber on the defensive at a delicate moment for the organization, much as the insurance industry’s study did.

It appears that any fragile peace that may have existed between the Chamber and the White House is off.

[rucky]

1. Get thee to the Greatest Page!

[FiveGoodMen]

2. Good news for a change.

[FSogol]

3. K & R n/t

[Hamlette]

4. here's the back story

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and an assortment of national business groups opposed to President Obama's health-care reform effort are collecting money to finance an economic study that could be used to portray the legislation as a job killer and threat to the nation's economy, according to an e-mail solicitation from a top Chamber official.

The e-mail, written by the Chamber's senior health policy manager and obtained by The Washington Post, proposes spending $50,000 to hire a "respected economist" to study the impact of health-care legislation, which is expected to come to the Senate floor this week, would have on jobs and the economy.

Step two, according to the e-mail, appears to assume the outcome of the economic review: "The economist will then circulate a sign-on letter to hundreds of other economists saying that the bill will kill jobs and hurt the economy. We will then be able to use this open letter to produce advertisements, and as a powerful lobbying and grass-roots document."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/20...

The most amazing part of the story is the WAPO acted like journalists and reported it for the fraud it is.

edited to add link to prior DU thread on the back story
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=433&topic_id=3803&mesg_id=3803

[jenmito]

5. K&R. I wonder how the Repubs. and Conservadems. will try to spin this! n/t

[Lasher]

13. They'll say it's a vicious attack on the poor widdle C of C.

Patriotic Americans, don't you know. Watching them instead of the terrorists.

Watch for it.

[NewJeffCT]

16. They'll do what Lieberman did

and bring up how Medicare was supposed to cost X, but it really ended up costing X + 5% and then X + 10%

the hidden meaning was that Joe Lieberman would be against Medicare now.

[rucky]

6. kizzick

[Cha]

7. More good news! Thank you,

babylonsister..

And, the White House is dealing in facts and the US chamber of commerce will have to be lying..thanks for giving our White House the opening, cc.

[donheld]

8. K & R

[Cha]

9. Kick their

lying ass, White House~

[Captain Hilts]

10. Excellent! They are looking out for themselves, not their members. nt

[dmr]

11. Kick

:kick:

[Mopar151]

12. Maybe it's the attack ads

That the CoC is running against Dem. Congresmen (like Paul Hodes in NH) - look to be rignt out of the ol' smear factory

[tomp]

14. more kabuki theater.

the white house is itself already deeply complicit in defending the profits of the insurance companies.

[BlancheSplanchnik]

15. Great Article!

thanks babylonsister !


keepin this one

[HopeOverFear]

17. K & R

[pleah]

18. K&R

[Cha]

19. Looking forward to the US facist

chamber going down.