Liz Cheney now peddling health reform falsehoods
On ABC's This Week, Liz Cheney repeated the false claim that President Obama admitted "he hasn't read" the House tri-committee health care reform bill, and on Fox News' On the Record, Cheney asserted as fact that Obama hasn't "actually read any of the legislation." Cheney's false attacks on Obama and health care reform followed numerous television appearances in which she spread falsehoods about the president and his policies.
Cheney falsely claimed Obama admitted "he hasn't read the bill," asserted as fact that he hasn't
From the August 30 edition of ABC's This Week with George Stephanopoulos:
CHENEY: On an issue like will you be able to keep your own health insurance if you like it, the president is out there asserting in these townhalls, yes, you can keep your own health insurance, but then in a conference call with liberal bloggers, when he's asked about a particular provision in the legislation that sounds like it wouldn't allow to you keep your own insurance, he had to admit he hasn't read the bill so there's a deeper problem here.
From the August 31 edition of Fox News' On the Record with Greta Van Susteren:
CHENEY: [Obama] ought to stop making assertions about what is going to happen when this reform is passed before he's actually read any of the legislation.
Obama actually said he was "not familiar" with provision opponents falsely said would make private insurance illegal. During a July 20 conference call, a blogger asked Obama to comment on the claim made in a July 15 Investor's Business Daily editorial -- which is false -- that the bill, in the blogger's words, "will make individual private medical insurance illegal." Obama responded, "You know, I have to say that I am not familiar with the provision you're talking about." The provision to which the editorial referred establishes the conditions under which existing private insurance plans would be exempted from the requirement that they participate in the Health Insurance Exchange.
Cheney's falsehood echoes Drudge, Fox News, Heritage, and Limbaugh. On July 21, the Drudge Report, the Heritage Foundation's blog The Foundry, and Rush Limbaugh all falsely claimed that during the July 20 blogger conference call, Obama, in Limbaugh's words, "admit[ted] he doesn't know" what's in the House health care bill. Fox News hosts Sean Hannity, Neil Cavuto, Steve Doocy, and Brian Kilmeade followed suit.
Cheney previously advanced falsehoods on TV
Cheney given lots of air time to spread misinformation. Media Matters for America documented that between May 12 and June 10, Cheney appeared on television 25 times, giving misinformation-filled interviews. She has since appeared on television several more times, falsely attacking Obama and his policies and coming to the defense of discredited "birther" conspiracy theorists.
Cheney falsely claimed Obama has "not been willing to say ... I believe in American exceptionalism." Responding to Cheney's June 11 remarks, MSNBC's David Shuster noted on June 12 that in fact, Obama stated in France on April 4, "I believe in American exceptionalism," and, "I think that we have a core set of values that are enshrined in our Constitution, in our body of law, in our democratic practices, in our belief in free speech and equality, that, though imperfect, are exceptional."
Cheney baselessly suggested military personnel are Mirandizing detainees immediately upon capture. On the July 23 edition of Fox News' Hannity, Cheney stated, "We're also now capturing guys on the battlefield, and the first thing we say to them is, 'You have the right to remain silent.' " In fact, reports have said that FBI agents, not military personnel, had been ordered to read Miranda rights to detainees, and the reading of the Miranda warning to detainees held in Afghanistan reportedly began during the Bush administration.
Transcripts
From the August 31 edition of Fox News' On the Record with Greta Van Susteren:
CHENEY: I think that the White House has got a real problem. I think that they have put the president out there, and he's got a lot of rhetoric about being able to keep your own insurance and about costs going down, and the American people are seeing that the reality doesn't match that rhetoric and you're seeing the response in the townhalls. People are very concerned, and I think that they're going to have to make a tough choice here about whether they're going to ram something through that's not good for the nation, it's not good for the American people, with only Democratic votes. And if they do that, I think there'll be a pretty significant price to pay.
VAN SUSTEREN: You know, I have a different view of this, is, like you said, the reality -- I don't know how we can have a reality because this bill is just so confusing that I don't have a clue what -- I know sort of general principles about what they want, but I'm not even sure that anything that's proposed in there -- first of all, you can't figure it out -- if they mean carried out to what cost. I mean, it is the most -- I mean, we're fighting about something that's -- it's strange because it's -- it's incomprehensible.
CHENEY: But the problem is, the president is trying to push this legislation through. Now, he's --
VAN SUSTEREN: Which is -- I -- I agree.
CHENEY: -- doing it by saying, not my bill, in the same way he seems to be saying, not my interrogations and not my investigation. But he's the commander in chief. He's the president, so --
VAN SUSTEREN: And he said at a townhall meeting that he'll go line by line when Congress gets back to go through it. And I -- I hope that they go line by line through it because when they finally sit down and actually read it, maybe they'll have a different view on whether this is a bill that they want --
CHENEY: But in the meantime, he ought to stop making assertions about what is going to happen when this reform is passed before he's actually read any of the legislation.
VAN SUSTEREN: I think they all need to do some reading. We ought to have a literacy group.
CHENEY: I'm with you on that.
VAN SUSTEREN: Anyway, Liz, thank you.
From the August 30 edition of ABC's This Week with George Stephanopoulos:
CHENEY: On an issue like will you be able to keep your own health insurance if you like it, the president is out there asserting in these townhalls, yes, you can keep your own health insurance, but then in a conference call with liberal bloggers, when he's asked about a particular provision in the legislation that sounds like it wouldn't allow to you keep your own insurance, he had to admit he hasn't read the bill so there's a deeper problem here.
SAM DONALDSON (panelist): Which bill?
CHENEY: The American people -- this was H.R. 3200 they were talking about.
Seems he is having a very hard time accepting that a democrat was voted in, therefore showing repudiation of him.
Repeat talking point, ad naseum.
Talk over everyone else, including host or debate moderator.
Keep repeating talking point.
Interrupt anyone who tries to present a differing view.
Keep repeating talking point.
This is what "debate" has devolved to in America, and the sad fact is, more people will go with the person reitterating talking points than with the person who is presenting facts based on data.
1) Her last name.
2) The ability to regurgitate debunked talking points/lies with a straight face (a Cheney family trait).
3) Georgie has a crush on her.
Why, indeed. Because she has a recognizable name, she reads the talking points, she looks ok, and she advances the agenda that Obama is bad.
I don't think it's just Fox News that wants to push the idea that Obama is incompetent, dishonest, un-American, and all the rest. If it gets people riled up, then it's fine to broadcast, damn the facts.
The networks don't care as long as people tune in...disgusting.
Oh, not on people who are informed. But those are the people who have a well-informed opinion. The conservatives are playing to the cheap seats - the people who aren't well informed, too busy or uninterested or only listening to opinionated windbags and not real news - people who would never read a thirty column inch article covering an issue, even if they care about it passionately.
And for those nuggets, a very simple lie that gets them angry works quite well. Not only does it put them firmly on one side, they will repeat it to other nuggets - because its simple, and it stirs them emotionally.
The left needs to start pulling these same tactics. Seriously. Not blatant lies, but the exaggeration and pebble-of-truth-to-snowball-of-a-claim type of stuff that Atwater and Rove did so well.
Republican members of Congress rail against a government-run health plan (even though nobody is even proposing such a thing), then send Bill Clinton out to say Republicans want to get rid of Medicare and VA hospitals. Send out a push poll asking if you are concerned that Republicans want to eliminate health care for veterans. Etc.
Smack them with their own dead fish tactics.
Can you imagine Obama going in that direction? He can't and won't. He'll never manipulate the ignorant as well as the repubs. It's just not in him. I have been hoping that his style -- talking to Americans as adults -- would work and would change politics in that direction. I'm still hoping, but less optimistic.
It's all there in black and white.
What we need to do (and is so difficult) is to find that perfect mix of capitalism and government. Give the free marketeers what they want with a minimum of meaningful regulations. Keep government as small as possible but; let it control the big things where it can have the most/best effect.
What is that perfect mix? Gee, I sure wish I knew.
That is why we need intelligent and informed debate.
(e..g. No talking points)
In 1994 Cheney was on the air bellowing how going to war with Iraq would be a grave mistake. As soon as he got into power he did a 180 degree turnabout. See video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mptDHfU991k
Cheney lied to us in 1994, (except for this one moment when he was hit with a truth attack) he continues to lie to us today. Cheney needs to be investigated and prosecuted for his high crimes and misdemeanors (Who the hell was president during the last 8 years? It sure wasn't W)
He is convinced that between his knowledge and experience he has it figured out.
The problem being, once he has made up his mind, nothing can convince him otherwise.
SHE: What happened?
ME: Well, I was standing here under this Cheney Tree and this apple fell and hit me right on the head!
This was more like a Red-Hypocritical.
You twist every negative that your party has into a Democratic Party negative - but it isn't going to work this time. We know you are afraid that the President will pass healthcare reform and that the US citizens will love it and the Democratic Party for giving it to them and blame the Republicans for stopping it for 30 or so years.
But your welcome to keep digging dear girl, just remember to stop when you see molten rocks.
Her 5-deferrment father is no longer in office [smile] and thus, Ms. Cheney is no longer employed. Is she on the fox payroll, anyone know?
This woman sucks the air out of the room and will never let anyone else get a word in edgewise..
I can understand her wanting to see her daddy in a good light but for crying out loud Liz do some homework..
Try some facts they are cholesterol free from what I understand. They won't hurt your health one little bit..
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"If we suffer ourselves to be frightened from our post by mere lying, surely the enemy will use that weapon; for what one so cheap to those of whose system of politics morality makes no part?" --Thomas Jefferson to James Sullivan, 1805.
I'd say this fits what the Republicans are doing, with the lack of moral compass, they use people's fear as a weapon...and the "leaders" of this party are good at it, surrounded by their enablers.
None of this is making sense. It's like Bizarro World on "This Modern World".
Something is going to snap before long, and I hate to see the eventual results. It's not going to be pretty. Sigh.
She is still a sorry excuse for politics. Oh yeah, Dick is going to jail.
Gave Heath Care Reform 40 wacks.
When she saw what she had done,
Gave truth and integrity 41.
-- sung to the tune of "Lizzy Borden"
If any of you are not familiar with the little diddy, here's a link to give you an idea of how this should be sung.
http://www.imeem.com/gandalfthegreat/music/Klmf6gWX/lizzie-borden-took-an-axe/
Put the lyrics to this & it will stick in your head all day. Excuse the pun.
Well, okay, he did read "The Pet Goat" while the world was collapsing.