The Lies of Obama are more consequential than those of Trump

Thanks, realist2016. Everybody lies and so all politicians are liars to some degree. I"ll advance that the relative forgivability of a political lie can be judged by the following characteristics: MOTIVE: Who benefits by concealing the truth? Was the lie self-serving or protecting someone else? Was the lie used to cover up potential crimes or embarrassments? Was the lie used only to extend political influence or in the service of the common good or a higher principle? DELIBERATION: Was the lie told in ignorance or misperceptions? Was the lie premeditated or reflexive? Was the lie told once or often? ACKNOWLEDGEMENT:Was the lie admitted by the liar? Voluntarily or under duress? AMENDMENT: Was the lie corrected with the truth or another lie? Voluntarily or under duress? HARM:What were the lie"s consequences? Intentional or unintentional? What damage to US lives, property, institutions, and interests? By these standards I think we can quickly conclude that Trump is the greater liar. Certainly, much of his prevarication can be attributed to ignorance or lazy disinterest but a disturbing number of lies can be attributed to cover-up, self-promotion, populist provocation, or just plain ill-will. Let"s apply these standards to the two subjects brought up by Pro: healthcare and the NSA. There"s no doubt that Obama was mistaken when he promised "if you like your healthcare plan, you can keep your healthcare plan." In 2009, this statement was generically true. Everybody assumed that insurance providers would continue to offer coverage in the same states after Obamacare was implemented. But then Obamacare defined a list of essential services that must be covered- things like ambulance rides, prescription drugs, emergency room visits. After all, the whole point of paying health insurance is to cover just such unexpected, extraordinary costs and any health insurance that failed to provide these basics was simply ripping people off. By 2012, a small number of insurers made it clear that they weren't interested in the profit margins available under the less-than-mercenary rules and were pulling out, amounting to less than 2% of the total market. If Obama had then changed his rhetoric the to "if you like your healthcare plan and your current healthcare plan isn't a worthless con, you can keep your healthcare plan," he would have been close to the truth, but he didn't change his rhetoric. By 2013, Obama was forced to apologize, "I am sorry that they are finding themselves in this situation based on assurances they got from me, we"ve got to work hard to make sure that they know we hear them and we are going to do everything we can to deal with folks who find themselves in a tough position as a consequence of this." [1]. Obama admitted the lie and did not repeat it thereafter. That Obama continued the lie in 2012, knowing that it was only 98% true is certainly condemnable. However, the lie was also told in pursuit of a worthwhile public good: curbing health care inflation, improving and increasing healthcare coverage. We can argue about whether the lie harmed Obamacare"s reputation, but whether the 2% who lost coverage paid more for a decent plan or paid nothing for no coverage, their lot was generally improved by Obamacare"s implementation. On the other hand, Trump promised to "repeal Obamacare on day one" (a lie), and to replace Obamacare with "something terrific." Specifically, Trump stated his replacement would be less expensive, (The CBO projects that Trumpcare would have increased premiums by as much as 20% in the first 2 years), [2] would offer insurance for everybody and nobody would lose coverage, (14 million lose coverage immediately, another million/year over the next 10 years), [2] no cuts to Medicaid ($880 billion in cuts proposed), and remove state-by-state coverage (never brought up again after the election. [2]. However much Trump endorsed the House bill in March, calling it "incredibly well crafted," he distanced himself from his own policy by June, calling it "mean" and underfunded. [3] By July, he was supporting a Senate "skinny" repeal that amounted to little more than Obamacare minus taxes on the rich. [4]. When the latest Obamacare repeal was submitted this week, Trump refused to endorse the plan but also stated, "inaction is not an option." Trump being the exception apparently. The truth is that Trump has no healthcare plan. He's willing to lie and flip-flop for the opportunity to attach his name to anything that takes the Obama out of Obamacare, even risk grevious harm to millions of Americans. NSA in the second round [1] http://www.cnn.com... [2] http://www.politico.com... [3] https://www.google.com... [4] http://www.politico.com...