Remember the White House “Reality Check”? The White House communications office made a blog post Aug. 4, 2009,called “Facts Are Stubborn Things” to combat the idea that people will lose the insurance they like.
In the video
, Linda Douglass, then communications director for the White House office of health reform, sought to correct “the disinformation that’s out there about health reform.”
, Linda Douglass, then communications director for the White House office of health reform, sought to correct “the disinformation that’s out there about health reform.”
Apparently, there were all sorts of wannabe news breakers back in 2009, armed with “a computer and a lot of free time,” who were waiting to pounce on Obama’s health care plan. “There are a lot of very deceiving headlines out there,” Douglass said in the video.
and a lot of free time,” who were waiting to pounce on Obama’s health care plan. “There are a lot of very deceiving headlines out there,” Douglass said in the video.
In fact, Douglass said, the disinformation comes because the President was speaking so much that it was easy for the internet fear-mongers to cherry-pick misleading quotes.
for the internet fear-mongers to cherry-pick misleading quotes.
Douglass then offers an example of a maliciously misleading headline — from the Drudge Report — which reads “Uncovered Video: Obama Explains How His Health Care Plan Will ‘Eliminate’ Private Insurance…”.
Explains How His Health Care Plan Will ‘Eliminate’ Private Insurance…”.
“Nothing could be farther from the truth,” Douglass retorts. The truth, she says, can be found in Obama’s famous AARP Tele-Town Hall:
“Here’s a guarantee that I’ve made: If you have insurance that you like, then you will be able to keep that insurance. if you’ve got a doctor that you like, you will be able to keep your doctor. Nobody is trying to change what works in the system. We are trying to change what doesn’t work.”
