In a new ad titled “Stop” former Republican governor and current U.S. Senate candidate Tommy Thompson says he’ll “stop the government takeover of health care by repealing Obamacare.”
No doubt Thompson’s promise is meant to appeal to the far-right “tea party” extremists within the Republican Party in what should be a hotly contested Republican primary for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by the retirement of Democratic Sen. Herb Kohl. However, there’s one big “inconvenient truth” about Tommy’s promise to “stop the government takeover of health care by repealing Obamacare,” namely the fact that Obamacare does not constitute a “government takeover of health care.”
In fact, PolitiFact named the meme about “government takeover of health care” as a result of the Affordable Care Act as its 2010 “Lie of the Year:
“Government takeover” conjures a European approach where the government owns the hospitals and the doctors are public employees. But the law Congress passed, parts of which have already gone into effect, relies largely on the free market
Apparently Tommy Thompson isn’t above lying in order to get elected to the United States Senate, but I’m still trying to figure out why a guy who very clearly loves to be the center of attention would want to be just one of 100 United States Senators, and a backbencher at that. Said Tommy back in 1999, “Why would I want to go to Washington and be part of a debating society…?”
For more on the follies, foibles, and gaffes of Tommy Thompson, check out the Thirteen Gaffes of Tommy Thompson.
Jay, I was a Deaniac, too. Howard Dean was my first political heartbreak. Learned a lot from that experience…
Wrong thread 😛
“Apparently Tommy Thompson isn’t above lying”
Of COURSE he’s not above lying; that + ads and newspapers to back the lies is the entire Republican strategy in this state. The question is how do we counter lie after lie after lie?
Just because a biased organization such as Politifact doesn’t agree with Tommy’s definition of the phrase “government takeover” it shouldn’t be labeled a lie nor Thompson a liar.
Obamacare is a dramatic increase in government regulation, oversight, and control of many parts of the health care system. Including a federal mandate.
I’d have to believe that a good number of people would agree with Thompson’s claim that this constitutes a “government takeover”.
That would not mean they are liars nor dishonest, just of a different view than Zach.
If PolitiFact is biased, it tends to be biased towards Republicans.
Obviously we disagree on the bias of Politifact, that wouldn’t make me acuse you of being a liar. I may refer to you as wrong or mislead, but I would not insult your integrity over a difference of opinion.
Talking Points Memo has been reporting for several days on the growing unease of national Republicans as they realize that a Supreme Court decision against health care reform means that they might actually have to make good on their continued compaign promises to repeal Obamacare.
Poor babies, now they’ll have to deal with all their constituents who want and already have the good parts of Obamacare but for some reason don’t think they should have to pay for it. You know, the ones who put them in office.