My Whole Expanse I Cannot See…

I formulate infinity stored deep inside of me…

Jul 20

Lying vs. being wrong

Category: Life,Opinions

So, health care reform was always sort of a political white whale; Presidents chased it, but President Barack Obama was the first to successfully run it down. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) completely changed the American health care system, it was a big deal. President Obama tried really hard to pass a bill that would get Americans health insurance, particularly those who couldn’t have afford it. The ACA has done a great deal of good, and helped a great many people over the last seven years. Still, not everything President Obama promised worked out, for SOME people the ACA has been a hindrance. Now, this post isn’t about the nuances of the ACA, it’s about a piece of shit con-man calling an honorable man a liar, but to set the stage it’s important to note that the ACA developed flaws, and President Obama made promises that went wrong.

Okay, yesterday I’m watching MSNBC, Trump is going on and on about the greatness of the Republican health care bill, just typical Trumpian nonsense. Then I hear something jarring, something that really gets my heart going. Trump says, the ACA was a “giant lie.” He says, when President Obama made certain promises they were lies, that President Obama knew he was lying to America. I’m listening to Donald J. Trump, a con-man who lies easy as breathing, often stupid lies, lies that can be found out by a simple Google search, and he has the nerve to call President Obama a liar… I’m so livid I want to put my fist through the tv.

President Obama governed for eight years without a scandal. I had no need of MSNBC, not during the Obama Administration. He never did anything outrageous, he definitely never did anything stupid. He was bad business for the late-night comics, he gave them nothing to work with, absolutely no material. He was the first President I ever truly respected, truly admired. President Obama governed with a steady hand, he was thoughtful and deliberate… He was not a liar. Maybe because Trump has never spent an honest day in his entire life, he doesn’t understand the difference between lying and beings wrong.

The ACA is a large, complex piece of legislation, something nobody ever successfully enacted. President Obama signed the bill with the best intentions, he told the American people how he thought the bill was going to work. He made promises he thought he could keep. I’m sure there were promises he refused to make because he was certain he couldn’t keep them. He’d never knowingly mislead the American people, his sense of morality wouldn’t allow it. Another concept Trump couldn’t possibly understand. At any rate, the ACA didn’t work exactly as planned, President Obama couldn’t keep every promise. He was wrong on some key points. What Trump didn’t mention in his nonsense speech was that President Obama owned his mistakes. He acknowledged the ACA’s flaws and took full responsibility for them. Above all, he wanted to fix the ACA, but the Republican majority felt that it was better to waste six years trying to kill it. Trump didn’t mention that either.

President Obama never lied about the ACA, he simply ended up being wrong where he meant to be right.

Trump’s default position is LIE, a moral failing he likes to project onto others.

8 comments

8 Comments so far

  1. Ben July 20th, 2017 4:46 am

    I could not agree more. “Baby Donnie” is such a complete disaster of a man, much less a President, that I truly cannot believe that he made it to adulthood. His business ventures have failed so many times, he’s filed for bankruptcy more than any other “successful” person I can even think of, and he has an unhealthy obsession with his daughter. Why, again, did Americans think it was okay for this man to “rule the country”?

  2. Shawn July 20th, 2017 8:13 am

    Insightful and thoughtful

    Loved your beginning with literary allusion. Good stuff.

  3. Rachel July 20th, 2017 9:09 am

    Mike, may I borrow this and post it on a political wall I have on Facebook? I will give you the credit and link to your site. It’s a “secret” group because I was done fighting with the nut jobs on my on wall. You have my email and if would like to join I will send you the invite as well as any others on your page that are equally disgusted with Trump and his cronies. It is ONLY for like minded people. If people want to “debate”, they have plenty of other venues.

    This was a brilliant piece Hope you have a good day~

    Rachel

  4. Margaret Seamons July 20th, 2017 9:41 am

    You captured the heart of President Obama. When something he promised didn’t work out, he SAID he made a mistake. In all of Trump’s 80 years he doesn’t have the wisdom you have in your little finger!

  5. Richard J Gopen July 20th, 2017 12:17 pm

    Michael – I, too, want to share your piece on my Facebook page. It was well expressed, and right on the mark. Trump’s entire repertoire of names and attributes that he ascribes to his huge and growing list of enemies is drawn directly from his own baggage of flaws. He is so narcissistic that he seems to be blind to his own shortcomings, so he doesn’t recognize that his finger-pointing demonizing of others is really projected self-hate.
    I do enjoy your posts, Michael, (except the ones about fantasy authors, which I’m just not into). I just thought this was a particularly good one.

  6. Katie Anderson July 20th, 2017 1:12 pm

    Thank you so much for your thoughtful, personal insight into healthcare. Voices like yours are so very important.

    We could go on about Trump for eons but please don’t forget that there are real politicians who have been gunning for the destruction of Medicaid for their whole careers. Take a look at Paul Ryan http://www.cnbc.com/2017/03/20/paul-ryan-has-wanted-to-reform-medicaid-since-his-frat-days.html.

    Even the ACA is more flawed than necessary thanks to the private health care companies involved. We need a single payer system. Maybe we are closer than we think.

  7. Linda Cirocco July 20th, 2017 5:29 pm

    I couldn’t agree more. President Obama was the best thing to happen to this country in decades! He’s a tough act to follow and the losers in the White House can’t touch him in any area. Ethics, knowledge, diplomacy, decency, politics, etc. Obama was the best. Ever. He cared about people. He did what was right for citizens. I miss the Obama family.

    Trump. OMG. Did he really win the election? How can he think he is nt OBVIOUSLY colluding with the Russians (who are seriously playing him)? How can we end this before we cannot find our path back to decency? Resist!!

  8. Otavio Pacheco July 25th, 2017 1:23 pm

    I will never understand why this piece of shit called Trump was elected… It’s unbelievable. Why did this thing happened?