If I am trying to sell you my house and, to convince you to buy, I promise you that the roof does not leak when I know that to be untrue, is that a "broken promise"? The answer is a simple "no". It is worse than a broken promise. Legally, it is fraud. It is a false statement made with the knowledge by the speaker that it is false. In other words, it's a lie.
The difference between a broken promise and a lie is a big one. After all, I could promise to mow the lawn the coming weekend and then not do it because it rains the entire time. It would be a broken promise, but not a lie. I could promise to take my child to the park and then cancel the trip when she behaves badly. Again, that would be a broken promise but not a lie. There are reasons, some good, why a person would break a promise. Lying, however, is a different matter.
The difference between lies and broken promises struck me this morning when I heard CBS News talking about president Obama's "broken promise" to a "small segment" of America that they could keep their healthcare plans. CBS is wrong. It was not just a broken promise to a small segment of the population. It was an outright lie told by Obama to all of us, every single American, in order to convince us that Obamacare was something that it is not. The seriousness of the president lying to the American people cannot be understated. Think back over the last fifty years. Think about the lies told by the president. And let's be clear: I am not talking about presidential hyperbole or campaign rhetoric. I am not talking about the president being mistaken. I am not talking about the president being wrong even when he clearly ought to have known better. I am talking about blatant lies told by the president to America.
The first lie that comes to mind is "I did not have sex with that woman, Miss Lewinsky." Clinton lied to us (and got impeached as a result), but we gave him a pass because it was a personal lie.
Richard Nixon lied to the country about Watergate. He claimed that he was not involved in the coverup of the break in at the Watergate, when he was. Ultimately, that lie caused him to resign from office.
In fifty years, those are the only presidential lies of the same sort and magnitude as Obama's lies about Obamacare. One resignation and one impeachment and, now, one president whose lies get called "broken promises" by a still fawning media. The truth, however, is that these are lies, lies and more lies. Indeed, Obama's lies are actually much worse than those of Nixon or Clinton. Nixon's lies did not directly damage the American people; he was trying to protect his administration and did nothing that affected the average American. Clinton's lies were intended to cover up his sexual escapades and had not impact on the average citizen. Obama's lies are different. Millions of people have lost their insurance, much to their surprise. Tens of millions more are going to lose their insurance during the next year. Insurance premiums for all policies are soaring. Obama's lies are the basis for a failed policy that directly attacks the healthcare for the majority of America and which also sticks a knife into the economy.
Let's all be clear about just what Obama has done. He does not deserve anyone softening the blow even in the still fawning media. Obama's lies were reprehensible. The consequences of Obama's lies are terrible. No one ought forget this.
The difference between a broken promise and a lie is a big one. After all, I could promise to mow the lawn the coming weekend and then not do it because it rains the entire time. It would be a broken promise, but not a lie. I could promise to take my child to the park and then cancel the trip when she behaves badly. Again, that would be a broken promise but not a lie. There are reasons, some good, why a person would break a promise. Lying, however, is a different matter.
The difference between lies and broken promises struck me this morning when I heard CBS News talking about president Obama's "broken promise" to a "small segment" of America that they could keep their healthcare plans. CBS is wrong. It was not just a broken promise to a small segment of the population. It was an outright lie told by Obama to all of us, every single American, in order to convince us that Obamacare was something that it is not. The seriousness of the president lying to the American people cannot be understated. Think back over the last fifty years. Think about the lies told by the president. And let's be clear: I am not talking about presidential hyperbole or campaign rhetoric. I am not talking about the president being mistaken. I am not talking about the president being wrong even when he clearly ought to have known better. I am talking about blatant lies told by the president to America.
The first lie that comes to mind is "I did not have sex with that woman, Miss Lewinsky." Clinton lied to us (and got impeached as a result), but we gave him a pass because it was a personal lie.
Richard Nixon lied to the country about Watergate. He claimed that he was not involved in the coverup of the break in at the Watergate, when he was. Ultimately, that lie caused him to resign from office.
In fifty years, those are the only presidential lies of the same sort and magnitude as Obama's lies about Obamacare. One resignation and one impeachment and, now, one president whose lies get called "broken promises" by a still fawning media. The truth, however, is that these are lies, lies and more lies. Indeed, Obama's lies are actually much worse than those of Nixon or Clinton. Nixon's lies did not directly damage the American people; he was trying to protect his administration and did nothing that affected the average American. Clinton's lies were intended to cover up his sexual escapades and had not impact on the average citizen. Obama's lies are different. Millions of people have lost their insurance, much to their surprise. Tens of millions more are going to lose their insurance during the next year. Insurance premiums for all policies are soaring. Obama's lies are the basis for a failed policy that directly attacks the healthcare for the majority of America and which also sticks a knife into the economy.
Let's all be clear about just what Obama has done. He does not deserve anyone softening the blow even in the still fawning media. Obama's lies were reprehensible. The consequences of Obama's lies are terrible. No one ought forget this.
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