As we've been getting closer and closer to finalizing health care reform bills coming out of the House and Senate, there have been various "unnamed sources" from the White House quoted as being against real reform, watering down the public option with artificial triggers and other nonsense. This is all an attempt to undermine the administration's plans and cast a shadow of doubt into the minds of the Conservadems and Blue Dogs on the fence about reform.
I don't know who the unnamed sources are or what their agenda can possibly be, but it's incredibly frustrating to think that some stooge that may be working in or close to the White House would be willing to undermine something as important to the administration as health care... if such an unnamed source actually exists.
These quotes could also be trial balloons to judge public opinion on certain ideas, but at this late stage of the game, it would be foolish to keep fanning the flames. So until the unnamed sources have the balls to come out and back up their statements (which will never happen) or until responsible journalists rely on unnamed sources to back up their stories so they don't look like idiots making shit up, just ignore any story citing anonymous quotes. The cycle is too obvious: 1- Story gets published with an unnamed source. 2- Left or Right or the mainstream media goes apeshit. 3- White House denies any validity to the story. 4- Repeat as needed.
Remember everyone reporting that the public option was supposed to have died during the summer? Stop falling for it.
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2 comments:
I said it before and I will say it again, Rahm Emanuel told congress back in the spring that the public option is on the table.He is the one representing the WH in these health care negotiations.I don't believe its a trial balloon because every balloon they've launched has had a loud explosion from either the House the liberal blogs and Obamas own campaign volunteers.TPM was the first write the story and they have rarely ever been wrong.
Actually, it was Politico that started the story and TPM picked it up later that afternoon. I don't know whether it was a case of TPM falling into the "we don't want to be wrong and get scooped" trap, but they initially reported that the White House denied the story.
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