Obamacare Architect: "Lack Of Transparency Is A Huge Political Advantage"

[Zacha341]

Eh' say what?

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/vid...advantage.html
JONATHAN GRUBER, OBAMACARE ARCHITECT: This bill was written in a tortured way to make sure that the CBO [[Congressional Budget Office) did not score the mandate as taxes. If CBO scored the mandate as taxes, the bill dies. Okay. So it was written to do that. In terms of risk-rated subsidies, if you had a law that said healthy people are going to pay in -- if you made it explicit that healthy people pay in sick people get money it would not have passed. Okay.

Lack of transparency is a huge political advantage. And basically call it the stupidity of the American voter, or whatever, but basically that was really, really critical in getting the thing to pass, and, you know, it's the second best argument. And I wish Mark was right, we could make it all transparent, but I'd rather have this law than not. So there are things I'd wish I could change, but I'd rather have this law than not.

Let the games begin [[who shall we believe?):

http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-s...gruber-created
The mess Jonathan Gruber created [[MSNBC revised report):
Part of the problem with the Jonathan Gruber “stupid” story is that it’s a shiny object for the political world to stare at for a while. It offers more heat than light. It’s a bouncing ball for political insiders to chase after, despite its relative insignificance.

[oladub]

crime pays

[Mikeg]

The "Lack of transparency" began with Gruber himself and was aided and abetted by a lapdog media that frequently cited Gruber as an expert - with no disclosure [[and no knowledge prior to Jan. 2010) that he had nearly $400,000 in lucrative contracts with the Department of Health and Human Services.

On Jonathan Gruber and Disclosure

By MichaelJames
Jan 9, 2010 11:01am

The New York Times has an editor's note today:

"On July 12, the Op-Ed page published an article by Jonathan Gruber, a professor of economics at M.I.T., on health insurance and taxation. On Friday, Professor Gruber confirmed reports that he is a paid consultant to the Department of Health and Human Services, and that his contract was in effect when he published his article. The article did not disclose this relationship to readers.

"Like other writers for the Op-Ed page, Professor Gruber signed a contract that obligated him to tell editors of such a relationship. Had editors been aware of Professor Gruber's government ties, the Op-Ed page would have insisted on disclosure or not published his article."

In November this blog, too, cited Gruber's work with no disclosure [[and no knowledge) that he had nearly $400,000 in lucrative contracts with the Department of Health and Human Services.

Gruber has been a go-to voice for reporters seeking a respected academic view on health care reform costs — and as far as I can tell, few if any knew that in March he was awarded a $95,000 contract with HHS and in June a $297,600 contract with HHS for providing "Technical Assistance in Evaluating Options for National Healthcare Reform."

A Dec. 28, 2009 Washington Post op-ed by Gruber made no such disclosure. The piece, titled "'Cadillac' tax isn't a tax — it's a plan to finance real health reform" makes that case, strongly opposed by labor unions, that the Senate health care bill's proposed "40 percent assessment on insurance plans with premiums of more than $8,500 for singles and $23,000 for families … would reduce the incentives for employers to provide excessively generous insurance, leading to more cost-conscious use of health care and, ultimately, lower spending."

This is the same "Cadillac tax" proposal that President Obama is pushing House and Senate health care reform negotiators to include in the bill — and yes, it's the same one he opposed on the campaign trail, noting in October 2008 in Newport News that some workers have "given up wage increases in exchange for a better health care."

Read the entire blog post here.

[Mikeg]

Democrats Who Once Praised ObamaCare Architect Gruber Now Can’t Run Away From Him Far or Fast Enough

It wasn’t all that long ago that Democrats from Harry Reid to Nancy Pelosi sang the praises of ObamaCare architect Jonathan Gruber to all who would listen.

Now that at least 5 videos have surfaced of Gruber saying everything from “lack of transparency” [[secrecy), to the “stupidity of the American people” was necessary to pass the bill, Democrats – including Obama himself – can’t run away from Gruber far or fast enough......

Click here to read and watch their past praise for Jonathon Gruber.

[Mikeg]

In addition to the two contracts he had with Kathleen Sebelius' Department of Health and Human Services that totaled nearly $400,000, Gruber made millions more after the Affordable Care Act was passed:

Grubergate shines spotlight on Obamacare profiteers

[Patrick]

Strange how they [[DHHS) awarded the contract to him as a sole source requirement. The J/A should have been posted on FBO, but all I see is pre-sol notice. It is also odd that DHHS used FAR Part 13, rather than FAR part 6 for this requirement, even though it was probably under the simplified threshold of 100K at that time. There must have been options within the contract because it was renewed or exercised for another $300K. They could have just put his ass on a MOBIS task order as an SME, but I bet his burdened rate would have been far too high.

[Mikeg]

Strange how they [[DHHS) awarded the contract to him as a sole source requirement. The J/A should have been posted on FBO, but all I see is pre-sol notice. It is also odd that DHHS used FAR Part 13, rather than FAR part 6 for this requirement, even though it was probably under the simplified threshold of 100K at that time. There must have been options within the contract because it was renewed or exercised for another $300K. They could have just put his ass on a MOBIS task order as an SME, but I bet his burdened rate would have been far too high.

Also strange is how President Obama tried to downplay Gruber's involvement by claiming he was just “some adviser who never worked on our staff", despite the fact that he was a paid DHHS consultant and a frequent visitor to the White House.

[Zacha341]

^^^ Political full-out damage control mode response. A standing, industrial strength fan must now be turned towards Gruber who must now get into the full wind of it -- and be BLOWN away!

We cannot have that s&it hit that fan!!! The splatter would be broad yet specific.

[Zacha341]

Interesting. Health care as it stands needs reform. That is not the argument. Got that, but I always knew there was BULL in this particular bill. It was so obvious that we were getting the snake oil sales-person's treatment from our great trusted ones.......

Click here to read and watch their past praise for Jonathon Gruber.

[Zacha341]

And the consolidation of health care into a governmental entity with a battalion of buffers regarding accountability in this manner 'pays' and pays too... some folks high at the top.

crime pays

[Mikeg]

Gruber was also a heavily-compensated architect of RomneyCare in Massachusetts. Here in a 2012 video clip, Gruber brags that RomneyCare was set up to “rip off” the federal government to the tune of $400 million a year: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gV9NRyQLjVU

Bob Schieffer on CBS’ Face the Nation wonders why Gruber doesn’t give the $400,000 back that he received from DHHS:
http://www.cbsnews.com/videos/bob-schieffer-dumbstruck-by-obamacare-advisers-remarks/

Probably because Gruber figures we are all too stupid to bother our elected representatives to demand it.

Meanwhile, David Axelrod weighs in with this gem on Twitter:

As one who worked hard to make ACA and its benefits clear, let me say: if you looked up "stupid" in dictionary, you'd find Gruber's picture.

[Mikeg]

Despite the fact that Jonathon Gruber was a highly-paid consultant for the President's cabinet Dept. of Health and Human Services, that fact was never disclosed by the President and his promoters of Obamacare when they touted him as a highly respected MIT Professor of Economics.

Remember when the President himself proclaimed that “This is the most transparent administration in history.” ?

So really, who is Jonathon Gruber? I guess it depends upon who you ask and when you ask it. [video compilation]

_____________

Larry O'Donnell: "He attended five of the twelve meeting at the Obama White House in 2009, including the meeting with the President."
_____________

President Barack Obama: "The fact that some adviser, who never worked on our staff, expressed some opinion that I completely disagree with, in terms of the voters - is no reflection on the actual process that was run."

"I've stolen ideas from liberally from Jon Gruber."
_____________

Senate Majority Leader Harry "Pinky" Reid: "Jonathon Gruber is one of the most respected economists in the world!"
_____________

Senator Max Baucus: "Most people think that he is one of the best outside experts, Mr. Gruber at MIT, he's got big computer models, he takes the CBO data and frankly in some respects he's helped CBO by giving them some information they didn't have."
_____________

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi: "I don't know if you have seen Jonathon Gruber's - of MIT - analysis...."

"I don't know who he is - he didn't help write our bill."
_____________

Senator John F. Kerry: "Gruber, who has been our guide on a lot of this."
_____________

[Zacha341]

^^^ They are twisting themselves into bottom-of-the bag pretzels to absolve direct association with or endorsement of Gruber!

Transparency alright.

Instead we have parsing, damage control 'mumbly-peg' of egg-faced politicians -- being political: CYA. Who's covering ours?