Obama, Stephanopoulos Spar Over Definition of 'Tax'

[Bill the Cat]

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/09/20/obama-stephanopoulos-spar-definition-tax/

In the interview airing Sunday, Stephanopoulos pressed the president on his plan to require people to purchase health insurance.



"I don't think I'm making it up. Merriam-Webster's dictionary: 'Tax, a charge, usually of money, imposed by authority on persons or property for public purposes,'" he said.



"No. That -- that's not true, George. The -- for us to say that you've got to take a responsibility to get health insurance is absolutely not a tax increase," Obama said.

[Darth Executor]

Yeah, I saw this yesterday. I think Obama really does believe his constituents (and moderates) are so stupid (http://www.theologyweb.com/campus/showthread.php?t=132288) that a semantic exercise like that will work.

Then again, Joe Biden thought people were stupid enough to think 'we kicked Hezbollah out of Lebanon', so I dunno. All I gotta say is that, in the immortal words of Joe Wilson, "You lie!"

[themuzicman]

It's Bill Clinton all over again. Except that this time isn't about sexual harassment and perjury, but rather our economic future.


Let's hope the American people are smart enough to figure this one out.

[Pilgrim]

They weren't for the past 8 years and I don't think they all of a sudden got any smarter...

[themuzicman]

True.. although the last 8 years were at least more intelligent. This guy is asking us to swallow whoppers whole.

[Darth Executor]

TheyWe weren't for the past 8 years and I don't think they all of a sudden got any smarter...

Fixed. This guy is your mess too. Own it.

[Pilgrim]

He is all of our mess. Well, more accurately stated, the entire system of politics is our mess. And I think you'd be hard pressed to say there was anything more intelligent about the past 8 years. Heck in sheer volume alone the stupidy by the same time in the last admin was more staggering.

Take the whole "czar" think for example. Bush's appointees to "czar" posts by sept of his first year in office out stripped Obama's by a pretty large amount. And it's like we've all forgotten that. So I don't see us, as a nation, getting any smarter about such things.

[Darth Executor]

He is all of our mess. Well, more accurately stated, the entire system of politics is our mess.

You were praising him before he actually had to do his job. How is that everyone's mess? Not only that but nobody strong-armed you into voting. People could withhold their vote and thus create a vacuum that a principled politician can take advantage of. But you didn't do that. You actively contribute to the current political system. some people don't. Why is it their mess too?


And I think you'd be hard pressed to say there was anything more intelligent about the past 8 years.

There was (at least on the economy) for most of them. Bush only went off while late in his second term.


Heck in sheer volume alone the stupidy by the same time in the last admin was more staggering.

Take the whole "czar" think for example. Bush's appointees to "czar" posts by sept of his first year in office out stripped Obama's by a pretty large amount. And it's like we've all forgotten that. So I don't see us, as a nation, getting any smarter about such things.

The stupidity between czars isn't in the numbers but in the choice of people obama appoints. Czars themselves are a problem, but not an intelligence one.