“You're right, there was an imbalance on the opening statements because - I'm the president. I didn't count my time in terms of dividing it evenly."—president Barry Hussein SoetoroNo one would think it fair, in any endeavor, whether it was in Academic League or professional sport that the opposition would both control the clock and the referees. Yet that is exactly what happened at the Obama health care summit. President Barry Hussein Soetoro was both the time keeper and the referee.
As a result many supposed unbiased reporters claimed that Soetoro dominated the event and that he always had an answer for every point and that he always had the last word. Well duh? What about controlling the clock and the event don’t they understand?
According to Joseph Curls’ report, Sen. Mitch McConnell, the Senate Republican leader, pointed out early on that Democrats had controlled 52 minutes to Republicans' 24. (see article)
Curl reports [b]y the end of the televised event, Mr. Obama had spoken for 119 minutes - nine minutes more than the 110 minutes consumed by 17 Republicans. The 21 Democratic lawmakers used 114 minutes, giving the president and his supporters a whopping 233 minutes, according to a "talk clock" kept by GOP aides.
233 minutes Democrats to 110 minutes Republicans was the unfair advantage held by Soetoro and Democrats, but even with that over whelming advantage many called the summit a draw or give the edge to the Republicans.
The next time something like this is considered Republicans must insist on a neutral mediator. And not one with Liberal leanings, polls show that whether Democrats like it or not Fox News is trusted by the American people as fairer than any of the other broadcast or cable networks. Therefore someone who is trusted to be fair should come from Fox News and no other.
Nevertheless the most incredible moment in this whole summit was Rep. Paul Ryan’s moment where he spoke truth to power and totally deconstructed any reason for anyone to want or support the Democrats health care reform. (see 6:11min video)
Rep. Ryan’s 10 points that president Soetoro and the Democrats with their advantage in time and control can’t answer are below.
• "This bill does not control costs (or) reduce deficits. Instead, (it) adds a new health care entitlement when we have no idea how to pay for the entitlements we already have."
• "The bill has 10 years of tax increases, about half a trillion dollars, with 10 years of Medicare cuts, about half a trillion dollars, to pay for six years of spending. The true 10-year cost (is) $2.3 trillion."
• "The bill takes $52 billion in higher Social Security tax revenues and counts them as offsets. But that's really reserved for Social Security. So either we're double-counting them or we don't intend on paying those Social Security benefits."
• "The bill takes $72 billion from the CLASS Act (long-term care insurance) benefit premiums and claims them as offsets."
• "The bill treats Medicare like a piggy bank, (raiding) half a trillion dollars not to shore up Medicare solvency, but to spend on this new government program."
• "The chief actuary of Medicare (says) as much as 20% of Medicare providers will either go out of business or have to stop seeing Medicare beneficiaries."
• "Millions of seniors who have chosen Medicare Advantage (Medicare through a private insurer) will lose the coverage that they now enjoy."
• "When you strip out the double-counting and ... gimmicks, the full 10-year cost of the bill has a $460 billion deficit. The second 10-year cost of this bill has a $1.4 trillion deficit."
• "The 'doc fix' (restoring cuts in Medicare reimbursements) costs $371 billion ... a price tag (that) made the score look bad. (So) that provision was taken out, and (put) in stand-alone legislation. But ignoring these costs does not remove them from the backs of taxpayers. Hiding spending does not reduce spending."
• "Are we bending the cost curve down or are we bending the cost curve up? If you look at your own chief actuary at Medicare, we're bending it up. He's claiming that we're going up $222 billion, adding more to the unsustainable fiscal situation we have." (source)
Democrats had a total of 233mins in the Obama Summit to show up Republicans but it only took a little over 6 mins for the Wisconsin Congressman Paul Ryan to lay bear the fraud and deception of the Democrat health care plan.
Cheers to Rep. Paul Ryan and well played Congressman!
