Just call him Barack “Emily Litella” Obama

By Michelle Malkin  •  June 19, 2009 05:43 PM

Another “neeeeever mind” from President Obama, via Mike Gonzalez at Heritage:

Less than 24 hours after Heritage Foundation President Ed Feulner questioned the veracity of President Obama’s persistent claim that, under his health care proposals, “if you like your insurance package you can keep it”, the White House has begun to walk the President’s claim back. Turns out he didn’t really mean it.

According to the Associated Press, “White House officials suggest the president’s rhetoric shouldn’t be taken literally: What Obama really means is that government isn’t about to barge in and force people to change insurance.”

How’s that for change you can believe in?

Flashback: Previous Emily Litella moments here and here.

Posted in: Health care

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Trackbacks

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  3. Just call him Barack a oeEmily Litellaa Obama | Barack Obama News
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  5. Suspicious: WH Says “Obama’s Rhetoric Shouldn’t Be Taken Literally” Concerning Promise That Americans Can Keep Their Private Health Insurance « Frugal Café Blog Zone
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Comments


  1. #724767
    On June 19th, 2009 at 5:58 pm, scituate_tgr said:

    Can those who voted for Teh One – never mind.

  2. #724768
    On June 19th, 2009 at 5:59 pm, backwoods conservative said:

    We’re Screwed ‘08.

    …and ‘09 and ‘10 and…

  3. #724769
    On June 19th, 2009 at 6:00 pm, right_on said:

    “White House officials suggest the president’s rhetoric shouldn’t be taken literally..

    Right! Don’t take this or any other thing he says literally. He always means the opposite of what he says, or lies by omission. Learn to parse everything he says, and always be suspicious of his motives.

  4. #724771
    On June 19th, 2009 at 6:02 pm, traveler49 said:

    Yes, “if you like your insurance package you can keep it”, just as long as you pay your taxes for everyone else’s health care too. You will essentially be paying double. But no one will force you.

  5. #724772
    On June 19th, 2009 at 6:02 pm, WarEagle82 said:

    Ed Feulner is a good guy. I wish he could talk some sense into those GOP idiots on The Hill…

  6. #724775
    On June 19th, 2009 at 6:10 pm, The Ugly American said:

    What Obama really means is that government isn’t about to barge in and force people to change insurance.”

    No barging…just a little distracting with the ol’ soft shoe while they drag your insurance company out into the alley and beat them senseless with baseball bats.

    That’s the Chicago Way.

  7. #724779
    On June 19th, 2009 at 6:12 pm, The Ugly American said:

    BTW….you know things are bad when I’m forced to stick up for my $600/month health insurance policy.

    I feel dirty.

  8. #724782
    On June 19th, 2009 at 6:14 pm, The Ugly American said:

    Still, even at this high cost, I have to say they’ve done right be me so far.

    *knocks on wood*

  9. #724785
    On June 19th, 2009 at 6:23 pm, Ragspierre said:

    {insert Obama statement} expires on ___________, 2009 (if not contradicted, whichever comes first)

  10. #724790
    On June 19th, 2009 at 6:30 pm, vickisoup said:

    Don’t take his rhetoric literally. Huh? Since when should such a statement be characterized as “rhetoric”? I guess, to BHO, if he says something that turns out to be completely untrue, then he can excuse it as “rhetoric”? WTH?

  11. #724792
    On June 19th, 2009 at 6:32 pm, FruNobulux said:

    That’s rich. “Don’t take what the President says literally.” In other words, he’s either lying, making 5h1t up, has no confidence in what he’s saying, or doesn’t know what Soros is going to tell him to do next.

    So, how can we tell when we’re supposed to “take him literally” and when we’re not? Is there going to be a sign or something? Or should we just assume that everything that comes out of his mouth is bull5h1t? My firm belief is the latter.

  12. #724795
    On June 19th, 2009 at 6:36 pm, DagneyT said:

    How many times has this administration said, “Never mind”….a better statement should be “NO mind”.

  13. #724796
    On June 19th, 2009 at 6:36 pm, jsmiddleton4 said:

    Obama did same thing to the AMA after his speech there said he was going to do tort reform. Then he said, “Oh, never mind…”

  14. #724803
    On June 19th, 2009 at 6:40 pm, JohnS said:

    Can we get Congress to be the guinea pigs for the “new” healthcare if we cannot defeat it? It should be mandatory that they are the ones who try it first.

  15. #724804
    On June 19th, 2009 at 6:40 pm, zyzzyg said:

    “What Obama really means is that government isn’t about to barge in and force people to change insurance.”

    Ummm, So “if you like your insurance package you can keep it”?

    Yes, no force from the Government on this issue, therefore if you desire to keep your insurance, go ahead.

    A better arguement against Government healthcare, in any form, is that business owners looking at thier bottomlines will make the assessment that they will be able to cut costs and save money by allowing their employees to use Government healthcare. Why would any business owner provide, or supplement, healthcare when it could be had from the Government?

    Ultimately, so many business owners will come to that conclusion that Government healthcare will be the only option.

    Yep, take Pres Obama to task, but be wise about it, not only entertaining.

  16. #724814
    On June 19th, 2009 at 6:52 pm, GladzKravtz said:

    A better arguement against Government healthcare, in any form, is that business owners looking at thier bottomlines will make the assessment that they will be able to cut costs and save money by allowing their employees to use Government healthcare. Why would any business owner provide, or supplement, healthcare when it could be had from the Government?

    Wait a minute zyz, you are going too far down the road. There was no crisis to begin with! It’s all not necessary!

  17. #724858
    On June 19th, 2009 at 7:21 pm, Freddy said:

    This health insurance scheme is not about insuring anyone. It is about the federal government grabbing an even bigger share of money and power over people and their lives!

    Do not believe ANY of the side tracking stories, it is all about government corruption.

  18. #724863
    On June 19th, 2009 at 7:34 pm, CJ said:

    On June 19th, 2009 at 6:40 pm, zyzzyg said:

    A better arguement against Government healthcare, in any form, is that business owners looking at thier bottomlines will make the assessment that they will be able to cut costs and save money by allowing their employees to use Government healthcare.

    I could have sworn that in a prior life (or should I say, presidency) leftists/unions were quite vocal in their complaints that a certain, very large retailer did that, pushing their employees toward S-Chip and other government plans. Funny, that. If you read their complaints from a couple years back, you’d get the impression they think that companies offloading their insurance onto government plans is a bad thing — and yet, here they are, making certain more companies can get in on the taxpayer-funded gravy train.

  19. #724872
    On June 19th, 2009 at 7:37 pm, AlohaGuy said:

    Does TOTUS get to keep it’s extended warranty, or will it have to be repaired under the GM repair program?

  20. #724876
    On June 19th, 2009 at 7:40 pm, Rorschach said:

    No you won’t be FORCED to change insurance carriers, but when the insurance carrier goes out of business or has to raise prices because so many employers are being forced to drop coverage because they’ll have to pay employment taxes on insurance benefits, you won’t be able to get or afford it anymore.

  21. #724881
    On June 19th, 2009 at 7:50 pm, txvet2 said:

    As Rush put it, everything Obama says has an expiration date. Seems like it’s usually measured in milliseconds.

  22. #724885
    On June 19th, 2009 at 7:54 pm, txvet2 said:

    On June 19th, 2009 at 6:32 pm, FruNobulux said:

    It might be useful to make a large sign and post it in front of your TV every time the Obamessiah comes on (which seems to be about every 3 minutes): “HE’S LYING!!!”

  23. #724890
    On June 19th, 2009 at 8:08 pm, swede said:

    I’m confused. When the government competes with private business, where’s the baseline? Ford has done an extraordinary job staying afloat in this tsunami, and as a reward now has to compete with the government?

    Sure, you can keep your private health plan until it goes under. How will they be able to compete? Anyone here with more knowledge of the system…help please.

  24. #724894
    On June 19th, 2009 at 8:32 pm, rowsdower said:

    On June 19th, 2009 at 6:40 pm, zyzzyg said: Yep, take Pres Obama to task, but be wise about it, not only entertaining.

    “The Adventures of Mr. Consonant Soup: Hall Monitor!!”

  25. #724898
    On June 19th, 2009 at 8:51 pm, jamesgreenidge said:


    On June 19th, 2009 at 6:02 pm, traveler49 said:

    Yes, “if you like your insurance package you can keep it”, just as long as you pay your taxes for everyone else’s health care too. You will essentially be paying double. But no one will force you.

    If only the Tea Parties could’ve trumpeted this simple sticking point much more — especially on campuses! As a young person, would you like to keep 90% of your earnings and take care of yourself or get 40% of your wages and let the state “take care” of you? I think most would do for themselves.

    James Greenidge
    Queens, NY

  26. #724932
    On June 19th, 2009 at 10:44 pm, Republicanvet said:

    On June 19th, 2009 at 6:00 pm, right_on said:

    Learn to parse ignore everything he says, and always be suspicious of his motives.

    …it’s gonna change in 10 minutes anyway…

    As to the socialist health care issue, why not fix Medicare or Social Security first before dumping trillions into another piggy bank for politicians?

    Where are seniors on this who may be facing Medicare cut-backs?

    Where are those who are about to retire just prior to Social Security going belly up?

  27. #724934
    On June 19th, 2009 at 10:50 pm, Republicanvet said:

    On June 19th, 2009 at 8:08 pm, swede said:

    I’m confused. When the government competes with private business, where’s the baseline? Ford has done an extraordinary job staying afloat in this tsunami, and as a reward now has to compete with the government?

    Sure, you can keep your private health plan until it goes under. How will they be able to compete? Anyone here with more knowledge of the system…help please.

    There were, and likely still are, federal laws against the government competing with the private sector.

    …but then, when did this bunch of thugs care about some little law.

  28. #724938
    On June 19th, 2009 at 11:12 pm, simcoe said:

    ‘bama the great!

    Proving once again that education has little or no correlation to intelligence.

    How humiliating it must be to have to work for and take orders from such a one. If he didn’t have the power, majesty, and mystique of The Office of The President of The United States behind him, he’d be shunned and laughed out of Washington.

    It’s difficult to take seriously such a seemingly politically unschooled narcissist who’s naive enough to think things will happen just because he says so. He’s ruining this nation.

  29. #724943
    On June 19th, 2009 at 11:58 pm, jsr said:

    “White House officials suggest the president’s rhetoric shouldn’t be taken literally..

    You mean like his assurances that health care reform would save us money? The only thing I hear is how this will cost $1 trillion, or is it 2 trillion today? I’m guessing his assurance that 95% percent of Americans would not pay more taxes actually means 95% of them will see a tax increase under this new rhetoric guideline.

  30. #724954
    On June 20th, 2009 at 5:41 am, Papa Louie said:

    Turns out he didn’t really mean it.

    There sure are a lot of things this president has said that he didn’t really mean. He pledged to take public funding but he really didn’t mean it. He promised to “restore openness and accountability to our executive branch”, but then he hired tax cheats and fired Inspector Generals because he really didn’t mean it. He promised earmark reform but he really didn’t mean it. He pledged to cut the deficit in half but he really didn’t mean it. He called for an end to “partisanship and pettiness and immaturity”, but then declared “I won” as a reason for ignoring Republicans, which showed that he really didn’t mean it. He even claimed not to “believe in bigger government”, but all of his actions as President have shown that he really didn’t mean it.

    The list of neverminds from Obama could go on and on. By now, most of us know that he doesn’t mean what he says. The sad thing is even the MSM knows he doesn’t mean it. But truth doesn’t matter to them anymore — it’s all about image. For them, style over substance is all that counts both in politics and in their own superficial lives. Not only do they fail to hold him accountable for his lies, they defend them. It remains to be seen how long the honeymoon will last, but so far, there has been no reason to hope for change in the behavior of the media.

  31. #724962
    On June 20th, 2009 at 6:38 am, Sea_Dog said:

    One thing I saw in the news blurbs (Foxnews.com) just now was how Sen. Baucus’s committee has negotiated a deal with the drug companies that will save the elderly “$80B” on their ‘brand name drugs’. The only problem with this charade is that drug companies have had (a) program(s) since the mid fifties that will help those (not just elderly) with the cost of tier one (brand name or ‘proprietary’) drugs if they can not afford it – just takes a certifying statement from their family physician and qualifying financial statement. I came across these programs when I was advising my clients on drug choices when Medicare Plan D rolled out. There are some widely prescribed drugs, Lipitor comes to mind, that can not be generically produced due to patent restrictions. With this agreement, see that program bite the dust – Savings You Can Believe In???? The drug industry is not pure white, but neither are they the evil Satan so many politicians make them out to be.

  32. #724964
    On June 20th, 2009 at 7:25 am, tarpon said:

    The economy is connected to Obama, the economy is connected to the unemployment rate … And they will all fail together,

  33. #724966
    On June 20th, 2009 at 8:33 am, ArizonaNeanderthal said:

    On June 20th, 2009 at 7:25 am, tarpon said:

    The economy is connected to Obama, the economy is connected to the unemployment rate … And they will all fail together,

    Oh THAT is how he is to bring us all together–thanks for clearing that up for us :evil: as I now sneak off to brush my teeth one last time before the Obama health teams tell me it is not the “we are the world” thing to do.

    Never tell a Brit to smile.

  34. #724973
    On June 20th, 2009 at 10:13 am, Jeff said:

    HT commentary magazine…

    This legislation — the Affordable Health Choices Act that’s being drafted by Sen. Edward Kennedy’s staff and the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee — will push Americans into stingy insurance plans with tight, HMO-style controls. It specifically exempts members of Congress (along with federal employees; the exemptions are in section 3116).”

  35. #724978
    On June 20th, 2009 at 10:32 am, WarEagle82 said:

    The legislation should be titled “The Doctor’s Relocation to Mexico and the Caribbean Act of 2009.”

    If they socialize medicine here then a significant percentage of doctors in America will simply pack up and relocate to the “near abroad.”

    Get ready to see “Medical Treatment Cruises” to the Caribbean and Mexican ports and excursion tours just across the Texas border. Those poor Canucks will have a lot further to travel to get health care.

    The only thing this “medical insurance act” is likely to insure is that the number of doctors per capita in Mexico and the Caribbean will increase to a level higher than that in the USA. These people are utter fools.

  36. #724982
    On June 20th, 2009 at 10:47 am, Flyoverman said:

    Whenever Obama talks, my Bravo Sierra detector goes off.

    You might as well live on a used car lot.

  37. #725040
    On June 20th, 2009 at 12:18 pm, Truesoldier said:

    “White House officials suggest the president’s rhetoric shouldn’t be taken literally”

    So are these White House officials trying to say that Obama is Confused and Disoriented?

  38. #725112
    On June 20th, 2009 at 2:20 pm, Ragspierre said:

    I never thought this would be possible, BUT…

    Obama has over-taken The Slickmeister for the title of…

    LYIN’ KING.

    Who says we don’t have a royal family in the US…?!?!?

  39. #725165
    On June 20th, 2009 at 4:48 pm, WarEagle82 said:

    You mean the idiots at the White House think any of us (besides lgm) believe anything they say?

    “White House officials suggest the president’s rhetoric shouldn’t be taken literally”

  40. #725172
    On June 20th, 2009 at 4:57 pm, sillygatboy said:

    I have a couple of serious procedures somewhere in the offing, I told my doctor I want to start ASAP while my medicare is still in place.

  41. #725202
    On June 20th, 2009 at 8:04 pm, Papa Louie said:

    Truesoldier said:

    “White House officials suggest the president’s rhetoric shouldn’t be taken literally”

    So are these White House officials trying to say that Obama is Confused and Disoriented?

    That line was so good I think Walpin should use it in his defense. It was spoken like a true soldier…

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