Washington, D.C.--President Obama has insisted that his health care plan won't lead to a "single-payer" system in which the government dictates health care options and eliminates health insurance coverage provided by private employers.Fearing the spread of misinformation to the contrary, the White House posted an August 4, 2009, entry on its official blog stating "If you get an email or see something on the web about health insurance reform that seems fishy, send it to flag@whitehouse.gov."
The enormous public response to that request has already crashed White House email servers.
Some found a 2003 video of someone saying, "I happen to be a proponent of single-payer, universal health care plans."
Others saw a 2007 video featuring the same man saying "I don't think we're going to be able to eliminate employer coverage immediately. There's going to be potentially some transition process. I can envision a decade out, or 15 years out, or 20 years out."
Tens of thousands of such video clips have been emailed to the White House in response to its request.
"The funny thing is," said one man who responded to the White House request, "the guy saying those things looks exactly like President Obama."
Still others have emailed the White House video clips of another man who bears a striking resemblance to Barney Frank, the Democratic Chairman of the House Financial Services Committee. The video shows the man saying "I think if we get a good public option it could lead to single-payer, and that's the best way to reach single-payer."
Another video clip that has been forwarded to the White House features a woman stating it "was right" to say that a public health insurance option "wouldn't let private insurance compete" and that "a public option will put the private insurance industry out of business and lead to single-payer."
While the woman in question appeared to be Democratic Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky, the White House said it had no comment on that video or any of the others.
Associated articles: http://hotair.com/archives/2009/08/04/white-house-obamacare-opponents-lying-by-using-obamas-own-words/; http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/Facts-Are-Stubborn-Things/; http://keithhennessey.com/2009/08/11/fishy-statements/; http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0809/26188.html; associated video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ndStT6c93rc&feature=player_embedded; http://hotair.com/archives/2009/09/06/dem-rep-public-option-is-path-to-single-payer/
