It appears that friends (albeit a dwindling number) of MIT professor Jonathan Gruber may soon have to put his face on milk cartons to locate the economist. After a series of frank but embarrassing statements on the strategies behind the Administration’s passage of the Affordable Car Act (ACA), Gruber has moved from the status of “disfavored” to “disavowed” to “disappeared.” This week, Democratic minority leader Nancy Pelosi expressed a complete lack of knowledge of who Gruber is, was, or will be — even though she previously cited his work and he was paid $400,000 as one of the architects of Obamacare and has made over $2 million from HHS. Such roles are often difficult for scholars in moving between the political and academic worlds, but it is rare to find an academic become such an issue in a national debate.
Gruber had already previously attracted controversy with statements where he endorsed the theory at the heart of the recent decisions in Halbig and King by challengers to the ACA: to wit, that the federal funding provision was a quid pro quo device to reward states with their own exchanges and to punish those that force the creation of federal exchanges. That issue will now be decided by the United States Supreme Court. Gruber caused uproar when, after he had denounced the theory as “nutty” during the arguments in Halbig and King, he was shown later to have embraced that same interpretation. Gruber has become a major liability in the litigation. Gruber then was back in the news with an equally startling admission that the Obama Administration (and Gruber) succeeded in passing the ACA only by engineering a “lack of transparency” on the details and relying on “the stupidity of the American voter.” Now a new videotape has surfaced from Gruber speaking at the University of Rhode Island in 2012 and expressing the same contempt for the intelligence of citizens — suggesting again that they were hoodwinked to “the lack of economic understanding of the American voter.” In another view taken from at an October 2013 event at Washington University in St. Louis, Gruber also refers to the “Cadillac tax,” and says “They proposed it and that passed, because the American people are too stupid to understand the difference.” His comments of working in Massachusetts (with Mitt Romney) are no less insulting to an array of people.
That is when the Beltway machine kicked into high gear to erase all memory of a professor named Gruber. If this trend continues, we will need dental records just to confirm his identity.
The Washington Post noted after Pelosi’s press conference that she cited Gruber’s work by name in support of Obamacare:
PELOSI: We’re not finished getting all of our reports back from CBO, but we’ll have a side by side to compare. But our bill brings down rates. I don’t know if you have seen Jonathan Gruber of MIT’s analysis of what the comparison is to the status quo versus what will happen in our bill for those who seek insurance within the exchange.
Her office also relied on Gruber when fighting to pass the law.
Before he was “disappeared,” he was widely cited as an architect of the act. The New York Times said in 2012:
After Mr. Gruber helped the administration put together the basic principles of the proposal, the White House lent him to Capitol Hill to help Congressional staff members draft the specifics of the legislation.
Nevertheless, the White House used an anonymous official to disavow Gruber’s role as an architect of the Act and insist that he never “worked in the White House” — a comment that may refer to the location of his actual desk.
He was widely sought as one of the architect of the law, which ultimately proved his undoing since many of these comments came in the same 2012-13 period. Supporters of the White House have even challenged the $400,000 figure paid out for Gruber. However, the Washington Post not only affirmed the figure used by Republicans but found that he had received $2 million on various contracts. Pretty good for a guy who must not now be named.
The tempest swirling around Gruber is difficult to watch. He is an accomplished scholar with a long list of accomplishments to his credit. The frankness with which he has spoken is a signature of an academic, though his view of the intelligence of the American people is quite shocking. It will remain a cautionary tale for those traveling between the academic and political worlds.
Oh, and another thing. Some money transfer schemes work out because the dollar amounts are small. If we pay a dollar or two a month so that poor people can get Obamaphones, it is just a minor irritant if at all. But with Obamacare, the people who are going to be adversely affected, can be out several hundred dollars per month and see a significant increase in deductibles.
People like my friend, who either voluntarily or involuntarily get part-timed because of Obamacare. stand to lose several hundred dollars a month, and at that level of income, that is extremely significant. Sooo, I don’t think this scheme is going to go over as easily as some.
Squeeky Fromm
Girl Reporter
Obama just did to health care what Ted Kennedy did to Mary Jo Kopechne.
Michael and Pogo, Massachusetts must be proud. No wonder everybody liked their plan, the rest of us paid for it!
“The dirty secret in Massachusetts is the feds paid for our bill…. Ok? In Massachusetts we had a very powerful Senator you may know. His name is Ted Kennedy. Ted Kennedy had basically figured out – Ted Kennedy and smart people in Massachusetts – had figured out a way to rip off the Feds 400 million dollars a year… ” ~Jonathon Gruber
Edward Moore Kennedy – philanderer, drunk, murderer, and thief.
You can explain to me how Nancy Pelosi doesn’t know who this guy is when she cited his work when she was pimping this bill?
Sadly, Congresswoman Pelosi suffers from Demzheimer’s Disease. She remembers things that never happened, while forgetting things that actually did happen.
For those afflicted, there is no known cure.
@swm
I still do not believe the poll. I suspect that is top heavy with people who are getting free or nearly free insurance. As with my friend, there is no place in the poll for her to answer that she gave up two days work per week to get Obamacare.
Even in her own mind, it does not yet compute. She does not understand that she is losing $128 per week, or over $500 per month to get her nearly free insurance. Plus, she has not yet had to pay any of the deductibles. I guess she is a prime example of Gruber’s stupid American.
Plus, most Americans have not yet been personally introduced to Obamacare and its ramifications. So far, it is mostly the sick and uninsured. It would not take much to make them happy. As with my friend.
Squeeky Fromm
Girl Reporter
oops It is a gallup poll
For those of us who knew the whole thing was garbage, this is bittersweet. It also shows the total lack of respect for our citizens and our laws by the Democrats. The fact that every Democrat who voted for this wasn’t kicked out proves Gruber’s assertions. If you are one of those, start paying attention! We have citizens who want, but don’t give. Think about it, people collecting thousands of dollars because Democrats give them things so they don’t have to work! I think the people who pay should have the voice. If you pay no taxes, you can’t vote. One election and we’d see more people working. Jefferson said “the problem with Democracy is the people can vote themselves out of it.” And we are just about there, especially if the “stupid American people” vote for a Democrat in 2016. Also, one election and the party would seek new people to run and retire anyone who’s been in Congress 30+ years. Then we might get back to the greates country in the world.
Food for thought, when Dems started working toward a single-payer system, our health care was much simpler. We now have transplants of so many organs, if someone gets to the ER they have a good chance of pulling through. Babies that would have died years ago are surviving. Our medical ability is astounding. 300 Million couldn’t have transplants. It would just be too expensive. Surviving in ER would require a hospital stay, and if every baby survives with a long time in ICUS would increase our population. Research by the government would have to stop. The private sector, who brought us so many life-saving devices, would be the only research. People come from all over the world, with cash, to get our advanced care. Would they get to the front of the line, absolutely, we need the money. Would we be able to help outside the US? No!
Tell me where I’m wrong.
Squeeky, it a Gallup Poll. Politico is just one of the outlets that have reported on it.
After reading comments from the supporters of this administration, I am speechless.
@SWM
I don’t believe the poll. I don’t tend to believe Politico. The only person I know who likes Obamacare, likes it because it is currently pretty much free to her. Plus, she has not had to use it yet. She did, however, choose to work part time instead of full time so that she would qualify for it. I do not see this being a viable choice for her over time.
Other than that, others I know are not satisfied at all with it.
Squeeky Fromm
Girl Reporter
“Still makes no sense. ”
Ah, so that’s who Gruber meant.
Still makes no sense. Maybe Squeeky can help you out. lol
http://www.newsmax.com/Newsfront/obamacare-gallup-healthcare-gov/2014/11/14/id/607380/ How about that conservative site Newsmax?
DBQ, Okay, but your sentence makes no sense. “Comedy Central may be where you choose to get your news and your political talking points from comedians.”
I guess I was missing the Oxford comma.
“Comedy Central may be where you choose to get your news, and [get] your political talking points from comedians.”
There. Better.
People are so happy about Obamacare and Obama’s administration, the Democrats recently took over the House and the Senate in a landslide.
Squeeky, Your boy nicky has said over and over again that Gallup is the gold standard.
@Squeeky,
That can’t be correct, SWM sez everything is jes’ fine.
The democrat who wrote that article must be lying!
@SWM
BS.
Squeeky Fromm
Girl Reporter
A majority of Americans give good reviews for insurance they recently acquired through government exchanges within the past year, a new poll shows.
With the second round of Obamacare enrollment set to begin on Saturday, 71 percent said their coverage through the exchanges was good or excellent, according to a Gallup poll released Friday. Another 19 percent said the coverage was fair, while 9 percent rated it poorly.
The pollster notes that these marks are comparable to all who have health insurance. However, those newly insured through the exchanges are more satisfied with the cost of health care — with 75 percent saying so — versus 61 percent of all insured respondents who said they were satisfied with the cost of health care.
A majority — 68 percent — who received insurance through the exchanges said they plan to renew their policy, while an additional 7 percent said they will look for a new policy, but through the exchanges.
Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2014/11/obamacare-health-exchanges-coverage-112892.html#ixzz3J57UTWg9 Very interesting new poll………..