NEVERMIND! FALSE ALARM DEBUNKED

[LonelyLRLiberal]

Did not see the following yet, but delete if dupe. This is an email from FDL:

"For almost the entirety of the health care debate, the Obama Administration has relied on economist Jonathan Gruber to make the public case for its idea of reform - even the most unpopular parts. But as Firedoglake revealed on Friday, the Obama Administration has failed to disclose that it paid the same economist more than $780,000.

"Jonathan Gruber's work has been cited by the White House, Members of Congress, and countless media outlets, but not once did the Obama Administration disclose it was paying him more than $780,000 in tax dollars. This is a huge ethical violation that undermines the entirety of health care reform.

"Sign our petition to President Obama: come clean on Jonathan Gruber and anyone else receiving public money to push health care reform.

"http://action.firedoglake.com/gruber

"Once we broke this scandal, The New York Times, Washington Post, Time Magazine, and other publications all said they should have disclosed Gruber's lucrative contracts if they were aware of the conflict of interest. Dozens of Members of Congress cited Gruber's work in their floor speeches. The White House pushed Gruber hundreds of times to the press and on its website.

"While Gruber's ethical lapses are his own personal and professional issue, the true problem here is that the White House used Gruber and his research as a seemingly unbiased source in support of its unpopular reforms.

"When Obama wanted to tax middle class health care plans, Gruber defended the tax. When Obama wanted to force people to buy private insurance, Gruber defended the individual mandate. When Obama did not want a public option, Gruber said a public option was not important. When Obama needed to pretend the bill had cost controls, Gruber said it had the greatest cost controls ever.

"It is simply not right for the White House to cite Gruber's analysis to illustrate the benefits of the bill they support without disclosing that Gruber is on the government payroll. A biased insider can't be an unbiased outside observer. But that's exactly the approach of the Obama Administration, to the tune of $780,000 in tax dollars.

"The Obama Administation's $780,000 "buy-an-economist" scandal threatens to shake the foundation of health care reform. We need to get to the bottom of this.

"Sign our petition to Obama: come clean on tax dollars used to pay any other undisclosed contracts.

"http://action.firedoglake.com/gruber

"Thanks so much for your support.

"Best,

"Jane Hamsher"
Firedoglake

[NJmaverick]

1. Jane has her own ethical problems she needs to work out

before talking about anyone else.

[berni_mccoy]

2. Definitely been posted and debunked by Krugman himself. It's why the haters are now all over Krugman

FDL forgot to disclose that the "pay" was actually a HHS research grant and was not paid by the "Obama Administration".

[Hello_Kitty]

8. How is Krugman saying "he should have disclosed it" a debunking?

Krugman and Hamsher disagree on the severity, that is all.

As for this talking point that it's a research grant so it's different I'm not buying it. Is this some rule? Researchers aren't bound by the same standards as we little people where financial disclosures are concerned? Balderdash. If someone is pushing a certain conclusion on me based on their research I want to know who is funding their research. You can't tell me that if every time Gruber wrote an op-ed or was quoted by a politician or journalist and it came with the disclosure of his paid consultant status that it wouldn't put his statements in a different light. Wouldn't make him un-credible, and indeed several economists have come out and praised Gruber's work and his professionalism since this revelation. But people would take his words with more healthy skepticism than they did when he was being presented as an "independent MIT expert". Really, all that's going to happen is that Gruber is going to be identified as a consultant to the administration from now on. What's the big deal?

Also, consider the fact that Gruber revealed his contract with HHS in an article he wrote for the New England Journal of Medicine. The reason for that is his peers in academia would have reamed him for not doing so. That's telling. It's indicative for the respect members of the academy have for each other where publications are concerned. Members of the public deserve the same respect.

[berni_mccoy]

9. He's debunking FDL's claim that Gruber is "working" for the admin to push the Cadillac Tax as well

as FDL's claim that it impacted Gruber's results, which it didn't.

Gruber received a research grant from the HHS, not the White House. He wasn't paid to be a shill which FDL made him out to be. FDL is a damn disgrace.

[Hello_Kitty]

10. Okee dokes.

And Professor Gruber shall be described as a paid consultant to the administration when he speaks on HCR, as he should have been all along.

[BonnieJW]

3. Reminds me

of when the repubs kept quoting studies by the "Lewin Group." Come to find out, the Lewin Group is part of United Health Care. I am so disappointed in this white house.

[LonelyLRLiberal]

5. Bonnie, look at previous responses

seems this has been debunked

[Davis_X_Machina]

Less than meets the eye...

...see here or here (Krugman) for details.

[LonelyLRLiberal]

6. Thanks.

I can rely on DU for the true scoop!

Krugman:

"What the folks at Firedoglake should ask themselves is this: do you really want to become just like the right-wingers with their endless supply of fake scandals?

"The bottom line is this: Jon Gruber is a technical expert, some of whose research has been supported — entirely properly — by government agencies. And we need his input into policy."

[Don Caballero]

4. She needs to realize that we have disowned her

We will no longer listen to what she has to say.

[Davis_X_Machina]

7. I expect FDL....

..to eventually start demanding to know "Who promoted Peress?"

(Reference to ancient history -- ask your grandparents.)

[Hello_Kitty]

11. Who's we? You got a mouse in your pocket?

No one elected you to speak for DU so watch this "we" stuff.

[berni_mccoy]

12. "We" is anyone who isn't a fanatical FDL follower with on a witch hunt against the Obama Admin

but thanks for playing.

[Hello_Kitty]

13. Basically, you've got nothing but ad hominems and "Paul Krugman said..." at this point.

Thanks for playing, indeed. I win.

Now how about getting off your ass and organizing support in your community for this unpopular health care bill?

[berni_mccoy]

14. Basically, you've got nothing but ad hominem and "FDL said..." at this point.

See how that works? FDL likes to make shit up. When they get called on it, they go into a hissy fit.

Thanks, I've already done my share of speaking with my reps and senators. Went to DC, visited each one and went to meetings here with them. How about you?

[Don Caballero]

15. Thank you for your patriotism

The sycophants of FDL have no leg to stand on. They continue to degrade our President and Reps with no factual evidence. They are bitter and scared. We should pity them for their ignorance.

[Hello_Kitty]

17. Jesus Christ you sound like a Bushbot. eom

[Hello_Kitty]

18. Um, no, visiting your Reps is not organizing support.

You need to get on the phone and persuade Dems to volunteer and then you and all those Dems you recruited need to go out in the community and knock on the doors of independent voters to persuade them to support (or at least not hate) this bill.

[NJmaverick]

16. More crap from Liar Dog Lake

:puke: