Follow the Money: Your Tax Dollars Bought Jonathan Gruber’s Services

FiredogLake ^ | Jan 10, 2010 | Rayne

[Ray76]

(Jan 10, 2010) Firedoglake has been researching the relationship of MIT economist Jonathan Gruber with the Obama administration with regard to health care reform. You’ll find posts by emptywheel, dday and Jon Walker about the apparent conflicts of interest on Gruber’s part, that of the Obama administration and the media covering health care reform.

We’re still looking at the money – yes, follow the money, as Deep Throat once said – paid out to Gruber by the government. OUR MONEY, our tax dollars, paid out to Gruber under three administrations. You can view the numbers at this link, at which you’ll find a published spreadsheet with all information compiled from USASpending.gov and NIH websites (links to sources at the end of this post).

[Army Air Corps]

Ping.

[Baladas]

Firedoglake? Do they regret their Obama cheerleading now?

[ansel12]

Since he helped develop it with Governor Romney, wasn’t it natural that he followed it to the Obama administration and stayed involved?

[Ray76]

It burns, doesn’t it.

[Ray76]

The link to the spreadsheet is what caused me to post the article.

[RightGeek]

Firedoglake? Even the wingnuts notice that Obamcare is a fraud?

[Ray76]

And way back in 2010, too   ;)

[Nachum]

The list, Ping

Let me know if you would like to be on or off the ping list

http://www.nachumlist.com/

[afraidfortherepublic]

YES! That’s what I’ve been saying. He should have to reimburse us. Then he should go directly to jail without collecting $200.

[SteveH]

wow, follow the links and you can find what is apparently gruber’s home address. i zillowed his home and it came to $1.29M (3484 ft2).

now the white hut is putting distance between obama and gruber. politically, this guy needs to go away quickly, preferably in some kind of quasi-official position in some foreign country where he cannot be easily interviewed (like baucus to china). hmm, maybe the liberian embassy is short staffed and needs an expert economist?

[Ray76]

They’re trying to portray Gruber as some peripheral figure, when in fact he was a central figure. He participated in meetings with Obama in the White House, he was Obama’s chief adviser, and his work with Congress was instrumental.

Some example documentation:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/3226398/posts?page=59#59

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/3226398/posts?page=41#41

[Ray76]

Greater detail from firedoglake:
How the White House Used Gruber’s Work to Create Appearance of Broad Consensus
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jane-hamsher/how-the-white-house-used_b_421549.html

[exnavy]

This guy should be in prison.

[Jabba the Nutt]

He lied to the American People. Not a crime. But he did lie to Congress and their organization the CBO, ie Congressional Budget Office. If under oath and maybe without taking an oath, this is a crime. It's unknown, if he lied to Obama. However, Obama did take Gruber talking points to sell ObolaCare to the American People.

Obama lied to Rep. Bart Stupak, who was probably bought off and probably did not believe the lie, but was looking to feather his own nest. Then there was congressional vote buying by the Administration, the Cornhusker Kickback, there was some deal with Landrieu of Louisiana and if I recall even a third bribe to some Democrat Senator.

Why are not these crimes? They're using taxpayer dollars to bribe Senators to vote to spend huge amounts of additional taxpayer dollars.

[Grampa Dave]

Must be the Democrats in Congress, who are the ones Gruber is/was calling the “Stupid Voters”. No/Zero Republicans in congress voted for Obamacare! Now, we all knew the democrats in Congress were the Stupid Voters!

A lot of Americans and many freepers have amnesia, when it comes to this documented ObamaCare voter history in Congress!

The documented history on the ObamaCare votes in Congress. Every single democrat senator and every single democrat congressit voted to make this Obamacare the law without reading nor understanding what they voted for.

Every single Republican in Congress voted against this Obamacare.

So, the stupid rats in congress own ObamaCare as per their own expert, Herr Gruber‘s You Tube comments.

[Prince of Space]

What is really funny is that piece was written in March 2010, meaning Gruber’s ties to the administration were exposed, and yet nothing happened to him and Obamacare passed anyway. The article does a good job of exposing many key players and connecting the dots though.

[exnavy]

Once upon a time in America, this man’s actions would have gotten him tared and feathered. Congressional hearings will determine the criminal nature of his actions. I believe the intentional fraudulent representation of the ACA should be prosecuted, lookout democrat party.

[saleman]

“It’s unknown, if he lied to Obama. However, Obama did take Gruber talking points to sell ObolaCare to the American People.”

You think Gruber came up with the marketing of Obamacare all by himself? B.S. He’s an economist. That’s not what they do.

That’s what the smoking gun is here. That should be the whole focus. Not “Gruber called voters stupid”.

Obama did not use Gruber’s talking points. GRUBER USED OBAMA’S TALKING POINTS!!

Or at the very least administration talking points.

[Jabba the Nutt]

It sure sounds like Gruber was involved in strategizing to get the law passed Congress by pushing taxation one step back, ie tax the insurance companies for "Cadillac Plans" rather than tax the Cadillac Plan policyholders. Which Obama also said. Also, they push much of the costs out to the States, so they could say the "cost" was under a trillion dollars. This too was a lie.

To use Mark Levin's word, Gruber was a "mastermind", not just an economist. This is key to understanding this latest Obola scandal.