ObamaCare, the Stupak Amendment, and the Noble Lie
Remember the Stupak Amendment? This was the amendment, added to the original House version of ObamaCare, that would disallow federal funds to pay for abortions.
The Senate bill, however, did not contain the amendment. Stupak and other pro-life Democrats insisted that the bill contain the provision or they would not vote for the entire bill. To Democrats and the Obama administration the solution was simple: Just insert a provision into the Senate bill, allow the Senate to pass the new version, then send it to the House.
The only problem was Scott Brown. He had recently won a special election to replace Ted Kennedy in the U.S. Senate. No longer did Democrats have 60 votes to pass a new version of ObamaCare.
Instead, House Democrats would have to agree to the original Senate version. To win the votes of Stupak and pro-life Democrats, President Obama promised to issue an executive order "to ensure that federal funds are not used for abortion services."
Stupak agreed to vote for the bill, noting that Obama's promise would ''protect the sanctity of life in health care reform.''
At the time, many believed that Stupak was being duped. Perhaps Obama could phrase the executive order so its language would be much weaker than the Stupak amendment. Worse, Obama would always have the legal ability to rescind his own executive order.
We now learn how some on the left viewed the promise. Judicial Watch and the Media Research Center have obtained emails between Elena Kagan, at the time Obama's Solicitor General, and Harvard Professor Laurence Tribe. In one email, Tribe writes, "So health care is basically done! Remarkable. And with the Stupak group accepting the magic of what amounts to a signing statement on steroids." (Signing statements are basically no more than opinions written by the president, and they do not have the force of law.)
AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais
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Re: ObamaCare, the Stupak Amendment, and the Noble Lie
Federal abortion funding is a giant shell game. The University of Medicine and Dentistry in New Jersey does abortions, and in the last 5 years they have received $628 million in federal funding.
Of course the excuse is that they don't spend it on abortions.
Rediculous. Anything that that keeps one end of a boat from sinking helps keep the whole boat afloat.
Edited on Nov 16, 2011 at 9:54amMar '11
Re: ObamaCare, the Stupak Amendment, and the Noble Lie
Charming. The famous "Animal House" defense: "You f'd up -- you trusted us."
Jul '11
Re: ObamaCare, the Stupak Amendment, and the Noble Lie
Human life has a value to bureaucrats and it's quite small.
As if government run healthcare would lead to anything else other than rampant sponsored abortions, death panels and massive rationing in the end.
Dec '10
Re: ObamaCare, the Stupak Amendment, and the Noble Lie
While we're talking about promises on health care, remember the one about illegal aliens not being covered? Seems to me somebody said something during a speech.
Mar '11
Re: ObamaCare, the Stupak Amendment, and the Noble Lie
Sap thy name is pro-life Democrat.
Mar '11
Re: ObamaCare, the Stupak Amendment, and the Noble Lie
It was obvious at the time that Stupak was conned by Mr Obama. It's notable that he didn't run for re-election in 2010, and is now a lobbyist.
Jun '10
Re: ObamaCare, the Stupak Amendment, and the Noble Lie
They are a pack of liars, one and all. They lie to us, they lie to each other, they lie to their mothers and children. They are our politicians. Bart Stupak did not seek re-election in 2010. He is now, wait for it...can you guess? A LOBBYIST!!!! Hooray for him. Have we heard a peep out of him about the dishonesty of Obama and his fellow Dems? Nope, not a word.
Nov '11
Re: ObamaCare, the Stupak Amendment, and the Noble Lie
The original Noble Lie had some truth around it. The original Noble Lie was an approximation of truth, and an attempt (albeit, a dubious attempt) to make truth practicable, in the same way that nobility is an approximation of virtue that aims to help make virtue politically practicable. That's what made the original noble lie noble. So far as I can tell, Obama's lies are ignoble.
Jun '10
Re: ObamaCare, the Stupak Amendment, and the Noble Lie
I'm a great believer in defining moments. Churchill's speeches in May 1940. Reagan's "evil empire" and "tear down this wall" speeches. Truman's decision to drop the bombs. Washington's decision to cross the Delaware. And on and on and on.
Bart Stupak had the chance for a defining moment, and he blew it. He got rolled. He could have been hero for uncounted numbers of unborn Americans. Instead, he is the man who blinked.
I pray that each day he shall have a bright and persistent recollection of his opportunity to become someone special, and that in the end he was just another politician. He personally made the phrase "pro-life Democrat" an object of derision.
Sep '10
Re: ObamaCare, the Stupak Amendment, and the Noble Lie
I note you are still referring to Stupak as pro-life. I would say you are more easily duped than Stupak who I think he knew exactly what he was doing.
Re: ObamaCare, the Stupak Amendment, and the Noble Lie
Amen.
Jul '10
Re: ObamaCare, the Stupak Amendment, and the Noble Lie
Tabula, Liberal Jim, and the Professor have it right: Stupak was not duped, he folded.
Here is an interesting letter Ramesh Ponnuru posted in the Corner last year.
In it is a link to a good piece Politico wrote on the WH-Stupak go between, Mike Doyle.
Dec '10
Re: ObamaCare, the Stupak Amendment, and the Noble Lie
Every piece of hypocrisy and corruption known to man will be slowly revealed in Obamacare. However, this particular travesty let us know from day one that it all smelled to High Heaven! If there were a news reporter left on the White House beat who had integrity he's be asking Obama over and over about this.