THE REAL SCANDAL …
By Rick Manning || President Barack Obama just fired/accepted the resignation of Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary Eric Shinseki in the hopes of quelling the budding political problem he faces over the VA health scandal, but the truth is that the real scandal is that denial of health services is actually government policy, not administrative incompetence.
Need proof?
Last week, White House Press Secretary Jay Carney spoke very carefully when he indicated that Obama knew about the denial of veterans’ health services scandal that is engulfing his Administration.
Clarifying the question before he answered, Carney said: “If you mean the specific allegations that I think were reported first by your network out of Phoenix, I believe we learned about them through the reports. … [T]hat’s when, as I understand, Secretary Shinseki learned about them.”
That initial narrowing of the scope of the question to just the Phoenix VA center is both disingenuous, and instructive.
It is disingenuous because it would have the public believe that CNN was working on a story involving veterans being denied service, resulting in deaths, and incredibly, the cable news giant never contacted the VA public affairs office in Washington for a comment. Since this presumption is not believable on any level, the public must then assume that a highly explosive allegation from a major news network that has been supportive of the president never percolated to either the secretary’s office or the White House.
For an administration which has developed a reputation for riding herd on reporters trying to spin and suppress any story that might put them in a bad light, campaign-style crisis management is the one thing Team Obama is really good at. Yet, somehow Carney is selling that the CNN story on the localized Phoenix scandal somehow never made it to anyone’s attention until the president and his now former BFF, Shinseki, learned about it from watching TV. Anyone who buys this line has simply not been paying attention.
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Rick Manning is communications director of Americans for Limited Government. This column – which originally appeared on The Hill – is reprinted with permission.
29 comments
It is indeed policy.The chronically ill were not put on ‘waiting’ lists…they were ‘DEATH’ lists.
Obamacare ‘DEATH’ panels were modeled after the VA policy.
VA: Public coverage to see a public doctor at a public hospital.
ACA: Public (Medicaid) or private (insurance) coverage to see a private doctor at a private hospital.
Medicare: Public/private coverage to see a private doctor at a private hospital.
One of these things is not like the other…
Moron.Obamacare was ‘modeled’ after the VA healthcare scam.
p.s. I will be easy on you socialists today as your savior Obama got caught trading terrorists for his fellow muslim traitor.
Should someone tell Mittens?
Tell that to the insurance companies that are making bundles thanks to the Obama/Romney/Heritage (Jim DeMint) market based plan.
No they aren’t.The Obama regime is having to bailout the insurance companies.Obamacare is bankrupting them.
Do your homework before posting falsehoods.
Maybe he will when you stop getting all of your information from the Fake News network, Beck, and Rush.
Blue Cross Blue Shield has had DEATH panels for decades. But that of course is OK, because you are less dead when “market forces” kill you versus “socialist Obamacare”.
You people become more kooky and absurd, as it collapses around you…
You are a F*#king Nutjob….
It isn’t BCBS’s fault that sick clients are unprofitable. Now that the ACA forces them to actually cover patients when they need insurance the most, poor insurance companies can’t completely fuck over innocent citizens to save a dime.
It’s so much more humane to look away from a wolf attacking someone’s kid than to be taxed for animal control… because, then, if a wolf ever manages to eat someone’s baby, it’s like you planned it.
That you Bowe? It all makes sense now.
Interesting point. Google spies on us, searches our emails and sells this info. That’s OK, but the NSA is only using it to find terrorists and we are all feel violated.
Let’s solve this once and for all. We’ll completely do away with medical insurance and make it purely cash and carry. No more complaints about long waits, “death panels” or pre-existing conditions. GT’s parents can continue to pay his medical bills forever if they wish. Nothing to complain about, medical costs will by necessity drop drastically as doctors struggle to attract customers. Illegals won’t clog the ER on every night of the week, I’ll finally be able to see my dermatologist about those funny looking moles…
So Ron, what do we do with those who cannot pay?
$orry, I forgot to u$e the $arca$m font. However, should we adopt this plan, a one time death gratuity is far cheaper than insurance.
Why is it so difficult to understand that democrats have NO respect for the military,?…even though the military is the most (if not only) successful, and mandated, department of the US Government.
Debating this $#!* with liberals just allows them time to manufacture an excuse, or spin the truth…
Clinton said it best for the democrat party: “I loathe the military.”
There is NO excuse for the disaster Obama, and the democrats are. But they are lying and denying, no matter how bad they are caught screwing up.
De-powering the democrat party is the ONLY answer to fixing the mess this country is in…END OF STORY….
Sorry, T, but waging war is a never ending story.
LMAO.Did you see Obama hugging on the traitor’s mom when they were walking to the podium?
Did you see the smile on Obama’s face when the traitor’s dad broke into his muslim prayer in Arabic?
Obummer EXPOSED!
Rick Manning complaining about spin in an article spinning a scandal being spun by both parties so that the public is so dizzy from the constant spinning that they never notice that neither party fixes the issues that have plagued VA hospitals for decades.
Rick Manning and his ilk will be courageously outspoken on this terrible scandal until November. I salute their noble sacrifices.
this is a coverup of a sham of a mockery of 2 shams of a farce. obama is sneaking out at night and strangling veterans with piano wire. when will the REAL truth be acknowledged?
I do believe Grand hit a home run. Remember when the Clintons said the military were good for wait staff and supplying music at the libturd social events. Remember when a General in uniform was told to leave the White House as they didn’t allow people like him in there.
Interesting, but can you provide the details or a link?
I remember when that happened in the Clinton WH. Some of us don’t need a link but I’m sure there is one if you want to look for it.
Just because they said it on Rush or Fox or some right wing blog does not make it true or accurate. Heck, I can’t even find where the Fake News network reported that.
Fox was launched in 1996 and this happened at the very beginning of the Clinton WH. Not surprised you can’t find that Fox reported on it, they we’re even in business yet.
So who’s the faux Terry?
No, they can’t provide a link, because the story is either made up or a Fake News network faux scandal.
Ok, people here have no problem with Haley cutting disability benefits to police and firefighters crippled in the line of duty… so why the big outcry to protect military? Just think about how much you could save in taxes if you leave the VA the way it is?
The VA, bureaucrats taking care of bureaucrats.