The story got started last week when C-SPAN CEO Brian Lamb took Obama up on his campaign pledge and asked in a letter that lawmakers let his cameras in during the final deal-making between the House and Senate.
Obama had promised at least eight times during his run for presidency that he would do so, noting at one point that "we'll have the negotiations televised on C-SPAN, so the people can see who is making arguments on behalf of their constituents and who is making arguments on behalf of the drug companies or the insurance companies." (See a compilation below.)
Naturally, Obama's critics jumped on the story, gleefully pointing out the glaring contradiction. Which would have made it easy enough to dismiss as just another partisan attempt to derail reform.
Except that the story keeps going. Journalists pressed White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbswith questions and appeared visibly frustrated by his non-answers. CBS News on Wednesday posted a story headlined "Obama Reneges on Health Care Transparency." And Lamb was on "The Bill Press Show" on Thursday complaining that C-SPAN was used as a "political football" during the 2008 campaign.
And now Obama is taking hits from all quarters.
CNN's Jack Cafferty, no friend of conservatives, ripped Obama for not making even "a token effort to keep his campaign promises for more openness and transparency in government. It was all just another lie that was told in order to get elected." (His commentary is below.)
Except that the story keeps going. Journalists pressed White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbswith questions and appeared visibly frustrated by his non-answers. CBS News on Wednesday posted a story headlined "Obama Reneges on Health Care Transparency." And Lamb was on "The Bill Press Show" on Thursday complaining that C-SPAN was used as a "political football" during the 2008 campaign.
And now Obama is taking hits from all quarters.
CNN's Jack Cafferty, no friend of conservatives, ripped Obama for not making even "a token effort to keep his campaign promises for more openness and transparency in government. It was all just another lie that was told in order to get elected." (His commentary is below.)
Newspaper editorials criticizing Obama are also starting to pile up. Here's a sampling:
Kansas City Star: "Yes, we want Congress to pass a significant health care reform bill before President Barack Obama's upcoming State of the Union speech. Heck, we wanted the bill passed yesterday. ... Even so, health care reform is too big and too important to carry out in secrecy."
New York Daily News: "Open the doors and let the public in to observe and decide."
Las Vegas Review-Journal: "The president has been conveniently silent on one of the signature issues of his campaign. That's not change we can believe in. He must demand the negotiations be public."
The Roanoke Times: "Americans are passionately interested in this issue. The reforms eventually could affect everyone – not least by slowing the growth of health care costs. ... Whatever the process, however, the people want and deserve to see it at work."
The San Francisco Chronicle in a blog post: "We're dusting off the Lies, Half-truths and Contradictions hammer to pound President Obama for breaking a campaign promise to televise the health care bill talks on C-SPAN."
The Philadelphia Inquirier: "One of the most momentous House-Senate negotiations in history shouldn't take place behind closed doors."
To be sure, there are a few stalwart liberals willing to come to bat for Obama, but they've been largely reduced to making the rather challenging case that transparency in government andcampaign promises are overrated.
It would be easy to dismiss all this as a piffle that will soon be forgotten. Except for the fact that voters tend not to like it when presidents so clearly disregard campaign pledges.
Just ask George H.W. "Read my lips, no new taxes" Bush.
Kansas City Star: "Yes, we want Congress to pass a significant health care reform bill before President Barack Obama's upcoming State of the Union speech. Heck, we wanted the bill passed yesterday. ... Even so, health care reform is too big and too important to carry out in secrecy."
New York Daily News: "Open the doors and let the public in to observe and decide."
Las Vegas Review-Journal: "The president has been conveniently silent on one of the signature issues of his campaign. That's not change we can believe in. He must demand the negotiations be public."
The Roanoke Times: "Americans are passionately interested in this issue. The reforms eventually could affect everyone – not least by slowing the growth of health care costs. ... Whatever the process, however, the people want and deserve to see it at work."
The San Francisco Chronicle in a blog post: "We're dusting off the Lies, Half-truths and Contradictions hammer to pound President Obama for breaking a campaign promise to televise the health care bill talks on C-SPAN."
The Philadelphia Inquirier: "One of the most momentous House-Senate negotiations in history shouldn't take place behind closed doors."
To be sure, there are a few stalwart liberals willing to come to bat for Obama, but they've been largely reduced to making the rather challenging case that transparency in government andcampaign promises are overrated.
It would be easy to dismiss all this as a piffle that will soon be forgotten. Except for the fact that voters tend not to like it when presidents so clearly disregard campaign pledges.
Just ask George H.W. "Read my lips, no new taxes" Bush.
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