Jul 21 2009
Why is Obama Meeting with the CBO?
Most days, I find myself on the Congressional Budget Office’s web site. Usually I am conducting research and looking at the numbers that involve our debt, deficits and health care costs. This little web blog, posted by the CBO’s director, Doug Elmendorf caught my attention. This is what it states:
Meeting at the White House
This morning President Obama said that he had met with the Congressional Budget Office regarding cost savings in health reform legislation. A number of people have asked me what happened, so here’s the story:
I was invited to the White House to meet with the President, his key budget and health advisers, and some outside experts. The President asked me and the outside experts for our views about achieving cost savings in health reform. I presented CBO’s assessment of the challenges of reducing federal health outlays and improving the long-term budget outlook while simultaneously expanding health insurance coverage–just as we had explained these challenges in a letter to Senator Conrad and Senator Gregg last month. I also described CBO’s view of the effects of the health legislation we have seen so far, as I did last Thursday in a hearing at the Senate Budget Committee and a mark-up at the House Ways and Means Committee. In addition, I discussed various policy options that could produce budgetary savings in the long run, drawing on CBO’s Budget Options for Health Care released in December, our letter to Senators Conrad and Gregg last month, and my comments last Thursday. Other participants in the meeting expressed their own views on these various topics.
People have asked whether it was exciting to meet the President and be in the Oval Office: Yes, and my kids will be jealous when they get back from summer camp and hear about it. Of course, the setting of the conversation and the nature of the participants do not affect CBO’s analysis of health reform legislation. We will continue to work with Members of Congress and their staffs, on both sides of the aisle, to provide cost estimates and other information as health reform legislation is considered.
Myfirst question is: Why is Obama meeting with the director of the CBO? The CBO is supposed to be a non-partisan group that is designed to keep the executive branch in check. Congress created the “Congressional Budget Office” to provide oversight over the White House and its budget projections.However, Obama did not go through Congress. He sidestepped them again (ala appointing Czars) and called CBO Director Dough Elmendorf over to the White House. Lets put this under a microscope.
Obama is pitching a health care plan that he knows nothing about. The CBO releases damaging evidence that this plan will not save money but it will increase the cost and the federal budget deficit. The Obama administration delays the midsummer budget update until after Congress returns from its recess. Probably just a co-inky-dink no doubt?
Considering that the CBO does not impliment policies, Obama only meet with them for one reason. Chicago-style politics. I bet Obama informed CBO Director, Dough Elmendorf, that by releasing information that goes against his agenda made him and the health care reform bill look bad and that it shouldn’t happen again!
Once again, if Obama needed to speak to the CBO, he should have went through Congress. Again and again, the arrogance or just outright disregard of the constitution is shown by President Obama. Again and again, the President has sidestepped Congress to get what he wants.
The CBO is responsible for producing an annual economic forecast, formulating the baseline, reviewing the President’s annual budget submission, scoring all spending legislation reported from committee and passed by the Congress, and preparing reports in compliance with the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act. CBO’s policy with respect to providing estimates is set out in Appendix B. The Joint Committee on Taxation scores all revenue measures. http://budget.senate.gov/democratic/commhist.html
Obama wants to get this health care reform bill signed into law before anyone, including himself, reads it. There is a lot Obama and the Debt-o-crats want to hide…so it is rush, rush, rush. Ask any of them if they have read the bill or know what is in it and you will get the same answer: NO!
Strong-armed politics at its best. If the minority party goes against you, call them obstructionist…or the Party of No. If the CBO goes against your agenda…invite them over and have a little “talk” with them. Sure sounds like mafia mentality to me!
Scotty,
You say “Obama is pitching a health care plan that he knows nothing about.” How is it you “know” what Obama doesn’t “know about his health reform package”? Then you say “Once again, if Obama needed to speak to the CBO, he should have went through Congress.” Are you saying the President is breaking the law by speaking to the CBO? What law? Or are you simply saying its not “propper”?
When you say that “Obama wants to get this health care reform bill signed into law before anyone, including himself, reads it. There is a lot Obama and the Debt-o-crats want to hide…so it is rush, rush, rush.” Forgive me but I am a simple man and that statement is not clear to me, Obama is in a hurry to ram legislation through but he doesn’t know what is in the legislation, but he has a lot to hide… huh? Help me out with some motive, he wants to pass legislation and he doesn’t know whats in the legislation? Why? He is hidding things in the legislation that he doesn’t know about? But he is in rush to do what he doesn’t know he is doing? Must be deep… Or maybe just more mud slinging. You know, I am not going to be supporting the Presidents plan, I think the Obama is a sellout (no real suprise there). As much as I don’t like Obama I am hard pressed to find fodder for my contempt in your condemnation of his meeting with the CBO.
Scotty,
So you would prefer to trade insults… Good you can tell me I don’t know how to do research in regard to things I already know and I can call you a partisan hack in regard to the things you say. You may have done research but your opinions are unsupported. You simply make claims about what you think. You say outragous shit like “Obama is pitching a health care plan that he knows nothing about” gee you would think he would need to know something about it to pitch it, but hey you like to be insulting and depricating and dont need to support what you say as long as you throw out some links to make it look like your premise is supported. oo oo Obama forgot what is in section 102 GET SERIOUS! Look man I cant stand Obama, but your critique is weak and lame, its partisan BS and not honest. And you simply opted out of answering the question that makes a mockery of your premise, What is the motive for attempting to pass legislation that you say he knows nothing about? Thats just dumb, if he has no idea whats in the legislation why would he be pitching it? But honestly you can stuff your insulant BS, comments like I dont know how to do research and that i am simply lost are playground tactics. if you dont have the ability to answer the questions I ask then cowboy up and admit that you dont make good sense.
Max, most of us who write political blogs, usually do so using our OPINIONS…yeah, shocker huh? You got your answers in my first response.
Really? Opinions are so much more interesting when they have support. But hey its our perogitive to make over the top claims and provide nothing to prop them up. Oh thats right he didn’t have sec 102 memorized so he obviously knows nothing.