Obama's Hometown Newspaper Asks: 'Did He Know the Truth and Flat-Out Lie?

President Barack Obama's hometown newspaper is questioning whether the president just didn't know the consequences of his signature health care law, or whether he knowingly lied to the American people about what it would mean.

AP

“The American public is having a credibility-shattering debate about the president: Did he not bother to learn the details of the law before he told us we could keep our doctors and our insurance, or did he know the truth and flat-out lie?” a Chicago Tribune editorial asked Monday.

The editorial carried a headline, “Truth, consequences and Obamacare,” and criticized the law's rollout, the inoperable government website and the fact that millions are having their current health insurance plans canceled, despite Obama's assurances on 36 occasions that no one would lose their existing doctor or insurance.

The Chicago Tribune, which covered Obama's political rise from the Illinois state legislature to the White House, endorsed him in 2008 and 2012 for president -- though not without some reservations, as the editorial board supports many free market policies. In fact, 2008 marked the first time ever the newspaper endorsed a Democrat for president in its 165-year history.

But there was little supportive talk for the president from the newspaper on Monday.

“Last week, Obama apologized to people who are losing their health insurance despite his repeated assurances to the contrary,” the editorial stated. “People don't need an apology — heartfelt or, as this one appeared, grudging. They need to know their health coverage isn't in jeopardy.”

The newspaper expressed doubts about whether the law could work.

“The architects of Obamacare brushed aside sharp warnings from tech wizards that the computer system wasn't tested and ready,” the editorial said. “They piled hundreds of pages of last-minute regulations on insurers. They forced insurers to cancel policies by the thousands because those policies fell short of the soup-to-nuts coverage required by the law.”

The editorial warned of the “death spiral” that will occur if not enough healthy young people sign up for coverage, but too many less healthy older people do.

Thus, the paper insisted, the president needs to be willing to work with Republicans for short-term fixes, even though it will require more than that.

“A bold reboot, a Manhattan Project for health care reform that starts fresh with some basic principles,” the editorial said. “An essential first step: Accept that government doesn't know what's best for everyone.”

The editorial didn't let the GOP off the hook, demanding that both parties participate in fixing the current problems.

“Republicans will have to be constructive. They've talked 'repeal and replace,' but the public has no idea what they would offer as a replacement,” the Tribune stated. “Democrats will have to avoid being defensive. It was a mistake to attempt such a massive government intrusion on a marketplace and a mistake to do so without anything close to a public consensus.”

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