Five Jaw-Dropping Quotes from the Catastrophically Awful Obamacare Press Conference

President Obama had three goals coming into yesterday’s press conference: First, to shift responsibility for the Obamacare fiasco onto insurers by saddling them with mid-implementation changes. Second, to quell Democratic panic on Capitol Hill. And third, to nudge the media toward turning the page on his healthcare debacle. He accomplished none of these things. Indeed, he made things worse — sinking his presidency to a new nadir. A few jaw-dropping quotes:

(1) “What we’re also discovering is that insurance is complicated to buy.” Really, Mr. President? You’re “discovering” this minor detail three years after you forced through a massive, unpopular overhaul of the entire system? This statement is a breathtaking admission of abject dereliction and incompetence. ABC News’ Rick Klein also notes that the administration’s long-time talking points assured skeptical consumers that Obamacare would be easy to buy. That’s what all of the “just like Expedia!” comparisons were about. Now, with millions getting booted from their plans, with a horribly broken website exacerbating the pain, Obama suddenly sees the light. A disgrace.

2) “What we’re essentially saying is the Affordable Care Act is not going to be the factor in what happens with folks in the individual market.” Points for candor, I guess. Here the president explicitly spells out the motivation behind his so-called “fix” — which even liberal wonks and industry experts are admitting are unworkable and will make the law’s problems worse. The goal is not to repair the damage; the goal is to scapegoat someone else for the Obamacare wreckage that awaits. Insurance companies are the new villains. Insurers, who’ve been in bed with Obama on this law from the beginning, aren’t going to take the demonization lying down. Obama is decreeing a 13th-hour disruption that they cannot comply with at this stage, and that will throw their finances into chaos. They will, in turn, hike premiums even more next year. This is the death spiral, ladies and gentlemen. And Obama will try to stand to the side and point at his former Obamacare partners as the culprits. It’s shameful. And I suspect it won’t work. His credibility is in the tank.

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