Imaginary plans are an insult to the American people: Americans for Tax Reform

Americans for Tax ReformSep 18 2009

Last week, President Obama spoke at length about what he called "my plan" before a joint session of Congress. Since that time, he has talked about "my plan" quite a bit over the last several days. By our count he has mentioned the "plan":

• 28 times at the joint session of Congress on Sept. 9
• 6 times at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on Sept. 10
• 15 times at his Minnesota health care rally on Sept. 12
• 8 times speaking with members of the AFL-CIO on Sept. 15

But exactly where is President Obama's actual plan? The House and Senate have introduced at least four Democrat health care proposals - at least two versions of H.R.3200, the Senate HELP Committee's bill, and the recently released Baucus proposal. All of these are real plans - hundreds of pages long - that may be enacted into law. Obama's "plan," so far as we can tell, is three pages of bullet points on the whitehouse.gov website.

When are these bullet points going to be translated into an actual piece of legislation? Obama swears that his proposal will not raise taxes on the middle class or drive Americans out of their current insurance arrangement. Yet every one of the Democrats' actual plans contain precisely those things Obama says he would never allow. He has not said he would veto those bills.

"If there is an Obama plan it is as transparent as a Cheney cabinet meeting," said Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform. "Until Barack Obama comes forward with an actual piece of legislation or endorses a specific bill now being debated in Congress, his 'plan' is entirely notional."

"Obama has referred repeatedly in his speeches to union bosses and to the Congress to his 'plan.' But we have asked to see it and are told it is as real as the Emperor's New Clothes. Only he can see it."

Norquist concluded: "A real plan can be debated. It can be criticized. It can be improved. It can be praised in parts or in whole. Imaginary plans are an insult to the American people. Or perhaps it is as real as a unicorn. Or is it written down somewhere but kept secret because it is so frightening to real voters, the elderly and those with insurance that it cannot be shown in public - yet."