By Mark Silva
The White House blames "political groups'' for distributing its emails about health-care to people who complain that they never asked for any White House email, while suggesting that its online health-care "Reality Check'' site has become quite popular.
Since the Obama administration launched a Web-site inviting people to e-mail "fishy'' questions that they have heard raised about the president's plans for overhauling health-care, Republicans have accused the White House of amassing an online "enemies' list'' and barraging people who never asked for information from the White House with health-care emails.
"Since the White House's Reality Check site launched, we've seen incredible response from individuals eager to get the facts about health insurance reform and pass them along to family and friends,'' Macon Phillips, a White House blogger, posted at the administration's Weblog last night.
"An ironic development is that the launch of an online program meant to provide facts about health insurance reform has itself become the target of fear-mongering and online rumors that are the tactics of choice for the defenders of the status quo.,'' Phillips wrote.
"Email updates from the White House have played a central role in our effort to push back on misinformation and get the facts out about health insurance reform,'' he wrote, and "these updates will continue to be an important source of information about the president, his priorities and opportunities for public participation.
"It has come to our attention that some people may have been subscribed to our email lists without their knowledge -- likely as a result of efforts by outside groups of all political stripes -- and we regret any inconvenience caused by receiving an unexpected message,'' he added. " We're certainly not interested in anyone receiving emails from the White House who don't want them. That's one reason why we have never -- and will never -- add names from a commercial or political list to the White House list.''
Sen. John Cornyn, a Texas Republican, first suggested that the White House's public invitation to submit "fishy'' information about health-care reform smacked of an enemies' list. And after White House political adviser David Axelrod circulated an e-mail offering talking points about the advantages of the president's health-care plans, Rep. Darrell Issa, a California Republican and ranking member of of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, voiced a complaint.
"I am concerned about the possibility that political e-mail address lists are being used for official purposes," Issa wrote to White House counsel Greg Craig on Monday. "This, again, raises questions about this administration blurring the lines between political and official business."
Issa asked how the White House was using the e-mail account designed to rebut"fishy" claims about health care -- an account disabled Monday.
"The fear has been expressed that the White House was asking neighbors to inform on neighbors in a government-led data collection effort," he said.
"The Reality Check website exists to inform public debate about health insurance reform - not stifle it,'' Phillips wrote at the Web-site last night. "To better understand what new misinformation is bubbling up online or in other venues, we want your suggestions about topics to address through the Reality Check site. To consolidate the process, the email address set up last week for this same purpose is now closed'' and all correspondence is going through one channel"
http://www.whitehouse.gov/realitycheck/contact
People are able to remove themselves from the e-mail list if they choose, Phillips writes, and the White House is implementing measures "to boost the security of the mailing list and we will carefully evaluate signups already received to work toward preventing this problem (of people receiving unsolicited emails) in the future... The White House takes online privacy very seriously... We will not share information submitted through the site with anyone.''
For any controversy surrounding the program, however, the White House maintains it is popular.
"Despite reports by some bloggers and others in the media that have invoked a variety of sinister conspiracy theories,'' Phillips noted on his White House blog, "more people signed up for updates last week than during the entire month of July.''
Comments
For all you proponents of single payer, happy reading...
http://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianpress/article/ALeqM5jbjzPEY0Y3bvRD335rGu_Z3KXoQw
Posted by: The guy who hides behind false names (so sayeth Don) | August 18, 2009 9:03 AM
The "disappeared" e mails of the Bush administration are much more interesting.
There is a crime called "obstruction of justice".
Obviously Bush's e mails were destroyed to cover up the unlawful activities of Rover, Addington, Libby, Cheney, et al.
They were bolder than Nixon.
Nixon's functional paranoia inhibited him from burning his tapes on the White House lawn.
He was afraid that somewhere down in the basement some spook had attached a lead and that someone had a duplicate set of the tapes that would surface if he had his bonfire.
He decided to take his chances and stonewall it all the way up to the Supreme Court.
When they ruled against him, of course, the hourglass started running out.
Rover, Addington, Libby--who is going to be indicted first when the special prosecutor gets up to speed.
Posted by: ornery | August 18, 2009 9:18 AM
Since the White House wishes us to send them examples of "fishy" talk on ObamaCare, I will email to the White House (and its "Ministry of Truth") copies of what Obama has said the past month.
Posted by: Dissent is Patriotic | August 18, 2009 9:18 AM
To me, this is all part of the Republican "smear" campaign of the health care reforms that are very much needed. They are trying to create controversy and distraction.
Posted by: Grant | August 18, 2009 12:32 PM
To me, this is all part of the Republican "smear" campaign of the health care reforms that are very much needed. They are trying to create controversy and distraction.
Posted by: Grant | August 18, 2009 12:32 PM
Grant- And the Obamamites are hoping nobody-like yourself apparently- pay no attention at all.
--
Call it what you want. Your ignoring the issue -most people that actually have two brain cells to rub together, when they realized what is in the bill, are angry about the arrogant, dishonest way the bill was being pushed down our throats.....You'll remember that the original Obama/Pelosi/ Reid strategy was to try to get the horribly written, 1000+ page bill passed quickly before anyone, including congress people voting on the bill could read it---how’s that transparency working out for you?
--
They knew that if the content of this nonsense saw the light of day and voters actually got an idea of what was in the bill, that their would be considerable backlash...especially if congress had to go back and actually look their constituents in the eye and support not only the content, but the way they tried to get it passed.
--
Go figure, people get angry when they feel manipulated by people whose job is too represent them.
--
So, while you may be okay with your parties’ leadership leading you around by the nose and at the same time calling you too stupid to actually care what they would do...understand that most people that choose to pay attention are not okay with this.
Posted by: heartburn | August 18, 2009 2:18 PM
So, while you may be okay with your parties’ leadership leading you around by the nose and at the same time calling you too stupid to actually care what they would do...understand that most people that choose to pay attention are not okay with this.
Posted by: heartburn | August 18, 2009 2:18 PM
Yep, nothing like the Republican open and honest discussion of how the Death Panels are going to kill Trig Palin and Grandma! I'm glad the Republicans don't think I'm too stupid rot read the bill!
Posted by: Palin Fan | August 18, 2009 3:28 PM
Yep, nothing like the Republican open and honest discussion of how the Death Panels are going to kill Trig Palin and Grandma! I'm glad the Republicans don't think I'm too stupid rot read the bill!
Posted by: Palin Fan | August 18, 2009 3:28 PM
If you have read HR 3200 pages 425-429 and don't have a problem with how involved the government would be in end of life decisions you are clearly a card carrying member of the liberal herd...
Obama said, “The chronically ill and those toward the end of their lives are accounting for potentially 80 percent of the total health-care bill out there.” … “It is very difficult to imagine the country making those decisions just through the normal political channels. That is why you have to have some independent group that can give you guidance.” Who is the independent group? And who is asking for their guidance when “grandma” is ill?
So now , Obama has as a health care reform advisor Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel - his job is to provide “independent” advice to Obama… This Dr. has made it clear in his writings that we tend to overuse health care resources… “Death Panel” may be – to use Obama’s vernacular- an “unfortunate” choice of words… but when you have a guy like Emanuel advising you on health care- what would you call the people appointed to make policy about end of life care rationing?
Posted by: heartburn | August 18, 2009 4:47 PM
While there is no doubt that health care needs an overhaul, (tort reform, crossing state lines...etc) these are NOT the issues this bill addresses.
If you trust the Govt to run health care, then you must think the post office and DMV are well oiled, smoothly running enities.
The ONLY thing the Govt does well is spend our money badly.
Posted by: ooddballz | August 19, 2009 7:47 AM
Heartburn, Guess what? I have read the bill, and the section you mention. I have absolutely NO problem with the concept of the program compensating my doctor for time spent advising me on my options with issues like Hospice and Living wills. Theer is NO rationing provision in that part of the bill. There is NO government panel in that part of the bill. If you don't understand that is all that section of the bill does, the you truly are a brain dead Republican in thrall to other brain dead Republicans like Sarah Palin.
Let's also not forget the irony of the Republicans complaining about the government becoming involved in end of life issues after the way the Repunblicans involved themselves in the Schiavo case.
Posted by: Lou | August 19, 2009 12:16 PM