Monday, September 16, 2013

Obama Group Comes Out Swinging–And Scaremongering–On Obamacare

The Hill reports that President Obama’s campaign group, Organizing for Action (OFA), is out with a new ad campaign, which contains inaccurate claims about the fight to defund Obamacare.

First, OFA claims that those who want to defund the law “are threatening to shut down the government if Obamacare isn’t dismantled.” Nothing could be further from the truth.

Conservatives don’t want to shut the government down; they do want to shut down Obamacare. And legislation accomplishing both of these objectives—funding all of the federal government except for Obamacare—was introduced last week.

As we’ve previously noted, the only person who wants to shut down the federal government is President Obama himself. The Obama Administration has threatened to veto multiple House-passed spending bills. The Administration made these threats because liberals want to replace sequestration’s spending cuts, agreed to by both parties, with tax increases. And if they don’t get their way, the President and his advisors have pledged to shut down the federal government.

Second, OFA claims that if a shutdown occurs—and as noted above, it would occur only because President Obama wants it to occur—such a scenario “could disrupt Social Security and veterans’ benefits.” That’s just not accurate. As a previous Heritage Foundation fact sheet has noted,

The term shutdown substantially overstates the matter. The most essential services continue, such as: (1) providing for national security, (2) conducting foreign affairs, (3) providing for the continuity of mandatory benefit payments, and (4) protecting life and property. These services include military, law enforcement, veterans care, and others. Social Security checks are still mailed and self-funded agencies like the Postal Service would continue operating.

It couldn’t be more clear: Social Security checks would still get mailed, and the Postal Service would remain in business to mail them.

The President’s liberal allies are apparently worried that Congress will act to defund Obamacare now, or otherwise they would not be making such incorrect and inflammatory accusations. That’s why it’s important to get the real facts behind Obamacare and the harm it will inflict on millions of Americans.

This post was originally published at The Daily Signal.