Obamateurism of the Day
posted at 8:05 am on February 26, 2010 by Ed Morrissey
Sometimes, when a speaker tries telling a story to illuminate a point they want to make, they end up illuminating themselves more than any moral of their tale. Barack Obama fell into that trap yesterday during the health-care summit when he tried to argue that some insurance policies are not equal. As if that wasn’t obvious enough, President Obama then made it clear that he doesn’t get it at all. Greg Hengler captures the moment for Townhall:
When I was young, just got out of college, I had to buy auto insurance. I had a beat-up old car. And I won’t name the name of the insurance company, but there was a company — let’s call it Acme Insurance in Illinois. And I was paying my premiums every month. After about six months I got rear-ended and I called up Acme and said, I’d like to see if I can get my car repaired, and they laughed at me over the phone because really this was set up not to actually provide insurance; what it was set up was to meet the legal requirements. But it really wasn’t serious insurance.
Now, it’s one thing if you’ve got an old beat-up car that you can’t get fixed. It’s another thing if your kid is sick, or you’ve got breast cancer.
Why would they have laughed at a Harvard graduate who tried to file a claim? Because Obama hadn’t bought collision insurance. The only insurance drivers in most states have to carry is liability insurance, to cover damage they do to the cars of other drivers. Obama explained in this clip that he only bought the legal minimum, not collision or comprehensive, which would have covered his damage. When people buy insurance, it’s made very clear exactly what it covers. Most drivers can understand it … even the Harvard Law grads. That may have been why “Acme” laughed when Obama attempted to file a collision claim when he hadn’t bothered to buy that policy.
One more point: a rear-end collision is almost universally presumed to be the fault of the driver who hits the rear end of the other. Obama should have been calling that driver’s insurance company … if this actually ever happened at all.
If this anecdote proves anything, it’s that Obama never learned a thing about insurance — hardly the man we’d want to have remaking the entire health-insurance sector.
Got an Obamateurism of the Day? If you see a foul-up by Barack Obama, e-mail it to me at obamaisms@edmorrissey.com with the quote and the link to the Obamateurism. I’ll post the best Obamateurisms on a daily basis, depending on how many I receive. Include a link to your blog, and I’ll give some link love as well. And unlike Slate, I promise to end the feature when Barack Obama leaves office.
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fter he gets everything else done Obama is going to outlaw gambling. You will not have the option to decide to take a risk.
Yoop on February 26, 2010 at 8:28 AM
Then Pennsylvania will see the light! You know how many millions gambling is generating as of now? We get tour buses from Canada just to go to the stupid casino…I worked there. In a way of course, it’s good for the state, but for casino employees, it was triple the work b/c of multi-state traffic.
If I tell you about this one day where the whole slot machine system went down…imagine not being able to leave your machine b/c you have credits, how pis$ed off the people were. WORST-DAY-ON-THE-JOB!
ProudPalinFan on February 26, 2010 at 8:51 AM
Any 16 year old aching for a drivers license knows the difference between liability and collision insurance.
Obama is an idiot. Not as smart as Chris Mathews thinks he is.
thgrant on February 26, 2010 at 8:52 AM
Jaynie59 on February 26, 2010 at 8:38 AM
And gosh, that’s more than enough reason for the Federal Government to take over 1/6th of the American Economy, isn’t it? /
kingsjester on February 26, 2010 at 8:52 AM
Welcome to the Ivy League schools. Come get your degree from us All Buck No Bang but you’ll have fun while you’re here.
chemman on February 26, 2010 at 8:52 AM
I trying to figure out how a 50 year old man could be this ignorant of basic facts of life. The only thing I can come up with is that his “T-W-P” grandmommy took care of that stuff for him until he married Michelle and she picked up the responsibility.
Either that, or he just makes stuff up and lies alot.
Or both.
forest on February 26, 2010 at 8:53 AM
Okay, one source I found says that auto insurance was made mandatory in Illinois starting in 1990. Methinks teh one is teh liar!
JannyMae on February 26, 2010 at 8:53 AM
The campaign is over. Thought that was the best line until he explained how car insurance worked. Nothing like a personal anecdote to pump up the story line. Personalize it, why that’s right out of Alinsky’s playbook.
Kissmygrits on February 26, 2010 at 8:53 AM
He is so full of BS. No carrier’s customer service would laugh at a customer making a claim. Its just too competitive of a market. It was that way 25 years ago too. If he had a beat-up old car and he just got out of college he probably elected NOT to have physical damage coverage on his car. He probably just had the minimum liability limits. But if he was rear-ended as he tells the story, then he could make a claim against the at fault driver.
His example, which is probably a lie, shows how incredibly ignorant he is regarding insurance.
jbh45 on February 26, 2010 at 8:53 AM
This story is crap and everyone knows it. This is another transparent effort to pander to the average Joe. What he didn’t realize, because he was making the story up on the spot, that he would come off as a buffoon and not credible. The net result will be to hunker down behind the TelePrompter. We won’t see many more unscripted comments.
R Square on February 26, 2010 at 8:56 AM
Well unless he did something absolutely crazy like stop on an on-ramp to the high and let traffic pass until they let him in or something.(Wow, I wouldn’t be that surprised if that’s how it actually happened.)
Dave_d on February 26, 2010 at 8:56 AM
Me, too. Every story they’ve told so far has been a lie or exaggerated beyond all reality.
I know for a fact that the denture story is a lie. I just went through it myself. It’s hard enough to get dentures made specifically for you that fit, there is no way anyone would wear someone elses.
And how did this sister get a hold of those dentures? Huh? How? As much as my dentures hurt, and as much as I could not wear them, I told my sister that if I died before I got my new pair of dentures that under no circumstances was I to be released without teeth. I’m not being buried, I’m donating my body to a medical school. But NO WAY would I want my dead body to not have teeth.
There is no way that story was true.
Jaynie59 on February 26, 2010 at 8:57 AM
Had the other driver known that he had touched greatness, he would have immediately taken that car to storage and preserved it. This could well be the crown jewel in the “college years” section of the greek-columned temple to be built to celebrate all things Obama.
highhopes on February 26, 2010 at 8:58 AM
“cause my stash is in the trunk”
donh525 on February 26, 2010 at 8:58 AM
That’s correct. I lived in Ill back in the 80′s and 90′s and it wasn’t mandatory until 1990. BO is just full of bull. After 30 years in the insurance industry, I have never heard of a customer being laughed at for making a claim against a third party who rear-ended their vehicle.
jbh45 on February 26, 2010 at 8:59 AM
As I have always said, too bad insurance companies could not make a charge for stupidity. If they could, BO would have an enormous premium charge to go along with his ego.
jbh45 on February 26, 2010 at 9:00 AM
That is exactly the same ones that WON’T be covered under his insurance plan either!!
tims472 on February 26, 2010 at 9:01 AM
I had the same thought as Dave_d. No matter that the other driver would have been found ‘at fault’ for rear-ending Zero’s car, it would not surprise me at all if this dumb-ass had actually been the cause of alleged accident.
ZeeMI on February 26, 2010 at 9:02 AM
More to the point, dental isn’t even part of Obamacare. Congresswoman Slaughter screwed up a perfectly good anecdote! Next time she tells it, it will be an artificial limb, a glass eye, or some other body part that is, in fact, part of the discussion. That’s the nice thing about making up “true stories” you can change them to fit the audience.
highhopes on February 26, 2010 at 9:03 AM
One more thing, every single attorney worth his salt goes through contracts with a fine tooth comb, parsing every word and phrase. So he would have us believe that as a Harvard Law grad, he either didn’t bother to read or was incapable of understanding a basic car insurance policy.
In this regard, through his own statements we can infer that he was either a very bad law school student and barely got through contract law or he lied when he told the story (or both)
R Square on February 26, 2010 at 9:04 AM
I trying to figure out how a 50 year old man could be this
LOL!
That is probably closer to the truth than anyone wants to admit.
Saltysam on February 26, 2010 at 9:06 AM
Every day, we learn more and more, why the dumbest President in history, won’t release his grades.
MNHawk on February 26, 2010 at 9:07 AM
if this actually ever happened at all.
//
That is probably more accurate especially to someone who doesn’t know a lie from the truth.
ohiobabe on February 26, 2010 at 9:08 AM
Did this happen in his crack smoking days, if so, explains a lot. Typical demo, trying to get something for which he hasn’t paid.
hip shot on February 26, 2010 at 9:08 AM
There’s nothing better than listening to a politician empathize with an interest group comprising 0.001% of the population, all of whose members would never admit to being that stupid.
Dusty on February 26, 2010 at 9:10 AM
The other point Obama accidentally made was that if the government mandates the parameters of car insurance, insurance companies will write policies to meet those minimum legal requirements, instead of writing policies that offer “serious insurance”.
I was on the Federal Employees Health Benefits system back in the 1990s. Back then, every plan had “dental” coverage that would reimburse you $5.00 on a $70 filling or $20 on a $500 root canal and cap. The insurance was useless, but those minimal reimbursements allowed the companies to check off the Dental box on the summary sheet. The policies were written to comply with the law, not to actually offer dental insurance. In order to get a real dental plan, I had to buy supplemental insurance through an outside provider.
This same thing would happen under the Democrat plans. As a result, every insurance policy would be a nightmare of restrictions and minimal coverages, all designed to meet the requirements of whatever sausage they’re cooking up in the Congress, and actual insurance to cover actual care will be impossible to find. There will be no outside providers.
Haiku Guy on February 26, 2010 at 9:13 AM
Is it any wonder that a President who neither read nor comprehended an auto insurance policy he purchased would be viewed as a savior by voters who neither read nor comprehended mortgages they purchased?
ya2daup on February 26, 2010 at 9:14 AM
For being the smarterest president ever in the history of the universe, he sure does and says very, very stupid things.
jukin on February 26, 2010 at 9:15 AM
Idiot.
OmahaConservative on February 26, 2010 at 9:18 AM
maybe it was valerie jarrett who rear-ended him that foggy morning.
poppieseeds on February 26, 2010 at 9:20 AM
Acme Law School.
rogerb on February 26, 2010 at 9:21 AM
You missed another imp. point. Would the young poor Obama have been able to have a car if the feds demanded that all auto insurance be “cadillac” type. Obama bought what he could afford, and what he could afford was available.
That’s what I want for Healthcare.
JiangxiDad on February 26, 2010 at 9:23 AM
ACME products helped Wiley E. Coyote fight that pesky Road Runner for all those years.
I was offended when I heard BHO denegrate ACME. How dare he!
madmonkphotog on February 26, 2010 at 9:24 AM
After about six months I got rear-ended and I called up Acme, and an insurance agent named Tommy…
PatMac on February 26, 2010 at 9:26 AM
Obamus imbecilicus
justltl on February 26, 2010 at 9:31 AM
Again, showing his ineptness at many things. I bet he even had Michelle, or his girlfriend at the time, or welfare pay for it.
MSGTAS on February 26, 2010 at 9:33 AM
This on top of him saying “the election is over” and he doesn’t count his time because he’s the president makes this a triple play for Mr. President. Wonder what today will bring.
scalleywag on February 26, 2010 at 9:33 AM
He’s wily all right!
scalleywag on February 26, 2010 at 9:34 AM
The other driver was temporarily blinded by Obi-Won’s aura:
What’s light through yonder rear window breaks?
It is Obama, and he is The One.
ya2daup on February 26, 2010 at 9:35 AM
Barracky boy’s suit is so empty it’s creating a vacuum and sucking any resemblance of common sense completely out of his skull.
Cybergeezer on February 26, 2010 at 9:36 AM
If it’s after he graduated college—supposedly Columbia College—didn’t he say he worked in NYC? What new grad in NYC drives a car? He didn’t live in the burbs. So his train rear-ended another train and he tried to file an insurance claim. WTG, Barack!!
His ‘the election is over’ was so incredibly insulting and condescending! He can’t get over the fact that he’s POTUS, maybe that’s why he can’t govern: he’s still caught up in the incredible dream of it. McCain should’ve punched him; that’s what that remark deserved.
SilentWatcher on February 26, 2010 at 9:39 AM
The Dumbocrats are setting up a “rear end collision to the taxpayers” with this bill.
The taxpayer will end up paying for damages AND litigation for “pain and suffering”, and will fatten up the coffers to be used for campaigning and vote purchasing.
Cybergeezer on February 26, 2010 at 9:42 AM
What’s light through yonder rear window breaks?
It is Obama, and he is The One.
ya2daup on February 26, 2010 at 9:35 AM
I love this site! Fabulous lines!! LOL!!
SilentWatcher on February 26, 2010 at 9:42 AM
I’m impressed Obama has the audacity to tell a ridiculous story like that and think it’d go unchallenged. I’m not sure whether it says more about him, or about the press. They are willing to publicly dissect every statement made by a plumber who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time (“His name isn’t even Joe, it’s Samuel - see, he’s a lying liar who tells lies!!1!”) yet the erstwhile leader of the free world continuously throws these whoppers out there and crickets chirp.
Laura on February 26, 2010 at 9:43 AM
Winner!
Typhoon on February 26, 2010 at 9:44 AM
I watched a couple of hours yesterday. In a long shot, I am almost positive that Ryan gave it back to the President. I remember thinking that the camera didn’t show it well. On the other hand, I noticed much earlier on, that Obama had one of his bony fingers up by the side of his head, and it wasn’t the middle one, (although he did use that one later). So I don’t really know if this is all coincidence or intentional.
JiangxiDad on February 26, 2010 at 9:44 AM
Obamus imbecilicus
justltl on February 26, 2010 at 9:31 AM
Totally déclassé. No need to compare the man to a monkey, no matter how much he’s detestable.
SilentWatcher on February 26, 2010 at 9:47 AM
I learned that years ago. A car slowed down, got me a little to close, then stopped. Just stopped. No serious damage, but it was a fender bender just the same. I was responsible, because as I was told by the officer…I should have been in control of my vehicle. Moral of the story….don’t tail gate. It will be you that pays.
If Obama got all the way thru Harvard not knowing this, then perhaps he should take public transportation, or a cab from here on out.
capejasmine on February 26, 2010 at 9:48 AM
Funny, but unfortunately true. Princeton (where my kid seems to be interested in) had an announcement the other day:
Great nations can’t exist without great institutions, because they’ll turn out corrupted “elites.”
JiangxiDad on February 26, 2010 at 9:50 AM
justltl on February 26, 2010 at 9:31 AM
My bad. I apologize. I forgot about Wiley Coyote and Acme. That suit looks like a monkey suit.
SilentWatcher on February 26, 2010 at 9:52 AM
‘ Couple points here, Jaynie: First off: Drag racing is a sanctioned sport conducted on racetracks–in a straight line I might add, rending comming around corners in a “drag race” pretty impossible–under controlled conditions.
The cars in your story were street racing. Not drag racing.
Second: Awhile back we had a hailstorm. My wife’s car took some hits and since I have comprehensive on it I filed a claim. However since it’s a little older, since the hits weren’t all that bad and since there’s no lien on it and since it was April, I sent the money to the IRS instead of fixing the car.
Which was fine but the guy at the insurance company did explain to me when he gave me the check that I could do with the money whatever I liked, but if I didn’t fix the car, if I ever filed another claim on it, the amount of this claim would be taken off the top of that claim.
Sounded eminently fair to me.
Typhoon on February 26, 2010 at 9:53 AM
Like the guy who supposedly was denied coverage and died from a pre-existing condition he didn’t know he had. Turned out the guy was not denied coverage and is quite alive! Why this was ignored by the media is all too obvious but sad.
highhopes on February 26, 2010 at 9:53 AM
Never watched cartoons much did you. It’s a Wiley coyote not a monkey, and it fits perfectly with the Acme Insurance company. Just watch this.
Oldnuke on February 26, 2010 at 9:54 AM
Now that he is POTUS, the only thing he ever drives is a golf cart.
highhopes on February 26, 2010 at 9:55 AM
Hmmm, wonder why there’s a need for people on Medicare to by a supplemental plan? Can’t wait to see what won’t be covered under the Dims universal plan./s
redridinghood on February 26, 2010 at 9:55 AM
It’s like he fancies himself the elder sitting ’round the camp fire in the midst of an enclave of grass hut shelters in the middle of a jungle with the people of the village all around him rapt with attention as he’s telling made up stories to teach life lessons to the lesser wise and lesser gifted of his own tiny little world… then he soaks ‘em for a healthy portion of their hard earned harvest and livestock with a wink and a false promise.
Barack Hussein Obama is a fable.
SilverStar830 on February 26, 2010 at 9:55 AM
Try to talk him into another one if possible, especially if he’s going to post-grad. Princeton has a reputation for giving everyone “A”s because, well, they’re paying to be at Princeton. Post-grad admissions have formulas to take a school’s difficulty into account, but it’s not the best place to get a solid education from and actually be competitive against a solid B+ (arbitrary good state school example follows) UNC Chapel Hill grad.
No competing Ivy League grad here, just someone on the internet who has an relationship with someone who sits on a a prestigious admissions panel. As all internet stuff, take it as untrue but something you can look into.
rogerb on February 26, 2010 at 10:07 AM
I’m sorry. Not enough coffee to open the eyes. I read that, on first pass, as: “my junk is in the stash”.
Well, it makes sense with the way he says things, being no b*lls, and all. ;-)
Yoop on February 26, 2010 at 10:07 AM
Hey, isn’t ACME the same company that Billy Ayers bought his dynamite from?
Ris4victory on February 26, 2010 at 10:14 AM
We all know this story is a lie. No one can provide any evidence of any accident with this dope and a rear end collision.
If it were true, he could have sued and got his car fixed, along with damages for any medical expenses.
WAKE THE F*CK UP, PEOPLE!
HE HAS A LAW DEGREE FROM ONE OF THE (once upon a time) MOST RESPECTED LAW SCHOOLS IN THE U.S.
Cybergeezer on February 26, 2010 at 10:14 AM
Tks.
JiangxiDad on February 26, 2010 at 10:19 AM
25 years later, he still doesn’t get it.
But that’s not bad enough.
He’s so stinking arrogant, that he uses it as an example for his new stupidities.
It’s so unbelievably stupid on so many levels.
And he’s the leader of our country.
I just can’t get over it.
notagool on February 26, 2010 at 10:23 AM
+1000. Bravo! So apropos. Quote of the day.
GrannyDee on February 26, 2010 at 10:25 AM
Exactly. Besides, the way people jump now-a-days to get their 15 minutes of fame don’t you think somebody would have come forward by now saying “way back when, I got Barry in the rear”?
Yoop on February 26, 2010 at 10:29 AM
Golly Gee obama should the I have to pay for your old jalopy that got rear ended? Or did you pay for the cheap insurance and took the gamble and now because YOU got what you paid for, but wanted more, you want insure everybody’s jalopy on someone elses dime.
lakeman on February 26, 2010 at 10:38 AM
The stupidity, ignorance, arrogance, and indolence emanating from this administration is staggering; And it’s filtering down to the unwashed masses.
But it is not going unnoticed by our enemies.
Cybergeezer on February 26, 2010 at 10:39 AM
Every time he tries to get anecdotal, Obama sticks his size 12s in his mouth. He must really like the taste of designer shoe leather.
College Prof on February 26, 2010 at 10:42 AM
All my anecdotes start with straw men, he explained.
NickelAndDime on February 26, 2010 at 10:46 AM
Does IL require people to report accidents to the state, as MN does? If so, it would at least be possible to prove or disprove the “accident” part of the story. If the report included insurer info, even more could be learned. Maybe he built his lie around a kernel of truth, at least.
It seems most people here are assuming he meant “after law school” and not “after Columbia.” If that’s what he means, then he would have been required to have liability insurance, as he graduated law school in 1991.
PantsDailyon on February 26, 2010 at 10:54 AM
That is so funny because it is so stupid on his part. Very go example of his IQ. Very dumb indeed.
Ed Laskie on February 26, 2010 at 10:57 AM
It has been quite apparent to me that Obama is not as super-brilliant as advertised… but the real question is: Does he believe he’s that intelligent? I think it’s infinitely scarier if, in fact, he does believe it.
Logic on February 26, 2010 at 10:59 AM
Actually he hadn’t yet gone to Harvard at this point. “Fresh out of college” means he’d been at Columbia. …Or so he claims… ;)
Tzetzes on February 26, 2010 at 11:09 AM
I too had a beat-up old car when I was still in college, and had liability (but not collision) insurance, and got rear-ended by a lady who was too busy slapping her kid in the back seat to notice that traffic had stopped. Didn’t get a dime from MY insurance company, but got a check for the value of my car from HER insurance company. That’s the way liability insurance works for at-fault car accidents.
But a person who controls a vehicle weighing over a ton at 60 mph or more can HURT or KILL someone else if done irresponsibly, and should be held LIABLE for damage or injury to others!
It IS “another thing if your kid is sick or you’ve got breast cancer”. An insurance company may be held liable if it has previously underwritten a legal contract with the sick person, and could be sued under existing law if it failed to pay legitimate medical claims.
But if not, are the taxpayers LIABLE for the person’s sickness? Is it our fault that someone else gets sick?
Steve Z on February 26, 2010 at 11:11 AM
Ed clearly wants Obama to follow him into the Mutara Nebula where his shields will be useless.
CrankyTRex on February 26, 2010 at 11:17 AM
+1000
unclesmrgol on February 26, 2010 at 11:22 AM
When someone says “I’ve got your back!”, it’s either Barney Franks or the guy who rear-ended Obama.
unclesmrgol on February 26, 2010 at 11:23 AM
Barry is an idiot.
GarandFan on February 26, 2010 at 11:24 AM
Barracky boy’s statement does make one truth stand out; (If this story has any truth at all).
He was required to buy the minimum insurance, which IS LIABILITY INSURANCE.
This insurance is specifically for any damages caused by YOU, the driver, to another person or property.
(There must be a lot of people here that have never had to buy auto insurance).
Barracky boy is going to win a perennial trophy from the Liars Club, USA for his stellar performances in his tenure as president.
Cybergeezer on February 26, 2010 at 11:32 AM
What I find amazing, is that these very Senators, represent states that have no fault auto insurance that they were involved in legislating and voting into law; And they did not call him out on this bald faced lie!
SOMEONE, SOMETIME SOON, HAS TO CALL HIM OUT, TO HIS FACE, WHEN HE RESORTS TO THESE BALD FACE LIES.
Even if they are made for the sake of illustration.
THIS IDIOT IS SUPPOSED TO BE THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA; Not just a facilitator for a random meeting of legislators.
Cybergeezer on February 26, 2010 at 11:44 AM
In 1978 my $300 Government Motors Chevy Vega was rear-ended in the High School parking lot and the other guys insurance company gave me $500 dollars. Yes! Bought beer the drinking age was 18 then. I never even called my insurance company. Does that make me smarter than the President? Probably not because I did buy a Vega, biggest piece of crap ever, plus after reading the comments on this site I realize most people are smarter than I am. Well maybe not Obama, but the rest of you are.
Mr. President, YOU LIE!
oldman13 on February 26, 2010 at 11:56 AM
To call this president a first class idiot is an insult to idiots worldwide. Smartest man to ever hold the office my rear end!
Mini-14 on February 26, 2010 at 12:00 PM
Not only that, but insurance agents try really hard to SELL you collision insurance, with a low or no deductible. Anybody who “forgets” that he doesn’t have a right to a new car because the bumper on his rust-bucket got dented isn’t just forgetful; he’s living in a cocoon.
This isn’t just a simple brain fart that a halfway responsible person might have. No one who’s ever had to manage even his own finances is this clueless. And now this dufus is managing trillions of dollars worth of industry and financial institutions — and asking for control of trillions more.
It’s bad enough that some dumbass out of high school would be clueless about such a basic precept of personal responsibility. But for somebody who’s presenting himself as The Savior Of The American Insurance Industry….
What’s a word that means “apalling,” but is a whole lot worse?
logis on February 26, 2010 at 12:08 PM
Mini-14 on February 26, 2010 at 12:21 PM
Just want to be on record that I expect this Obamateurism will be in the final five of the Best Obamateurism of the Year.
WashJeff on February 26, 2010 at 12:40 PM
Text book Smart……………….Real world Stupid!
DSchoen on February 26, 2010 at 12:41 PM
Do you really believe THAT about Barracky boy?
Cybergeezer on February 26, 2010 at 12:50 PM
While suturing up a cut on the hand of a 75 year old Texas rancher, whose hand had been caught in the gate while working his cattle, the doctor struck up a conversation with the old man. Eventually the topic got around to Obama, and his being our president. The old rancher said, “Well, ya know, Obama is just a Post Turtle.” Now not being familiar with the term, the doctor asked, “What’s a ‘Post Turtle?’” The old rancher said, “When you’re driving down a country road and you come across a fence post with a turtle balanced on top, that’s a post turtle.” The old rancher saw the puzzled look on the doctor’s face so he continued to explain… “You know he didn’t get up there by himself, he doesn’t belong up there, he doesn’t know what to do while he’s up there, he sure as heck ain’t going anywhere, and you just wonder what kind of dumb ass put him up there in the first place.”
LarryG on February 26, 2010 at 12:55 PM
Dreadful
ya2daup on February 26, 2010 at 1:10 PM
The other point I took from this is him saying “The Govt is going to force you to buy insurance and when you enter the hospital for treatment your insurer will just laugh at you and not cover” the moral of the story, govt forcing you to do anything is just a sham so we shouldn’t have mandated insurance. Good work Barry.
Rbastid on February 26, 2010 at 1:23 PM
The story is either crap or true. If crap, it’s just like Obama to lie to make a point. If true, it proves that Obama the college graduate didn’t know the difference between liability and collision insurance and thinks we aren’t smart enough to notice this, or know the difference between these two kinds of coverage.
What’s worse? I vote true. David Brooks, call your office. Your support for this President is a joke.
Basilsbest on February 26, 2010 at 1:40 PM
Um, PrezBO. When the cost of insurance is more than the car is worth, you’re better off banking the premium. But you spent yours, right?
As for his accident, no comment.
EconomicNeocon on February 26, 2010 at 1:42 PM
“If this anecdote proves anything, it’s that Obama never learned a thing about insurance — hardly the man we’d want to have remaking the entire health-insurance sector.”
He knows plenty about car insurance, he is just playing to the populist lowest common denominator. Well, at least his constituents which based on their twittering after that statement were lining up to call their auto insurers to complain about their pre-existing conditions.
Bonhomme on February 26, 2010 at 1:53 PM
Vega, classic government failure. Aluminum block to reduce weight to meet gas mileage standards. Soft aluminum block meets hardened steel pistons equals engine failure at 50,000 miles or less.
oldman13 on February 26, 2010 at 2:08 PM
Shouldn’t there be records somewhere of cars owned and insurance had? I’d like to know if the car really was beat up. I’d like to know if the car really was rear ended. (CarFax?) I’d like to know what kind of insurance he had. I’d like to be certain when I call him either ignorant or a liar.
AnotherOpinion on February 26, 2010 at 3:19 PM
$50 Says he was backing out of a parking stall.
PappaMac on February 26, 2010 at 3:22 PM
Well I have to admit – I completely “missed” this insurance snafu with the Harvard intellect at yesterday’s summit.
I have a couple of questions …
1. If Sarah Palin had demonstrated how clueless she was on insurance in this manner – wouldn’t it be on the front page of every newspaper on the planet?
2. In 1992 – George H.W. Bush got eviscerated by the Lame Stream Media when he went into a store and seemed clueless about the laser scanner the check out clerk was using. He was labeled “out of touch” because all of us out here in loser-land were all well aware of what a laser scanner was by that time.
Now in this insurance story – Obama is either a flat out liar or a hopelessly stupid twig.
And maybe he’s both.
HondaV65 on February 26, 2010 at 3:37 PM
what. an. idiot.
khacha on February 26, 2010 at 3:37 PM
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