ObamaCare Supporter Jonathan Gruber
[Guest post by DRJ]
On Thursday, emptywheel at Firedoglake (with a hat tip to Daily Kos commenter Mote Dai) revealed that MIT economics professor Jonathan Gruber had $300,000 (later updated to approximately $400,000) in contracts with the Obama Administration while serving as the “the go-to source” in support of health care reform.
Following that revelation, Megan McArdle noted several sources that touted Gruber’s support for ObamaCare, including this article in The Atlantic by Ron Brownstein. McArdle believes Gruber “wouldn’t have been cited with quite the same authority–particularly by mainstream media–if he’d been more upfront about the fact that he’s being paid almost $300,000 by the Obama Administration.”
On Friday, Ed Morrissey at Hot Air pointed out an OMB blog post dated November 24, 2009, by Peter Orszag entitled “An Insightful Article on Health Care” that recommended the Brownstein article with a special focus on Gruber’s take:
“Brownstein reads the bill, examines these pillars, and then calls up many of these economists to get their take on the Senate bill. MIT economist Jonathan Gruber — who calls himself “sort of a known skeptic on this stuff” — says, “Everything is in here….I can’t think of anything I’d do that they are not doing in the bill.” And Len Nichols of the New American Foundation told Brownstein: “The bottom line is the legislation is sending a signal that business as usual [in the medical system] is going to end.”
All the elements are there for fiscally responsible health reform. For more, read the entire piece.”
The OMB wasn’t the only government entity to point out Brownstein’s article. The White House twittered it on the same day as Orszag’s blog post:
“Good piece by Ron Brownstein @ the Atlantic on how health reform will reduce deficit & cut costs” http://bit.ly/91kIo0 #hcr
The White House
It appears the Obama Administration does know how to share information between agencies. Too bad the counterterrorism agencies aren’t as focused.
— DRJ
DRJ – This is different than those scientific experts trotted out back up global warming alarmism who were getting paid to promote or study global warming isn’t it because Gruber’s field of expertise is economics? Otherwise it’s sort of similar.
daleyrocks (718861) — 1/10/2010 @ 6:15 pmThat’s fraud.
happyfeet (e9e587) — 1/10/2010 @ 6:23 pmfeets – I think his last name really needs to have two “b”‘s in the middle. Nice work if you can get it, eh?
daleyrocks (718861) — 1/10/2010 @ 6:27 pmIs he any relation, to hans Gruber?
ian cormac (cbea0c) — 1/10/2010 @ 6:29 pmDoes our insipid and venal journalist caste reallyreallyreally want its children to grow up and die in dirty socialist government hospitals?
All those poor asian kids the NPR whores have adopted would have been just as well staying put I think.
happyfeet (e9e587) — 1/10/2010 @ 6:31 pmRon Brownstein married Meghan’s useless daddy’s pr hoochie. She’s now the pr hoochie for these losers.
It’s a nauseating true story that the odious and craven Bob Dole was very nearly president of our little country.
When he dies we’re gonna have to have one of those threads where you can’t say what you really think so it’s good to bring it up now, no?
That’s Brownstein’s hoochie in the contact box.
happyfeet (e9e587) — 1/10/2010 @ 6:48 pm“Is he any relation, to hans Gruber?”
ian – The terrorist?
daleyrocks (718861) — 1/10/2010 @ 6:53 pmfeets – Another sad but true fact, Gruber’s work was promoted by that geek Orszag, who apparently has trouble keeping his dick in his pants and is now engaged to a business whorespondent from ABC.
http://www.nypost.com/p/news/national/prez_man_love_child_bn3gGiF1FfbfFs6dlDS4JK#ixzz0c4zcVS1P
daleyrocks (718861) — 1/10/2010 @ 6:58 pmAh, No he was a venal thief masquerading as a committed terrorist, the analogy is not incidental.
ian cormac (cbea0c) — 1/10/2010 @ 7:24 pmGruber told The Politco:
“But NONE of the work I have done in public, or any public declarations I ahve made, has been in any way funded by the Administration. That funding was strictly for internal work that I did for the administration and, via the administration, for congress. All externally visible work and comments, such as my editorials or public reports, have been done on my own time.”
So there! Jonathan Gruber the Obama Administration hireling is a completely different person than Jonathan Gruber the
Brother Bradley J. Fikes, C.O.R. (9eb641) — 1/10/2010 @ 7:33 pmunethical mouthpieceindependent professor!ian – You are absolutely correct. I spaced the plots, but at least I knew who you meant.
Yipee Kay Yay
daleyrocks (718861) — 1/10/2010 @ 7:36 pm“All externally visible work and comments, such as my editorials or public reports, have been done on my own time.”
Chinese Walls BAYBEE, Chinese Walls!!!11ty!!!
No shared data, no shared conclusions!!!!!!!
It’s only a cold sore!!!!!!
daleyrocks (718861) — 1/10/2010 @ 7:39 pmAt TIME, Karen Tumulty explains herself by saying she did not realize Gruber was being paid by the administration. She would have disclosed that.
She did, however, know he was doing work for the administration. She did not disclose that.
I asked her if the administration gave her Grubers name as a source (no) and then asked her why she didn’t disclose the relationship. She said she believed in financial disclosure.
Frankly, I don’t see a difference.
We know that she, as a reporter, was using someone the WH was working with (even if unpaid). She knew that Brownstein did as well, and that two people in the administration had publicly praised the article and pointed others toward it.
She saw it and she didn’t care.
MayBee (a4324b) — 1/10/2010 @ 7:40 pmThey are a bunch of cheerleaders, our press.
Quite right, Maybee. Money corrupts but so does power and influence, especially in Washington. Thus, it’s as important to disclose someone has government connections as it is to disclose financial connections. In this case, Gruber appears to have both.
DRJ (84a0c3) — 1/10/2010 @ 7:50 pm“feets – Another sad but true fact, Gruber’s work was promoted by that geek Orszag, who apparently has trouble keeping his dick in his pants and is now engaged to a business whorespondent from ABC.”
What’s the trouble with the dick here? He’s engaged! And he had sex with someone else 9 months ago! Is this a lack of dick control?
imdw (8f8ead) — 1/10/2010 @ 7:59 pmSpeaking of dicks being out of control….
Eric Blair (ddbceb) — 1/10/2010 @ 8:06 pm“Is this a lack of dick control?”
imdw – You obviously lack reading comprehension or did not make the effort.
daleyrocks (718861) — 1/10/2010 @ 8:08 pmThey are all crooks. Nothing new.
Mike K (2cf494) — 1/10/2010 @ 8:27 pm“imdw – You obviously lack reading comprehension or did not make the effort.”
Or I just don’t have the same odd prudery about geeks and “whorespondents”
imdw (795ee1) — 1/10/2010 @ 8:56 pmThat line from Ghostbusters about the EPA inspector might fit.
ian cormac (cbea0c) — 1/10/2010 @ 9:04 pm“Or I just don’t have the same odd prudery about geeks and “whorespondents””
No, I was right the first time, sorry.
daleyrocks (718861) — 1/10/2010 @ 10:20 pmSome things can be blamed on hubris. Most by sheer stupidity.
And these people have college degrees and everything.
Ag80 (76c798) — 1/10/2010 @ 10:34 pm