Stupid Senator Tricks: Dem Senators Try To Tap Dance Around "Keep Your Insurance Lie"

Democratic Party members of the world greatest deliberative body gets a bit tongue-tied when faced with a lie from their own President. The Weekly Standard hung out by the Senator's only elevator today, and asked questions about the Presidential lie about keeping ones heath insurance. These Democratic Senators seemed tied up in their underwear trying to answer questions about the promise, and about Senator Ron Johnson's proposed “If You Like Your Health Plan, You Can Keep It Act,"

Senator Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire expressed shock that so many Americans are losing their current plans. "We knew that they would need to sign up again, but obviously I don’t think anybody thought people would be kicked off their health insurance plan,” said Shaheen, who refused to say if Americans should be able to keep the plans they had in 2013.  

"He didn't say anything wrong," Senate majority leader Harry Reid said when asked about Obama's promise. "That was true."

Next up was Mary Landrieu who was one of the votes which gave Obamacare its victory . The Louisiana Senator was a maybe vote for Obamacare till the last moment when she said, 

 “I am voting for this bill because it achieves The goals I laid out at the beginning of this debate: It drives down Costs and expands affordable health care choices for millions of families and small businesses in Louisiana and around the nation.”

Now she has forgotten what she said and claims that Democrats had only promised that Americans could keep their insurance if it was "good insurance."

"We said when we passed that, 'If you had insurance that was good insurance that you wanted to keep it, you could keep it,'" Landrieu said.

She declined to say if she would support a measure to let Americans keep the plans they had in 2013. "I haven't looked at it specifically," Landrieu said.

What Landrieu omits is that it is the President who decides what good insurance is not the people who are purchasing the insurance.

When asked if Americans should be able to keep their current plans, Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin would only say, "What I'm understanding is that people, like in Florida, are getting advice on transitioning and hopefully they'll have a higher quality, lower-cost plan."

But the answer is no, your understanding is wrong. They will have a plan with lots of elements they don't want and pay through the nose.

Many Senate Democrats tried to avoid answering questions about the president's broken health insurance promise. Senators Kay Hagan of North Carolina and Mary Pryor of Arkansas (both of whom are up for reelection next year) held their cell phones against their ears when approached for questions. Mark Warner of Virginia simply scoffed and walked away when asked if Americans should be allowed to keep their current health plans. Oregon senator Ron Wyden asked if we could talk later.

Some Senators took the Chuck Todd approach and blamed the insurance companies, ignoring the fact that these insurance companies are cancelling policies because of Obamacare regulations.

"Insurance companies cancel insurance policies. That's what they do," said Reid.

"You should talk to the insurance companies if they’re dropping people," said Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota. "The idea here is to have affordable insurance to people that don’t have it."

"I think whenever possible, they should be able to keep their plan," Klobuchar finally admitted.

"I don't think there's any surprises yet," said Senator Ben Cardin of Maryland of reports of insurance cancellations. 

"The free market did not change," Cardin added. "The ability of an insurance carrier or employer to maintain their plans was there, and some are taking other actions."

Cardin was the only senator asked by TWS to flatly reject the measure to let people keep the plans they had in 2013.  "I think it's just too early to look at changes for 2014," he said.

Senator Tester from Montana had his head in the sand:

One senator was not willing to cede the point that many Americans would be losing their current health insurance plans. When asked if those folks who like their plans should be able to keep it, Jon Tester, Democrat from Montana, responded, “I think your premise is wrong.”

What was wrong with the premise? “You said millions of people lost their health care,” Tester responded.

What about news reports saying as much?

“They’re wrong,” Tester said. He continued, “I think what we’ve got is we’ve got a current system that we’re moving out of that has a whole bunch of people who don’t have insurance. We’re going to try to get them insurance.”

So was President Obama wrong when he said Americans could keep their insurance if they like it? Tester didn’t say.

“Shut the door,” he told the Capitol elevator operator. “I didn’t pick that up.”

 If this Weekly Standard story proves anything it proves how out-of-touch these Democratic Party Senators are.