How Jonathan Gruber's "Voters are Stupid" Video Went Viral

[InTheLight]

Here's the story behind the video of ACA architect and economist Jonathan Gruber's video that ended up being in the news cycle. In the video Gruber calls American voters "stupid" and said the ACA needed to be written without transparency so it could get past Congress.

A unknown investment banker (read: Republican), Rich Weinstein is obsessed with the ACA, in particular the idea that the consequence of not enrolling in ObamaCare was classified as a penalty and not a tax. So he started his own little research project digging up information about this angle. As he did the research he would Tweet his findings on Twitter. Eventually, he found the Jonathan Gruber video on the University of Pennsylvania website and posted a link in one of his Tweets.

Phil Kerpen, the founder of American Commitment, a conservative non-profit (read: lobbying group) was a Twitter follower of Weinstein's and would re-tweet Weinstein's tweets. This increased the circle of people that saw the video. They, in turn, would re-tweet the link to the video and pretty soon the conservative Tweet-o-sphere was buzzing. Eventually, the "story" made it to Rush Limbaugh and Fox News.

http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/a...humiliating-the-administration-over-obamacare


Weinstein's Twitter feed (scroll down to November 8th or so):

https://twitter.com/phillyrich1

 

[carpro]

Good!

The American people needed to know what the Obama Administration really thinks of them.

They're too stupid to know what's good for them, so he's going to "take care " of them.

 

[PreachTony]

Eventually, the "story" made it to Rush Limbaugh and Fox News.

I'm just curious, ITL, but why are you acting so nonchalant about this issue?

We have video proof, and yeah I agree it should've come to light a lot sooner than it did, of one of the primary architects of the Affordable Care Act revealing that the language of the law had to be so tortuously written so as to, basically, confuse the Congressional Budget Office into scoring the "mandate" as something other than a "tax." He goes on to say that it was accomplished because of the economic "stupidity" of the American voter.

How do you see this as such a non-issue? This is the biggest piece of legislation to come from President Obama. It's likely to be his legacy legislation. And here we have what amounts to a confession by the administration that they were not transparent or forthright with the American people, but instead had to hide their true intentions in order to pass a bill that was very unpopular to begin with.

 

[poncho]

You can fool some of the people all the time, and those are the ones you want to concentrate on. George W. Bush

It goes both ways in politics. I know I know George W. Bush is a saint compared to Obama but to think that only one side thinks Americans are to stupid to understand how these types of "laws" will effect us is kidding themselves.

Don't get me wrong here. I think it's great that Obama's man is stupid enough to out himself in public like he has but come on now both sides have proven they prefer the "noble lie" over the truth and both sides have proven they will use a crisis as an opportunity to "get things done" they didn't think they could do before.

 

[Bro. Curtis]

He did say they lied to the American people before passing an unpopular bill. This has been established. He is citing some potential reasons for it.

This happens on both sides.

Limbaugh never said anything racist about Donovan McNaab.

I don't think Gruber called us stupid.

I don't think that Salon piece lest week denigrated all of our soldiers.

I don't think Alec Baldwin hates g@ys.

Sarah Palin never said she could see Russia from her house.

 

[Revmitchell]

I don't think Gruber called us stupid.

His quote was "call it the stupidity of the American voter or whatever"


NO matter how you see that quote he suggested that the American voter is in general stupid which is a reference to things being voted on in congress. Not sure how else one would see that but I would be interested in hearing your take.

 

[Bro. Curtis]

I gave you my take. He was listing reasons why people think congress lied to them. And I could be wrong.

 

[Revmitchell]

I gave you my take. He was listing reasons why people think congress lied to them. And I could be wrong.

Ok well he was giving reasons why they could write the obamacare bill in such a "tortured" way and get away with it.

 

[Zaac]

His quote was "call it the stupidity of the American voter or whatever"


NO matter how you see that quote he suggested that the American voter is in general stupid which is a reference to things being voted on in congress. Not sure how else one would see that but I would be interested in hearing your take.

I listened to Neal Boortz, the Talk Master, refer to the average American voter as stupid the last 20+ years up until the time he retired and let that terrible Herman Cain take over. I don't know who told Herman he'd make a good talk radio host. He sucks.

But anywhoo, conservative talk radio hosts have been calling American voters stupid and "low information" voters for years. So much so, that some often put forth the need for a test to qualify to vote.

This again is nothing new. Both sides seem to think that the folks who vote against them are stupid.

 

[Revmitchell]

The title of this thread is misleading to the issue of the video. While it is offensive that he said the American voters are stupid. That is not the primary concern in the video.

 

[PreachTony]

I listened to Neal Boortz, the Talk Master, refer to the average American voter as stupid the last 20+ years up until the time he retired and let that terrible Herman Cain take over. I don't know who told Herman he'd make a good talk radio host. He sucks.

But anywhoo, conservative talk radio hosts have been calling American voters stupid and "low information" voters for years. So much so, that some often put forth the need for a test to qualify to vote.

This again is nothing new. Both sides seem to think that the folks who vote against them are stupid.

True, but I think what's ticked people off on this one is the fact that the economist calling voters stupid actually crafted laws and required on the stupidity of those voters to pass the law. Talk radio hosts, like Boortz (I used to listen to him too), typically lament the "stupidity" or "low information" state of voters, sometimes wishing that voters would actually get smarter. The truth for this economist is that if voters were smarter, their law would've failed.

It's not a great analogy, I admit...but it's something I can see...

 

[InTheLight]

I'm just curious, ITL, but why are you acting so nonchalant about this issue?

It's all water under the bridge. There is nothing new here. The Supreme Court decided this over 2 years ago.

We have video proof, and yeah I agree it should've come to light a lot sooner than it did, of one of the primary architects of the Affordable Care Act revealing that the language of the law had to be so tortuously written so as to, basically, confuse the Congressional Budget Office into scoring the "mandate" as something other than a "tax." He goes on to say that it was accomplished because of the economic "stupidity" of the American voter.

Yep--"We've got to pass the bill to see what's in it." That's a four year old mantra.

How do you see this as such a non-issue? This is the biggest piece of legislation to come from President Obama. It's likely to be his legacy legislation. And here we have what amounts to a confession by the administration that they were not transparent or forthright with the American people, but instead had to hide their true intentions in order to pass a bill that was very unpopular to begin with.

I am shocked, shocked that politicians are not forthright with the American people! Round up the usual suspects!

Basically, here's what happened:

"We're going to have to call the economic consequences of not buying insurance a 'penalty' not a 'tax'. If we call it a tax the American people won't like it, but if we call it a penalty, they're so stupid they'll swallow it."

"OK, if that's what it takes to get the bill passed."

"Once it's passed, the conservatives will be up in arms, and it will go to the Supreme Court. They will, I don't know, call it a penalty but allow it under the 'taxing authority' clause of Congress."

And that's what we have. The failure to comply with the insurance mandate is you will be assessed a penalty which has been deemed constitutional because Congress has the power to levy taxes.

 

[InTheLight]

The title of this thread is misleading to the issue of the video. While it is offensive that he said the American voters are stupid. That is not the primary concern in the video.

OP is not about the content of the video, per se, but how it became a "news" story, mostly on conservative blogs and websites.

 

[Revmitchell]

I'm just curious, ITL, but why are you acting so nonchalant about this issue?

Because the the perfect news source did not break the story. Now that he has made such ruckus over what he thinks is a credible news sources he has to be against this.

 

[InTheLight]

Because the the perfect news source did not break the story. Now that he has made such ruckus over what he thinks is a credible news sources he has to be against this.

Bzzzt! Wrong. Because IT IS NOT NEWS. It's history.

 

[Revmitchell]

OP is not about the content of the video, per se, but how it became a "news" story, mostly on conservative blogs and websites.

I did not say the op, I said the title.

 

[Revmitchell]

Bzzzt! Wrong. Because IT IS NOT NEWS. It's history.

No of course not. Not since one of your preferred news sources did not report on it.

 

[Zaac]

Bzzzt! Wrong. Because IT IS NOT NEWS. It's history.

:laugh::thumbs:

 

[carpro]

True, but I think what's ticked people off on this one is the fact that the economist calling voters stupid actually crafted laws and required on the stupidity of those voters to pass the law. Talk radio hosts, like Boortz (I used to listen to him too), typically lament the "stupidity" or "low information" state of voters, sometimes wishing that voters would actually get smarter. The truth for this economist is that if voters were smarter, their law would've failed.

It's not a great analogy, I admit...but it's something I can see...

The truth is that if voters were smarter (better informed), Obama wouldn't be sitting in the White House.

 

[carpro]

OP is not about the content of the video, per se, but how it became a "news" story, mostly on conservative blogs and websites.

And that's the shame of it all. It should have been a lead story on all major news outlets.

Would have been if it had been about a republican.