CBS: 'White House Had Years of Warnings' About ObamaCare Debacle

NewsBusters.org ^ | November 4, 2013 | Matthew Balan

[Kaslin]

Monday's CBS This Morning revealed how "a trusted Obama health care adviser warned the White House it was losing control of ObamaCare". Major Garrett underlined that "the warnings were dire and specific, and ultimately ignored" by the Obama administration. Instead, they "relied on appointed bureaucrats and senior White House health care advisers" to implement the health care law.

Garrett also pointed out how "the White House became secretive about the law's complexity and regulatory reach" because they were apparently "fearful of constant attacks from congressional Republicans" over the controversial issue.

CBS: 'White House Had Years of Warnings' About ObamaCare Debacle

Substitute anchor Margaret Brennan teased Garrett's report by trumpeting that "HealthCare.gov [is] now shutting down every day for hours at a time. CBS News learns the White House had years of warnings." The correspondent led the segment with his "losing control of ObamaCare" line about David Cutler, the "trusted Obama health care adviser", and his "blunt" May 2010 memo to economic adviser Larry Summers, which cast serious doubt on a successful implementation of the law.

Cutler asserted that "the relevant members of the administration [do not] understand the President's vision or have the capability to carry it out", and that "no one was in charge who had any experience in complex business start-ups". Garrett then added that "the White House dismissed these and other warnings."

Later, the CBS journalist spotlighted how "some Democrats have proposed dramatic action", and played a soundbite of California Democrat Dianne Feinstein recommending that HealthCare.gov be shut down until it works properly. He also noted that other Democrats, "like Massachusetts Democratic Governor Deval Patrick, say these website problems are actually a good thing, because they force the President to go out and sell ObamaCare to the country once again."

The full transcript of Major Garrett's report from Monday's CBS This Morning:

MARGARET BRENNAN: Now to the struggling ObamaCare website – HealthCare.gov is being taken offline daily from 1 am to 5 am Eastern Time for repairs. And CBS News is learning that the administration knew of the risk well before last month.

Major Garrett is live at the White House. Major, good morning.

MAJOR GARRETT: Well, good morning, Margaret and Charlie. Three years ago, a trusted Obama health care adviser warned the White House it was losing control of ObamaCare. A memo obtained by CBS said strong leadership was missing, and the law's successful implementation was in jeopardy. The warnings were dire and specific, and ultimately ignored.

[CBS News Graphic: "Website Warning: Obama Adviser Detailed Potential Problems in 2010"]

GARRETT (voice-over): David Cutler, who worked on the Obama 2008 campaign and was a valued outside health care consultant, wrote this blunt memo to top White House economic adviser Larry Summers in May 2010: 'I do not believe the relevant members of the administration understand the President's vision or have the capability to carry it out.' Cutler wrote, 'No one was in charge who had any experience in complex business start-ups.' He also worried basic regulations, technology, and policy coordination would fail.

DAVID CUTLER, FMR. HEALTH ADVISER TO OBAMA CAMPAIGN: You need to have the people who have understanding of the political process; people who understand how to work within an administration; and people who understand how to build, start, and build a business. And unfortunately, they just didn't get all of those people together.

GARRETT; The White House dismissed these and other warnings. It relied on appointed bureaucrats and senior White House health care advisers. Fearful of constant attacks from congressional Republicans, the White House became secretive about the law's complexity and regulatory reach.

CUTLER: It is frustrating any time you really want to see something succeed because you believe it's good for people, and it doesn't get off on the right foot.

GARRETT: One month after its launch, the federal health care website remains hobbled.

DAN PFEIFFER, SENIOR WHITE HOUSE ADVISER (from ABC's "This Week"): The website failures are absolutely inexcusable, and we own that.

GARRETT: Some Democrats have proposed dramatic action.

SEN. DIANNE FEINSTEIN, (D), CALIFORNIA (from CBS's "Face the Nation"): I said this directly to the President's chief of staff: they ought to take down the website until it was right.

GARRETT: Republicans doubt White House promises to fix the health care site by month's end.

REP. MIKE ROGERS, (R), MICHIGAN (from CBS's "Face the Nation"): They're trying to change a tire on a car going 75 miles an hour down the expressway.

GARRETT (on-camera): Some Democrats, like Massachusetts Democratic Governor Deval Patrick, say these website problems are actually a good thing, because they force the President to go out and sell ObamaCare to the country once again. Well, the President will do that on Wednesday, when he travels to Dallas to go to an enrollment center, and thank volunteers there for signing people up. Margaret and Charlie?

CHARLIE ROSE: Thank you, Major.

[Trapped Behind Enemy Lines]

A clear example of ideology over practicality.

[dhs12345]

No one will notice but this is exactly how things operate in government and why we are not happy that they will be in charge of our healthcare.

Plus, they seem to be spiteful and pretty much don't care about how it will impact the average American. Otherwise, they would delay it until they can fix it. Again, a trait of a government run operation.

Also, “fix it” means fully operational, with everything completely functional as promised, and with no security risks. Not slapped together with lots of corners cut to make it appear to be working again so as get the administration off of the hot seat which will likely happen — another trait of a government run operation.

[caww]

Obama and this administration was never concerned if it would be a good go or not....the end result is all they are interested in, regardless of the problems they knew would occur...it really makes no matter to them...’it’s been implemented’ and to them it’s just a matter of someone else working out the kinks....they have the tenticles of this monster streatching across the nation....doesn’t matter if it works or not...they have ‘the nation engaged’ in it. The problems will be worked out eventually..and they know that too........meanwhile while they have Americans occupied.... they move forward with amnesty and climate change and all the other forms of removing the cash from American pockets.

We are always two steps behind them and they know it!

[publius911]

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[RoosterRedux]

At times, I wonder if Obama thought he was going to lose in 2012 and let Mitt inherit the problem. Whatever the case, neither Obama nor President ValJar are capable of handling anything like the perfect storm of Obamacare.

[Third Person]

Hey Major, it’s all going according to plan.

[centurion316]

The Obama Administration has but one test for those aspiring to high political office within the Administration - Loyalty. Total loyalty to Obama is the only thing that counts, competence, experience, integrity are completely meaningless and without worth. Franklin Roosevelt was at least smart enough to but competent people in charge of implementing his Socialist schemes. Not Obama, not by a long shot.

[Kenton]

Yeah, everybody knows that the End of November promise is as hollow as all the rest of his promises. I think it will be a bit more interesting when Obama blows it this time, since the MSM has been finally bludgeoned by reality into acknowledging that there's a problem.

Now, when conservatives point out his latest failure, even low information Democrats will have at least a vague understanding of what everybody's talking about.

[PATRIOT1876]

The TEA Party warned everybody before it was even started.

[Avid Coug]

“A clear example of ideology over practicality.”

Exactly. They meant well, and that’s all that matters to them. This also demonstrates the depths of their ignorance about business. They had no understanding of the complexity involved in starting a new “business”, and no appreciation of what experienced and successful business people actually do. Yet these people—Obama and his administration—are running our country.

[Lou L]

'White House Had Years of Warnings' About ObamaCare Debacle

That's certainly one way to say it.

Another way to say that might be, "Right-wing extremist' groups, such as the Tea Party, were the only ones smart enough to know and publicly call Obamacare the disaster it is!"

[dhs12345]

Ya. Something my grandfather said when we finished a job:
“good enough for city work.” I have always thought that he meant that city work (or government work) was of a lesser quality. Just enough to get the job done and nothing more and maybe a little lacking.

[dhs12345]

Yup. From the Tea Party: “The emperor has no clothes!”

[SevenofNine]

Is this going be on Charlie Rose show on PBS I want see that

[LyinLibs]

[two23]

At times, I wonder if Obama thought he was going to lose in 2012

I wondered that too. Its almost as if they had no plans to ever administer this beast but to dump it on Republicans who would be derned if they repealed and derned if they didn't. Either way, it's obvious that the ultimate goal was to inflict as much damage as possible on America. Someone said his last speach before election day sound like a tearful goodby. I wouldn't know, I have never watched any of it's speeches.

[fortheDeclaration]

Stalin’s five year plans come to mind.

[ryan71]

All this is only possible if you have the media in your pocket. And you know it.

[tips up]

Yea but poor Barry, the smartest guy in the room, the most engaged president ever, didn’t know.