OBAMA'S "SNOOZER CONFERENCE'

Obama Doesn't Offer Anything New, Just Repeats Hollow Rhetoric And Stretches The Truth
Larry Sabato: "Least impressive of Obama's four prime-time pressers. Little passion until the last question about Prof. Gates. This didn't help O's plan." (Larry Sabato, Twitter Account, 7/22/09)
OBAMA'S PITCH FULL OF FACTUAL INACCURACIES
The Washington Post: "[T]he president vowed that health-care reform would drive down costs, eventually saving families thousands of dollars. But he struggled to explain how any of the measures under consideration would fulfill that promise." (Ceci Connolly & Michael D. Shear, "Obama Seeks to Calm Fears on Health Reform," The Washington Post, 7/23/09)
The New York Times: "President Obama showed great fluency in the intricate details of health policy at his news conference on Wednesday night, but experts said some of his points were debatable." (Robert Pear & Peter Baker, "Experts Dispute Some Points In Health Talk," The New York Times, 7/23/09)
The Associated Press: "Fact Check: Obama's Health Care Claims Adrift?" (Calvin Woodward & Jim Kuhnhenn, The Associated Press, 7/22/09)
NYT: Obama Stretches The Truth On Industry Support For Plan. "Mr. Obama said doctors, nurses, hospitals, drug companies and AARP had supported efforts to overhaul health care. While it is true the American Medical Association has endorsed a bill drafted by House Democratic leaders, a half-dozen state medical societies have sharply criticized provisions that would establish a new government-run health insurance plan." (Robert Pear & Peter Baker, "Experts Dispute Some Points In Health Talk," The New York Times, 7/23/09)
"Far from supporting this proposal, the American Hospital Association is urging hospital executives to lobby against it." (Robert Pear & Peter Baker, "Experts Dispute Some Points In Health Talk," The New York Times, 7/23/09)
NYT: Obama's Claim That Cost Control Measures Won't Reduce Medicare Benefits Disputed By Rural And Teaching Hospitals. "Of the proposed new cost-control agency, Mr. Obama said: 'It's not going to reduce Medicare benefits. What it's going to do is to change how those benefits are delivered so that they're more efficient.' Hospitals say the cuts could indeed cut services in some rural areas and from teaching hospitals, which receive extra payments because of higher costs." (Robert Pear and Peter Baker, "Experts Dispute Some Points In Health Talk," The New York Times, 7/23/09)
NYT: Obama Trying To Sell Bipartisanship Of Plan Based On "Technical Provisions" Proposed By Republicans, Not Real Input On Fundamentals. "In seeking to portray health legislation as bipartisan, Mr. Obama said that 160 Republican amendments were adopted in a bill approved last week by the Senate health committee. Republicans said many of the amendments involved technical provisions and did not alter the fundamental features of the bill." (Robert Pear and Peter Baker, "Experts Dispute Some Points In Health Talk," The New York Times, 7/23/09)
AP: "President Barack Obama's assertion Wednesday that government will stay out of health care decisions in an overhauled system is hard to square with the proposals coming out of Congress and with his own rhetoric." (Calvin Woodward & Jim Kuhnhenn, "Fact Check: Obama's Health Care Claims Adrift?" The Associated Press, 7/22/09)
"Even now, nearly half the costs of health care in the U.S. are paid for by government at all levels. Federal authority would only grow under any proposal in play." (Calvin Woodward & Jim Kuhnhenn, "Fact Check: Obama's Health Care Claims Adrift?" The Associated Press, 7/23/09)
AP: "OBAMA: 'It will keep government out of health care decisions, giving you the option to keep your insurance if you're happy with it.' THE FACTS: ... Indeed, Obama went on to lay out other principles of reform that plainly show the government making key decisions in health care." (Calvin Woodward & Jim Kuhnhenn, "Fact Check: Obama's Health Care Claims Adrift?" The Associated Press, 7/22/09)
AP: "OBAMA: 'You haven't seen me out there blaming the Republicans.' THE FACTS: Obama did so in his opening statement ..." (Calvin Woodward & Jim Kuhnhenn, "Fact Check: Obama's Health Care Claims Adrift?" The Associated Press, 7/22/09)
AP: "The president has said repeatedly that he wants 'deficit-neutral' health care legislation ... But some things are more neutral than others." (Calvin Woodward & Jim Kuhnhenn, "Fact Check: Obama's Health Care Claims Adrift?" The Associated Press, 7/22/09)
AP: "White House Budget Director Peter Orszag told reporters this week that the promise does not apply to proposed spending of about $245 billion over the next decade to increase fees for doctors serving Medicare patients."(Calvin Woodward & Jim Kuhnhenn, "Fact Check: Obama's Health Care Claims Adrift?" The Associated Press, 7/22/09)
OBAMA'S DULL AND HOLLOW RHETORIC COSTING HIM CREDIBILITY WITH PUBLIC
The Associated Press: "The cool, crisp candidate who captivated voters last fall has been replaced by a president who is constantly calling for action, with little to show for it and his credibility at stake."(Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar, "Analysis: Obama Missteps Confuse Health Overhaul," The Associated Press, 7/22/09)
Newsweek's Howard Fineman: "I've been covering Barack Obama for a few years, and it's usually crystal clear what he is up to. Not last night. This is the first time I've asked myself: what was THAT all about?" (Howard Fineman, Analysis: Obama Delivers Lackluster Health Care Message," MSNBC.COM, 7/23/09)
Fineman: "His prime time press conference was worse than a waste of time. He spent an hour (with the aide of a soporific White House press corps) pouring sand (one grain at a time) into the already-slowing gears of the machinery of health-care reform." (Howard Fineman, Analysis: Obama Delivers Lackluster Health Care Message," MSNBC.COM, 7/23/09)
Fineman: "It was like the old Muhammad Ali "rope-a-dope" - except that this bout didn't end with the champ springing to life and knocking out his arm-weary foe. This time, the champ just left the ring." (Howard Fineman, Analysis: Obama Delivers Lackluster Health Care Message," MSNBC.COM, 7/23/09)
Fineman: "It was like watching a three-card Monte game while simultaneously listening to a lawyer read from the Federal Register." (Howard Fineman, Analysis: Obama Delivers Lackluster Health Care Message," MSNBC.COM, 7/23/09)
Christian Science Monitor: Obama "did not break any new ground in his signature drive for health reform." (Linda Feldmann, "Obama Makes His Case For Health Reform," Christian Science Monitor, 7/23/09)
NBC's First Read: "A Snoozer Conference" (Chuck Todd, et al., "First Thoughts: A Snoozer Conference," MSNBC's First Read Blog, 7/23/09)
First Read: "He got into the weeds a number of times on a number of different aspects of health care, which is what his diehard supporters love, but might not grab the attention of the average viewer." (Chuck Todd, et al., "First Thoughts: A Snoozer Conference," MSNBC's First Read Blog, 7/23/09)
First Read: "[H]e's selling the unknown to folks with health insurance, and that's no easy task."(Chuck Todd, et al., "First Thoughts: A Snoozer Conference," MSNBC's First Read Blog, 7/23/09)
Politico's Ben Smith: "He never detailed his own plan, or named a single victim of America's broken system, and he spoke largely in the abstractions of blue pills, red pills, and legislative processes." (Ben Smith, "At Big Moment, Obama Goes Small," Politico, 7/23/09)
Smith: "It's not easy to turn delivery system reform into a rallying cry for change, but at times, it was as if Obama wasn't even trying." (Ben Smith, "At Big Moment, Obama Goes Small," Politico, 7/23/09)

Research: http://gop.com/