I don't know if this is a sign that big media is tired of serving as a echo chamber for politicians, but in the past few weeks, some of them have finally decided to confront some of the biggest liars in politics, and chase down the falsehoods.
Via HuffPo here and here.
With regards to the Soledad O'Brien confrontation, The Atlantic's Derek Sullivan suggests that Sununu is generally correct. Sullivan is wrong, because Sununu says -- three times no less -- that "Obamacare reduces services"; it does not.
The ACA reduces the reimbursement rates to hospitals -- something that the hospitals negotiated for, to sign onto the ACA, to the tune of $260B over the decade. It also cuts Medicare Advantage inducements / overpayments -- by $156B over the next decade; in other words the government feels that privately-operated Medicare Advantage should not be costing more per beneficiary (especially in administrative costs) than government-run Medicare.
Furthermore, Sullivan goes trolling for AARP support, by proposing that a Republican-proposed cap on one entitlement program (SS) is equivalent to Democrat- (and at least one Paul Ryan) proposed cap to another entitlement program (Medicare). They are not equivalent. One directly cuts money from seniors while the other is cutting the profit out of Medicare Advantage and cuts hospital reimbursements (funded by increased insurance participation).
And it's amusing that Sununu keeps citing different numbers -- he's so discombobulated that his memory is fuzzy -- of how much reduced spending there would be over the next decade.
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