It’s not as pithy as some of the other entries, and it seems Gupta decided to riff on the theme of “misspoke.” Here is his entry:
I think with regard to this idea of keeping the plans… this is another example of the message really having been not properly, uh, given
Using the passive voice was a touch of genius, since you don’t have to name the person who failed to “give the message properly.” Of course, “this idea of keeping the plans” refers to the president’s apparently cryptic comment that
No matter how we reform health care, we will keep this promise to the American people:
If you like your doctor, you will be able to keep your doctor. Period.
If you like your health care plan, you’ll be able to keep your health care plan. Period.
which folks like Gupta, the New York Times, and others are now treating like a new Voynich. Who could know what he really meant? It’s so, um, exoteric. Which sounds esoteric.
Gupta then comes up with a rather telling analogy:
Gupta then suggested that plans Americans liked were Pintos, and the plans President Obama wanted to push them into were Ferraris.
Being forced from the analogy’s Pinto into a Ferrari would entail a rather large increase in one’s “car payment,” would it not? And here we have Obama as the quintessence of the slimy car salesman ignoring your needs and telling you no, buddy, what you need is this here Ferrari.
What’s worse than a slimy car salesman? A slimy car salesman with the firepower to force you to buy the Ferrari when you were happy with your other car. You don’t want the Ferrari? Hey, if you like the car you have, you can keep it. You do, and you return to find tires slashed, sugar in the gas tank, and clothespins where there used to be spark plugs.
Aside: I think “glitch” should be the Word of the Year this year, by default, since “lie” has been so carefully avoided.
