“The reforms I’m proposing would not apply to those who are here illegally,” said President Obama and “You lie!” shouted Rep. Joe Wilson, R-S.C.
Rude? Yes. Breach of decorum? Yes. But who’s right?
Illegal aliens aren’t technically supposed to receive benefits under the plan, but since Congress has opposed verifying citizenship for benefits, how would anyone know? Illegal aliens aren’t technically supposed to have jobs either. They aren’t technically supposed to be here.
But Obama made a broader point on CBS which told me why the thinks he’s being straightforward and honest about it all.
“First of all, I’d like to create a situation where we’re dealing with illegal immigration, so that we don’t have illegal immigrants,” he said. “And we’ve got legal residents or citizens who are eligible for the plan. And I want a comprehensive immigration plan that creates a pathway to achieve that.”
In other words, if we put illegal immigrants on a pathway to being legal, then they aren’t illegal anymore, so we can say we aren’t covering health care for illegals because we’ve legalized them all.
Obama’s plan won’t cover illegal immigrants because he doesn’t want there to be any illegal immigrants. That’s what he said. So he’s either deporting them all or proposing a pathway to legality. You tell me which choice matches his words.
Of course, that means that those illegally in this country today would eventually be covered under Obama’s health plan, once Obama makes them legal.
So with all due respect to Rep. Wilson, Obama’s not lying. He’s just not telling you everything.
