President Barack Obama participated in a scripted online discussion of his health care overhaul with a friendly audience of religious voters and pastors Wednesday. It ended with him bemoaning those who bear "false witness" against his plans - and then making a claim of his own that's been widely shown to be false.
UPDATE 8/21/09: Pro-life leader calls President dishonest
-- From "Fighting false health care claims, Obama repeats one of his own" by Steven thomma, McClatchy Newspapers 8/19/09
[President Obama] said the first thing he wanted to correct was the idea that the proposed overhaul would force some people into different health care plans. "If you like your health care plan, you can keep your health care plan," he said, repeating one of his stock lines.
That's not true, however, according to FactCheck.org, an independent truth squad run by the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania.
Obama also said that there would be no federal financing of abortion under the plans, a charge made again Wednesday by the Republican National Committee.
"These are all fabrications," Obama said.
He said he'd need help from the people on the call to correct the record, and prod Congress to pass a health care plan.
"I'm going to need the help of all of you," he said. "Knock on doors, speak the truth."
The 40-minute program, on blogtalkradio.com, featured testimonials about the need for health care changes from pastors and members of various churches, mosques, synagogues and temples around the country, all of them apparently supporters of Obama's proposals.
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