Was the GOP's "Obama gutting Welfare work requirements" lie a campaign strategy conspiracy?

[ErikJ]

Last edited Thu Sep 13, 2012, 04:04 PM - Edit history (4)

It looks like the Republicans are doubling down on this lie, at least underground through mass viral emails forwarded to me by Cons.


THis is what Clinton said about it in his DNC speech.

"Here's what happened," Clinton said. "When some Republican governors asked to try new ways to put people on welfare back to work, the Obama administration listened, because we all know it's hard for people to get jobs today, so moving people to work is a real challenge. So the administration said they would only do it if they had a credible plan to increase employment by 20 percent."

"Did I make myself clear? The requirement was for more work, not less," Clinton continued. "This is personal to me ... The claim that President Obama weakened welfare reform's work requirement is just not true. But they keep running ads claiming it."

SO WHY WAS IT JUST REPUBLICAN GOVS that asked for the reform?
This leads me to believe this whole Obama gutting welfare to work thing was a GOP conspiracy from the start. Has anybody heard that it was?


Here's the mass email I was forwarded today.

No Going Back on Welfare Reform
kathy,

In 1996, building on research from The Heritage Foundation and using lessons learned from Wisconsin and Oregon, a Republican Congress passed a landmark welfare reform law. Welfare reform helped 3 million Americans achieve independence from the government. Unfortunately, that law is now under attack.

>> Learn more about President Obama's gutting of welfare.

Two months ago, President Barack Obama unilaterally – and illegally – gutted the law's effective and popular work requirements, which simply required able-bodied adults in the program to be working or preparing for work while receiving benefits. In one fell swoop, President Obama rolled back years of progress.

Heritage Foundation President Ed Feulner often says that in Washington, there are no permanent defeats and no permanent victories. Although President Obama unraveled a 16-year old victory, his reckless policy is not set in stone.

>> Has President Obama become America's Welfare Czar?

Many of us are understandably focused on the presidential election, but we cannot afford to take our eye off Congress. Heritage Action will not allow President Obama’s illegal overreach to go unchallenged, and we will work closely with lawmakers to ensure it is overturned.

Thank you for all you do in the fight for freedom,
Sincerely,

Michael A. Needham
Chief Executive Officer
Heritage Action for America

[Viva_Daddy]

1. It doesn't matter whether or not it was a conspiracy. It was a LIE. That's bad enough.

[ErikJ]

5. No a planned campaign strategy makes it much worse in my mind.

I guess theres no way anyone could prove it though.

[jwirr]

2. In the sense that the agreement of the gop congressional bunch meeting on inauguration day to

plan to sabotage President Obama was a conspiracy the rethug governors also had their plan to manipulate power in every state they had control in. I don't know if that is illegal but it should be.

[HockeyMom]

3. What are women with little kids supposed to do with

them if they aren't school age? Pay for Day Care (EXPENSIVE) too with a Welfare Check?

[ErikJ]

4. I wrote back

that if the church proves they can take care of the poor as well as welfare does then we wouldnt need welfare. Whaddya say K? Your church up for that? hahaha

[karynnj]

6. When any of us get a mass email like this - respond ALL and put in

Clinton's information or any other of the many things refuting this - including even conservatives admitting it was not true.

Who knows someone on that list might accept the truth -- or at least you may be taken off the RW list

[apnu]

7. Yes, its a Willie Horton thing.

A variation on a theme, sure, but its the same concept. Put out a lying ad to scare the hell out of people.