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The Spectacle Blog

Obama Lies For "A Higher Truth"

By Aaron Goldstein on 10.7.11 @ 4:30PM

Consider if you will this item from today's Boston Herald concerning a tall tale told yesterday by President Obama at his press conference:

President Obama spun a work of creative nonfiction yesterday in his latest pitch for his jobs plan, fudging the fact of a Boston schoolteacher's White House visit as he cast the man as a poster boy for the hot-button bill.

"I had a chance to meet a young man named Robert Baroz," the president said at a midday news conference. "He's got two decades of teaching experience. He's got a masters degree. He's got an outstanding track record of helping his students make huge gains in reading and writing. In the last few years, he's received three pink slips because of budget cuts. Why wouldn't we want to pass a bill that puts somebody like Robert back in the classroom teaching our kids?"

Two problems: Obama never met Baroz. And Baroz remains happily employed.

Now it's true that Baroz has received three pink slips in the past four years but his position has been saved (as in created or saved) either by stimulus funds or the 2010 jobs bill. For his part, Baroz has no objection to President Obama's creative license because it was done for "a higher truth":

People who want to fuss over the word choice are missing the point. It's about our investing in education and in communities, Baroz said. "It was technically correct; yes, I did lose my position three times within four years in the Boston Public Schools. To me, the question he posed to the people was a rhetorical question. The emphasis was on 'like Robert.' It's people who are like me, highly qualified, and are not working. That's the spirit of it.

It's quite telling that President Obama couldn't find a highly qualified teacher in the Boston Public Schools to talk about who is actually unemployed. It would seem that liberals who accused President Bush of lying about WMD don't care if President Obama lies if it promotes a cause with which they agree. It's OK for President Obama to lie if it is in service of "a higher truth." The ends justifies the means. So what else is new?

View all comments (33) | Leave a comment

Trinacria| 10.7.11 @ 5:55PM

"Why wouldn't we want to pass a bill that puts somebody like Robert back in the classroom?"

Oh, I don't know...perhaps because funding education is not one of the specific enumerated powers granted to the federal government by the constitution. If the good folks Boston wish to pass a bill that increases taxes to keep Mr. Baroz in the classroom, they're entirely within their rights to do so. They have no right, however, to expect me to open my wallet because they've chosen to spend themselves into oblivion with unsustainable public pensions and welfare programs. Not my f'ing problem...

Mike| 10.9.11 @ 10:41PM

"Not my f'ing problem."
Perfect summary of the Tea Party Traitor's philosophy.

Not a Tea Party Traitor? Okay, perfect summary of the philosophy of an asshole.

Larryk| 10.7.11 @ 6:03PM

You must remember this
A kiss is just a kiss, a lie is still a lie.
The fundamental things apply
As time goes by.

Trinacria| 10.7.11 @ 6:23PM

But...is a kiss still a kiss if comes from lips that are purple?

SpiralArchitect| 10.7.11 @ 7:50PM

Hey, don't speak that way about the nations second black president!

George S| 10.7.11 @ 7:30PM

Telling, isn't it, that Obama is seeking out an unemployed public sector employee to tug at our heartstrings -- and then lie about it because (surprise!) there is no such thing as a recession in the government trough. All he has to do is go to any town in any state and seek out any of the 14 million or so unemployed who lost their job because of Obamanomics. It's not that hard to do. But he can't, because he cannot create jobs by robbing our money to pour down the rat hole of Solyndras, public sector wages and other avenues that kick back cash to Democrat campaign coffers. Want to create jobs Mr. Obama? Resign.

sjccoach| 10.7.11 @ 8:34PM

This is news. Liars lie. How do you know when the president is lying? His lips are moving.

TexasTea| 10.8.11 @ 3:41AM

This is why you can't reason with Lefties. They care not one bit about facts - it's "the spirit" that matters. Call them on a lie and it's "beside the point".

Mike| 10.9.11 @ 10:47PM

You nominate Santorum, Bachmann, Perry et.al and you talk about "facts?"

Wodehouse| 10.8.11 @ 5:53AM

Why wouldn't we want to pass a bill that puts somebody like Robert back in the classroom teaching our kids?"

we wouldn't because Robert is a liar just like you
Robert should be teaching Math .. well 2+2 isn't 5
little Billy but it is the spirit of the thing that matters. you get an A

Mimi| 10.8.11 @ 7:35AM

With MATH like that...The MACHINES won't work that good..will they!!
God look where we are ! Will the DEM'S wake-up in time to save themselves?
Oh well , to have a two - party system we can maybe get the LIBERTARIANS to fill the void when the DISHONEST DEM"S implode!!!

RealityBites| 10.8.11 @ 10:36AM

Exactly! Is someone who condones and promotes lying for a supposed "higher good" the kind of person you want teaching your children?

No wonder Robert Baroz has received three pink slips. He deserves a fourth and final one.

Wayne| 10.8.11 @ 7:17AM

Democrats care nothing about integrity or honesty. It is all about control over us. They want to tell us how to run our lives. With them that ends justifies any means.

Mimi| 10.8.11 @ 7:24AM

He...."O"...Will never realize it , but his lying is what will lose him the 2012 election!
The country, long ago lost TRUST in this President....If you can't believe him he is "WORTHLESS" !
We must have faith and trust in all our leaders/ With "O" he has to lie...his over enlarged child-like EGO demands it ! The more people realize the importance of OPEN& HONEST interactions, they will scutinize candidates before their ever even nominated for OFFICE !!!

TruthSpeaker| 10.8.11 @ 11:59PM

Those with eyes see. Others will never see.

spoofproof| 10.8.11 @ 7:50AM

The only spirits the Left are familiar with are evil spirits which they don't believe exist any more than they believe Almighty God exists. The sinister Left is in a pickle; a big, green, sick pickle.

Kitty| 10.8.11 @ 8:09AM

What the heck does the Boston school system do with all the tax dollars they receive that they can't keep supposedly good teachers? I live in NYS and wonder the same thing.

Clint| 10.8.11 @ 8:48AM

Americans now realize that Obama is The Poster Boy for The Peter Principle, A Failed Affirmative Action Hire with A Failed Presidency.

Obama's trash talkin' shuck & jive isn't widely bein' bought anymore.

Obama will now get his pink slip.

The Tea Party Rebellion Is Here.

RealityBites| 10.8.11 @ 10:32AM

A lie is a lie is a lie; and our President is the most accomplished liar of them all. It's the only thing he's ever really succeeded at.

MyGirlFriday| 10.8.11 @ 2:03PM

Since Obama's audience is already corrupt, what's a lie among friendly travelers?

Granny Jan| 10.8.11 @ 4:20PM

Robert stretched the truth big time. Teachers get pink slips all the time. The MTA contract mandates they be notified in advance if they potentially could be terminated. No one who knows about schools in MA equates a pink slip with being fired.

I know this because my husband got several pink slips and never came close to being fired when he worked for Amherst, MA schools. Incidentally, my husband was the one of the only ones who worked for the Amherst school system who didn't join the union once it went to open shop.

TruthSpeaker| 10.8.11 @ 11:56PM

Does this man really say "he's got !? This Highly Educated, Brilliant Professor of the Constitution $
LOL - he is all smoke, mirrors, lies, and lousy english. Educated ? not very.....

Mike| 10.9.11 @ 10:28PM

TruthSpeaker?

You mean bullshitter.

shipley130| 10.9.11 @ 12:03AM

Apparently, actually meeting someone (Bill Ayers) is not really meeting someone and not meeting someone (Robert Beroz) is meeting someone in Obamaland.

Alice Wolf| 10.9.11 @ 1:51AM

Yeah, yeah. Why do we put up with this rubbish?
This is America isn't it? We supposed to be a great sovreign republic, and we're reduced to talking about someone who is not qualified to do his job on any level with any degree of competence.
The only thing we have left is the Constitution and we have to go back to the source and get back on track right away. This man whoever he is, is not fit to occupy anymore space in cyberspace or the WH. Time has come.............................................

rjh| 10.9.11 @ 6:49PM

I am sure that everyone who visits this website knows that when obama's lips are moving, he is lying. I have never seen such a blatant in-your-face liar in my life. Even when he reverses his position on an issue, he lies. He is incapable of telling the truth about anything. He will even lie when it is not necessary. He is a very sick individual.

Mike| 10.9.11 @ 10:27PM

rjh,

You are full of santorum. You are an inhabitant
of Murdochistan. You are an asshole.

Mike| 10.9.11 @ 9:43PM

Aaron Goldstein simply lies.

But, isn't this a requirement for writing for AmSpec?

Don| 10.10.11 @ 3:11AM

Mike is obviously on the Soros Troll payroll.
Shipley 130 - that was an outstanding observation!! Even Mike was at a loss to make a snide comment regarding that.

Jeff Perren| 10.10.11 @ 9:11AM

"So what else is new?" With that guy, nothing. But it doesn't matter that much. If he constantly told the truth about his values and his goals it would be almost as bad.

Yes, like all Progressives, he has to lie to make his views palatable to the 80% of the public who doesn't share them, but they are grotesque whether told straight or justified by lies.

That is, even if what he'd said were true, why should the taxpayers fund public education (or any other government job beyond those required to follow the Constitution)?

This is just more Utilitarianism being used to justify social engineering.

Matt| 10.10.11 @ 10:29AM

To compare this story to Bush and WMD is like comparing a headache to cancer.
Your comparison reveals a truly misguided hatred of President Obama and a foolish need to defend an act by Bush that led to thousands of American Soldiers dying.
As the teacher stated he indeed did receive the pink slips and to Obama's point as bad as we need teachers they shouldn't be receiving any and their jobs shouldn't "have to be saved" at the last minute over and over.
Who or what did the President hurt with this story? I can show you a graveyard full of those Bush hurt with his lies, can you?