Obama’s done it again. This time using a story about a school teacher. Obama said “I had a chance to meet a young man named Robert Baroz,” and “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?”
You might think Obama met this guy, and he’s now unemployed. But remember, the truth is often very different from the most normal understanding of Obama’s words. The Boston Herald’s John Zaremba translates for us:
Baroz has in fact received three pink slips in four years, but in each case, his job was saved, either through stimulus funds or the 2010 Congressional Jobs Bill. He now works as a literacy and data coach at the Curley K-8 School in Jamaica Plain, analyzing MCAS data and applying it to teachers’ everyday lessons.
To refresh your memory, here are some other instances of this Obama practice:
“We have excluded lobbyists from policymaking jobs.” (Real meaning: We turned down some of the lobbyists who applied for jobs.)
“Within one month of me taking office, we signed into law the biggest middle-class tax cut in history.” (Real meaning: The tax cut affected more people than any previous one.)
“The exit strategy [from Libya] will be executed this week.” (Real meaning: We won’t be the only ones doing the bombing after this week.)
So, next time the President says something, and you think you understand what he says, reconsider.
