VIDEOS: Democrats Baucus, Reid Praise Obamacare Architect Jonathan Gruber

Now that Obamacare architect Jonathan Gruber’s “stupid American people” comments are causing a firestorm, Democrats are rushing to minimize his role and even claim that they don’t know who he is.

Rep. Nancy Pelosi, the Democrats’ leader in the House, tried that already and has already been busted on it.

In 2009 and 2010, Democrats clearly knew who Gruber was. The Obama administration had contracted the MIT professor as a “technical adviser” on the law that came to be known as Obamacare, to the tune of about $400,000.

While the bill was being built and negotiated among the Democrats who would eventually pass it, Democrats praised Gruber specifically for his work, from the well of the Senate.

On December 1, 2009, Sen. Harry Reid, the Democrats’ leader in the Senate, used a speech on the bill to praise Gruber by name. Watch.

Reid said: “The Congressional Budget Office said yesterday the majority of American families who buy insurance in the new marketplace we will create — what we call health insurance exchanges — will see their premiums go down. They will go down by as much as 60 percent. Out of 100 percent of the American people, 93 percent will have a drop in their insurance premiums with this legislation — 93 percent.

CBO’s experts aren’t the first to recognize these benefits. Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Jonathan Gruber, who is one of the most respected economists in the world, said in today’s Washington Post: ‘Here’s a bill that reduces the deficit, covers 30 million people and has the promise of lowering premiums in the long run.’ Pretty good statement.” (Bold added.)

Montana Sen. Max Baucus (D) sponsored Obamacare. Eight days after Reid made his comments praising Gruber, Baucus followed suit and praised Gruber by name. Watch.

Baucus said: “In addition to the Congressional Budget Office, I might say that — that the — that MIT’s John Gruber has also done a study on our premiums and what does he conclude — he concludes, using Congressional Budget Office data, that the Senate bill could mean that people purchasing individual insurance would save every year $200 for single coverage and $500 for family coverage in 2009.” (Bold added.)

Gruber has admitted to misleading the American people, calling them “stupid,” in order to get Obamacare passed.

Baucus has since retired from the Senate and has been replaced by a Republican. Reid lost his post as the Senate Majority Leader in last week’s mid-term elections.

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