Robert Reich is a former cabinet secretary under Bill Clinton, a professor of public policy at Berkeley, a political commentator, and an adviser to President Obama. In a talk in 2007, he explained what an honest candidate should say about health care:
- Young, healthy people need to pay more.
- If you’re very old, it’s too expensive to keep you alive a few more months, “so we’re going to let you die.”
- There will be less medical innovation.
- Therefore, “you are probably not going to live that much longer than your parents.”
The remarks seem to be fully in context. See for yourself:
I guess we should appreciate Reich for his honesty. Certainly we should appreciate him for nothing else.
(Via Instapundit.)
UPDATE: A commenter points out something I forgot to mention. The worst thing about this clip isn’t even Reich; it’s his audience. Where you should hear horrified gasps, you hear cheers instead. What is wrong with these people?
UPDATE: Reich claims that his remarks are being taken out of context. But when he explains the context, it’s exactly the context that is clear in the video: what a politician would say if he told the truth (as Reich sees it) rather than what people want to hear. In fact he affirms that the things he said in the video are “what everyone knows to be the truth”.
Apparently, Reich cannot believe that people could be offended by what he really said, so they must be misinformed as to the context. Well, Mr. Reich, believe it.
Internet Scofflaw 
What’s scarier is how he gets applause when he says those things. Way to go Berkeley.