Apparently when President Obama said “If you like your health plan, you can keep your health plan.” it was not a lie, it was “paternalistic dishonesty.” The kind of thing you tell your children to get them to do the right thing even if it is something they don’t want to do. For example: “Take this medicine it doesn’t taste bad.” or ” If you wear this suit everyone will think you’re a big boy.”
I suspect the differences is that voters don’t like to be treated like children. I could be wrong I certainly was about the last election. Maybe the public is okay with a little “paternalistic dishonesty.” So “if you go to bed now there will be a big surprise for you next November.”