Any question as to why President Barack Obama is trying to speed a complicated issue like health reform through Congress in a matter of weeks was answered today. His approval rate is slipping, along with public support for the belief that he knows what needs to be done for this country- and everyone in Washington knows it.
Obama came in on a mandate, one of change. We, as the American public, expected him to perform miracles- fix the economy, get consensus and cooperation across party lines, regain the confidence of the world- and we expected to see signs of it all happening NOW. Were our expectations fair? I don t think so. But neither was Obama s insistence on not allowing us time to question and develop faith in his initiatives on their own merits. He swept huge legislation through on the force of personality, blind trust, and a Congressional majority. Is the stimulus plan a failure? I think it s too early to tell, a lot of the money has not been released yet to make a difference. But is it such an immediate and rousing success that Obama has earned the continuation of our blind faith? I don t think so.
Congress and the power brokers don t want this health care plan to come to vote before session ends; that much is clear. They want to wait and take the temperature of the public s reaction when the details are released and digested through the media and the pundits, all so they don t hurt their re-election chances. Right now there is no clear public consensus on the issue, and that s among those who even care to have an opinion- it s just too overwhelming and boring for the majority of us. We all know that the health care system is broken and that it cannot continue on as it is without a serious crisis happening in the future. But we don t know that Obama s plan is the one that is going to deal with the issues and put things back on a sustainable course.
People like Glenn Beck love to toss out how leaders from other countries come here for medical treatment instead of staying in their own, using it as a form of indictment against other countries health care systems. I think there is more to it. I think they just don t want to be treated like everyone else, they want to be treated better than everyone else in their country and all their money and power cannot buy them that better treatment there like it can here. They don t want to share a room, wait for a doctor, or eat the same food like all the other patients have to; they want more, from a system that does not recognize the right of any one individual to have more. People like Glenn Beck will never have to share a room, wait for a doctor, or eat the same food here; his money will guarantee him superior treatment. The rest of us do not have that option, even (and some could argue, especially) those who have insurance to pay the bill. Fundamental rights or the recognition of human dignity do not dictate the quality of healthcare in this country; insurance companies, their shareholders, and their insistence on short term profit over long term responsibility do. In short, the almighty dollar, and the dollar alone, determines the quality of healthcare for the American people. Obama s right, that has to change.
I understand President Obama s situation, and his frustration. He knows change is necessary, he knows that action is required, he sees the steam evaporating on his opportunity to make that change happen, and he is pushing. But he must understand that the American people need a chance to understand what he is proposing, how it would change things, and what the benefits are so they can weigh them against the costs. He needs to trust that if the facts are fully presented to the American people, we will see the rightness of his plan and urge our Congress to pass it, or to demand changes to it. He must allow us to build REAL confidence in him, his agenda, and his plan, so that we can support him in his work and call Congress to task. Until he does that, he will be fighting an uphill battle.
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