Change We Can Believe In

It s the phrase that won an election and changed the course of history. During the 2008 presidential campaign, Barack Obama masterfully crafted this slogan to inspire hope in millions of Americans and, to an extent, calm some of the hesitations of millions more.

But what did this slogan really mean? At the time, those who supported Candidate Obama, including myself, believed that it meant a departure from the divisive and contemptuous style of governing used by George W. Bush and Republicans for more than a decade. It meant a return to the civilized, thoughtful, and mostly collegial tone that characterized our legislative process for much of the 20^{th century. Plainly speaking, it meant a return to bipartisanship.}

For the most part, Americans bought into this idea of a return to the way things used to be, and with the inauguration of our nation s first African American president, it appeared as if change was indeed on the way. But alas, Democrats, and especially President Obama, fell into the same trap that they have fallen into over and over again. They failed to realize that “bipartisanship” only works if both parties agree that the people have signaled their desire for certain policies to be enacted, and thus the minority party is willing to make concessions on specific policy details while not compromising their overarching core beliefs. It has become patently obvious over the last several months that Republicans in Congress have no desire to enact the policies that Americans voted for last November, or at least work to put their stamp on them.

The recent health care debacle is a perfect example of how President Obama and the Democrats have once again fallen victim to their own utopian notions of bipartisanship. There is no such thing as bipartisanship when one party is only interested in ensuring that the president fails to pass his policies. There is no such thing as bipartisanship when one party is only concerned with regaining power. There is no such thing as bipartisanship when one party refuses to negotiate in good faith.

Granted, President Obama should be given credit for at least attempting to live up to his campaign promise of bipartisanship. But enough is enough. The President needs to realize that his biggest mistake was giving sole control over the design of health care reform to the so-called “Gang of Six” in the Senate. The three Republican Senators and three conservative “Blue Dog” Democrats that make up this gang have worked their hardest not to pass the type of reform that the President was asking for, but to ensure that absolutely no form of public health insurance is provided to Americans.

The President needs to realize that his first term, and even his entire presidency, could depend on passing a public health care option. If he fails to provide the people who put him in office with what he promised, he may find himself on a permanent vacation come January 20, 2013. With a Democratic majority in Congress and a Democratic president we find ourselves in perhaps the most opportune time in our nation s history to pass such reform. The President has already allowed the opposition to define the debate, to terrify Americans with the possibilities of “Death Panels” and Euthanasia and hordes of Communist health care Nazis or whatever nonsense they made up this morning. It is time for him to do what the Republicans became so skilled at over the last decade prior to his ascension to power. It is time to use this unprecedented moment of Democratic power to enact, gasp, liberal policies. It is time to use the reconciliation process in the Senate to pass health care reform with a simple majority.

Mr. President, this is not change we can believe in. This is more of the same- the very thing you campaigned against for almost two years. It is time to finally say to the world that Americans are not in fact greedy and selfish and only concerned with their own individual well-being. It is time to finally bring this nation into the 21st century, to finally say that being healthy is not a privilege but a right, to finally replace fear with hope. If you can do this Mr. President you can solidify your legacy as the most successful progressive leader of this country since FDR and perhaps ensure Democratic domination for a generation to come. Republicans are well aware of this fact, and that is exactly why they are fighting reform with everything they ve got– all the more reason to fight back even harder. It s now or never Mr. President.

The 2012 Presidential Election is fast approaching

The GOP race is now a field of 4 with only Romney, Gingrich, Paul, & Santorum still standing. Who will be the next candidate to exit the race & who will emerge as the eminent GOP nominee?

Follow us on Twitter & join our 2012 election FaceBook page for updates & new blog articles.

Contact us if you are passionate about politics & want to blog with us.