Obama will not be judged by their color
The U.S. president is up to his neck in a very complicated situation. Not the best speech will get it. “Change: I returned mine.” The sheet that divided Republicans in the Minnesota Fair captures the evolution of national sentiment. Last year, Americans voted for change, this year, worry about it. Outraged by the size of government expenditure to prevent the recession from becoming depressed, overwhelmed by the prospect of many more millions in deficit and national debt, now they say Obama’s health reform will cost nearly $ 1 trillion over the next 10 years.
Timothy Garton Ash to defend his health care reform, has used the ‘nuclear weapon’ of the speech to Congress
It remains to be seen how you will finance your plan without increasing the deficit
A Summer of encounters with people, sometimes hysterical, has not been helpful to Obama to win the debate. According to surveys, almost all belonging to that vast majority of Americans who do have health insurance are reasonably satisfied with what they have. They fear that the proposed reform will leave them worse off and also costs more to the country (the first is rather unfounded fear, the second is not). More than half of independent voters, which are so important, neither is happy. The Obama’s approval rating has fallen to nearly 50%, worse than most of his predecessors at this point in their presidencies.
With just seven months after taking office, Obama has sought to use what in the U.S. Congress is tantamount to a nuclear weapon. A special address to both houses, apart from the inaugural speech and State of the Union is an exceptional measure, which last used by President George W. Bush after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11. According to veteran political commentator Mark Shields, Lyndon Johnson made just two of these speeches, one after the assassination of John F. Kennedy and the other on civil rights. Franklin Roosevelt uttered only one to ask Congress to declare war after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. And Obama used to this …
On Wednesday night delivered a magnificent speech. He presented a convincing case for reform and recognized that the fundamental problem is that the United States spends “one and a half more per person on health than any other country, but not have better health.” Europeans and Canadians may smile at his final statement that one thing that all other advanced democracies are trying to do-combine free enterprise and market freedoms with a minimum of social justice, health and safety paratodos-reflects a moral exclusive of the American character, but we have no choice but to agree to its momentum.
Despite all its nods to bipartisanship, it was also a very partisan speech. Some Republicans responded by whistling, breaking and even a cry of “Bullshit!” (for which the person who launched it has apologized); few signs of disrespect that are unusual on such occasions. The scene probably did not help the Republicans, but also strengthened the authority and aura of Obama. And when he said “you realize there are still several important details,” brought on as Democrats and Republicans, unexpected laughter. It is good that one would laugh thanks, but not when they laugh at something you said seriously. Overall, the chosen medium-parliamentary most solemn occasion, reserved for times of national emergency “does not seem appropriate for the purpose.
Although the speech will help win public support and enough votes in Congress, just let you pass both houses and modest version of health reform compromise. The law likely will emerge from the legislative sausage factory address the most pressing social problem, namely that almost one in six Americans have no health coverage. But the key economic issue: the costs ridiculously fired system. Disproportionate costs for the benefit of the patient but enormously profitable for insurers. According to Harper’s magazine, from 2002 profit of the top 10 insurance companies have risen 428%.
There are two explanations to justify Obama’s problems. Democrats say the story (and, more specifically, George Bush) has distributed some letters very difficult. Republicans say is not playing them well. Perhaps both are true. The economic situation he inherited could not be worse. Although there are signs of improvement, or at least slowing of the crisis, unemployment and bordering 10%. U.S. taxpayers pay the cost of the bailouts and stimulus packages for decades. Health reform is one of the most important and most difficult to address, and has become larger and more intractable with every government that has not dealt with it.
Abroad, Obama has inherited the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Islamist hotbed in Pakistan forgotten the challenge of climate change and the rise of China, to name but a few problems. Abraham Lincoln himself would have thrown to tremble at the prospect.
It is also true that Obama so far has not shown much skill when using the tools available to make things. His personal style remains a delight: a pleasure to see you every time, always manages quite well to words. But it has yet to prove that it works so well the government prose and poetry of the campaign. So you have to learn on the fly.
Speaking of health, in particular, his government seems to have underestimated how difficult it would be. His charm, his eloquence and decency are not enough to hide the fact that, after trying to avoid what is considered one of the errors of Bill and Hillary Clinton, who proposed their own health reform rather than let Congress prepare the bill, there was no “Obama plan” single, simple to explain and defend. On Wednesday night put a remedy to this situation, but is yet to be seen how he will finance it, as promised, without adding “ten cents” deficit.
“His wings of wax melted and is the man who fell to earth,” exults the neoconservative commentator Charles Krauthammer. But Obama is not yet Icarus. Many presidents have recovered from worst and second terms have been stronger. And Krauthammer may have forgotten that the other character with wings flew down and managed to cross the sea. His name was Daedalus, and was a consummate craftsman. That’s what America needs right now: someone not gifted in words but a politician who does things. Step forward, Barack Daedalus. Now is your time.
