I was afraid this was going to happen.
As I listened to President Obama's address to the nation on health care I was reminded of why I voted for him. He was articulate. He was passionate. He showed how he could reach across the isle. But I was also reminded of why he's begun faltering with Middle America. And a good chunk of New York City isn't far behind.
As powerful and well presented as his speech was, it still left questions -- questions that the Republicans will turn into confusion, thus distorting the message and delaying any good that may come of it.
Back in July, I wrote a piece for The Huffington Post that was an open suggestion to the Obama administration. I recommended keeping health care simple by having it as an extension of Medicaid. Both doctor and emergency room visits would be paid on a sliding scale based on income. It would be fair. It would cover everyone. It wouldn't interfere with anyone's personal coverage. And it would be cost effective. In fact, most expenses would be covered by those with middle class incomes. The only cost to taxpayers would be with those in the lowest of income levels, which of course, is the case no matter what. There's only one problem. It would have to be conducted as a social program and, as the Republicans have proved, the fear of socialism is the perfect vehicle for spreading confusion and dissent among the masses.
It worked.
And the Democrats helped make it work.
In yet another case of snatching defeat from the jaws of victory, the Dems blew what should have been a slam-dunk.
As mentioned in my last piece, I pointed out that the demise of the Clinton health plan was due in part to the fact that no one understood it. People will never get enthusiastic about something they can't readily understand. Ignorance is fear. So what happened? We were given something that is so ambiguous, so vague, so uncertain in every way, it was a sitting duck for the Reps to shoot down. But if that weren't enough ... if it wasn't already the worst sales pitch of the decade ... the Democrats had to make absolutely certain that it would fail by doing the dumbest thing imaginable. Bring it to the people! Get their opinions! Because, as everyone knows, whenever you get conflicting opinions from countless uninformed sources you're sure to move an agenda along! Most of the people who show up are the types whom no one would listen to in everyday life. They tend to be the zealots and the radicals and the plain ole' pissed off. And if anyone at any of these town hall meetings had something useful to say you know that the press wouldn't cover it. Instead, they'll show the guys toting guns or the women screaming Nazism -- all the loons who make for good coverage. As the saying goes, "never underestimate the power of stupid people in large groups." What a disaster.
So in actuality, Obama's latest speech was a form of damage control. It's what he should have done from the start. Take charge and tell the public what he was going to do. The Dems have control so why even attempt to appease the Republicans? At this point they're behaving like spiteful, petulant children anyway. It seems as if their only guidelines are the mendacious prattle of celebrity morons like Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity. When a United States congressman can actually heckle a presidential speech it's time to admit the political has been reduced to the same shouting and name calling that has become prime time entertainment. It's disgraceful. Get used to it.
So what happens? This time Obama himself let the Reps have the last word.
By removing the public option and the single payer system we really have no plan at all. By making coverage mandatory, it will further impede upon those who are struggling yet still young enough not to require full time health coverage. (How many times does a 30 year old need to see a doctor a year?) One thing the Reps do have right is the fact that a small business can drop someone's coverage since the employees be covered through the government plan. There is still no coherent outline to pay for the additional doctors needed to cover another 40 million patients. And anyone who thinks Washington is going to keep an eye on all the insurance companies to assure they act ethically needs a serious reality check, especially since the insurance lobby is so strong. And Obama himself said it will takes years to put this into place. Well, in three years, there may be a Republican president and he or she will never follow through. So, in the end, in spite of the well-crafted words, the noble effort and the gracious presentation, we're right where we were in the beginning. We got nothing. And in New York, where we have clinic care available to everyone with limited income, we may lose even more.
The left has been saying Obama "hit it out of the park" with this speech. Maybe so. But the game is already over.
The only way this could ever have worked is if it were a flat out social program. From the start, Obama should have said that was what it was going to be. If anyone has the magnificent verbal skills to pull it off, it is he. He should have looked America in the eye and with all confidence and a big smile, assure them that it was going to be great. Instead, he remains in campaign mode and continued to charm the electorate, display his presentation prowess and reach across the isles and look for compromise. But a compromised plan is worse than no plan at all.
Health care has officially become a neither "here or there" concept with conflicting applications, an impossible budget and an open ended conclusion. In Obama's speech, he needed to be decisive and bold. In reality, he was neither. He just looked good doing it.