We can speculate all we want about what President Obama will say on Wednesday and it still boils down to speculation. Nobody really knows and I don’t think anyone on this site or in the punditocracy is very good at reading tea leaves. That being said, here is my attempt at reading the tea leaves.
I've been wondering why Obama would give the speech to a joint session of Congress and not an Oval Office address to the nation? As an Oval Office speech it would be just him and the nation. A sort of fireside chat. (hmm, where have I heard fireside chat?) An address like that would give him a very powerful and intimate opportunity to make his case to the people directly for the type of Health Care Reform that he campaigned on and that the people elected him to enact. He could have made it personal bringing up his Mother’s travails and introducing other Americans who have been directly impacted by this broken system. I remember his 30 minute commercial just before the election when there were real Americans featured that broke my heart and moved me to tears. He got a bump in the polls after that 30 minute campaign "infomercial." So why not do it? Because, I think he has bigger fish to fry and intends to fry them on national TV. That’s why he is doing it in front of Congress. I really think he’s going to use this moment to define what the issue is all about and whose side represents the will of the people. I think the Republicans are in for a bit of a chastisement on Wednesday. He can talk about the myths and the facts and make the Repubs sit on their hands during the applause lines, especially when he comes out in favor of a strong public option which I really believe he will do.
It’s not like there isn’t precedent for Obama tackling perceived weakness head on and making it a strength. He was advised not to make that speech in Philly after the Reverend Wright debacle when the right was declaring his candidacy over. Obama showed them, and I feel he’ll show them again on Wednesday. All the trial balloons and "negotiating" with Republicans has been a smokescreen for what he is really going to do. It’s hammer time and Wednesday he throws down the gauntlet. It will move public opinion when he lays out his case. He’ll make it personal. He’ll connect. This is Obama. This is the man that I’ve encountered in the last couple of years. He’s smart as a whip and that’s why I don’t get too concerned when I hear all of the trial balloons and reaction and the despair from the left. He’s not about to throw the left overboard. The ships not sinking, it’s sailing straight ahead and the Republicans are going to wish they were on board after real reform is passed and the Republicans are exposed as what they are. The party of NO.
Well, that’s my positive rant for the day. I’ve gotten so upset about all the vitriol and attacks which I think is very healthy in a democracy. I’ve had my concerns as well, but at the end of the day, I choose to be optimistic. Some may say I’m naïve. That’s okay. I still have hope. I’ve got to have hope.
And anybody who thinks my tealeaves come from cannabis, well that wouldn’t be such a bad thing, but it’s just Green. Helps with the digestion.
Peace.