Some will say he should have done this weeks or months ago, and there are good arguments for that, but last night President Obama put some needed clarity into the chaos on the issue of health care. He helped dispel at least some of the manufactured ignorance and confusion that Charles Pierce calls Idiot America. And in invoking letters from those whose lives were ruined by insurance company greed, and the deathbed letter from Ted Kennedy, the president made clear that this health care is not just about economics or politics, but a moral imperative and a test of our national character.
More below the fold....
Clarity in the Chaos (Idiot America)
Some will say it's about damned time. Others will say he still didn't go far enough. But last night, President Obama laid out his goals for health care, proposed a comprehensive plan for how to get there, and drew a line in the sand with the politics of obstructionism. You may agree or disagree with his goals, and with his means, but you can no longer argue that he hasn't made them clear or that he isn't committed to health care reform.
Unless you live in Idiot America.
President Obama's three goals (which may not be yours):
In mathematics there's a principle called The Texas Sharpshooter Fallacy. It uses the example of a sharpshooter shooting at the side of an unmarked barn. After the shots are fired, the sharpshooter then paints a target over the densest cluster of holes and - voila! - he's a skilled sharpshooter. There is also a complementary fallacy; wait until the shots are fired, paint a target in an area where no shots hit, and announce him a failure. Taken together they offer an obvious but important lesson: to assess a sharpshooter's performance, he must first have a target and you must see if he hit his target.
Last night, the president laid out three clear goals for health care reform:
- "[P]rovide more security and stability for those who have health insurance."
- "[P]rovide insurance for those who don't."
- "[S]low the growth of health care costs for our families, our businesses, and our government."
Note what isn't on that list: ending for-profit health insurance. That is a target for many progressives, and we could cite a variety of rationales for that target. But that is not one of President Obama's targets. If your goal for health care reform is to end for-profit health insurance, perhaps as a first step toward breaking the stranglehold of corporations on American life, then you and the president are shooting at different targets. He won't hit yours, except by chance, because he's not aiming at it.
And he never has been.
Were he committed to single-payer health care and ending for-profit insurance, the public option would be a essential first step. But he didn't, and it isn't ... if someone can offer an alternative that will hit his three targets. But if they can't....
President Obama's lines in the sand:
You'll doubtless read today, if you haven't already, that President Obama didn't draw any lines in the sand last night. That's false. He drew two.
The first relates to the public option. After explaining his reasons for advocating it, he said:
It's worth noting that a strong majority of Americans still favor a public insurance option of the sort I've proposed tonight. But its impact shouldn't be exaggerated – by the left, the right, or the media. It is only one part of my plan, and should not be used as a handy excuse for the usual Washington ideological battles. To my progressive friends, I would remind you that for decades, the driving idea behind reform has been to end insurance company abuses and make coverage affordable for those without it. The public option is only a means to that end – and we should remain open to other ideas that accomplish our ultimate goal. And to my Republican friends, I say that rather than making wild claims about a government takeover of health care, we should work together to address any legitimate concerns you may have.
For example, some have suggested that that the public option go into effect only in those markets where insurance companies are not providing affordable policies. Others propose a co-op or another non-profit entity to administer the plan. These are all constructive ideas worth exploring. But I will not back down on the basic principle that if Americans can't find affordable coverage, we will provide you with a choice.
The president is willing to hear other ideas for how "end insurance company abuses and make coverage affordable for those without it." But he will not write insurance companies a blank check to soak up ever-rising premiums while denying claims.
"I will not back down." That was his first line in the sand. The second was drawn later, on the issue of bipartisanship and obstructionism:
This is the plan I'm proposing. It's a plan that incorporates ideas from many of the people in this room tonight – Democrats and Republicans. And I will continue to seek common ground in the weeks ahead. If you come to me with a serious set of proposals, I will be there to listen. My door is always open.
But know this: I will not waste time with those who have made the calculation that it's better politics to kill this plan than improve it. I will not stand by while the special interests use the same old tactics to keep things exactly the way they are. If you misrepresent what's in the plan, we will call you out. And I will not accept the status quo as a solution. Not this time. Not now.
President Obama is willing to hear constructive alternatives to the means he proposed last night, but he's not willing to compromise on his three goals, nor will he tolerate 'debate' that is intended merely to confuse and delay.
"I will not waste time." That was his second line in the sand, and anyone who says we should "go back to square one" either wasn't listening or foolishly doubts his resolve. Foolishly, because presidents don't address a joint session of Congress to make idle threats. The forum is too visible, the stakes too high. He's not kidding.
Meanwhile, in Idiot America....
Tonight the Family Research Council will webcast a conservative response to President Obama's plan. They will continue the campaign of lies, arguing among other points that the president's plan will mandate federal funding of abortions, despite a clear prohibition of that in H.R. 3200. They will doubtless find other reasons to declare this nothing less than an assault on Christian values. Only those who live in Idiot America could agree.
Because only in Idiot America does "Christian values" mean whatever some crank preacher says. The Biblical values of Christianity were clear in Ted Kennedy's deathbed letter to President Obama. Those values were best expressed in the Gospel text Kennedy and his family chose for his funeral:
"For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'
"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'
"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'
-- Matthew 25:35-40 (NIV, emphasis added)
That was Christ's line in the sand; those who did these things were his followers and would be welcomed into Heaven, and those who did not were and would not. Looking after the sick, caring for "the least of these," is a moral imperative for Christians.
Whether you're a Christian, a member of another religion, or an agnostic or atheist who recognizes the reality that we are a social species and "we're all in this together," health care reform is - as President Obama described it last night - a test of our national character. It goes to the question Michael Moore asked in SiCKO: "Who are we?"
Are we Idiot America, deceived and manipulated, divided and conquered, owned and operated for the wealthy few? Or are we the United States of America, whose citizens donated, volunteered, and voted in record numbers last year to plot a new course and redeem the promise of our democracy?
Conservatives are betting on our being idiots.
Last night, President Obama bet his presidency that we're not.
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Happy Thursday!