Right now the Obama presidency has walk, talk and die syndrome. It's what doctors call what happened to Natasha Richardson. She seemed fine, was walking and talking and then 24 hours she was dead. The Obama White House is still talking away, but if he doesn't get true health care reform passed, his presidency will be over by this November, let the the mid-terms of next November.
Obama needs to take a page out of Brett Favre's playbook. That man just doesn't care what the press says, the Wisconsin fans (or ex-fans) thinks. He just goes ahead and does what he thinks is best. (Although there might be a border war come November first when the Vikings come to Lambeau field.) Obama has turned into George from Seinfeld. Remember the episode where Jerry's girlfriend doesn't like George, so George spend the whole episode obsessing about her and how to make her like him. He completely neglects his own girlfriend, who keeps telling him "But I like you." Obama is one of those people who has been so liked that he doesn't know what to do when some one doesn't like him. He needs for them to like him too.
He could have it all if he just drops this need to be liked by everyone. If he delivers big on health care reform, he's got the mid-terms and his own reelection sewn up. But if he weasels out of any real reform, than the seventy percent of Americans who really want this will be disappointed, really disappointed and that will spell disaster at the polls. If the Democrats can deliver this, their signature issue, than what the point of voting for them?
In what universe did he expect the Republicans not to go nutsy on this issue. Here in Wisconsin we know nutsy Republicans. We have had more ignorant Republican come to the capitol and screw things up. They are always here, always among us. Frank Lasee from the second assembly district, thought it would be good to arm everyone in school. John Gard, the long time Speaker of the Assembly voted against funding stem cell research, even though Madison is the center of this research and holds many of the patents. And so it goes.
Obama should go big. Go very big. Get this done and get it done right. Or else we're going to look back on your inauguration as the high point of your presidency.