I loved the President's speech last night, with, as TomP pointed out so well today, his resonance with past great Democratic speeches and his tone of getting down to the business of making America worth admiring again.
The positive energy seem boundless there last night, and I look forward to it carrying the day on Health care reform.
Others have expressed a not so bright view of the realities beyond the speech. Are they right? Will the President sell Progressives down the river? Will we let him?
In the speech, the President did a great job describing the problem, its history, its direness, its hope.
Dan Froomkin called it a Turning Point for Obama
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His speech to a joint session of Congress wasn't the partisan declaration of war that many of his fellow Democrats had been yearning for, but it was nevertheless a bold and confident declaration of basic principles, and a powerful and emotional attempt to recapture the public debate from the unhinged zealots who dominated it during August.
What is now more obvious than ever is that Obama is not a traditional liberal. Yes, he shares a lot of liberal values -- and he expressed that more clearly and passionately last night than perhaps ever before -- but when push comes to shove, he cares more about finding common ground than pretty much anything else. Despite all the calls to issue an ultimatum about the public option -- which seems absolutely critical to achieving fundamental change -- Obama simply will not draw lines in the sand. He still wants to get as many people into the tent as possible.
The speech did mark a turning point, however. The president we saw last night was not the high-minded pushover we'd seen so much of lately.
Snip
Froomkin is generally supportive of the speech, but goes on to critcize the new administration for lack of transparency in dealings with the drug and insurance companies behind closed doors at the whitehouse, among other things. Not happy reading after last nights rousing speach.
Some folks say that if you look at the bill, things are not so rosy. In an email today, Congressman Kucinich all but says Obama is big hat, no cattle if you look at his plan:
Health Care or Insurance Care - Take Your Pick
Dear Friends,
A National Health Care for All Conference Call from Washington, DC, at 10 pm EDT, today, Thursday, September 10th at 1-800-230-1096. Join us, so that we can discuss a new beginning for "Health Care For All" and ways in which we can all help. Pre-registration is necessary in order to reserve sufficient phone lines. Please RSVP here. When you call in and the operator asks, "what conference call?" tell the operator, "Health Care for All."
The President's health care policy speech was brilliant but when you get into the details another picture emerges. Unfortunately, at this point, the proposal outlined last night is the ultimate corporate giveaway. It's not health care, it’s insurance care. As many as thirty million new customers for an insurance industry which makes money not providing health care. The only way this country will see true health is by investing in real health care. That is the essence of HR676, the single payer bill.
The President opened his speech speaking of how we have solved the economic crisis - how? By rewarding those who caused the crash! Is this the way we solve the health care crisis? Rewarding the insurance companies? Helping insurance and pharmaceutical stock to soar, propping up markets while skimping on health care? The very same system which caused the health care crisis is being rewarded with the guarantee of tens of millions of new customers mandated - by law - to have health care. The latest plan rewards the very companies that have denied treatment, denied care, denied drug coverage while their profits grow daily.
The only way this country will see true sustainable economic recovery is through investment in the real economy, priming the pump through job creation. The only way this country will see true health is by investing in real health care.
The "public option" has been relegated to insignificance. What we will now get is yet another "private option", not a public option, because single-payer is "off the table." We the people deserve better. We have been faced with general warfare in Iraq and Afghanistan - multi-trillion dollar ballouts for arms merchants, $12 trillion in bailouts for Wall Street, bailouts to coal and nuclear industries, and now proposed huge subsidies for the insurance and pharmaceutical industries. What's wrong with this picture? Everything!
Please join our national conference call tonight at 1-800-230-1096. Contribute to the start up. Join the movement. Sign the online petition. We must organize for the long term success of a state and national single payer movement. I need your help to initiate this action. If you believe, as I do, that we can and must begin a new long-term state-by-state grassroots effort to create a single-payer, not-for-profit health care system, please contribute now at Kucinich.us
Kucinch goes on to offer a plan of action, sounding a little like the Repugs who say lets slow down and start over, scratch that, he is calling for keeping the faith for single payer:
Let us act now and initiate a Health Care for All action plan.
1. A National Health Care for All Conference Call from Washington, DC, at 10 pm EDT, Thursday, September 10th at 1-800-230-1096. Join us, so that we can discuss our new beginning and ways in which we can all help. Pre-registration is necessary in order to reserve sufficient phone lines. Please RSVP here. When you call in and the operator asks, "what conference call?" tell the operator, "Health Care for All."
2. Health Care Meet-Ups. A resource to organize people around the single payer option.
3. On-line petition. Please contact your lists, your family and friends. Please sign the petition for a single payer system. I will deliver the petitions directly to your Congressperson.
4. Petition to download, print and circulate among friends and neighbors - including an instruction sheet.
5. Tell A Friend. Every email forwarded will make a difference? Please use the "Forward Email" link below to circulate up to 5 emails at a time to your friends.
I need your help to initiate this action. If you believe, as I do, that we can and must begin a new long-term state-by-state grassroots effort to create a single-payer, not-for-profit health care system, please contribute now at Kucinich.us
What are we to do now that the speech is over? This is what we got, a President who will only go so far toward Progressive health care.
We can continue to lobby and follow Slinkerwinks fine suggestions on getting some traction with lawmakers who have not made the pledge.
We can march this weekend, write letters to the editor, and make our calls to Congress in support of teh President's bill.
Finally, we also could get on the Conference call tonight with Kucinich and others and work out the next steps for single payer 50 state strategy.
Or, get terminally depressed and give up.
What are your thoughts?