Examining the achievement from a distance does not quite allow for the examiner to adequately recognize its significance. Health care reform has been contemplated for decades, yet it's always managed to find itself left on the political scrap heap. The number of special interests and lobbyists to overcome-- as well as the sacred cow that is the employer provided system-- represented a hellish Gordian Knot, not likely to be untied at any time. Previous administrations--democrat and republican--have been left gasping for air, drowning in a pool of their own sweat hustling to reform this system. Obama staked his claim to taming the beast, and did so by daring to think outside the box--imagining what could be, as opposed to what could not. He dared to restart America's dynamism. This quote from James Fallows represents his thinking perfectly:
America has been strong because, despite its flawed system, people built toward the future in the 1840s, and the 1930s, and the 1950s. During just the time when Frederick Law Olmsted designed Central Park, when Theodore Roosevelt set aside land for the National Parks, when Dwight Eisenhower created the Pentagon research agency that ultimately gave rise to the Internet, the American system seemed broken too. They worked within its flaws and limits, which made all the difference. That is the bravest and best choice for us now.
Foresight, and the power to nurture it are testaments to American power and greatness. We don't aspire to be incrementalists-- we dare to be innovative giants-- pushing forward and moving higher in the face of fear and uncertainty. Obama's tests were and are many. He is navigating the waters against a strong tide of opposition. Today's republican party is more unified against his policies ( not a single republican voted for the health care bill, even though it is far from a liberal construct) and most of them freely admit that there will be no cooperation from them on future legislation. He is governing in an age where partisan-fueled rage grows mightier by the day, urged on by talk radio and grass-roots activists.
Yet in spite of these constraints, President Obama thrives. Why? Because democracy is messy, and it sometimes makes for uncomfortable work. But the work must go on. We don't have the luxury of giving in to the uncomfortable, and straying from the fight. Not if we are to remain exceptional. Barack Obama, understands this. He embraces this. Andrew Sprung puts it succinctly:
The country passed this test because we have a leader who understands how broken our governmental machinery is and works simultaneously to fix our politics and our policies. We elected a President who appreciates how messy democracy is and understands the manifold constraints as well as the multiple levers of presidential power. His acknowledged errors notwithstanding, Barack Obama moved this mountain because he knows how to prioritize, strategize, execute and communicate.
And he subscribes to the theory that we must be as bold and dynamic as America herself. Barack Obama is well on his way.
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