An Opportunity to Govern: The Obama Healthcare speech (Updated)
President Obama has a huge uphill task tonight, but with every challenge comes opportunity. While the far right has controlled the Republican agenda on healthcare, the left controls most of the major House positions on the bill and, between them, they constantly get in the way of the President and the moderates actually achieving a bipartisan governing coalition.
The point that gets forgotten in all of this is that President Obama did not win the election because the Feinstein’s of the world wanted him to win, or even the progressives.
He won by a nice majority because almost all of the moderates in this country believed he would bring civility to governance.
The disappointment on the left is that he does occasionally try to do that, so far. In the middle, well, they are starting to believe it less and less.
His policies did not win him the election. Healthcare with a public option didn’t win it. Iraq was almost a non issue by election day. He won it on the faith people had in his desire to change politics as usual. That is the issue in this debate worth fighting for. A “win” on controversial legislation by forcing through the left wing agenda eats away at the support in the center for Obama and in turn the Democrats.
The Democrats should worry less about whether he can retain the far left and recognize the President needs to retain the civil center in order to govern effectively. The Republicans have already demonstrated, and continue to demonstrate, why this is important.
I expect that President Obama will walk a tightrope tonight to ensure he maximizes support from the middle, lets hope he is successful. Update tomorrow.
UPDATE:
The President, on the largest stage in the world, couldn’t restrain himself from the momentous “They are Lies”. No explanation, no simple truth to follow, just, they lie. Joe Wilson, inappropriately, responded “you lie”. Now that is the story. What a waste.
When my grandsons start the “he lies” argument, they both get punished. As they have gotten older they have learned it isn’t a good defense, so now they do it less. They often take their medicine or just calmly explain why it couldn’t have been them.
Almost all of the good that could have come from last night, I fear, will be lost in the minds of people who now have to decide: who lies? Or do they both lie?
I have lots of other thoughts about a great speech gone awry, the paying for it part was less than credible, the last part was truly Presidential, bringing up the inherited deficit was unnecessary and just not relevant, the first part was clear and concise, etc.
I watched four MSM news shows this morning and got four three minute reports on, Liars Poker. Too Bad.