Obama’s Concerto for Health Care Reform

If President Barack Obama’s speech before a joint session of Congress on Wednesday night was put in musical terms it would be a concerto, a melodious quest for ideological harmony.  It was a concerto because of its three very contrasting but riveting parts that closed with a powerful, emotional crescendo.

In the first part the president explained exactly what his plan would do, something he had left to Congress to mull over for the last several months and which was often deliberately confused and mangled.

The second part was clear exposition and a firm debunking of all the lies and misconceptions, including the troubling talk about “death panels.”  “It is a lie—plain and simple,” he said, as if speaking directly to Sarah Palin, who has been relentless in her allegations.

And thirdly, Obama invoked the memory of the recently departed Ted Kennedy, delivering his elegy with the finest sense of rhetorical thoughtfulness for a man who had endorsed him and to whom he cherished for his forthright stance on universal health care reform.

Yes, the speech could be compared to a concerto, but for all of its eloquence and panache, the real test will not occur for probably weeks as Congress resumes its debate and taking his cue of entering the open door he promised.

There is certain to be some movement in the poll numbers which were steadily declining over the last several weeks, but whether they will favorably stabilize and provide the overture he needs to ram home his “public option” plan is to be seen.

At the core of his nearly 50-minute address that was as wildly applauded by Democrats as it was silently greeted mostly by the Republicans, Obama said his plan “will provide more security and stability to those who have health insurance. It will provide insurance to those who don’t. And it will lower the cost of health care for our families, our businesses, and our government.”

It will be interesting to see what measures the Obama team institutes following such a strong specification of his plan.  One good sign occurred the following morning when a blitz of emails was forwarded to the media and supporters.  “I just finished laying out my plan for health reform at a joint session of Congress. Now, I'm writing directly to you because what happens next is critical -- and I need your help,” he announced.

“Change this big will not happen because I ask for it,” the president continued in a broad email address. “It can only come when the nation demands it. Congress knows where I stand. Now they need to hear from you.”

Bipartisanship remains an important concern for Obama, and woven throughout his speech were elements plucked from his Republican adversaries, including John McCain, Charles Grassley, even Mitch Romney.   “I incorporated the best ideas from Democrats and Republicans to create a plan that's bold, practical, and represents the broad consensus of the American people,” he explained.

“We've come closer to real health reform in the last few months than we have in the last 60 years. But those who profit from the status quo -- and those who put partisan advantage above all else -- will fight us every inch of the way,” Obama added.

During his speech the president was uncommonly bold and firm in his proposals, and later this same staunchness was apparent.  “We do not seek that fight, but we will not shrink from it,” he promised in the email. “The stakes are too high to let scare tactics cloud the debate, or to allow partisan bickering to block the path.”

“The time for bickering is over,” he almost bellowed during his address.  “Now is the time for the season of action.”

In the explanation of his plan, Obama let it be known that if you are among the 180 million people with insurance; your plan is safe and will not be changed.  But the benefits of his plan will “end discrimination against people with pre-existing conditions; limit premium discrimination based on gender and age; prevent insurance companies from dropping coverage when people are sick and need it most, and cap out-of-pocket expenses so people don’t go broke when they get sick.”

On the other hand, if you don’t have insurance, his plan promises an insurance option “to provide the uninsured and those who can’t find affordable coverage with a real choice.” It immediately “offers new, low-cost coverage through a national ‘high risk’ pool to protect people with preexisting conditions from financial ruin until the new exchange is created.”

And all of this, Obama said, comes without “adding a dime to the deficit.”  Payment for his plan will come, in part, from the “waste and abuse” of private insurers.

How the plans squares with the fiscal warning from the Congressional Budget Office is certain to be part of the ongoing debate between the pros and cons, between those who favor the necessary “public option” plan and those vehemently opposed.

“Ours is not the first generation to understand the dire need for health reform. And I am not the first president to take up this cause, but I am determined to be the last,” Obama concluded.

Like his speech in March 2008 on race, Obama was oratorically sublime; nonetheless it did very little to quell the incipient racism.  Let us hope that this spin of eloquence brings more lasting and substantial results.