| If you missed President Barack Obama's speech, here is the text of the speech. You can also read the GOP rebuttal by Congressman Charles Boustany here.
The President's speech was strong. While I would have loved to see him state, unequivocally, that he supports a public option and is a must for any health care legislation, in the end, that's not his job. If a public option is included in health care reform legislation, President Obama will sign it. Period. So it is not his job to make guarantees. It is the job of the Congress to make sure the public option is in the bill.
I am glad Obama highlighted the fact that this is not a new battle. Many presidents before, both Democrats and Republicans, have attempted to reform the health care system in this country. He was smart to address the myths being pushed even if he did get heckled for it. Not the first Democrat to be heckled by a conservative at a town hall meeting or speech. But heckling the President of the United States really means we have reached new lows.
But this was perhaps one of the best points Obama made all night:
We are the only advanced democracy on Earth - the only wealthy nation - that allows such hardships for millions of its people. There are now more than thirty million American citizens who cannot get coverage. In just a two year period, one in every three Americans goes without health care coverage at some point. And every day, 14,000 Americans lose their coverage. In other words, it can happen to anyone.
I found it intriguing that during a number of moments during his speech where Obama made points like the one above, the Republicans stood with the Democrats in the chamber and applauded the President. So they realize the problem. They know that we are the only wealthy nation that allows its citizens to get without insurance and without care. Yet, they choose to use this as a political wedge issue. Instead of doing anything about the health care crisis, they choose to stand in the way of reform. That's not what we need.
What I thought was the best part of the speech was when Obama took on the misinformation. This is when he got heckled, but it was a great moment to bring out the truth.
Some of people's concerns have grown out of bogus claims spread by those whose only agenda is to kill reform at any cost. The best example is the claim, made not just by radio and cable talk show hosts, but prominent politicians, that we plan to set up panels of bureaucrats with the power to kill off senior citizens. Such a charge would be laughable if it weren't so cynical and irresponsible. It is a lie, plain and simple.
There are also those who claim that our reform effort will insure illegal immigrants. This, too, is false - the reforms I'm proposing would not apply to those who are here illegally. And one more misunderstanding I want to clear up - under our plan, no federal dollars will be used to fund abortions, and federal conscience laws will remain in place.
My health care proposal has also been attacked by some who oppose reform as a "government takeover" of the entire health care system. As proof, critics point to a provision in our plan that allows the uninsured and small businesses to choose a publicly-sponsored insurance option, administered by the government just like Medicaid or Medicare.
So let me set the record straight. My guiding principle is, and always has been, that consumers do better when there is choice and competition. Unfortunately, in 34 states, 75% of the insurance market is controlled by five or fewer companies. In Alabama, almost 90% is controlled by just one company. Without competition, the price of insurance goes up and the quality goes down. And it makes it easier for insurance companies to treat their customers badly - by cherry-picking the healthiest individuals and trying to drop the sickest; by overcharging small businesses who have no leverage; and by jacking up rates.
There are no death panels. There won't be coverage for illegal immigrants and there won't be federal monies used for abortions. Obama also made it clear what the goal of a public option would be. It is not, as the Republicans say, a government takeover. It is a way to provide competition where there is no competition.
The speech concluded nicely. It would have made Ted Kennedy proud that Obama used the moment to highlight the "Lion of the Senate" and his pursuit for health care reform.
When he mentioned Kennedy, Obama said he received a letter after Kennedy's death. In that letter, Kennedy discussed health care reform.
In it, he spoke about what a happy time his last months were, thanks to the love and support of family and friends, his wife, Vicki, and his children, who are here tonight . And he expressed confidence that this would be the year that health care reform - "that great unfinished business of our society," he called it - would finally pass. He repeated the truth that health care is decisive for our future prosperity, but he also reminded me that "it concerns more than material things." "What we face," he wrote, "is above all a moral issue; at stake are not just the details of policy, but fundamental principles of social justice and the character of our country."
If that didn't resonate with the folks inside the House, I don't know what will. It is, in fact, a moral issue. It is a critical social justice issue. That is why President Obama believes we need to act. That is why progressives know we need to act. |
