NewMediaJournal.us
www.NewMediaJournal.us     Return to Article     Kindle Compatible

Robert R. Owens, PhD
The Big Speech: Did He Do It?
September 16, 2009

A mass email carried a message from President Obama after his address to Congress.  He asked people to contact their representatives urging them to support his healthcare plan. Since the Democrats have the votes in both houses to pass any legislation they agree upon why does he need our help to convince anyone of anything? Was he speaking to the nation or was he trying to rally his Democrat troops to toe the line and pass his bill?

The mass email also provides a link to President Obama’s bill. His bill isn’t a thousand pages long. It isn’t even one. It’s one half- page in three columns with bullet points which means Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid and the Regulatory Czar will fill in the blanks. It "Offers a public health insurance option to provide the uninsured and those who can’t find affordable coverage with a real choice” No trigger. No equivocation. The President proposes a government option.

The plan limits several ways insurance companies have of making money while requiring them to perform certain services at no cost. And in the new Exchange these hobbled insurance companies have to compete with a non-profit government insurance company. How’s that going to work?

Acme makes widgets. The government tells Acme they can only charge X for widgets while requiring they provide chrome-plated widgets. Acme has to cover expenses, pay employees and turn a profit while competing against the Government Widget Company having the printing presses of the Fed for resources, government employees, is non-profit all paid with taxes on Acme.

The President says the only alternative is the status quo. Actually Republicans have offered 35 specific healthcare proposals all defeated or tabled by the Democrat majority. Among these ideas one of the most notable is Tort Reform. Tipping his hat to the bi-partisanship he campaigned on President Obama is going taking a look at tort reform. His plan, "Orders immediate medical malpractice reform projects that could help doctors focus on putting their patients first, not on practicing defensive medicine.”

In bi-polar interviews Bill O’Reilly first spoke to Karl Rove President Bush’s top political advisor. Mr. Rove pointed out that President Bush wanted to pass Tort Reform. However, the Democrats blocked this proposal in Committee. Bush then suggested the Pilot-Projects which Democrats also blocked in Committee. Then Mr. O’Reilly interviewed David Axelrod President Obama’s top political advisor. When asked about Tort Reform Mr. Axelrod pointed out the Obama Administration’s administrative implementation of the Pilot-Projects with no Congressional approval. He wanted to know if the Republicans were so supportive of Tort Reform why they didn’t do it administratively.

This highlights one of the biggest differences between what we’ve had and what we’ve got. With a healthcare bill consisting of one half-page what else will be imposed administratively? This exchange also prompts the question, if the President really wants Tort Reform in the bill why didn’t he include it in the bill? Another interesting point made in these interviews was that Rove said the Democrats are in bed with trial lawyers and Axelrod said the Republicans are in bed with insurance companies. If the politicians are the ones in bed why are the citizens the ones who end up having the baby and raising the child?

And the punch line is: We’re going to pay for the whole thing by eliminating waste and fraud in the government medical programs already paving our way to the Poor House. If Uncle Sam had a dollar for every program the Washington wastrels said they would pay for by eliminating waste and fraud he wouldn’t be in hock to that big Chinese guy on the corner. Add 20-30-40 million people to the system and pay for the whole thing with the same money that’s paying the bill now. The next time you’re at Mickey Ds order two quarter pounders and tell them you only want to pay for one because they should be able to cut their costs enough on the first one to pay for the second one. Even Ronald McDonald isn’t enough of a clown to fall for that one.

Considering President Obama delivered 263 speeches in his first 231 days in office did the big one close the deal when it comes to healthcare? Although among the chattering class confusion abounds as to what those bullet points will morph into many people have seen enough of him to decide whatever he says he’s selling they aren’t buying.

Concerning that mass email, it was sent by Organizing America. Some quote them and present them as an independent grass-roots organization. At the bottom of their material they state Organizing America is, "a project of the Democratic National Committee” in other words it’s the Obama campaign by another name.

About Robert R. Owens, PhD
Robert R. Owens, PhD  is an Associate Professor of History at Southside Virginia Community College where he also teaches Political Science, Religion and Leadership. He write a weekly column of opinion and observations which appears in numerous locations both print and electronic. He is the author of three history books currently on the market; America Won the Vietnam War, The Azusa Street Revival and Never Forget!  He maintains an archive of his articles here.