The Health Care Reform debate

September 7, 2009

Good God! Now the Right Wingnuttia are objecting to President Obama giving a back to school presentation to the nation's children to mark the beginning of the new school year. It was inevitable that this would happen in the current political climate. Patently ridiculous, is the proper reaction here, but as usual we are not hearing that. As with the yellers and screamers at the town hall meetings across the country, who at no time had as their purpose a reasonable exchange of ideas, here we are again with a situation, "...Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, Signifying nothing. ("Shakespeare's Macbeth")

Lets summarize. These disruptor's are generally not from the districts in which the Town halls were conducted. They in fact were bussed in by Insurance companies and their lobbying groups to do exactly what they were doing. They did their jobs well. I used the town halls example to show the climate existing in this Health Care reform struggle going on in our country right now. If you yell rudely, comport yourself like a jerk and otherwise avoid a healthy change of ideas, you will be effective. That is where we are. It is against this back drop that has made this really inspirational effort by past Presidents and OUR current President, turn into an ugly just ugly situation. Here's the mantra from the crazies. "I don't want the Obama brainwashing or indoctrinating my kids." I found the one hour lesson plan of the President's on line. It is inspirational, thoughtful and encouraging. That is the sum of it. There is nothing the Republics will not resort to to cause problems. The entire thing is disgraceful. Please get over the fact that our new President is a Black man.

Lets get down to what this is really about, in my opinion, right here, right now. Given there are some really debatable points of contention in our Health Care reform debate. That debate is quintessentially American. The Wingnuttia, as I've indicated has hijacked that debate, and progressive action on this monumental Health Care problem is losing ground. Pervasive, but unspoken in clear terms, are the machinations of latent, and most assuredly, in some venues, racism beyond the latent position. Am I suggesting the Republic brain trust are racists? Not necessarily. They are however using the racism that exists in our country as a vehicle to their best advantage. These Republic movers and shakers are the worst kind of moral criminals that exist today. They and the Insurance lobbyists are tapping that irrational pool of fear and hatred that persists in our society. The obvious but below the surface statement: "there is no "Black person" (or use your imagination on the disgusting appellation probably used) is going to tell me what to do or as in the case of the school presentation, influence my children. This is where we are. These immoral tactics and twisted social views writ large, might bring down meaningful Health Care reform.

President Obama will address a Joint session of Congress on Wednesday Sept 9, 2009. I am hoping he can re-frame the Health Care question more clearly. He and his Administration ceded the month of August to the Republics and wingnuttia on this question. I have serious questions whether or not he can affect change. If President Obama loses this battle, I believe the right wing machine will consume the rest of his presidency. This would put the President Obama in grave danger of being a one term president. I have to say that these are not panicky words, quite the contrary, they are a clear headed look at the possibilities. There is some middle ground available with regard to the chief point of contention. That issue, at this point, is the defining go/no-go question for adopting meaningful Health Care reform. That issue is the public option which would be run by the Government. The purpose of the public option is to force Health insurers to keep their prices in line. Simply stated, if the Insurers keep on as they are, people will opt for the much more competitive public option. I love the idea and embrace it fully. All of the efforts discussed earlier are pointed towards defeating this option. Additionally the latent and not so latent racism in our culture is insidiously aligned in opposition to this goal. If the public option is defeated, which it may have been already, I am having a tough time imaging a bill which has much to commend it in terms of comprehensive Health Care reform. We will see what happens after September 9, 2009 and thereafter.