Sep 18 2009
Political Clock Ticks on Health Care Bill
Happy Rosh Hashanah. Best wishes on the Jewish New Year and the Days of Awe.
President Obama wants to sway the health care debate but his recent decision to scrap plans for a eastern Europe missile defense system has some NATO members concerned. Instead of considering Russia the biggest threat, the administration is shifting focus to Iran. Therefore, the president wants to concentrate missile defense there. A G-20 summit is coming. U.S. officials will need to soothe ruffled feathers.
There may not be any way to soothe some feathers as Obama continues his media barrage. He clearly thinks he is best-suited to argue the case for the health-care reform package he wants. On the one hand, surrogates haven’t enticed independents to support the plan. On the other hand, the president risks overexposure by appearing before the public too late.
Sure, there’s a fine line between not appearing in the media enough and being there too much. Finding the balance is tricky but necessary. History shows that there is less chance to pass a health care bill today as opposed to yesterday. The odds decrease ever so slightly tomorrow and so on.
By next year, all Congress members will be focused on the midterm elections. Bill and Hillary Clinton had one chance to change the health care system. They failed in 1993. Republicans claimed Congressional majority in 1994 and thwarted future efforts. Then came eight years of a GOP president. Obama must know that he has to cobble together the best bill he can get within the next month or two and get it passed. Then build on those gains in the future.
