Over the Heads of Congress: For Obama to Get Healthcare/Energy, Push Must Now Come to Shove
Although the so-called debates over healthcare reform and energy have been less than enlightening, the actual work of Congress marking up bills and launching trial balloons on costs and payments, plus the assembly of shifting coalitions may be seen, retrospectively, to have been time and breath well-spent. These are, after all, complex issues, they will affect everyone, and the implications of various alternatives are worth airing.
One might have hoped that those who really knew what they were talking about had more air-time rather than the "pundits" who, in the area I know something about, healthcare, rarely have a clue about what it is they are pontificating.
But, there will be neither healthcare legislation nor an energy bill that will magically come together on its own.
On the first Earth Day, 20 million Americans left the comfort of their homes to rally for the planet. During the next election, the first "dirty-dozen" polluter-apologist members of Congress were targeted. Seven lost (and recall incumbency provides a 90%+ retention rate). The next year, because of the message sent, Congress passed the landmark environmental legislation: the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, the Endangered Species Act, the Marine Mammal Protection Act, and the law establishing the Environmental Protection Agency. All while Richard Nixon was President!
President Obama has much more clout than the ragtag groups that rallied people for Earth Day. Nor did they have the internet to reach and mobilize people. Obama has passion for the initiatives, a land army awaiting mobilization orders, and multi-media ways of reaching and organizing them.
He needs to use it.
To get healthcare and energy legislation passed, this is what the President needs to do, using healthcare as the example:
1. Determine what the key elements of the bill shall be. Clearly, he does that in consultation with the Members who have been leading the efforts in these areas, but he has to choose from among the competing alternatives what he wants in the bills.
2. Then, he has go on television multiple times, indicating the direct action people need to take. The key is not a long explanation of the details of the legislation. Those interested can read about it. Most importantly, are the exhortations to do specific things: go online to a website he establishes, call their Congressmen and Senators, and so on.
3. Ask the people to ask their Members a very simple question: Why should their constituents be paying for good healthcare for them, when they themselves, whose servant the member of Congress is, are denied such coverage?
4. Inform people about what David Plouffe is doing. Obama's 13 million person online army, mobilized for the Presidential campaign, needs to be mobilized. If, for legal reasons, it has to be a paid political announcement by the President to do this, so be it. If Plouffe can average $10 per person, he will have $130 million to put on ads, mobilize door-to-door, do what is necessary to show the Members of Congress that we are watching.
Finally, he needs to let his Democratic Congressmen and Senators know the hard cold truth: that their fate and his are inextricably intertwined. Allow him to be defeated on one of these major initiatives, and a repeat of 1994 may be at-hand.
This is not, as many have cast it, a question of nice guy and bipartisanship versus arm-twisting and partisan politics.
It is, like Earth Day itself, a matter of transcendence. Everyone who supported Obama knew, and many who opposed him also knew, that to break the hammerlock that the vested interests (aka the permanent political class) have on Washington DC the populace must be mobilized. If there were any evidence needed, just consider how many former staffers to Democratic members have been hired by the vested interests to lobby against Obama's initiatives, i.e., money talks, and the permanent political class is, in the end, the one truly bipartisan group around.
On health care, one need know just one fact: ~70% of the people want a public plan option, and are willing to pay higher taxes to get it. Yet, whether a public plan is in the bill remains highly uncertain. Only the interests of the permanent political class could be holding it up.
This President has the inspirational talent, the right issues, an army awaiting mobilization, the communications' tools to organize and activate--that is, if the President wants healthcare and energy legislation to happen, he can have it.
For Obama: push must now come to shove.
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I just switched my party affiliation to Green.
Me too. The two(one) party system is killing us.
There is a great episode this week on PBS' 'Bill Moyers Journal' on the subject of health care reform and a very intriguing conversation with former head of Public Relations for CIGNA Wendell Potter. Potter recently gave testimony about the health insurance industry in front of the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation.
This is something I really wish President Obama would watch. If he truly wants to stand by his word and make actual changes, what better place to start.
The entire episode is online:
http://www
It was excellent,
I did last night.
the american public has to push, it's gonna take the voice of millions to control the corporate behemoth, a politician about depends on corporate dollars for his political career cant do it.
I would rather see a single payer system, than have the government run a competitive health insurance program. But, it will take an appeal by the President direct to the American people to get either. I know that a great many people don't think that the government can or should compete with private enterprise, but the Post Office corporation does compete with private companies and does very well, despite being saddled with an obligation to deliver junk mail at cut-rate prices. They even run a profit most years which they government takes as revenue, thus reducing the deficit somewhat. Since the President seems set on the competitive model, I guess that's a lot better than nothing.
WE want single payer and not mandated 'public option'. If we have to let's put this off a year and have at the obstructionists in Nov. and next year. Politicians need to fear for their jobs. Once we have single payer whoever did not support it would be political toast. Only single payer will give us what we want and be hugely popular. A bad public option is the political liability that has to be avoided. Let we the people get organized around this one.
Agreed completely--ditto ditto ditto.
I would be more than happy to donate to Obama's cause on health care if I knew that he was going to push and mobilize for a single payer public option, i.e. Medicare for All. No taxing of benefits, no provide insurance mandates, not some crappy policy with co-pays, high deductibles, no dental and no eye care. If this is what health care is going to look like for the minions then don't bother reforming it, because in the short and long run it won't make a difference.
I will donate to groups that are pushing for what 70% of the people need, not what Obama wants. He hasn't made any tough stance against the insurance industry, pharma and the AMA. He hasn't given the time of day to any other doctor or nurse or citizens groups, which most of us now belong to. Citizens must have comprehensive health care regardless of employment status. Health care must be separated from employment for good.
I think you're asking Obama to perform at a level he is either unable or unwilling to perform at. .
Fanned an faved.
Agreed, Paul. Lots left to do here.
Oh, Paul, you are so right! Nothing will scare up a consolidation of Democratic Senators and Congressmen (who already have the majority and own the policy-making power) faster than a President who comes at them from their left, no matter how much money AHIP lobbyists pay them. There will be no room for Blue Dogs if this isn't done right. Those guys can kiss their incumbency goodbye. David Plouffe has my name. He knows others to call. As far as I can see, this can wait until September. In '69, we started in April, partied all summer until September, and then we came out in full force with demonstrations, marches, and strikes in the fall. I can wait, but not too long. Disruption has to come to a boil.
He's already on it... they have started mobilizing the Organizing for America crew. They had events this weekend including phone banking and sending us out door to door. They have also already launched a listening tour of town hall meetings. Go to http://www
Are these more of the same town hall meetings like ABC and that other pre-screened deal, or is this going to be a real town hall where single-payer advocate are not locked out?
No, these are local efforts with his surrogates that are meant to mobilize grass-roots groups to hit the streets and get it moving from the ground up.
Yes , he's on it - but on what I have no idea. I will not volunteer so that i can have a watered down, useless "public" option if it's what the HELP committee showed us . This is more than disappointing and beneath Organizing for America- more like Organizing for Insurance Companies.
See Paul Abrams's Profile
Tane:
You are correct that they are already organizing, and I congratulate and thank you for your work on their behalf.
But, the missing element is the President. He needs to get out there, and make a direct appeal, to those who worked and supported him, to beat the 'political class'. If he leaves it to David Plouffe, brilliant organizer though he is, there is insufficient inspiration behind it.
I'm not sure I agree that he hasn't been in the mix. Organizing for America folks were invited to participate in a conference call with the President and they often include messages from the President in their emails as well. At any rate, I think it is about timing too. Getting too far out in front before Congress deliberates fully all the options might backfire. He doesn't want to draw a line in the sand until after he hears them out, that tends to be his style. He works mostly behind the scenes holding conferences and working sessions with businesses, health professionals, and legislators (he's having another meeting today with Rangel and Baucus). They appear to be ramping things up now, which should build the momentum just in time to avoid the huge push-back from special interest groups that the Clintons faced.
"IF the President wants healthcare and energy legislation to happen, he can have it."
He wants it. The question is, does his neurotic need to please the people who hate him most outweigh his desire to achieve his stated goals?
I'm not sure what the answer is, but his performance so far worries me.
I hope the White House is reading and acting on this plan.
Thank you Mr. Abrams for the realistic blog. As much as we like Mr. Obama in France, I have to say that he is a politician, therefore owned.
So far he has missed the market in economics, justice and I am believe healthcare as well for your nation.
He is a wonderful orator, but not a fighter.
I think it is still way to early to judge the economic efforts, they aren't even close to done with the regulatory plans and when the rescued companies pay us back with interest we will have recouped much of the money we put forth to keep the economy from completely crashing. As for the justice issues, I think people have been missed the point in many ways. If President Obama simply issued executive orders the next President or Congress could just come in and reverse everything. The key to making sure this doesn't happen lies in the courts. As the courts rulings come down against torture, secrecy, domestic spying etc. they set the legal precedent that will prevent another Bush from abandoning the rule of law.
Furthermore, the thing we have to understand about President Obama is that his philosophy of governing is incremental. When you try to go all out and radically change things you just instigate a backlash which cripples everything we're working for. Ignoring the GOP and using Reconciliation will only handicap the legislation, allowing it to simply expire in 4 years. In order to make sure that it is lasting we have to get 60 votes and he can't get that with radical moves. The administration has to say they are open to all ideas and aren't drawing lines in the sand or else they will never get the votes needed. It's during the conference committee's negotiations that we will see the administration really get involved in shaping the legislation.
Obama uses incrementalism as a means to implement his larger strategies. When you move people along through small steps you acclimate them to the ideas and then when you go to the next step they don't balk. This is how he worked in Illinois and it is what he appears to be doing thus far. Notice that he included major investments in health care, energy and education in the stimulus plan and then he added even more in his budget and now we are in the phase of legislating. It is also what he he is using in foreign policy, planting the seeds for change so the people have the time to build a grass roots effort to push their governments.
I agree that Obama uses incrementalism. I disagree that it's the right way to lead.
Incrementalism will get us health care in the next millenium. If he doesn't get it in the first term, he won't get it at all. He won't be re-elected either. Face facts.
if that is what he is doing he should knock it off. oh, that fine for some issues, like the middle east, immigration and education, but he needs to steamroll this healthcare and energy bill. we have got to break this guild up, the people are going to have to push obama to do it. write the white house, congress, the daily, the health care lobbyists themselves and slow THEM down, make them spend money. write in the forums, digg good blogs, reports and videos. threatened the healhcare lobby with dozens of class action lawsuits for endangering the public health.
I like the way you think. Can I have your number?
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