Obama Wins Congressional Battle on Heath Care Bill, Not Public Support

For many years in the past, the US Government failed to achieve a universal health care plan that can benefit all citizens. But US President Barack Obama has achieved it. This can be viewed as a political achievement for him since he became the US President more than a year ago.

To majority of the US people, they feel President Obama's domestic and foreign policies have not been able to achieve outstanding results as they have expected. As such President Obama and his supporters have to depend on the passing of this health care reform plan legislative process to win back the support of the majority so that they can stand a better chance to do well in the coming midterm congressional election to be held toward the end of the year.

People's Opinion
However, when Obama's health care reform bill was finally passed by the US Congress, it was but a narrowed win for President Obama. The public opinion has reflected the reality that there are indeed more Americans who oppose the health care reform plan than supporting it. Political analysts opine that President Obama's health care reform plan will become the main debating issue in the coming midterm congressional election. Such prediction can affect the public opinion as midterm congressional election draws nearer each day.

In fact, this is a hint to show that although President Obama has won the congressional battle over his health care reform bill, but on the ground, he might lose the support of majority votes. It is not going to be an easy task for President Obama to win the coming midterm congressional election.

Employment Insurance System
Most Americans do not agree with President Obama's universal health care reform plan for the following two reasons:
First, it is because of the abortion issue. It remains a fact that majority of the people in the United States do not agree with abortion. However, President Obama's health care reform has included medical insurance coverage for abortion. As such for those who oppose abortion, they feel that they pay their taxes to encourage the evil formation of abortion. Since majority of the US people are indeed opposed to abortion, it has led to majority of the people also oppose to Obama's health care reform plan.

Second, the previous US employment insurance system allowed the employees and their family members to be covered with insurance benefits. As such, when the employees retired or if they sudden lost their jobs, they still do not have to worry about their health care insurance coverage. They feel this is a reward for the hard working people. They feel they deserve such benefits for they have worked hard and paid for the same.

The Hurdle
The problem is, with the health care reform bill enacted as law, the hard working people will have to pay more taxes to look after the medical welfare of the people who do not work as hard and thus do not deserve same health care benefits.

As such, most of the people in the United States criticize that Obama's health care reform plan will make the hard working people suffer but allow the lazy people to enjoy the health care benefits.

US President Obama Faces Confident Crisis

US President Barack Obama has just finished his first year in office. But he has already faced the boiling anger of the American people. At the Massachusetts senate by-election held on 19 January, the Republican candidate won a historic victory. Result of the by-election has not only broken the advantage of the control of Senate the Democratic Party used to enjoy in the state for nearly half a century, the election result has also rung an alarm bell for President Obama's health care reform bill. .
Massachusetts used to be a stronghold stage for the Democratic Party/. The senate by-election was to fill the vacant senate seat left by the late Senator Edward Kennedy. The late senator was President Obama's staunch pusher to put Obama into the White House. The late senator was also Obama's mastermind behind his health care reform bill. But the voters in Massachusetts have given President Obama a whack on the face. We trust if voters' complaints about President Obama were not boiling, that senate seat would not have changed hand.

Health Care Reform Plan
President Obama's reaction to the voters' complaints was also fast. He immediately acknowledged that he was out of touch with public opinion. He said that he thought that as long as he focused on working on national policies during his first year in office, the people would understand the reasons behind. However he added he was indeed "so busy handling all kinds of crisis he lost the opportunities to have direct dialogues with the people." As such he said he could not understand the people's feeling.
However, only part of what President Obama said was correct. This is because it is a taboo for any modern government to come out with good policy and excellent law that the people do not understand and thus will not support. President Obama of course knows such principle of government administration. The main reason he could occupy the White House a year ago was because he relied on using his propaganda of "hope and change" to stir up the wave for change. He is good at communicating with people. His speech can always pull the hearts of his audience. President Obama's health care reform plan used to be considered as the most courageous and most idealistic reformation. But now President Obama has to face the dilemma of it suffering severe setback.
The one senate seat the Republican Party obtained at the recent senate by-election in Massachusetts has led to the crush of allowing the Democratic Party to enjoy the advantage of having 60 senate seats. In the coming Congressional session, the Republican congressional representatives can now use lengthy procedure and long debating time allowed to hamper the implementation of President Obama's health care reform plan.

Reformation Vision
In order to make a breakthrough in congressional procedure, the Democratic Party must consult with the opposition Republican Party to accept the proposed amended health care reform bill to avoid President Obama's health care reform bill losing its original spirit and lead the US health care reform plan to become as good as a piece of document only. The House and Senate should consult the original "joint hearing version" of the health care reform bill and allow the bill be passed. As a matter of fact if the Democratic still maintains the majority advantage in the Congress and sent the bill for President Obama's signature, we are afraid that the rebound action coming from the Republican Party could be more vigorous. In the end, the people and criticism from media commentary can also be rude. To the extreme end, the American people might even avoid the discussion of it.
Of particularly importance is that the Republicans do understand the psychological fear of the American people when their government has to spend such a massive amount of money and time to carry out the health care reform plan. When the economy is not doing too well and when the employment rate remains record high, the people in the United States would no longer be so generous to support the government's "money-burning" decision. In other words, it is the Republican Party that has a more accurate grasp of the public sentiment and public opinion. This was reflected at the senate by-election in Massachusetts.
President Obama's reformation vision a year ago is no longer in line with people's expectation now. What the people expect is for him to desperately make good the US economy. This should be President Obama's top priority. Over the past one year, President Obama did not detect this change in people priority. Instead he spent time to handle the less urgent agenda. Naturally, the confidence and trust the American people give to President Obama will gradually reduce with the passing of days.

Democratic Congressional Representatives
In retrospect's, when President Obama pushed forward his health care reform plan during the past months, He did have ample opportunities to have dialogues with the people. However in the end the town hall meetings in the local community that he could most effectively convey his message to the people in the past also did not work well.
At those meetings, many public opposed his health care reform policy with heated debates. In the end, the Democratic congressional representatives and President Obama also became afraid to use such public venues to touch base and to engage exchanges with the grassroots community.

Re-Prioritize National Agenda
Hence, it is neither President Obama's poor communication with the American people nor the lack of opportunities for Obama to engage dialogues with the people that led to people's complaints about him. It was because he did not respond to the need of the people promptly and take timely adjustment to re-prioritize his national agenda. In the past year, President Obama continued to wallow in the mud of outdated reform agenda, Iraq and Afghanistan wars. As President, he did not allow people feel his momentum and result in improving the economy.
The statement "Stupid, it is economy!" remains a global rule of election.
If President Obama cannot see and cannot do this, the confidence crisis he now faces can deepen further. His reputation and image will also continue to fall.