Healthcare Reform: Barack Obama the True Believer vs. McCain the Sophist

We will hear tomorrow how, even though he begged for bipartisanship until our ears bled, President Obama's speech on healthcare was too partisan—which I suppose means he did not embrace the cynical Republican call to abandon what has been done and start over. Even President Obama is not that naïve!

The President does, however, have the naïveté to believe that there remain some Republicans more focused on serving the public rather than the Republican Party who will truly join in a bipartisan effort on healthcare reform. He also hopes that some call to patriotism or moral necessity will touch what remains of their hearts. Within hours of the President's speech, John McCain proved that Obama might as well hope to find the Loch Ness monster in his bathtub.

McCain, one of the senators Obama could hope would actually engage in true bipartisan ship, did call for Representative Joe Wilson, the South Carolina Republican who shouted "You lie" while Obama was refuting claims that his reform plans would fund health care for illegal immigrants, to apologize immediately.

During the same broadcast, McCain then went on to display his partisan sophistry by saying that Obama should not have corrected the Republican charge that healthcare reform would created "death panel." Correcting that misinformation according to McCain was too partisan. McCain knows better.

It is the charge that the plan would create "death panels" that is too partisan. (When asked whether he believed there would be death panels McCain said, "no," but that struck him as too honest, he then mumbled about provisions that had been removed and the VA pamphlet issue—all of which refer to discussions between doctors, patients, and their families about end of life decisions, discussions that are advocated by all responsible healthcare providers.)

 Such sophistical reasoning (correcting partisan misinformation is too partisan) is the best President Obama can expect from the Republicans in congress, and he was well advised early in his speech to send the message to the Democratic majority that he expects them to move ahead with or without Republican support. (True Republican bipartisanship, we'll find that the day after we find a troop of tap-dancing big foots.)

Comments

[Concerned parent-teacher]

I'm happy to hear McCain call fro an apology from Joe Wilson for is rude and disrespectful behavior during the president's address to Congress. I'm saddened that he did not call for Republicans to drop their resistence to bipartisanship. The work of the Congress needs all its members regardless of party to address the issues and develop legislation to benefit the public. Health care reform is long overdue. It saddens me when you see so many in need not able to access good care because they independently or through their employers are unable to have medical coverage. There are currently no options for these folks but to go to overcrowded, understaffed emergency rooms rather than to a caring family physician. A public option would assist all who in reality are paying for this level of care through higher and higher insurance premiums and co-insurance. President Obama needs to give up on bipartianship and move this country forward on this issue. It is long overdue.