February 9, 2010
The mythical middle and the White House health care summit
It is admirable that President Obama continues to cross the aisle in Washington looking for someone to embrace. He certainly is determined. And a White House health care summit is not entirely worthless. It will give him another chance to describe the legislative proposals in Congress, many of which are Republican ideas.
But when I consider Obama’s outreach I’m reminded of the Barbara Fields book Slavery and Freedom on the Middle Ground: Maryland During the Nineteenth Century. Admittedly, it’s a strange connection; bear with me. The common perception in the 1980s held that during the Civil War the North was anti-slavery and the South was pro-slavery and the border states were mostly ambivalent.
Fields exploded that idea by showing that Maryland was bitterly and viciously divided over slavery during the Antebellum Era. In exploring this dynamic she also critiques the idea of the “middle ground”. There is no middle, she shows, between freedom and slavery. There is no real compromise position.
Republicans have demonstrated that they are unwilling to compromise on health reform. They do not want to expand coverage. They do not want meaningful reforms. There is no middle ground between health reform and no health reform. If Obama wants to reach a compromise position he is wasting his time.
I also doubt that this move is good politics, but he has advisors who know more about campaigning than I do. I suspect it would be more effective to pass one bill and then hit the trail explaining and defending the legislation.
There’s nothing wrong with seeking compromise. But if Obama finds it difficult to reach the middle ground on health reform it’s probably because it doesn’t exist.
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5 Comments Add yours »
Way to go, Adam!!!!
We can only hope the Prez “gets this” before too much longer. Then he can hit the recalcitrant repubs with the expanded powers the Repubs carved out when they felt the prez. had too little power. I can hardly wait to see Mr. Obama come out of his dream state and fight back…..
A little fight from the Dems would be nice. We’ve seen a lot of rolling over lately.
It seems that when Obama said he was going to “focus on jobs” he meant he was going to focus on DESTROYING jobs.
That’s why he continues to threaten businesses with the higher taxes and costs that would be generated by his Obamacare and cap and trade SCAMS.
Threaten by the scams and uncertainty, most business are letting workers go, closing down, or considering moving to freer countries.
As we can see, Obama is working hard at destroying jobs. His Obamacare and cap and trade scams work like fuel to keep unemployment growing.
you dont know what youre talking about they didnt even pass any of them.what are you a conservative activist?
AntonioSosa youve been watching too much glenn beck