OBAMA UNDERESTIMATED
By Reggie Marselus
Back in January, 2010, the Republicans were absolutely elated at the result of the Senatorial election in Massachusetts. A seat that had been held by a Democrat Ted Kennedy for decades was now theirs. They had accomplished what was publicly phrased as a momentous defeat for the Democrats.
This election, according to Sean Hannity, proved that the age of the Democrats was over. The people of Massachusetts- and by extent the people of America- had rejected the evil liberals once and for all. The drive to Socialism, Communism and every other “ism” was now finished for good.
It was party time.
Now, the game was different. All was lost for the prospect of the Obama agenda. With the Republicans walking in lock step against everything the Whitehouse wanted, “Happy Days Were Here Again”. The Democrats no longer had the 60 seat super-majority in the United States Senate. They could not stop a filibuster, which the Republicans were using at a breakneck pace.
Most importantly, the result of this election was now cast as an absolute end to the Health Care Reform legislation. The numbers along with public perception were now in the favor of the opposition. The Democrats would be faced with collapse of their monumental and historical piece of lawmaking.
As an added piece of cake for the party, soon after that election, Nancy Pelosi held a news conference. The purpose was to lay out the strategy for getting the Health Care bill passed. The Republicans were laughing at her expression of resolution. They relished her obstinacy.
They launched onto the television channels, radio stations, and newspaper opinion pages. They used her appearance at the news conference to prove to the nation how out of touch she was with reality. Anyone who got the chance to grab a microphone or look into a camera took her to task for even thinking she could accomplish anything.
Not only Obama’s agenda, but now Nancy Pelosi’s leadership and Harry Reid’s dedication to the work were now in the trash heap. All three were the picture of failure and the pointed butt of jokes and guffaws.
There was no way that she, Obama or anyone else could get that bill through. The Republicans had the numbers, the determination, and their interpretation of public outrage. There was also no shortage of Democratic Congressional doubts and uneasiness. The tumult was having a devastating effect.
With the defeat of this bill, predictions abounded for the demise of Obama’s agenda and the legacy of his Presidency. They framed it in the same way that an unpopular war and the economic crisis were framed as President Bush’s downfall. This would end Obama’s chance to be the man of change and progress.
The Democrats were finished. Hallelujah!
The problem with that analogy is that someone forgot to tell President Obama, Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid.
At the news conference, Nancy Pelosi made this statement about how they were going to pass the bill: “You go through the gate. If the gate is closed you go over the fence. If the fence is too high, we’ll pole vault in. If that doesn’t work, we’ll parachute in. But we are going to get health care reform passed for the American people”.
And so began the work. And what a work it was!
After more than a year of town meetings, demonstrations, debate and vitriolic opposition, negotiation, midnight Congressional meetings and endless analysis, the bill passed. It is now the law of the land. Now the process of integrating it into American life begins.
But what happened? How could it be?
How is it possible that the Republicans lost? They should have won with flying colors, flying flags and flying balloons. They should have been able to ride the tsunami of political support after Scott Brown’s election right through to the defeat of this bill and Obama himself.
However, as we now know, all the predictions were premature. The opposition’s carefully counted chickens never hatched. As elated as they were after Massachusetts, that’s how deflated they are now. What went up came back down again. And it came back down with a thud. The national right wing spin machine coughed, choked, sputtered and broke down like one of those cartoon cars that runs out of gas and melts into a heap.
They had titans of powerful assistance.
The list is long: FOX NEWS, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Post, The Washington Times, FOX Business Channel, Rush Limbaugh and all of conservative talk radio, columnists, pundits, professors, doctors, lawyers, CEO’s, investors, Corporate America and on and on.
They all underestimated President Barack Obama.
His administration along with the Democratic Congressional leadership were up to the job. Their ability to gather a coalition, keep it together and use it for what needed to be accomplished was never more misjudged.
This legislative victory has historical connotations. Not since the implementation of Social Security and Medicare has law been more applicable to the future of Americans. And it was all on Obama’s shoulders.
Had it fallen to defeat, history would have recorded that Obama failed. And he would have had to serve out his term in office without that victory. The opposition would really be partying at his expense.
But it was not to be.
History will now record that President Barack Obama has accomplished the largest of his goals for the American people so far. The drive to change the landscape of American Health Care has been successful. Now it’s on to greater things.
As for the Republicans, will they ever underestimate Obama again? Stay tuned. As the saying goes, “Never doubt the ability of someone to repeat their mistake”.
[Reggie Marselus is a retired electrician and President of the Retirees Club of IBEW Local 124. H lives in Lenexa]
No one is saying that this was a perfect piece of legislation, there is no such thing. However what if we had done nothing? What if we let bank after bank fail in this country, what would our present circumstances be like?
bill, issue after issue. All in the name of what? Ideology? Because it is certainly not because of a desire to govern.
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