The single biggest mistake that Obama and the democrats have made in the health care debate has been instilling confusion in every American.
A new Rasmussen poll shows that 54% of Americans oppose Obama and the democrats health care plan. But what is their health care plan? Currently there are five bills that need to be combined before either chamber of Congress can vote on reform. And just today the White House said that a public option isn’t necessary for a bill to be signed by the President.
Obama continues to support the concept of a government-sponsored insurance option, but “he is not demanding that it is in” the final legislation, Valerie Jarrett, a senior White House adviser, said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” “He thinks it’s the best possible choice.”
He thinks it’s the “best possible choice” but isn’t going to demand it. Why not? If you honestly believe that a public option is the best way to reform health care, why wouldn’t you require it in the bill. You have a super majority, you have the democratic leaders in the House and Senate both siding with a public option. So why not make it mandatory?
What kind of health care reform do the democrats want? I honestly can’t answer that question. Some say a public option is a must, others say they would prefer the trigger option, some more conservative democrats don’t even want a public option. Meanwhile Americans are sitting at home watching their TVs and thinking, “what the hell is going on?”
As much as I would love to, I can’t take the Rasmussen poll seriously. There’s too much confusion out there about what health care reform the democrats and Obama want, there’s no way someone could honestly answer that question if they were on the fence.
It also doesn’t help that the majority of the health care meetings are behind closed doors. This is after Obama pledged multiple times on the campaign trail that meetings regarding health care would be broadcast on CSPAN.
If Obama and the democrats really want to sell the American people on massive health reform, they are going to have to figure out what they want first, and then articulate it bto Americans in normal terms, not in health care industry jargon that no one understands.
–jb