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[The Independent, U.K.]

 

 

Folha, Brazil

Brazil 'Envies' America's Public Health Care Debate

 

"For Brazilians, there is only envy in seeing a model of accountability in action that doesn't exist here. Has any party, any person suggested, at the very least, for there to be a televised debate between Brazil's government leaders and the opposition?"

 

By Clóvis Rossi*

                           

 

Translated By Brandi Miller

 

February 25, 2010

 

Brazil - Folha - Original Article (Portuguese)

'President Obama arrives for the bipartisan heath summit, Feb. 25.

 

BBC NEWS VIDEO: Obama's health reform gamble, Feb. 25, 00:04:33RealVideo

I write this during the ongoing debate about health care, which at least in terms of domestic politics is the major issue in the United States.

 

President Barack Obama has called leaders of his own party, the Democratic Party, and leaders of the Republican opposition, to a public discussion, in the sense that it's being televised.

Posted by WORLDMEETS.US

 

It would be hard to find mechanism better able to bring transparency and, at least in theory, quality to the debate. It's obvious that there will be lots of theater and playing to the audience. But nevertheless, this will be the appropriate occasion to explain what Obama called when he opened the meeting, "a very ideological, very partisan battle," which is capable of "trumping common sense."

 

Neither do I think that an ideological or partisan discussion is necessarily negative. In the case of a televised debate, it's a good way for the public to discover what ideology is (or is not) behind the Republican and Democratic positions. And, based on that definition, they must stand by the side of the position they most identify with or the points of whatever party they agree with. There is no reason to suppose that the public monolithically accepts every position of one party or the other.

 

According to what can be seen at the time of writing, the central point of contention is truly ideological and all encompassing, not just for the health care package: it's about the role of the State. Republican Senator Jon Kyl made it clear that in his opinion, the Democrats' plan to reform the health system, "would give Washington too much control over it." It must be understood that Washington stands for "federal government."

 

President Obama leads Democrats and Republicans in

a public airing about the health care issue, Feb. 26.

 

In any case, it's up to Americans to decide if this is or isn't so. For Brazilians, there is only envy in seeing a model of accountability in action that doesn't exist here. Has any party, any person suggested, at the very least, for there to be a televised debate between government leaders and the opposition, about, for example, the National Plan for Human Rights, the latest sizable controversy? 

Posted by WORLDMEETS.US

 

In the North American debate, President Obama listens, takes notes and pays attention. Has any Brazilian president, past, present or future (taking into account the presumable candidates) had the humility to at least pretend that he could be wrong and, therefore, taken note of what others say about his plans or programs? And have hey ever allowed for those in the opposition to say, live and in living color, to say that the president is wrong?

 

Clovis Rossi is a special correspondent and member of the Folha editorial board, is a winner of the Maria Moors Cabot award (USA) and is a member of the Foundation for a New Ibero-American Journalism. His column appears on Thursdays and Sundays on page 2 and on Saturdays in the World Notebook section. He is the author, among other works, of Special Envoy: 25 Years Around the World and What is Journalism?

.

E-mail: crossi@uol.com.br

 

CLICK HERE FOR PORTUGUESE VERSION

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[Posted by WORLDMEETS.US, Mar. 2, 2:09am]

 

 







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