[International Herald Tribune, France]
Le Quotidien d'Oran, Algeria
Health Care Knocks
Obama Off of His Cloud
"Obama
must now demonstrate his determination to carry out 'the great work of his
program,' unlike his Democratic predecessor Bill Clinton, who had to gave up his
ambition in the face of the raised shields of his adversaries."
By Kharroubi Habib
Translated By Sandrine Ageorges
April 19, 2009
Algeria - Le Quotidien d'Oran
- Home Page (French)
The state of grace enjoyed
by American President Barack Obama since his installation in the White House only
lasted a semester. In just a few weeks, his popularity has dropped ten
points. And what caused his tumble aren't the international issues he has on
his desk - the most sensitive being Iran, Palestine, Iraq and Afghanistan; nor
is it even the economic and financial crisis that persists in the
United States. Rather, it's health care reform, although it is said that this
promise was instrumental to his election victory.
If the theme was an electoral
plus for candidate Obama, it appears that its implementation has met with opposition
the scope of which, as president, he underestimated. Resistance is such that during
a press conference on August 10th, he confessed that explaining the complexity
of the plan to his countrymen is the greatest challenge of his tenure in public
office.
[The Independent, U.K.]
So why is there such
resistance to a reform so generous in its intent, meant to extend health coverage
to the country's poorest (close to 45 million
citizens) who, for lack of funds, have no access to it? It's because in these economic
times, Americans refuse social generosity that to them is synonymous with new taxes
that they believe would be required to finance a project estimated to cost $1
trillion over ten years. And this, even though Obama says he's found two-thirds
of the money without resorting to the resented tax increases.
It must be said that opponents
of Barack Obama, and there are many, greased the pan by engaging in a ferocious
campaign against his reform by playing on the anti-tax phobia of their fellow citizens
and by denouncing the spirit of “state control” that they find equally
objectionable.
Those leading the
offensive against the president's proposed reform are of course the Republicans,
who see in this fight the opportunity to rebuild a "healthy" political
and electoral atmosphere for the November 2010 mid-term legislative and
senatorial elections. They have secured the support of insurance companies whose
interests are hostile to the plan, and are spending millions of dollars on TV
commercials and specialized blogs. And there are also conservative Democrats
who show more solidarity on the subject with Republicans than to the leader of
their own political camp.
The anti-reform offensive is
working. According to the polls, Americans no longer back the project: while 49
percent approve today, 72 percent approved when the process began. Obama has
counterattacked by becoming more critical of the legacy that Republicans and President
George W. Bush left for America.
Posted by WORLDMEETS.US
But he must now demonstrate
his determination to carry out “the great work of his program,” unlike his Democratic
predecessor Bill Clinton, who had to gave up the same
ambition in the face of the raised shields of his adversaries.
It's understandable that
in this situation, Barack Obama is more committed to the home front (with an
economic crisis and more) than to international affairs, even if emergencies challenge
him on this level, too. And he isn't wrong. He knows that weakened by failure
on the domestic front, his opponents intend to deter him from following a
foreign policy that would break with the era of George W. Bush. In any case,
the blissful winds of Obamania are at an end.
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[Posted
by WORLDMEETS.US August 22, 8:35pm]
