Health Care Bill: Obama Relieved, but for How Long?

Obama is reinforced on the political front, but his success could come back like a boomerang.

Special Envoy

The adoption of the law initiating a reform of the health care system is certainly a political victory for Barack Obama. Criticized for his indecision and inability to move forward on this sensitive issue, which was one of the main promises of his campaign in 2008, he finally appears as one who knows when he must win. The current occupant of the White House can claim to be the first president to tackle head-on a question that weighs so heavily on the health outcome of the country — the United States, the world’s largest economy, is in 45th place in terms of life expectancy — or even on its economic and social standards of living, with the inefficient health care system being the most expensive in the world. “We will begin to address a problem that we have known for decades,” he said to emphasize the “historic” vote in the House of Representatives on [March 23].*

If the hard-fought victory in Congress, which bears the mark of Obama’s formidable political skills, now gives life to the president — whose popularity has been in sharp decline in recent polls — it is far from certain that it would enable him to eventually right the helm. First, on essential points of the bill, Obama and Democratic leaders have confused the art of negotiation with the poison of compromise (maintenance and expansion of the prerogatives of private insurers, of the pharmaceutical industry, decline on abortion, etc.).

Sunday’s episode will not allow the president to reconcile with those who were his strongest supporters in 2008, among the poorest citizens, like those from black or Latin American communities, who were so exceptionally mobilized for his election and who were the most excited for change. Committed to their sides, the more progressive Democrats have not concealed their dismay, embittered by the treatment of immigrants and of the rights of women.

“Even though I don’t like the bill, I’ve made a decision to support it,” said Dennis Kucinich, one of the leaders of the Democratic Progressive Caucus of the House of Representatives, only to prevent the final destruction of the potential of Obama’s presidency. As for the compromise reached with the conservative side, they can only encourage it, ready to make use of it in any populist way. Several demonstrators gathered under the windows of the Capitol on Sunday afternoon with the slogan “kill the bill” and have openly shouted racist remarks to elected black members of the House of Representatives. The right wing is determined to ride on the anxiety generated by the explosion of unemployment and precarious work, the major concern of the population, far ahead of health care right now. Barack Obama knows it. It seems that, in order to better devote all of his efforts and his time to employment, an issue so decisive for his political future, he wanted to somehow momentarily close the chapter on health reform.

*Editor’s note: The original quote, accurately translated, could not be verified.