Congressional Recess Bad For Health Care Reform

So far, the August Congressional recess hasn’t been good for health care reform efforts. Amidst boisterous and energetic opposition in town hall meetings, supporters have been greeted with polls showing support for the plan dropping even lower.

Public support for the Obama administration's sweeping government health care reforms is declining as opponents continue to pack congressional town-hall meetings with some analysts suggesting the president may have to settle for more modest legislation.

Public-policy analysts say that nearly two weeks of intense and often angry town-hall debate back home during August recess has thrown the White House on the defensive and turned its hopes for a full-blown overhaul of the health care system into a steeper climb.

The town hall meetings being held by Congressmen seem to be the forum of choice for angry constituents upset at the “reform” proposal. In fact, Congressmen who SUPPORT the health care plan are allegedly placing “roadblocks” in the way of opponents who want to attend.

Americans who want to express their opinions on health care reform at town halls across the country are encountering a host of roadblocks, ranging from fake schedules to a demand that they show their driver's licenses or photo identification.

Supporters of President Obama's plan say they are pushing back against opposition that is disruptive and designed to shut down debate. But opponents say the supporters' tactics are underhanded and designed to undermine democracy in action.

The result of all this outrage and opposition to the liberal’s health care “reform” plan has been an erosion of support that has some seeming to panic. For example, at a town hall meeting earlier this week President Obama said that AARP had endorsed the proposal. Unfortunately for PresBo, that wasn’t true.

If there is anyone or anything President Obama cannot afford to offend in his battle to overhaul the nation's health care system, it is the powerful seniors lobby, AARP.

Perhaps that is why the White House was so quick to backpedal Wednesday after Mr. Obama mistakenly claimed that the organization, with its tens of millions of politically active members, had already signed on to his plan.

Mr. Obama drew a forceful rejoinder from the group, the nation's largest organization for retirees, when he said during a town-hall meeting Tuesday in New Hampshire that it was endorsing his health care reform proposal.

And it appears as if PresBo’s uneasy alliance with medical insurance and drug companies may be starting to weaken.

The town hall brawls over health care reform are already driving down public support for the effort – but that’s not the worst of the danger to the White House.

They could also give cover to some big business players, who’ve shied away from challenging the White House, to turn their guns on the reform agenda and kill it — just like they did more than a decade ago.

And if you read between the lines of the industry’s messages, it’s pretty clear they are keeping that option on the table despite a public alliance with President Barack Obama.

Some drug and insurance companies, along with business groups, are working furiously behind the scenes to shape reform in their image – but failing that, they’re preparing a Plan B that includes going negative.

Already there are signs of strain.

The debate is not going the way that supporters want it to, which is why you see words like “un-American,” “racist,” “KKK,” and “Nazi” being used in an attempt to discredit the entire opposition movement. The fact that such terms might apply to the vast minority of those opposing the health care plan doesn’t seem to matter… using those terms is a good way to demonize and marginalize opponents. It’s a dishonest tactic that is effective often enough to be tried.

Congress has a few more weeks to experience the opinions of the majority of Americans. They will hear them at town hall meetings and see their opinions in opinion polls that show ever declining support for their unpopular attempt to remake our health-care under control of the Federal government. How they react to this massive groundswell of opposition is another question, but they have to know that pushing forward with this unpopular and unwanted plan will lose them Congress in 2010… and possibly the White House in 2012.

To save their careers and their party's political power they must abandon their plans. But to do so will squander a golden opportunity to remake America in their own image… and to blazes with the majority of us who don’t want them to do it. It’s anybody’s guess which direction Congress will jump… so stay alert, and don’t hesitate to express your opinions!