Advice to President Obama

[fpb]

So far, you have been brilliant at splitting potential opponents, sir, and I do not understand why you seem to have surrendered this tactic and gone for its opposite when it comes to by far the most important item of your legislative program. Your health reform proposals have fearsome and committed enemies. Why multiply them by insisting on placing abortion among the basic provisions, and allowing your party to shoot down any amendment that would prevent or even limit this? The opposition to abortion in America is formidable, but it only partly overlaps the ideological (and provincial) opposition to socialized medicine. You are shooting yourself in the foot, running the risk of a humiliating and crippling defeat, and strengthening and enlarging the front of your opponents, by this ill-advised behaviour.

Comments

[fpb.livejournal.com]

Well, the question still applies. One would imagine that the members of a party that take up a certain legislative program would want that legislation to succeed, so why are the Democrats acting in a way that is certain to increase resistance to their proposals?

[redcoast.livejournal.com]

Because A) it's Congress, and B) it's Democrats. Congressional Democrats aren't exactly geniuses.

[fpb.livejournal.com]

I suppose so. But I really want to see an American national health service, and I really want to see the opposition defeated on this issue. And I cannot even support the proposals myself if they insist on using them as a Trojan horse for abortion; quite apart from the folly of confirming every negative stereotype that the opposition is trying to spread about national health care.

[redcoast.livejournal.com]

I've been thinking that the hysteria of the opposition of this bill will do them harm. Like Glenn Beck's freakout, the comment about Stephen Hawking.

[fpb.livejournal.com]

Possibly. But I wonder how many people in the USA will take seriously even the widespread anger that those remarks caused in Britain. The whole sequence of events strikes me as a kind of declaration of independence of the American right from planet Earth. If you read conservative blogs and news agencies, you will find that they barely notice there is a problem.

[redcoast.livejournal.com]

After doing some research I don't believe the bill is going to fund abortions after all.

[fpb.livejournal.com]

Beware of smooth arguments. The Catholic Bishops, who favour the reform, nevertheless don't agree with you.

[redcoast.livejournal.com]

Why would I care?

[fpb.livejournal.com]

The issue is whether or not the Democrats are trying to use the bill as a Troyan horse for abortion - not whether you should care. Sorry and all, but this is not about your opinions, or even mine.

[redcoast.livejournal.com]

Well, again - why would I care what Catholic Bishops think about the bill? They're not legal experts, medical experts, or even experts on abortion.

[fpb.livejournal.com]

You'd be surprised.

[redcoast.livejournal.com]

No doubt they are a very intelligent group of people, but that does not make them experts in subjects outside of their field.

[fpb.livejournal.com]

It seems to me that this thread has taken a rather sterile direction. We might as well stop here. It is late in London and I would rather go to sleep.

[redcoast.livejournal.com]

Cheerio! See you tomorrow.