Jon Stewart on The Daily Show today was riffing about the fact that Obama can't seem to sell healthcare even to people that want and need it, unlike George Bush who was able to sell a coupla wars without much of a fight to people that weren't in favor of them or even felt them necessary. Funny. Yet frighteningly true.
Which got me thinking about how Obama really has to sell healthcare reform. And I thought about what I wrote HERE yesterday:
...as with their voting and tea party efforts to keep the wealthy as rich as possible, people are seemingly furious with the thought of taking money out of the pockets of the people who could bankrupt them should they have the un-American, socialist nerve to get sick and need medical care.
People love electing rich people with the hopes that they will one day be rich, and they love fighting to protect the wealthiest among us from taxes so that one day after they win the $400M powerball lottery they will get tax breaks. It's strange, but how it is. When it comes to politics and public policy, the average American Joe is like a golf fan in what he roots for: the front runner. We want Tiger to win every tournament, and we seemingly want the rich to get richer and richer and richer, even as we drive ourselves into the ground.
Data about average Americans getting screwed by behemoth insurance companies have not worked in the healthcare debate. Americans are not interested in some poor dude losing a leg when compared to the nightmare of insurance companies possibly having their profits cut down to mere billions (shudder!) Until some dude stands up and becomes the face of healthcare reform by being able to give a sob story of his own, all while bravely being outrageously wealthy himself, America the Plumber will not care. The Obama team needs to pony up some major cash and pay some dude to act as their shill. Someone born into scads of money, someone who has never had to hold down a real job or in any way had to be in touch with the everyday problems of the people he would be shilling to, who has never had to worry about health insurance his whole life, someone who wouldn't cross the street to give a poor person a blanket, someone who has effortlessly led the life of outrageous privilege we all dream of having yet will never come remotely close to actually living, all while somehow being able to persuade millions of Americans to bend to his will no matter how stupendously idiotic any idea that comes out of his mouth is. THAT is whom America the Plumber will take to the streets for. THAT is who could finally win the healthcare debate for Obama.
Am I crazy, or is there one man who is perfect for this job?
8 comments:
some poor dude losing a leg.... Powerful stuff. Here's some partially relevant information:
OK, so there is this new contraption on the market today which will help save many a poor dude from losing his leg. It's a portable hyperbaric chamber. I met the guy who developed it in the Shop'n Bag this past winter. It was funny because the man had a limp and I felt compelled to ask him what the problem was.Turns out he is an inventor. That kicked off a whole discussion about his latest invention which was showing a lot promise in the treatment of non-healing diabetic ulcers and such which sad to say often result in amputations. So I went home with the packet of info and sure enough, my mom knew this woman who the very next day was scheduled for an amputation up in HACKENSACK HOSPITAL. Hack-in-sack. Just in the niche of time the woman opts OUT of the amputation and goes for the HBC treatment and her leg is saved.
I have no idea who paid for any of this. I do know that I lost a friend once because he didn't have the insurance coverage to pay for a bone marrow transplant. Anyway, I wonder if under Obama's plan, would these kind of leg saving technology be available to the unemployed, low income, disabled or self employed?
well, one thing we know for sure is that under the current situation, those people are screwed. so logic follows that anything else should be an improvement. as for technology, has there been any bigger technological advancements bigger than the government-funded US military?
also, who would you rather sell your inventions to - companies looking to make profits, or the government, who is famous for paying $400 for a hammer? id say the incentive is still there for inventors et al.
Re: the poor protecting the rich
I think it was The West Wing's President Bartlett who once said that the problem with "the American Dream" is that everyone thinks they have a chance at it.
"That is the problem with the American dream: Everybody is waiting for the day when they become rich."
yes! as per usual, President Bartlet nails it.
Since I opted to stay at my current hourly rate which is perdiem (about 30 hours a week),
I had little choice but to pay for my own health insurance (BC/BS) for the past several years. As a single person, not including prescriptions, that comes to about 224. per month. Not a huge deal since I am working and had little debt. I think most people who are certainly NOT RICH, but paying for thier own insurance coverage, are probably disenchanted by the changes which will take place under government comtrolled Health care. I completely understand how people who have NOTHING who can't afford health care are feeling. It's a huge concern especially when there are illnesses and more than one family member involved.
and under "Obamacare" you can keep your current coverage if you choose. all the while, there would be another large entity competing with your healthcare comapny; should one day you decide that's a better deal, you can switch. if not, stay with what youre happy with. isnt that nice?
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