The Triangle

Issue date: 8/28/09 Section: Ed-Op

Media Credit: Olivier Douliery Abaca Press/MCT Campus

I recently heard that we're going to be out of a recession by fiscal quarter three. Just last Friday Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke announced "that the nation's economy was 'leveling out' and that the recession was ending" according to New York Times columnist Edmund L. Andrews. Despite such positive talks, we can't deny that public support for the Obama party is waning. A poll released by the Pew Research last week reported "that just 49 percent of respondents have a favorable view of the Democrats, compared with the 62 percent in January and 59 percent in April" Eugene Robinson, from the Washington Post, wrote.

Many factors play into this and it is not all that serious since public polls can be volatile. However, the Obama administration's recent backing away from a public health-insurance option- a campaign promise that placed the Democrats of our country under his spell, has culminated into much debate over the past few weeks. Instead of a public-option, the White House "facing increasing skepticism over President Obama's call for a public insurance plan to compete with the private sector … would consider a proposal for a nonprofit health cooperative," according to New York Times columnist Sheryl Gay Stolberg.

The liberal democrats are obviously stunned by this change in events. However, Obama had his reasons - most of which he spurred into heated discussions at town-hall-style meetings across the country this month. First off, this will ease the private health care companies worried about the dangers of the almighty government competitor. Additionally this could punch a hole in the Republican concerns about a "government takeover."

The Republicans possess good arguments against the public plan. Stolberg said they fear that it would "invariably drive private insurers out of business and prompt employers to drop private coverage." This will than cause an influx of once insured people onto a governmental plan. To avoid such a vicious cycle has kept the Republicans at bay with such a plan.

But the person taking most of the heat from these talks is Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. During a recent CNN interview she said "that the president's main concern was to promote competition with the private sector," when asked whether an alternative to a public option was propagated. In a recent Wall Street Journal article, "leaders of the Congressional Progressive Caucus and Congressional Black Caucus sent her a letter" in protest saying "we stand in strong opposition to your statement that the public option is 'not the essential element' of comprehensive reform.'"

Continued...

Page 1 of 2 next >

Article Tools