TheNextReport

America's Uncivil War As the debate over health care reform appears to reach the home stretch, one wonders how historians will look back on what has proven to be a sordid chapter in American political life. There were news reports the other day that Rick Perry, the Texas Republican governor, was so incensed at the prospect of a government-run health care option that he mentioned the possibility of having the country's second largest state secede from the union. Political grandstanding aside, the governor's remark has reminded us of a sobering truth: nearly 150 years after the end of the war between the states, America is still fighting the same old battles - and some are now being fought by the elderly. The bizarre spectacle of the town hall meetings this summer where angry, aging, right-wing activists railed against the health care reform plan of nation's first African-American president was a telling piece of political theater. We live in a country where pensions hav...

The GOP on Fantasy Island After last night's health care speech by President Obama to a joint session of Congress there could be little doubt: Barak Obama is a man for all seasons. I was prepared to roll out the cannons and take aim at an administration that has essentially allowed right-wing hooligans to define the debate on health care for the entire nation. At the end of what was certainly one of the most moving speeches of his presidency, Mr. Obama had managed to solidify his base, keep an open door to bi-partisanship, and leave even his ideological enemies somewhat in awe. One enemy clearly not in awe was the South Carolina congressman Joe Wilson who blatantly broke the traditions of congressional decorum by yelling at the president, calling him a liar in the middle of his speech. The contrast between the calm intelligence of Obama and the maniacal behavior of the representative was stark and will surely be the subject of national discussion in the coming days. There is little...

Plugging a Leaking Waterloo It didn’t take long. In spite of ascending to office on a wave of public sentiment and hope, in spite of surrounding himself with a cadre of experts, in spite of being one of the most intelligent men to ever inhabit the White House, Barack Obama may be proving himself to be a political neophyte. Over the weekend, the White House dropped some clear hints that the government-run health care proposal known as the "public option" would not be considered mandatory for an Obama signature on a health care bill. The statements ignited a political firestorm within the Democratic party. It is a conflagration that should have been anticipated. Coming on the heels of a series of shameful distortions by the very Republican leaders the White House had been carefully cultivating for a bi-partisan agreement, the apparent policy shift had the hallmarks of a bona fide political disaster. Rather than boldly and unequivocally backing up what was widely considered to ...

Disruptive Arguments: Congressional representatives holding town hall meetings have begun to employ a good tactic in response to disruptive audience members who rant against President Obama's health care reform plan as "socialized medicine." Supporters of the president's plan ask the disruptors if they have Medicare and invariably a large number of people raise their hands. The hands quickly drop when the attendees are asked how many would be willing to give up their Medicare. The simple fact that Medicare is socialized medicine is lost on these participants, as it is on the Republican members of Congress who know that it would be political suicide for them to declare themselves against the popular medical care program for the elderly. It is clear that such blatant hypocrisy doesn't register with the disruptors; they are either hired political functionaries, rabid ideologues or are simply tragically uneducated. In spite of this, the noise makers seem to be having ...

Health Care: Your Money or Your Life Having lived in France, where health care for all citizens is viewed as a fundamental human right, I have been witnessing the debate over health care reform in the U.S. with a mixture excitement and horror. It seems that at the very least, the United States - which is ceaselessly referred to as "the greatest country on the face of the earth" by its politicians - may finally bring a measure of control to the health insurance industry and its obscene practice of making profits through manipulation of human suffering. One would hope that the White House and the Democrats in Congress would finally stop pulling their punches in their drive to secure bi-partisan legislation. One might expect that with the publication of information detailing health insurance industry profits Americans would finally recognize the current system for what it is: a publicly sanctioned form of racketeering. Over the last several years, CEOs at the top health insuranc...

Human Need, Human Greed One must be careful of brain damage while watching cable news. I tuned in recently to watch the daily coverage of the health care drama. There was Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi presenting a woman who told a harrowing story about how she got cancer and how she went bankrupt after her insurance company refused to cover treatment. After five minutes they broke for commercials from Tax Masters, Binder and Binder, three pharmaceutical companies, and that idiot who sings for Free Credit Report dot com. That American society as a whole seems at times to be rather ill is evident in the health care reform debate. One has to marvel at the degree to which Americans are willing to be smacked down by the inequities of the system in order to pop back up and ask for more. Polls indicate that much of middle America is beginning to turn away from its initial support of the Obama health care plan after buying into the argument from the Republican Party that the plan will resu...

President Obama's Plan for Health Care: Time to Attack The news reports today say that support for the president's health care initiative is starting to slip. The "curve is trending downward." With millions of dollars of lobbyist greenbacks flooding into Washington, some commentators are already saying Obama-care could be in mortal danger. After weeks of fruitlessly trying to forge an agreement with Republicans, the White House finally appears to have realized that it must mount an all-out assault to combat those who are trying to sell the argument that health care reform will be too expensive. The country must not be led to believe that it can't afford to have health care reform. It must be led to believe that it can't afford not to. Here's what you must do Mr. President: Continue to make personal appeals in the media, outlining carefully and simply how the costs of the program will be worth the expense to the nation. Get away from being the lone voice a...