The president shows up

By: Jennifer Foster | Opelika Auburn News
Published: September 10, 2009 | 0 Comments | Post a Comment

I was at church tonight when the president gave his health care speech to lawmakers, so I just caught up ... thanks to the wonders of C-SPAN.

Y'all, that was a great speech.

I'll have more to say about it in my column this weekend, but suffice it to say that the president included something for Americans of all political stripes. For Democrats, he redoubled his efforts to reform the health care system and finally addressed opponents head on. For Republicans, the president was finally prescriptive enough (to borrow that word from White House aides last week) that he can be held accountable if the proposal isn't implemented as he promised.

I was incredibly disappointed with the Republican response. As I said on my Twitter feed, it is inconceivable to me why the GOP believes an adequate response to a charismatic, focused president consists of an obscure, unknown doctor/congressman from Louisiana discussing a bill that is no longer in play. Rep. James Boustany (R-La.) still made reference to "government-run health care" even after Obama had driven a stake through the heart of the public option nearly an hour before. It was as if GOP speechwriters didn't even read the advance remarks made available before the speech. It is no wonder that they're struggling for traction.

I would have liked to have seen them follow the president with a positive message, something that would have built on the areas of consensus the president described: An acknowledgement that he has come off of the public option, that he is committing to some specific provisions with regard to insurance reform and that he made a firm pledge not to sign a plan that adds to the deficit. Sure, we can haggle over about how it should be paid for. But if the GOP is going to crow about fiscal responsibility and controlling the deficit, it's disingenuous not to acknowledge the president's commitment on those points.

I guess the reason their response was so lacking is because the GOP just doesn't have anyone with credibility among independents on the national stage right now. Jeb Bush ... are you listening?

Back to the president: His speech, and this new direction, is exactly what this country needed on this issue.

Now, let's see if Congress is smart enough to follow suit.

Look for my column this weekend for more.