An Internet hub for moderates, centrists, and independents, with domestic and international news, analysis, original reporting, and popular features from the left, center, and right

« President Obama Speaks to Students

How I Got So Smart »

‘Can Obama’s Big Speech Really Turn Public Opinion Around?’

Posted by MARK DANIELS in Health, Politics.
Sep 8th, 2009 | Comments

That’s the topic of historian George C. Edwards III’s blog post over at History News Network.

Looking at presidents noted for their persuasive powers and legislative achievements, Edwards concludes that “the power to persuade” may be a bit overstated. I think that he’s right.

Presidents (and other political actors) can persuade only as much as the moment allows. They can exploit and they can nudge, but they can’t create consensus out of whole cloth. Woodrow Wilson and Jimmy Carter, for example, both learned this.

Abraham Lincoln admitted to having been controlled by events. But, in spite of the seeming fatalism of that admission, Lincoln is remembered, rightly, as a great and decisive president. The point is that he understood his moment.

Even without achieving their most cherished of personal goals–as was the case with Ronald Reagan, presidents can achieve great things if they have the vision not to see ahead, but to see their worlds as they are during their times in office.

The bottom line for me is this: President Obama’s health care speech tomorrow night may clarify some things; but it will have little to do with what I expect will be the ultimate outcome, congressional passage of a new health care plan. Passage will happen because, the polling suggests, Americans are ready for some of the individual components of the plan. It’s a ripe historical moment and Obama seems to understand that.

[This has been crossposted on my personal blog.]

Ads by Project Wonderful! Your ad here, right now: $0

JeffersonDavis

Like most Americans, I have mixed feelings about healthcare reform.
On one hand, I want inexpensive, dependable, and flexible healthcare that will be there no matter what.
On the other hand, I want government out of my life to every extent possible.

Government is not efficient at providing services and will end up rationing care with a shortage of doctors and little innovation. Corporations are great at maximizing profits, but couldn't give a darn about my well-being and make more money with every hoop they can make me jump through.

What's the solution?

Could something as simple as regulation of insurance, healthcare, and pharmaceutical industries do the trick? I don't know.

Obama has his hands full on this one. To overcome those feelings (felt by most Americans) will take more than a prime-time speech. I have to agree with Mark that the moment may be here on that point. But Congress still has battles to wage. The redstate democratic senators and representatives are getting a lot of flack in the healthcare issue. I disagree with Mark that healthcare will be passed as is. The only real possibility lies in the Senate - where some bypartisan effort has been made. The House doesn't have a chance unless they go "nuclear" with 51 votes.

epiphyte

I think it's just possible that we're going to see a game-changing move from Obama tonight. His habit of going quiet for a while and allowing his opponents to play out their whole game against only token opposition, then coming back at them from a wholly undefended angle, ought to be familiar by now. He's at his absolute best when that attack has the obvious ring of truth.

Gibbs made an offhand comment yesterday to the effect that The Whitehouse hadn't seen Baucaus' latest plan, but that he knew it had been all around K street. I think, (well hope, really) that they may be about to redeclare the corporate lobby as the enemy, and cut it's most shameless congressional supporters off at the knees.

Silhouette

"Can Obama's Big Speech Really Turn Public Opinion Around?"You mean the 15-30% who are opposed to the public option? Does it matter if he can turn that around? Last time I checked, elected officials are supposed to represent the pressing desires of their base. It's called a democracy where majority rules. You may have heard of it? The GOP and their 15-30% army of loyalty zombies have a very hard time wrapping their noggins around the concept of democracy when they no longer are in the majority. I think they always thought of our nation as a captive to their agendas and the lack of the internet allowed them to manipulate the perception that what they were up to was a good thing. Now that the cat's out of the bag, their numbers are falling and suddenly the majority ruling is an "evil" thing. Can't have it both ways unfortunately.

Will Obama's speech matter? Does it matter? He's preaching to the choir... Can you for the life of you imagine anyone who wouldn't want to revamp the current ER-option to the uninsured and make it streamlined, efficient and affordable for anyone who wants access to care 24/7 without the threat of losing their retirement or homes? I think the 15-30% represents roughly the same numbers of population samples you could find clinical insanity in..

DLS

I'll ignore Silhouette's latest substantial divergence from reality and address the speech: Will it pull Obama and his own reputation, as well as the health care effort and the reputation of the Dems, out of its current nose dive? Damage control and recovery (including that which clarification, at least, would bring) is long overdue. Hopefully they won't mistake the intelligent public again for their dim-wit faithful few, and appeal to emotion, call the insurers and other corporate interests the evil enemy, and invent other bogus, worthless excuses for their own increasingly-repellent failures.

DLS

Jefferson Davis: The problem as described here in Detroit metro is the same everywhere. Everyone you will encounter, as well as yourself, is dissatisfied with the way things are, and really would like reforms. The problem is that while we're dissatisfied with how things are now, we fear being made worse off with what the unwise people in Washington, and their activist camp-fringe slum dwellers, want for us instead. That's why everyone you're likely to talk to or to overhear is angry about their insurance situation, but fears being made worse off by Washington, especially with a combination of clowns and extremists that the Dems are increasingly demonstrating and revealing themselves to be. That's the problem currently.

blog comments powered by Disqus