Former President Barack Obama resurfaced Sunday night to say in a speech that it takes “political courage” to save the Affordable Care Act and not a lot of courage to do things to please the rich, powerful and influential. His comments came in a speech in Boston at the John F. Kennedy Library where he accepted the Kennedy Library’s Profiles in Courage award on what would have been JFK’s 100th birthday.
The timing of his accepting the award could not be more notable after the Republican House repealed “Obamacare” and replaced it with a bill most experts and analysts consider draconian at best — one of the few examples in American history of politicians taking away a benefit. The bill must now go to the Senate where it’s likely to be revised or rewritten by Senate Republicans. Obama had some comments for Congress:”I hope they understand that courage means not simply doing what’s politically expedient, but doing what, deep in our hearts, we know is right.” And, once again, that came within the context of many Republican House members not being totally happy with their vote but figuring a)they had to keep a promise to their conservative base b)they figured the Senate could change the draconian bill passed with major input from the conservative “Freedom Caucus.”
Obama also repeated what he has suggested now several times: he is not going to simply vanish from the national political scene: “I expect to be busy, if not with a second career, at least a second act,” Obama said, promising more involvement.
And:
Citing those who lost their seats after voting for the healthcare law in 2010, Obama described his “fervent hope” that current members “recognize it takes little courage to aid those who are already powerful, already comfortable, already influential — but it takes some courage to champion the vulnerable and the sick and the infirm, those who often have no access to the corridors of power.”
Obama avoided any explicit comments about Trump, though he also made a passing mention of immigration reform, praising “Dreamers,” as the children brought undocumented by their parents to America whom he protected from deportation via executive orders while in office, “who push down their fears to keep working and striving in the only country they’ve ever called home.”And lamenting politics “filled with division and discord,” Obama said, “everywhere, we see the risk of falling into the refuge of tribe and, and anger at those who don’t look like us or have the same surnames, or pray like we do.
Like many Democrats, Obama found his own understanding of American politics challenged by Trump’s election, and continues to oppose the path that the new president is taking, demanding to see it as a hiccup rather than a new reality. He delivered the political but non-partisan call to action that he’s trying to thread, tying that to the spirit of Kennedy, calling the current environment a turning point in world history that demands the courage that the award is meant to recognize.
“At such moments, we need courage to stand up to hate — not just in others, but in ourselves,” Obama said. “At such moments, we need courage to believe that together, we can tackle big challenges like inequality and climate change.”
You also have to wonder how Obama really feels being used as a punching bag almost every day by Trump, Fox News, GOPers in Congress and top rated conservative talkers such as Sean Hackety Hannity. He has indeed proven himself to be “No Drama Obama,” however, perhaps Obama is shifting to an unadmitted “don’t get mad, get even” strategy response to Trump’s election.
He has already indicated he may help with some organizing, may help coach up and coming young Democrats, and plans to work to battle gerrymandering. Prediction: the efforts of this still-relatively-young ex-President will likely be put into change the political dynamics and not engaging in political polemics.
Here’s a video of his full speech:
Joe Gandelman is a former fulltime journalist who freelanced in India, Spain, Bangladesh and Cypress writing for publications such as the Christian Science Monitor and Newsweek. He also did radio reports from Madrid for NPR’s All Things Considered. He has worked on two U.S. newspapers and quit the news biz in 1990 to go into entertainment. He also has written for The Week and several online publications, did a column for Cagle Cartoons Syndicate and has appeared on CNN.