10
Sep
2009
Healthcare: Table & Floor
The most important health care reform question remained unanswered by the president’s speech last night, and by his reprise this morning at a second nurses association meeting: no one knows how he plans to pay for his health care reform effort. But at least we know he plans for it not to add a cent to the deficit.
Wait. We’d heard that before.
Representative Joe Wilson’s outburst was the only new and original content to an otherwise warmed over presidential address. Mr. Obama tossed a bone to Republicans in taking administrative action toward tort reform; and he threw another to the left wing of his party by not pulling the public option off of the table.
At the end of the night - and an unnecessarily long speech - the president may have earned a bump in the polls that’s not likely to last, but little more. Without telling the chamber how he wants the plan paid for, he left the most important detail on the floor to be kicked around by warring factions while putting all his energy into discussing the items on the table.