Hugs or Hammers?

You can’t love on someone with a hammer.

No, this is not a weird addition to the smacking debate, I am simply commenting on President Obama’s current tactics in the healthcare debate. At one point an understanding of a sorts had been reached with the health insurers lobby. The insurance companies accepted that health care needed to change, but wanted to ensure that their businesses remained profitable. Obama was looking to bring another 20 million customers into the insurance business. That is clearly a good thing. But loading the dice with a tax-payer subsidised state insurance scheme was obviously not. There was some sympathy and acceptance of the idea that a not-for-profit private scheme was less likely to be abused by successive governments. Obama was close to getting the insurance companies, who greatly contributed to the sinking of Clinton’s bill, not only on board, but almost enthusiastic.

Then he blew it.

As opposition has grown to the bill, so Obama has defaulted to the position of so many governments before him, particularly democrat ones. He, and his fellow democrats, have started to demonise his main opposition. Nancy Pelosi, in particular, has been denouncing the health insurance companies as the main reason why health care is in such a mess, accusing them of greedy profit-taking. Presumably, they hope that this will turn the debate away from the enormous costs of the bill and the most obvious flaw in the plan – that the proposed increased taxes on the wealthy will be nowhere near enough to fund it. Middle America is eyeing the cost nervously, knowing that they are next in line for a fleecing, if fleecing the rich is insufficient.

Unfortunately, for Obama, while it is all very well to have a scapegoat, it is not sensible to try and make the one group you have to have on your side your whipping boy. As the NY Times comments:

“The tough talk, however, has risks. The industry trade group, America’s Health Insurance Plans, is urging members to confront Democrats at public meetings, and the rising tensions could make it difficult for the president to keep insurers at the negotiating table.”

None of this is terribly surprising, of course. The clear tenor of Obama’s presidency so far is one of polarisation, rather than consensus. It is this lack of willingness to reach agreement with his political foes (in marked contrast to his foreign dealings) that will eventually kill the healthcare bill. Obama will have to make up his mind – will it be hugs or hammers?

Or the 47 million uninsured Americans (if it is, indeed, that many) are likely to remain just so. Uninsured.

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