Election Upheavals a Referendum on Health Care Reform?
I promise you I won’t make this blog another political battleground, but I can’t pass up such a newsworthy day as yesterday. Exactly a year ago, the majority of Americans gleefully elevated the most liberal presidential candidate in our history to the nation’s highest office. President Obama’s most passion-driven objective of his first year has been the complete reformation of the country’s health care system. During this past year, that issue has been the most polarizing issue of his presidency. Through all of the points and counter points from government officials to media pundits to opinion polls to town hall meetings, it was still difficult to determine where the nation stands on its acceptance of the President’s leadership in this area–until yesterday.
Now some are already cautioning that what happened yesterday should not be viewed as a referendum on the Obama presidency, especially his health care vision. I disagree. Just in the New Jersey gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie’s win over Jon Corzine was in spite of Corzine’s millions more in campaign spending and the active role of the president in Corzine’s campaign. Plus, New Jersey is a strong blue state which gave President Obama a landslide victory last year.
In Virginia, Republican Bob McDonnell won the governor’s race handily over Creigh Deeds. Although not receiving much media attention, the Republican routing of three other state office candidates and the loss of several Democratic legislature seats were also game changing for the state.
I think we saw yesterday the results of a shifting of attitude across America. Just one short year after saying they wanted change, the people are shouting back, “Not this much change and not this fast!” We are still a capitalist nation that cherishes its freedom above all else. We are nowhere near ready to accept a slippery slide toward socialism and an out-of-control national debt that our children and grandchildren will be sacked with. New Jerseyites and Virginians represented the rest of the nation in making that statement loud and clear yesterday. May the rest of us follow their lead next November.
The health care battle is not over. It is a tough issue. Those who think government run health care is destined to prevail may want to take a sober look at yesterday. Congressional Democrats may want to listen a little more closely to what their constituents are saying and empathize a little more with what they are feeling. I am not making a partisan statement–just a statement of reality. Our health care desperately needs reform. That reform needs to be focused on cost reduction, tort revision, and greater access to other options for insurance and medical practices. Keep telling your government leaders what you want. They may be listening with a little more interest today.