When you’re driving and you go the wrong way, do you make a U-turn or do you keep going, waiting for your GPS as it promises, “Getting new route…”? The answer to this question is important, because in Washington, the U-turn is viewed as a “lose” wasting days, hours, even years and dollar after dollar after dollar.
As Obama goes full throttle in promoting, preaching and pushing for immigration reform, even as we stumble, struggle and plod through Obamacare, it’s time for citizens to advocate the splendid moral superiority and strength of character shown in the ability to make a U-turn.
In our private lives, we preach U-turns all the time, apologizing and doing better, taking steps to prevent making the same mistake in the future, even taking our hits for our missteps. But not our leaders. For them the U-turn is a most dreadful term, admitting error, admitting responsibility and ultimately admitting flawed reasoning.
Obamacare is a Presidential “WIN” because he enacted healthcare legislation but for most Americans, the reality is that the Obamacare passed is not the Obamacare promised. This is not a “doomsday” assessment, this is reality. And if the President had used the U-turn instead of belligerently going forward for the win at all costs, I believe our country would be in a better situation financially moving forward.
This does NOT mean repeal, it means avoid future missteps by considering the U-turn, by recognizing that going forward at all costs may give an individual like the President a “WIN” but leaves everyone else footing the bill for that win.
If the President was honest, he would acknowledge that while he takes credit for healthcare reform that it is not the healthcare reform promised, supported and advocated by those who put him in office.
As preserved on YouTube if you search for Obama’s Healthcare Address in Iowa City May 29, 2007…Go to minute 2:19:
“Today I want to lay out the details of that plan. It’s a plan that not only guarantees coverage for every American but also brings down the cost of healthcare and reduces every family’s premiums by as much as $2,500.”
None of these promises was kept, and under the PPACA as it is now none of them can ever be kept. So why is Obamacare a WIN? Because the President wanted something about healthcare reform passed for his resume, to heck with the details.
More importantly, the President and others might have recognized that meaningful healthcare reform, "meaningful" meaning healthcare reform as promised could, not yet be achieved and might have addressed one part of his “promise.” But there was no U-turn for Obama, his ego wouldn't allow it. It matters little what obstacle was placed in the way of keeping those promises whether financial, Congressional or otherwise, once those obstacles were evident there was ample opportunity for a U-turn at every step before enacting legislation that failed to keep a single promise.
As we begin to be sold on immigration reform, the lessons of Obamacare are critical. Listen to what’s being promised, decide whether what’s being proposed works towards that promise or else notify your Congress representatives…”NOT YET.” For the President, he cares little what the ultimate "reform" looks like, he simply wants to say he achieved "reform," much as in healthcare. For Americans, we live with it.
