Legal Commentary

To Ignite Obama's Movement, Make Health Care Reform About Obama

By Big Tent Democrat

The Obama Movement was never really about issues. His campaign was personality centric, it was about him. This is why the Obama grass roots has been incredibly disappointing on health care. His supporters have not seen this is as being about Obama - that failure on health care reform will be a supreme failure by Obama. Some Obama folks, like Ezra Klein and Matt Yglesias, have forwarded the line that a President can't get it done in order to deflect the blame from Obama. This is not only wrong, it is counterproductive to actually getting health care reform done. The reality is not only is the success or failure of health care reform on Obama, to succeed, Obama needs it to be seen as being on Obama. Today the New York Times reports:

Mr. Obama engendered such passion last year that his allies believed they were on the verge of creating a movement that could be mobilized again. But if a week’s worth of events are any measure here in Iowa, it may not be so easy to reignite the machine that overwhelmed Republicans a year ago. More than a dozen campaign volunteers, precinct captains and team leaders from all corners of Iowa, who dedicated a large share of their time in 2007 and 2008 to Mr. Obama, said in interviews this week that they supported the president completely but were taking a break from politics and were not active members of Organizing for America.

(Emphasis supplied.) For these folks, it was about Obama, not the issues. To get them reengaged (indeed, to get the Media back on his side), Obama needs to make health care reform about Obama.

Speaking for me only

Full post as published by TalkLeft on August 15, 2009 (boomark / email).