President Obama issued an “emotional pitch for public support” of his health-care proposal in Philadelphia today, in a speech that “harked back to his ‘yes we can’ days,” the Times observed. Obama urged Democrats not to let political fears about potential consequences for the November election cloud the immediate vote for reform.
“How many people would like a proposal that holds insurance companies more accountable? How many people would like to give Americans the same insurance choices that members of Congress get? And how many would like a proposal that brings down costs for everyone? That’s our proposal.”
The president — who clearly just can’t get enough of the rhetorical questions — went on to challenge those who have said that voting for his proposal could result in a loss of the Democratic majority in Washington.
“What should I tell these Americans?” he said. “That Washington’s not sure how it will play in November? That we should walk away from this fight?”
Instead, Obama attempted to make the health-insurance industry the common enemy (a point so important, apparently, it could not be contained in a rhetorical question): “We can’t have a system that works better for the insurance companies than it does for the American people,” he stated.
