This Bloomberg story suggests that in order to get health-care reform through Congress, President Obama needs to create a sense of crisis comparable to the economic fears that preceded passage of his (de-)stimulus package in February.
Facing polls showing a drop in his approval, diminished support from independents, factions within his Democratic Party and a united Republican opposition, Obama must recapture the sense of urgency that led to passage of the economic rescue package in February, analysts said.
?At the moment, except for the people without insurance, we?re not in a health-care crisis,? said Stephen Wayne, a professor of government at Georgetown University in Washington. ?You do need a crisis to generate movement in Congress and to help build a consensus.?
Once again, we’re reminded of Rahm Emanuel’s (increasingly) immortal words about never letting a crisis go to waste. And if there is no genuine crisis, Obama and company will manufacturer one.
My only question: can this administration do anything without using the “crisis” catalyst?
In fairness, the issue does cut both ways. President Bush used the terrorist threat as a means of usurping civil liberties, particularly through the various functions of the Patriot Act. With the unprecedented number of power-grabs over the last eight months, however, it’s clear that the current administration has far more wide-reaching purposes in mind — namely, changing the fundamentals of our economy.
