May 26, 2009
To my friends on the Left
Like most of you, I think President Obama is doing a great job. He seems to have a plan for economic recovery and national security. He’s implementing those plans in a disciplined way. Most of all, I’m gratified that President Obama has begun the painstaking work of restoring America’s image in the world. Nothing is more important to our country.
If Barack Obama were running for president again today, he would have my vote. But he hasn’t been perfect moveon.org kind of guy, has he?
One example? Obama has said we should only look forward and not look back on Cheney’s torture chamber. I think Cheney, John Yoo and others should be held to account.
On health care, I find myself largely in agreement with Obama’s reform principles. Having 47 million Americans without coverage, and families coping with ever-increasing health care costs isn’t right. But one of the president’s remedies — government-run insurance that competes with private-sector insurers — troubles me.
Sure, my firm, Capstrat, has worked for Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina for many years. But my view of health care is informed by our work for BCBSNC and many other wonderful health care clients.
Doing nothing on health care is not an option, but having the government compete with private-sector insurers inevitably will drive the private companies and community hospitals out of business. They won’t be able to compete with a powerful central government. Every American eventually would have a single option for health care — the federal government. Though many of my friends on the Left pine for single-payer, I don’t. I’d like to find some way to avoid that.
Now, some of my friends on the Left have been gleeful that some of our early-draft PR work for Blue Cross was leaked to the Washington Post. Liberal bloggers are outraged that as a big Obama campaign supporter, I would participate in any effort to question the president’s health reform agenda.
Let’s be honest: do you have to agree with the President on everything all the time? I love my wife, but we disagree about something nearly every day.
I hope that we pass health care reform this year. But we need to have an honest conversation about how best to do it.