Political Theatre

Later this fall President Barack Obama will participate in the most anticipated event of the year, the signing of an historic and hard fought bill purported to reform Health Care in this country. Because of the sheer complexity, the required political capital, and lack of political will, health reform has eluded Presidents for nearly a half century. Surrounded by members of Congress, and most likely the widow of the late Senator Edward Kennedy, the historic bill will be penned. As I see it, this bill is already a fait accompli. The Health Care bill that President Obama will sign, will resemble in large part the parameters outlined by his speech before the Joint Session of Congress, and as such it will be hailed as a major victory. Yet for most of the summer, this bill and with it, the center piece of President Obama’s domestic policy – and change agenda lay in the balance. It laid there simply because it had to. Although it is not revolutionary to discuss the influence of special interest as it relates to the legislative process, it is very eye opening to see it play out in real time. Under the glare of the 24 hour news cycles, on line blogs, and battling electronic news outlets, we were able to peek behind the curtain in see the good, the bad, and the ugly.


Legislation produced by Congress, and signed by the President, is the process in which our elected government officials make laws to reflect both the will, and the needs of the people. Yet as this health care debate has played itself out this summer, it is clear the will and needs of special interests were being served first. For all practical purposes the doling out of wins and losses started long before Barack Obama was elected. For example, the Washington Post reported campaign contributions from the insurance industry began pouring in to Senate Finance Chairman Max Baucus coffers as early as 2007 when he began committee hearings on Health Care. As the process begun to unfold, more winners and losers were clamoring for a piece of the pie. Legislation in the modern American political system has become purely a function of who has the most money - and how close is the next election cycle. What can money do? It may compromise or co-opt politicians, underwrite the funding of “citizen groups”, buy ad time, and serve as a tool for fund raising. The use of the media to serve as de facto press agents for both sides has been a boon for media outlets on both the left and the right. This is our democracy at work. The bigger the legislation, the bigger the price tag. The bigger the legislation, the longer it takes to meander through Congress for a Presidential signature. Therefore as this bill snaked its way through Congress gaining the imprimatur of several committees, health care became the gift that kept giving, and giving. The amusing and frightening aspect of this drama is that what makes this system work is that all parties to it understand the game. In short, what “we the people” have been watching play out is no more than well orchestrated political theater.


At the end of the day there are only two numbers that have true meaning in this debate, 1994 and 2010. Both parties remember the failed Clinton heath care effort which in part led to a GOP revival in the 1994 off year election. Make no doubt that the Obama Administration has reminded his party members of that ugly election cycle early and often. To double down on his path to victory, President Obama started this process by reaching out to the GOP, cutting covert deals with the Pharmaceutical industry, raising the specter of tort reform and finally by floated numerous trial balloons that caused significant angst for both the left and the right. As a result of the Obama political two step, many on the left saw aspects of this bill as nothing short of betrayal, the right vilified the bill as a socialistic precursor for a single payer system. As for the Republicans, they don’t have a unifying elected leader in the mode of Newt Gingrich, thus creating a void filled by outliers like Rush Limbaugh, and Glen Beck. Beck and Limbaugh, both polarizing figures, whose long term impact may have a deleterious effect on the Republican Part although in the short run, they are key cogs in the Republican fear mongering strategy. No one really harbors any real illusion that the Republicans can derail health care, but through the noise, and vitriol of the summer they are forming the basis for their 2010 narrative. In this theater both parties are clear this bill will rise or fall on the backs of the Democrats. And the intraparty struggle within the ranks of the Democratic Party has provided the greatest drama in this political passion play. Yet in the end, the Obama administration has made it clear that he wants a bill, any bill – with the specter of 1994 over their heads, President Obama will get a bill. And in doing, so President Obama will bring closure to this summer’s play.