Obama Health Proposal Will Stress Prevention, Sustainability

As Senator Barack Obama continues his three day visit to Iowa, holding a community meeting in Mason City to develop ideas and build support for his health care policy proposals.

 

"Every four years presidential candidates trot out their plans, then nothing happens," Obama said. "How do we build a movement for change so that when a president is elected there is actually a constituency and a consensus that is built so we can move the agenda through Congress?"

 

Widely praised as a consensus builder, Obama is eager to assemble a health policy that attracts bipartisan support.  The Senator is wisely involving as many stakeholders as possible in the process.  While he is not committed to any particular plan or formula, his proposal will likely include universal coverage while stressing prevention as a key to both cost savings and public health.

 

Obama's approach is forward thinking, and long overdue.  Poor eating habits and physical inactivity are some of the most costly, and preventable sources of illness and death in the country.   Childhood obesity and diabetes are on the rise.  Without a commitment to prevention, future generations will face grave health issues earlier in their life, placing enormous stress on a health care infastructure already bracing itself for aging and ailing baby boomers.

 

Obama dismissed criticism that universal health care would demand tax increases, stressing that improving efficiency will lead to better health care and lower costs.

"We shouldn't just put more money into a system that isn't efficient," he said.

UPDATE: Obama's Grassroots Efforts Match the Clinton Money Machine

Senator Barack Obama's campaign revealed today that it raised $25 million in the first quarter, including an astounding $23.5 million for use in the primary campaign. 

 

Obama's total fell a mere $1 million shy of Senator Hillary Clinton's $26 million, surprising many analysts who expected Senator Clinton, her efforts bolstered her husband's fundraising network, to raise substantially more than her opponents.

 

"This overwhelming response, in only a few short weeks, shows the hunger for a different kind of politics in this country and a belief at the grassroots level that Barack Obama can bring out the best in America to solve our problems," said Penny Pritzker, finance chair for Obama's campaign.

 

More than 100,000 people have contributed to the Obama campaign in less than three months.  Obama's total surpassed all of the Republican nominees.

 

Now that the campaign has silenced all doubts that he can compete with Hillary Clinton and her vast fundraising network, Senator Obama can continue to draw the nation's attention to critical issues neglected or mishandled by the Bush administration. 

Obama's Fundraising Efforts Set Him Apart

Pundits forecasting our nation's first billion dollar election may have to raise their estimates.

After a first quarter that left his rivals flush with cash, Senator Barack Obama is widely expected to release his first quarter fundraising results Wednesday. Speculation runs rampant that he will equal or top the $26 million reported by Hillary Clinton.

Clinton's record-breaking figure, further beefed up by a $10 million transfer from her Senate campaign fund, is a massive war chest, yet many believe that Barack Obama's community-based fundraising will put him in a position to meet or top Clinton's funding. Regardless of whether he ends up the top fundraiser, he leads his rivals in number of individual contributors with more than 82,000 donors and counting. These numbers suggest a widespread and growing base of support in these early weeks.

As candidates have scrambled for cash, Senator Obama has distinguished himself by offering thousands of young Americans the chance to participate in events with tickets priced as low as $25, a grassroots effort in sharp contrast to other candidates who may charge hundreds of dollars per event.

While other campaigns flaunted their fresh funding, the Obama campaign distinguished itself by holding back a few days, continuing to give the public its message of change and hope, rather than rush to deliver the press a bank statement.

Meanwhile, Senator Clinton, sitting atop $36 million in cash, continues to advocate for publicly financed federal campaigns.

"I believe we have to move, eventually in our country, toward a system of public financing that really works for candidates running for federal office. I will support that as president," she said recently.

How generous of you, Senator Clinton.

Dramatic Shift in Political Climate Strongly Favors Democrats

The tide is changing fast in U.S. politics.

A comprehensive twenty-year study by the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press shows that 50 percent of Americans now identify themselves as Democrats, while only 35 percent identify as Republicans. The figures have changed dramatically since 2002 when both parties were equal with 43 percent.

It's no surprise to see a change in opinion from the financially strapped, war-weary public, particularly as the Bush administration continues to melt down. Yet such a dramatic shift in sentiment in just five years demonstrates just how much momentum the Democrats have headed into the 2008 election.

The key findings of the report indicate that the public increasingly favors a social safety net, frowns upon assertive national security measures, and believes that the gap between rich and poor is out of control.

Media coverage of the report speculates whether this is the end of the conservative Republican era.

"This is the beginning of a Democratic opportunity," said Illinois Rep. Rahm Emanuel, chairman of the House Democratic Caucus. "The question is whether we blow it or not."

Clearly, the public is responding to the fact that Republicans have betrayed some of the key values of their party. Traditionally a party that prides itself on national defense, fiscal discipline, and Christian values, the Republicans have delivered years of failed foreign policy, budget-busting defense spending, and rampant corruption.

The iron is hot. The only question is whether Democratic leaders can strike effectively, delivering what the public wants--a government that is able and willing to act on the values that Americans cherish.

For Senator Barack Obama and other candidates, the challenge is clear: The public is ready for change and willing to listen. What do you have to say?