In Search of Support, Obama Takes Aim at Seniors
As the oil spill in the Gulf continues to dominate national news, President Obama appears to have refocused his energy toward the defense of the recent healthcare reform bill. Although his quest to drum up support may not surprise most, considering midterm elections are on the horizon, it’s Obama’s target audience that has raised eyebrows.
With the elderly population being one of the most represented demographics in recent elections, Obama is hoping he can help seniors better understand the recent legislation that’s been dubbed far too complicated by the average American. As mentioned in The Washington Post this week (6/8, Perry Bacon, Jr. and Michael D. Shear), the Obama administration “is determined to take note of the more popular outcomes of its health-care overhaul, in part to remind voters… of the reasons that the president pushed so hard to pass it.”
In a televised town hall meeting on Tuesday, which was broadcast live on C-SPAN, Obama addressed the $250 rebate check that is intended to soften the impact of the “donut hole” that affects many Medicare eligible seniors. Obama also addressed scams that are typically directed at seniors. Speaking of the perpetrators, Obama said “We will find you. We will prosecute you. And we will ultimately prevent those crimes from happening ever again.”
While the president’s message to seniors may turn some skeptics into believers, it’s being lost on others. If Obama intends to extend his presidency beyond 2012, he and his administration must do a better job of explaining to the masses the far reaching impact of the recent legislation. Expect to see similar town hall meetings, and possibly even commercials and mainstream literature, come about as midterm elections draw closer. Until the average American can truly understand the reform bill, and find the benefits to be applicable, it would be safe to say that discord between political personalities and their constituents will only continue.
Read Bacon & Shear’s article for yourself! http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/06/08/AR2010060800872.html?hpid=topnews
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