I'll freely admit, I love the movie "The American President." Huge fan. Any time it is on television, I will drop what I am doing and watch.
The above screen grab is from the climactic moment in the movie. Facing trouble on multiple fronts, President Andrew Shepherd (portrayed deftly by Michael Douglas) cuts a deal on climate change in exchange for passage of a watered down "crime bill." This crime bill was, oddly enough, the centerpiece of his campaign for President.
After a night of reflection, and quite the row with his lobbyist girlfriend (who scared Capitol Hill for months, outlining how Shepherd would pass an environmental deal with teeth, only to be screwed by Shepherd's deal), Shepherd took to the podium in the White House Briefing Room the next morning and delivered a memorable speech. To quote in part:
Tomorrow morning the White House is sending a bill to Congress for it's consideration. It's White House Resolution 455, an energy bill requiring a twenty percent reduction of the emission of fossil fuels over the next ten years. It is by far the most aggressive stride ever taken in the fight to reverse the effects of global warming. The other piece of legislation is the crime bill. As of today, it no longer exists. I'm throwing it out. I'm throwing it out and writing a law that makes sense. You cannot address crime prevention without getting rid of assault weapons and hand guns. I consider them a threat to national security, and I will go door to door if I have to, but I'm gonna convince Americans that I'm right, and I'm gonna get the guns.Obama needs a moment like this, if he is A) Going to pass meaningful healthcare reform, and B) Keep the support of those who worked so hard for his election. He needs to throw this current healthcare bill out, and start over. This time, he needs to go door-to-door if he has to, to convince the American people why we need meaningful healthcare reform, and why we need a robust public option. This is what he should have done in August, when all the American people saw were images from townhall meetings, with angry individuals railing away at a system they could not comprehend enough to fear.
Absent this, to quote again from "The American President," he may have a bigger problem: He may have lost my vote.
