Obama: Health Bill About Nation's Character, Not Cost
President Obama speaks Friday about health care at George Mason University in Fairfax, Va. (Charles Dharapak / AP)
President Obama held a big rally Friday just outside Washington, hoping to persuade the last few wavering lawmakers he needs to vote "yes" on the overhaul bill, with a historic House vote just days away.
"I know this has been a difficult journey. I know this will be a tough vote," Obama told thousands of supporters inside a college basketball arena in Fairfax, Va. "I know that everybody's counting votes right now in Washington."
Obama complained that many of the political media have covered the health care debate as if it were a sporting event. But he quoted from one his most sporting predecessors, Teddy Roosevelt, who said, "Aggressive fighting for the right is the noblest sport the world affords."
Obama and leading Democrats in Congress have fought aggressively to pass their version of a health care bill, using both persuasion and procedure in an effort to overcome stiff Republican opposition. Democrats' procedural moves have angered some opponents of the health care plan.
Opposition To Plan
"I think the Democrat majority will do anything to get it passed," Gina Ryan of Great Falls, Va., complained. "So I think that they're going to drag it across the finish line, however ugly it may be."
Ryan, who joined other protesters outside the arena, warned that the country can't afford to extend health insurance to an additional 30 million people. She said she is angered by the bill's requirement that virtually everyone buy insurance.
"My husband is in the Navy. So we're in sort of a socialized medicine setting right now. And I wait a long time to get specialty care," she said. "I think that's what's coming to this country if we let this thing go through."
Inside the arena, Obama sought to dispel what he called "crazy" objections to the bill: that it's a government takeover of health care, or that bureaucrats would "kill Granny." Many of those objections are still being leveled by opponents. But Obama insisted what he is talking about is "common-sense reform."
He acknowledged that extending health care coverage to virtually all Americans would cost money — an estimated $940 billion over the next decade. But he said the bill includes sources of money to pay for that coverage. Obama also touted a finding by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office that the measure would actually cut the deficit by more than $1 trillion over the next two decades.
"Unlike some of these previous schemes in Washington, we're not taking out the credit card in your name, young people, and charging it to you," he said. "We're making sure this thing is paid for."
Obama argued that the health care debate is not just about costs but also about the character of the country.
Optimism On Measure
Retiree Jackie Thornbrough, who came to the rally from Herndon, Va., agreed.
"In the United States, people ought to be guaranteed they can have insurance," she said. "And they can get the health care they need. People shouldn't be going without."
After a year of watching the health care battle, through ups and downs, missed deadlines and near-fatal setbacks, Thornbrough is cautiously optimistic that a final "yes" vote is at hand.
"I'm hopeful," she said. "I think that President Obama can do that. He'll be able to convince them enough, and it has to happen."
After urging his followers to keep talking to their friends and neighbors about health care, Obama headed back over the river to Washington, to do some final lobbying of his own. He'll meet with Democratic members of Congress at the White House on Saturday.
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MELISSA BLOCK, Host:
From NPR News, this is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED. I'm Melissa Block.
ROBERT SIEGEL, Host:
And I'm Robert Siegel.
With a historic House vote on health care just days away, President Obama held a big rally today right outside Washington. He's hoping to persuade a few more wavering lawmakers to vote yes on the bill. His argument to them and to anyone else who will listen is the country can't afford not to fix its costly health care system.
NPR's Scott Horsley reports.
SCOTT HORSLEY: Four times in the last two weeks, President Obama has traveled outside the Beltway to rally public support for his health care plan. Today, with Congress on the verge of a vote, he didn't go far, just over the Potomac River to Fairfax, Virginia, where thousands of supporters had gathered in a college basketball arena.
P: I know this has been a difficult journey. I know this will be a tough vote.
HORSLEY: Mr. Obama complained that political media has covered the health care debate as if it were a sporting event. But he borrowed a line from one of his most sporting predecessors that he had seen written on a plaque inside the White House.
P: And it was a quote from Teddy Roosevelt. The person who first called for health care reform, that Republican, all those years ago, and it said, aggressively fighting for the right is the noblest sport the world affords.
HORSLEY: Mr. Obama and leading Democrats in Congress have fought aggressively to pass their version of a health care bill. They've used both persuasion and procedure in an effort to overcome stiff Republican opposition. Democrats procedural moves have angered opponents of the health care plan. Gina Ryan of Great Falls, Virginia, was among those protesting outside the arena.
BLOCK: I think that the Democrat majority will do anything to get it passed. So I think that they're going to drag it across the finish line, however ugly it may be.
HORSLEY: Ryan warns the country can't afford to extend health insurance to another 30 million people. And she complains the bill would require people to buy insurance even if they don't want to.
BLOCK: My husband is in the Navy. So we're in sort of a socialized medicine setting right now. And I wait a long time to get specialty care. And that's what I think is coming to this country if we let this kind of thing go through.
HORSLEY: Inside the arena, the president sought to dispel what he called crazy objections to the bill: that it's a government takeover of health care, or that bureaucrats would kill granny. Many of those objections are still being leveled by opponents. But Mr. Obama insisted what he's talking about is commonsense reform.
He acknowledged extending health care coverage to virtually all Americans would cost money - an estimated $940 billion over the next decade. But he says the bill includes sources of money to pay for that coverage, and he touted a finding by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office that said the measure would actually cut the deficit by more than $1 trillion over the next two decades.
P: Unlike some of these previous schemes in Washington, we're not taking out the credit card in your name, young people, and charging it to you. We're making sure this thing is paid for.
HORSLEY: Mr. Obama said the health care debate isn't just about cost, it's also the character of the country. That idea resonates with supporter Jackie Thornbrough, who came to the rally from Herndon, Virginia.
BLOCK: In the United States, people ought to be able to be guaranteed that they can have insurance, and that they can get the health care they need. People shouldn't be going without.
HORSLEY: After a year of watching the health care battle, through ups and downs, missed deadlines and near-fatal setbacks, Thornbrough says she's cautiously optimistic that a final yes vote is at hand.
BLOCK: I'm hopeful. I think that President Obama can do that. I think he'll be able to convince them enough, and I think it has to happen.
HORSLEY: With a final push for his followers to keep talking to their friends and neighbors about health care, Mr. Obama headed back over the river to Washington, to do some final lobbying of his own. He'll meet with Democratic members of Congress tomorrow afternoon.
Scott Horsley, NPR News, Fairfax, Virginia. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright National Public Radio.
