A Generational Moment and Truth Clarity
This afternoon I listened to about 30 minutes of the webcast of a conference call with President Obama. He was speaking to religious leaders, and had some pastors speak, one of which was our own OGMP, Rev. Sharon Watkins, and others that registered through a website. There were questions asked prior to the President joining the call, and the President spoke for about ten minutes.
Several striking observations that begin with the sponsors of the call. If you visit the Faith for Health website you can see all the sponsors for the call. Even though our GMP spoke the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) was not a sponsor of the call. DJAN (Disciples Justice Action Network) and DCPW (Disciples Center for Public Witness) were sponsors, but not our denomination. The UCC’s, and many, many other mainlines and others that would not be considered mainline were sponsors.
I’m not sure how the questions were chosen, but they were direct, and the person from the White House offering answers did a good job with facts. They did sound like the President’s stump speech on this topic, and what I have already heard on MSNBC and read on some of the websites I visit, Huffington Post, The Daily Beast, Daily Kos, but it takes repetition to get the message out.
The person hosting the call said there were “thousands on the call” which I found amazing given that I have some idea what these kinds of calls cost even when they are one way calls. Rev. Watkins spoke well, did not sound too scripted, and seemed to finish quickly. Her’s was a kind of stump speech as well. She called this health care argument a ‘generational moment.’ That was well said, but in a sound bite world will not be expanded upon.
To paraphrase my friend David Cobb, the President speaks in faith language with ease. I finally heard the President say that the ‘death panels’ and other wild characterizations from opponents to health care reform are an “extraordinary lie.” I wonder if the President or at least someone from his staff watches the Rachel Maddow Show. Last night she asked why the President wasn’t calling the characterizations a lie as did Keith Olbermann. I need the President to do more than campaign, and send others out to campaign for him.
I need the President to govern as if he is a one term President. It seems to me that the Democrats in the House and Senate are working to keep their power rather than govern and do what is in the best interest of the Nation. They should let the Republicans and whomever go on and shout and do whatever while the Democrats go about the business of making a difference. It is clear that opponents have no good solutions, and that protection of the ‘corporation state’ is more important than providing what should be a right of all our citizens, affordable health care. Isn’t that the next step on our developing nation? Our health care cost are different since our move. We didn’t know what a gift Lisa’s employer was providing in the 80/20 split they gave employees on their health care premiums. Our portion of our premium for the two of us was $85 a month. We had no deductible, co-pays for office and hospital visits, co-pay for testing, and co-pay for our medications. Here in Lynchburg our premium is $320 a month. The insurance has a $3000 deductible, and a $6000 out of pocket limit. Medications have a deductible, then you pay 20%. People working for an hourly wage can’t afford this. Someone making $40k a year can’t afford this. Congregations trying to provide insurance for their staff, their pastor cannot afford this much longer.(1)
I think the political opponents are fighting so hard because they are fighting history. Social security and medicare were not Republican ideas, but they have benefited several generations of the nation. The Senator that called this the President’s waterloo had a moment of what I call “truth clarity.” He probably wanted to stuff those words back into his mouth, but they are out there. Republicans have to make their stand here if they wish to reclaim power during this next decade. Like Rev. Watkins they know this is a generational moment. They know it and thus have gone all in with everything they have to distract, scare, shout down, disrupt, and attack what is a natural step in our nation’s development. It is no more socialism than social security, medicare, medicaid, or food stamps are. It is the minimum that a developed nation should offer its citizens before funding a host of other programs. How can a person develop into a fully functioning participant in society if the basics are not guaranteed: shelter, food, health care, education, and access in the system. This is a part of being a nation of laws, a republic practicing democracy with shared sacrifice and responsibility. One might even say that is what a religious nation does.
And finally, health care is a religious issue. Have those in religious circles preaching against health care reform forgotten Jesus admonition that we love one another? Have they forgotten, “when did we see you hungry, naked, or a prisoner?” It seems those that wish to use scripture to judge gay and lesbian persons are guilty of the selective reading accusation that is hurled at those of us who do not read scripture literally. And if you do read scripture literally, then that passage of scripture about love God and love your neighbor as yourself should haunt your prayers even as they haunt mine for not doing enough. Jesus challenged the status quo, challenged a society that treated the underclass and slaves as dispensable, challenged the conventional thinking of the day. Would the religious dissenters of health care reform shout down Jesus for healing the lepers, lame, and sick at the gates of Jerusalem?
Solutions? John Stewart suggested that the government should anti-trust bust the insurance giants. Obviously, they cannot do this because the corporations insure the government. But, not a bad idea. From what I have read and heard, if the bill that reaches the President’s desk does not have some kind of single payer or public option or allow anyone to apply for medicare then it would be hard to call a bill health care reform. President Obama may need to have moment like Michael Douglas had in the film, The American President. Near the end of the film he holds a press conference and pulls a crime bill that he has to cut a deal to get passed and decides to start over with the bill. He has a moment of truth clarity, “I was so busy trying to keep my job I forgot to do my job.”(2) President Obama and the overwhelming Democratic majorities in the house and senate need that kind of moment.
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Note
1. Given the new policies and criteria for the order of ministry it appears that GCOM is endorsing part-time, bi-vocational ministry as the norm for the foreseeable future for our congregations. They have almost romanticize the pastor developer, the licensed minister working three jobs and preaching on Sunday, as the norm for congregations rather than the exception. But, this is for another blog.
2. The American President, 1995.