It’s Not Dark, But The Oval Office Has Been Mighty Quiet – On Healthcare Reform

While both the Senate and House busily negotiated their respective healthcare bills, a voice notably absent in the past few weeks has been that of President Barack Obama.  Sheryl Gay Stolberg, in Tuesday’s New York Times, noted that following a summer and early fall of appearances in support for the healthcare overhaul, Obama has now deliberately taken a lower profile. 

Though aides are suggesting that Obama is stepping back to rework his healthcare message and focus on the many other issues facing the nation, others question the tactic.  After pointedly becoming the face of healthcare reform and convening a joint session of Congress, the politics of “appearances” is becoming a hot topic of discussion.  Many have warned that the President’s potential media overexposure could result in people tuning out his messages at the critical time of the final debates on the Senate and House floors.  “He’s been in very great danger of people hitting the mute button when he comes on television to talk about healthcare” said David Gergen, a political pundit and advisor to both Presidents Reagan and Clinton.  But, the President continues to deploy his top deputies such as Chief of Staff Rahm Emmanuel and Director of the White House Office of Health Reform Nancy-Ann DeParle to meet with the key negotiators in an effort to mold an acceptable healthcare bill.

Kevin Fickenscher, MD

The views and opinions expressed herein are my own and do not necessarily represent the views and opinions of Dell Perot Systems or its affiliates.