When President Obama announced his plan to create jobs and boost the economy to Congress last Thursday, he said he disagreed with members of his party who do not wish to make changes to Medicare and Medicaid. In the aftermath of this announcement, Democrats are now concerned that his initial proposals will make way for significantly more substantial cuts to these programs in the future.
Moreover, many party members are now worried that Obama’s remarks, as he is the chief spokesperson for the Democratic Party, will become a detriment to the Democratic platform in the coming election year because Democrats were hoping to use the Medicare issue against Republicans.
Changes need to be made to Medicare and Medicaid – that much is true. However, Obama’s enumeration of this fact and the expectation that he will outline a plan that will cut hundreds of billions of dollars will undoubtedly hurt the angle that Democrats plan to take in the upcoming election. Obama’s attempts at bipartisanship seem to just place him at odds with both parties instead of bringing the two factions together. While the concept is a noble one, there has to be a balance between ideology in policy and playing politics.
Similarly, while the Democrats’ dedication to preserving Medicare and Medicaid is admirable, they are all concerned with playing politics at this point amidst the woefully uphill battle of clinging to their seats in Congress.
Forecasts thus far have predicted that the party will not do well in the voting booth next year, and as such, the party is now scrambling in the hopes that their leader won’t undercut their campaign platform. Overreaction seems to be an understatement in this case. Democrats are not going to come out of this election scot-free, so Obama’s remarks on his plans probably won’t have much of an impact on the outcome.
There is no doubt that Medicare and Medicate need a structural overhaul, and it may cost a large allocation of funds to do so, but with parties so divided on the issue and Republicans poised to take control of the Senate next year, there is not much that can be done right now without inevitable political red tape. For now, the issue is a political one rather than a practical one, and this is something Obama should realize before making such starkly mobilizing remarks about it if the Democratic Party wishes to have a prayer on the ballot next year.
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