A Time for Courage
by Jennifer on 03.16.2010
Yesterday I was at the rally in Strongsville where President Obama eloquently and passionately exhorted Congress to pass health care reform. He pointed to the hand-wringing going on among Democrats in Congress over the political consequences to them of voting for health care reform. A woman in the audience shouted out, "We need courage!" The President paused and flashed one of his fierce smiles. "That's what we need," he agreed, as the crowd roared its approval. "That's why I came here today. We need more courage."
I agree. The President needs more courage in Congress.
Monumental challenges like the health care crisis cry out for solid, decisive action by our government. The voice of one woman in the crowd captured the essence of what all of us must do--stand with courage and move forward. Yet, at this historic moment, when fundamental health care reform is almost within our grasp, Democrats across the country watch in stunned disbelief as their elected Democratic representatives dither and fret, worried about the consequences of their votes for their reelection. With voting set for this week, many Democratic members in Congress are still hedging on whether or not they will vote for health care reform.
This is a time for courage. A courageous leader does all that he or she can for the good of the American people, because it is for people that we work, not for our reelection. A courageous leader pushes forward with a focus like I saw in the President yesterday, on getting things done to make people's lives better--because we must. A courageous leader stands up for the millions who can't afford and can't get decent health care coverage, or whose insurance has been canceled, even when they're sick. A courageous leader is armed with the facts and stands strong against the attacks that are aimed at just one thing--to preserve the power of the few for the demise of many.
This is a time to lead, and leadership takes courage.
The health care plan before Congress is not perfect. There is still much work to do, because our contorted health care system didn't get that way overnight. But passing this health care reform now will be the first step in healing our ailing health care system and doing what we must do--help other Americans. President Obama explained the three major parts of his plan: 1) reforming and making health insurance more affordable, 2) choosing our own insurance according to our needs, with help to pay for it, and 3) making Medicare stronger and closing the "donut hole" for prescription drugs. For more detail, take a look here.
President Obama even told us how we would pay for it, and the plan lets us reduce the deficit as we implement it. For more detail, take a look here.
I'm running for the U.S. Senate, because I know even though we face tough choices, acting with courage is what's needed to get our country back on track. It will not be easy, but I stand with the people of this country and will cast the tough votes needed to help them. Our future depends on it.