Washington, D.C. – As President Obama prepares to deliver a landmark speech to a Joint Session of Congress this evening, many members of Congress have been quoted as saying that they hope the President will clearly outline his reform proposal. With charges of fear mongering and misrepresentation coming from both sides of the debate, it is no wonder that healthcare is so mired in controversy.
Probably at the forefront of the clarifications the President must make is the persistant rumor that his plan would seek to have a government committee decide when its time to “pull the plug on grandma.” White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs has vigorously contested the notion that an Obama plan would seek to use Medicare to attempt to force end of life decisions, but to little end, as the din of conservative talk radio has been hard to overcome.
To be successful, the President must clearly outline his plan, and rally the Congress (or at least the Democrats) behind it. The clearer he is, the harder it will be for his opponents to sling mud.