Article: Obama Starts Fighting Back: Is It Too Late?

Obama has dealt with health care like a policy wonk, not like the orator whose foes tried to make him out to be nothing but inspiration.

Now the health care reform process seems to be in great peril, and Obama has started speaking in stronger terms.

Obama has steadfastly avoided getting into fights-- that's not been his way. "I reject AND denounce" he said while Hillary tried to hang Farakhan around his neck, and the issue was gone.

Now we may see how good a fighter he is, how much he's got the stomach for a toe-to-toe. It's not something we've ever seen before, perhaps because he's gotten everything he's wanted so far (nomination, presidency, stimulus[, Sotomayor]) by being Mr. Nice Guy.

I do wonder: has his position deteriorated too much to be rescued now by his going toe-to-toe in the media to sway the public? Have people already tuned out the policy-wonk's health care plan, with such complicated issues?

BTW, I tend to root for Obama's success, believing that it is very important to the nation's future that Obama be successful, but I don't know enough to know whether the health care option that Obama is fighting for would be a good thing to get passed or not.

Anyway, here's Obama today speaking some tough words. And the fight begins. We'll soon see how good Obama is in the ring.

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Obama takes on GOP "politics of delay and defeat"

by Jed Lewison on Daily Kos
Mon Jul 20, 2009

President Obama slams the Republican Party for playing politics and carrying the insurance industry's water on health care reform, singling out Sen. Jim DeMint's "Waterloo" comment:

Now there are some in this town who are content to perpetuate the status quo, who are in fact fighting reform on behalf of special interests. There are others who recognize the problem but believe - or perhaps hope - that we can put off the hard work of insurance reform for another day, another year, another decade.

Just the other day, one Republican Senator said - and I'm quoting him now - "If we're able to stop Obama on this, it will be his Waterloo. It will break him."

Think about that.

This isn't about me. This isn't about politics. This is about a health care system that is breaking America's families, breaking America's businesses, and breaking American's economy.

We can't afford the politics of delay and defeat when it comes to health care. Not this time, not now