Obama and Clintons to Share Stage to Talk Health Care

POLITICS. The New York Times. (Michael D. Shear)

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/25/us/politics/obama-and-clintons-to-share-stage-to-talk-health-care.html?ref=politic

Ana Luisa Méndez Cota 140345; US Government and Politics
 

The news article I want to discuss in this entry is mainly about a soon to happen reunion between the current president of the United States, Barack Obama, and a former president’s family, the Clintons. After the reunion with the UN’s General Assembly and the posterior reunion with the world leader’s (regarding the situation in Syria), President Obama will meet the Clintons at their foundation to speak openly about the Affordable Care Act. This odd reunion is seen as an attempt to highlight the Affordable Care Act before next week’s opening of the health insurance exchanges, which constitute the center of it.

Mainly, this conversation was arranged with the intention of exciting enthusiasm for said Act. Why a dialogue with Mr. Clinton would do so? Because it was the last president, before Obama, to make the health care issue a top theme during this administration and who shares Obama’s passion for the improvement – in quality and costs – of health care for the public and private sector alike. This is a reaction to a very aggressive Republican campaign against the Affordable Care Act; a reaction that could have benefited Clinton during this administration permitting him to have the impact he pretended on the health care service.

However, besides recognizing Mr. Clinton’s past efforts, why is the Clinton family being put on the spotlight? The reason is quite simple: there are certain speculations going around that Mr. Clinton’s wife, Hillary Clinton, will make the run for presidency again on 2016. When asked about it during an interview by the New York Magazine, she answered that, while she was thinking about it, she was in no hurry to take a decision that could not be taken lightly. Besides this recent declaration, these speculations are supported by the activities of her most loyal followers, who are already organizing and rising funds “just in case”. In this scenario of possible future political activity, Mrs. Clinton is to introduce her husband to president Obama.

From my point of view, this reunion means a lot more than a simple “let’s talk positively about the Affordable Care Act”. It is evident that Mrs. Clinton’s political power is by no means inexistent and, at the end of Obama’s administration, she is a very strong candidate for the Democrat party; besides, in the spirit of viewing things from a critical – if ironic standpoint – after having a black president, the idea of having a woman for president is more achievable than ever. However, it is a fact that Obama’s latest decisions in certain topics – as the Syria situation and the not-closing of Guantanamo – has decreased alarmingly his popularity resulting in a loss of credibility for the Democrat party; in contrast with the Republican’s party newly gained support.