When the Obama administration faces a challenge, it attempts to play politics and shift gears to another issue instead of solving the problem. Unfortunately for the White House, its latest blunder is having a disastrous effect all over the country — and it can’t deflect attention from the issue simply by dangling a set of keys and telling Americans, “Look over here!”
The Hill’s Justin Sink, counting at least five times this year that the administration has ‘pivoted’ to another matter when it feels the heat, writes, “The formula is rote: Following a misstep or messaging error that battered Obama’s approval ratings, the White House announces events intended to promote the president’s economic agenda.”
This time, President Obama cannot pivot. The Affordable Care Act deeply and directly hurts millions, and announcing a speech on a different topic or issuing a press release will not stop people from thinking about their wallets, the health care they will lose in just over a month, or their personal security.
This is not the IRS, NSA, Benghazi, or AP scandals — all of which are serious, but none of which is a direct and painful hit to households in every state.
It is for that reason that the Obamacare fiasco is much more than a political liability; it is a serious problem for millions who will have to find new insurance plans — made impossible by HealthCare.gov’s nonfunctioning and unsecured website — and will likely have to pay a lot more.
Those do make it through one of the Obamacare exchange sites have to worry about their sensitive, personal information, like social security numbers, being sent to random strangers or acquired by even the least experienced hackers.
Americans are also learning their doctors — whom Obama also repeatedly promised they could keep — are being dropped from their networks. Few things are more intimate and important to a person than his trusted doctor. No amount of pivoting can change that.
The “campaigner in chief” is learning that something which affects so many Americans so adversely cannot be spun. Because what is politically smart for him takes precedent over what is best for the country, he won’t admit his signature law is a failure.
President Obama prioritizes his political wellbeing over the wellbeing of Americans, even when he isn’t up for election. But he is learning that he can no longer divert people by changing the message, as his mistakes are now hurting millions in the most personal way. After innumerable scandals, his luck has run out. He must accept his role as President, put politics aside and lead.
