A day after complaining that Republicans want to make health care his “Waterloo,” President Barack Obama abruptly changed course, calling for an end to partisan sniping.
The American people “don’t care who’s up or who’s down politically in Washington,” Obama said in the Rose Garden. “They care about what’s going on their own lives — they don’t care about the latest line of political attack.”
The president’s quick reversal underscores the challenge the administration faces in developing a consistent and effective message on health care reform, amid eroding public support for the plan.
The sharp contrast to his harsh rhetoric a day earlier also signaled that the response to Obama’s tone — so unlike the theme of hope from his campaign — was not what the White House wanted. Obama returned to accentuating the positive, noting key points of agreement and progress on health care.
“Indeed, we forged a level of consensus on health care that has never been reached in the history of this country,” Obama said.
At a health care reform roundtable on Monday, Obama blasted remarks by Republican Sen. Jim DeMint of South Carolina, who told Republican activists that health care “could break” the Democratic president and be his Waterloo.
“Think about that,” Obama said. “This isn’t about me, this isn’t about politics É and we can’t afford the politics of delay and defeat when it comes to health care. Not this time.”
DeMint on Tuesday took his rebuttal to Twitter, posting a series of links and statements criticizing the president’s own record in the Senate on health care.
Republicans on Tuesday accused Obama of using a straw man argument in pushing for legislation — noting that he frequently accuses opponents of supporting the status quo on health care, when there is widespread agreement in Congress that some kind of reform is called for.
The president in recent days has complained about the culture of Washington, the 24-hour news cycle, cynics, naysayers and other culprits he blames for hindering and doubting progress on his signature issue.
Meanwhile a series of polls this week underscore how much tougher it has become for Obama to make the sale. The latest USA Today/Gallup poll found 50 percent of Americans disapprove of his handling of health care reform, to 44 percent who approve.
White House spokesman Robert Gibbs, asked about the president’s rhetorical about-face, accused Republicans of “playing political games” with health care.
“I read something right before I came out here I think — Eric Cantor wouldn’t necessarily have used the same words Mr. DeMint used,” Gibbs said referring to House Republican whip Cantor, of Virginia. “I think that’s maybe an admission that the message got a little off the rails.”
The back and forth over the message emerged as a byproduct of the administration’s big push this week to keep health care reform in the spotlight with daily events featuring the president.
On Wednesday, Obama will attempt to drive the debate again with a prime time press conference from the White House, before leaving Thursday for a health care town hall in Ohio.
