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Obama urges Congress action on health care
(Agencies)
Updated: 2009-09-10 09:36
WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama urged Congress to enact sweeping health care legislation Wednesday night, declaring the "time for bickering is over" and the moment has arrived to help millions who have insurance and many more without it. His nationally televised speech to a joint session of Congress comes as Obama's popularity is falling, opposition Republicans are on the attack and his fellow Democrats are divided about what kind of plan to pursue.
Health care has become the definitive issue for Obama, just nine months after he took office amid enormous expectations at home and abroad. His success or failure may determine whether he has the political clout to press ahead on issues like climate change, arms control and the Afghanistan war. It is also likely to shape next year's congressional elections. Obama said there is widespread agreement on about 80 percent of what must be included in legislation. Any yet, criticizing opposition Republicans without saying so, he added: "Instead of honest debate, we have seen scare tactics" and ideological warfare that offers no hope for compromise. "Well, the time for bickering is over," he said. "The time for games has passed. Now is the season for action." Obama spoke in favor of an option for the US government to sell insurance in competition with private industry. But he said he was open to alternatives that create choices for consumers. The venue of Wednesday's speech underscored the importance of the issue. Besides the annual State of the Union address, presidents seldom speak to a joint session of Congress, consisting of lawmakers from both chambers. But the speech was aimed as much at the millions of Americans watching from home, many of whom have become disillusioned with Obama's handling of health care. An Associated Press-GfK poll released hours before the address showed that disapproval of Obama's handling of health care has jumped to 52 percent, from 43 percent in July. Obama's overall approval rating has also suffered a blow. The survey showed that 49 percent now disapprove of how he is handling his job as president, up from 42 percent who disapproved in July. |