Political discourse is no longer about policy—it's a psychological power struggle predicated upon insider-versus-outsider tension. In his bid for the 2008 presidential election, Barack Obama's selling point was a keen interest in change and a passion for social justice, portraying himself as a Washington newbie looking to reshuffle the deck of inside-the-Beltway political structures. To liberals, this honest sense of difference was a refreshing change to the good ol' boy antics of George W. Bush. To many conservatives, on the other hand, he was a bit too different. A foreign name, a preference for arugula and Dijon mustard, and black skin gave Obama outsider status—although perhaps not the cache he was looking for.
Obama's struggles to pass a universal health care bill are thrown into sharp relief when one considers whether or not he would experience the same difficulties were he a white man with a name like Bill Clinton. Even during Clinton's failed attempt at health care reform, our 42nd president was never subjected to such insulting and despicable insults as Obama, who has been called Stalin, Hitler and Satan. Most political observers have been reluctant to qualify the radical behavior at town hall meetings and rallies, although it has certainly received more attention than actual discussion of the intricacies of policy.
Obama has been far too accommodating to right-wing extremists. While everyone in this country is guaranteed the right to express his or her opinion, not all opinions are equally valid. South Carolina Congressman Joe Wilson's now-infamous outburst on national television illustrates something fundamental about this: he justified his shouting by explaining his extreme emotion at the president's words that no illegal immigrants would be covered under the proposed health care bill.
He went on to apologize to Obama for his interruption, but still maintained that he disagreed with the president on this account. However, the bill states unequivocally which groups of people will receive insurance coverage and which will not: for reference, see Section 246 of the bill, entitled "No Federal Payment for Undocumented Aliens." It is actually impossible to argue about a fact such as this; either the bill proposes something, or it doesn't.
When the rules of politics make it easier to spread lies about opponents or policies than to tell the truth, it's time to change the game. There needs to be real consequences for politicians who purposefully disseminate misinformation to the public—and they all have a duty to be informed to an extent that the spread of accidental falsehoods is virtually impossible.
In the September 18 issue of the Orient, in the piece, "Screaming at the president: effective, but ill-advised," contributor Jose Cespedes stated that Joe Wilson was really disagreeing with the fact that the bill included no enforcement measures to prevent illegal immigrants from bypassing the system and buying into national health coverage. The above-mentioned Section 246 prevents illegal immigrants from receiving tax credits to help them buy insurance since, as undocumented migrants, they do not pay taxes.
Nor do they, as a group, have the economic means to buy into the government-run insurance plan, due to unregulated wages and low-paying jobs. Americans currently subsidize health care for illegal immigrants at a much higher cost than they would under the proposed system, since care is guaranteed in emergency rooms regardless of whether or not the patient can pay for it.
Interestingly enough, many of the people who follow the gospel of Palin and believe Obama to be the Devil incarnate are the same ones who question the legitimacy of his citizenship. Because of his Kenyan father, the Birthers believe that the president was not born in Hawaii, but in Kenya. The logic—or rather, non-logic—of such claims is fallacious at best. But there are actual U.S. Representatives who subscribe to this nonsense, despite the smoking gun of a Hawaiian birth certificate.
In reasonable circles, Obama's citizenship is not at issue. But xenophobic attitudes towards him affect his policy-making, despite the fact that they are baseless. There is no legitimate foundation for xenophobia in this country (if there actually is anywhere). The fact is, the United States of America is the only country in the world built by and for immigrants. The "Land of Opportunity" and the American Dream should mean something, but they do not if we prohibit anything that is not like us.
It is time, in this technologically advanced age of easily accessible information, to employ critical thinking skills. It is almost laughable to suggest that the very individuals responsible for drafting a health care overhaul and voting it into law can propagate misinformation about their policies in Congress, but it is a very real danger. Obama is proposing a policy that shifts quite dramatically from the status quo.
By tarring his character and questioning his legitimacy as President of the United States, the right wing is desperately trying to undermine his attempts at reasonable policymaking, in order to maintain their status as the Washington aristocracy. The inconvenient truth? In order to pass, the bill has no more need of their votes than this country does of their fact fabrication.
Caitlin Hurwit is a member of the Class of 2012.