In a call with supporters tonight, President Obama explained the big picture behind all of the white noise about websites. He said that the ACA is a law that will last for generations.
Here is the audio via our friends at The Obama Diary:
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After listing the benefits of the ACA, President Obama talked about the half a million Americans who have already will have access to healthcare as of January 1, 2014. The president said, “That still leaves a whole lot of people that we’ve got to get signed up.” President Obama said that 12 million people have visited the site.
The president talked about the difficult battle to make this change a reality, “We knew it was going to be hard because change is hard, and there are a lot of vested interests, and obviously we haven’t gotten a lot of cooperation from the other party, so I’ve run my last political campaign, but I’ve got one more campaign in me, and that’s to make sure that this law works. We’re not backing off one bit.”
The most important thing that that the president said was, “All along at every step there have been folks who said that this wasn’t going to happen. Folks who said this is dead. Folks who said it’s never going to work. You know, that’s been going on for three years, and it’s not any different now. But the difference is that we can actually actually make sure that people get signed up, and start experiencing those benefits right off the bat, and if we do that consistently and effectively over the next six months then this law is going to be one that lasts for generations to come, and people will see why we fought so hard to do it.”
Often many Americans say that they want change for the country. They want to be a part of history. They want to move the country forward. The ACA is this generation’s chance to do exactly that. The ACA is a change the size of Social Security and Medicare.
This isn’t about websites. This is about giving people affordable access to something as vital as healthcare. Republicans are stomping their feet over things like cancelation notices and website issues, because they can’t stop the change that is coming.
The media is obsessing over the website because they can’t see beyond the 24/7 news cycle. The ACA isn’t going to fail, because people want access to affordable healthcare.
Republicans claimed that Social Security would ruin America. They claimed that Medicare would ruin America, and now in their most dire of tones, they are claiming that the ACA will ruin America. Progress doesn’t ruin America. It propels our nation forward, and the Affordable Care Act represents progress.
Don’t lose sight of the big picture. Millions of people want the ACA, and it now time to fight to make sure that they get it. This is why millions of you voted for Barack Obama. Now, it’s time for you to stand up and make the change you dreamed of in November 2008 a reality.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
