Now that President Barack Obama has prevailed and beaten back opposition to his Affordable Health Care Act it appears his road to re-election victory is somewhat of an Easy Street.
No, everyone is not ecstatic about the historic legislation that gives health care coverage to millions of Americans who didn’t have it but the seniors and children who need good health care love the Affordable Health Care Act.
The frequent-voting, politically active seniors really like the legislation that saves Medicare, boosts Medicaid and lowers the costs of expensive prescription medications.
Yes, there was joy in the White House after the conservative, Republican Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts cast the tie-breaking vote to approve the legislation that will change the way America delivers health care to its citizens.
I’m happy for the success of the president’s health plan but I am not convinced that the plan is “universal” and covers every single American and it appears that insurance companies will continue to get rich off the poor health decisions or bad luck of the people who are paying for coverage.
I wish the president had fought harder for a public option that would have allowed people to buy into the Medicare system, as opposed to buying high-cost insurance from greedy health insurance agents.
Yes, the president is on a political roll right now. Will it roll him back into the Oval Office or will it roll him back to his Chicago pizza parlor or back to his Hawaiian pineapple patch?
Besides seniors and children, let’s add to the list of all of the people getting last-minute election oriented attention. White women got something, Hispanics got something, Wall Street got something, banks got something, agribusinesses got something and everybody is happy about getting some kind of political snack on their plates.
Black Americans are the only ones sitting at the political table watching everybody eat the political food given them while our plates are bone dry. It is insane, backwards and reactionary to sit at a table and watch others eat and claim that you are a diner.
If you didn’t know, now you know. Black people in America have to depend on themselves. We have to depend on one another. Government has always failed us. Politics have failed us. And no one has failed to support, protect and respect the black community and black voters more than politicians.
Congratulations to President Obama for his wonderful and meaningful health care accomplishments but that victory over fierce opposition is not enough to guarantee a win in the November election.
The president must have an extraordinary turnout of black voters nationwide to win re-election and improved health care alone is not enough to motivate the masses to vote in high numbers.
Perhaps the president can tell his white campaign advisors to spend some of that billion dollars in campaign money with black vendors in Black communities.
Recently, black media owners proposed a $17 million budget for election ads for Obama but representatives of the president’s campaign offered to spend $1 million in political advertising with black media outlets nationwide. That counter-offer was an insult and the representatives who made it should be fired by the president.
Black voters are sick and tired of being made sick and tired so I guess the new health care act is better than nothing.
Lucius Gantt is a consultant based in Tallahassee and author of the book Beast Too: Dead Man Writing. He may be reached at allworldconsultants.net, where you can also like The Gantt Report Facebook page.
Photo: Lucius Gantt
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