Today, President Obama held an “online” health-care town hall in Annandale, VA, taking questions in person and via video. Over the next few hours and tomorrow morning coverage of Obama’s “pitch” on health-care reform will percolate to most media outlets, filled with quotes and video clips.
The format was a smart choice for Obama, who, despite the recurring criticism that he lacks substance and relies too heavily on the teleprompter, excels at the town hall. This is where Obama’s supposed penchant for being “professorial” is a visible strength. At today’s Q&A, he received, among others, questions about why he was not considering a single-payer plan and about the idea of taxing employer health benefits. Obama explained his positions while maintaining a difficult balance: treating the audience like adults capable of intelligently considering the issue, without delving too far, as he joked, into the “CBO scoring.”
His ability to explain his agenda with clarity is the administration's secret weapon. When the doubters emerge and the press writes an early death for health-care reform, Obama takes his case directly to the people. “Look,” he begins. The administration deployed the same strategy during the transition, sending the president-elect to interview with 60 Minutes and others where he had the format and the time to explain himself and his prescription for the economy. His major straight-to-the-public appearances are measured and not all that frequent, but they always make headlines at just the right moment.
It is, as one of my colleagues suggests, his “fireside chat” with the American people. Given all the parallels that have already been drawn between the current president's situation and Roosevelt's, that may prove to be an important asset.
--Christopher Sopher
Christopher Sopher is a Prospect summer 2009 intern.
