“Think about that. This isn’t about me. This isn’t about politics. This is about a healthcare system that is breaking America’s families, breaking America’s businesses and breaking America’s economy.”
Healthcare is just one issue on Obama’s plate. He was also the driving force behind the stimulus plan, has ordered the closure of the Guantanamo Bay prison by January and campaigned hard for legislation to limit greenhouse gases.
But healthcare reform looks set to be his biggest test yet, with many within his own Democratic party yet to be won over. With an eye on looming mid-term congressional elections next year, some fear they could pay the price at the ballot box.
Even among the president’s supporters there is grumbling that his timetable, which would see a vote on an initial text by early next month, is unrealistic.
“The Barack Obama experiment with America is a risk our country can’t afford. It’s too much, too fast, too soon,” Republican Party Chairman Michael Steele said on Monday.
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