Following the passage of the Stimulus Bill, Barack Obama shifted his focus to a long-lasting economic malignancy: The health care industry and its exponentially-rising costs. As the last president who attempted to impose change to the fractured system, Bill Clinton learned that there was a lot of political poison embedded in the health care system.
Encapsulated by health maintenance organizations (HMOs), insurance companies, pharmaceuticals and a myriad of other groups, the health care system was closely guarded by lobbyists and others adept at ensuring that their shareholders were never neglected. And although an axiom had existed for quite some time contending that the health care system was unsustainable if left the way it was, few were willing to undertake the task of altering the status quo. However, riding high off a campaign that promised change to a seemingly incorrigible system, Barack Obama stayed true to his word and dove into the political abyss and, before long, learned that there was only one way out: passage of a sweeping health care reform bill. If not, he'd find himself at the mercy of a newly formed coup known as "The Tea (TEA: Taxed Enough Already) Party."
In grassroots fashion, Obama hit the ground running on his health care reform campaign, opting to conduct town hall style meetings to explicate his plan to improve the American health care system. Although this town hall format was extremely effective during the 2008 campaign, the president soon learned that the landscape of politics had changed since then. Despite an overwhelming victory that ushered him into the White House, Obama would now have to prime for the biggest battle of his short political career against a newly galvanized right that was going to fight the President's top domestic agenda for as long as it could.
The question arose, though: what, exactly, was the basis of the "Tea Party" movement? Why were its activists so vehemently opposed to health care reform? Throughout the summer and fall of 2009, we saw the rise and fall of "death camps," "pulling the plug on Grandma," "the government takeover of health care" and a ton of other specious arguments aimed at dismantling the health care reform movement. Despite the fact these myths were debunked almost as soon as they were transmitted, public support for reform steadily declined. It was apparent that members of the "Tea Party" had successfully painted Obama, along with members of Congress as socialists. By the end of 2009, public support for a reform bill had waned and Congress ipso facto grew leery of its passage. The "Tea Party" had succeeded in catalyzing the conservative right enough to stall passage of a health care reform bill. But if members of this "Tea Party" were to really stonewall this thing, they'd need a leader; a figurehead; a superintendent. Soon, their wish would be granted.
The "Tea Party" really began to gain traction following the inaugural Tea Party Convention sponsored by Tea Party Nation, a conservative political organization. The keynote speaker was none other than ex-Alaskan Governor and failed Vice-Presidential candidate, Sarah Palin, who had somehow managed to maneuver to the top of the Republican heap following the 2008 presidential election. With her Alaskan twang and snarl that'd made her popular among conservative militants, Palin took to the mic and proclaimed:
"Opponents of this message, they are seeking to marginalize this movement. They want to paint us as ideologically extreme and the counterpoint to liberal intolerance and outrageous conspiracy theorists aimed at our own government and unethical shameless tactics like considering a candidate's children fair game. But unlike the elitists who denounce this movement, they just don't want to hear the message. I've traveled across this great country and I've talked to the patriotic men and women who make up the Tea Party movement, and they are good and kind and selfless and they are deeply concerned about our country. And today I ask only this, let's make this movement a tribute to their good example and make it worthy of their hard work and their support."
That's all they needed to hear. Alas, the "Tea Party" had found its queen bee.
Be on the lookout for the third and final part of the "Weak Tea" series.
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