L2 THE PRESIDENT: A Vindication, With a Legacy Still Unwritten

A Vindication, With a Legacy Still Unwritten

Summary:

1. After reading the text explain the reasons why the Supreme Court’s decision to uphold the healthcare reform is a major and welcome victory for Obama:

The Supreme Court’s decision to uphold Obama’s healthcare reform is a major victory for the president as reforming the health care system was one of Obama’s greatest ambitions during his presidential campaign.

Obama succeeded where several presidents before him had failed.

Therefore, the adoption of the law proves that Obama has been able to deliver on his campaign promise and increases his chances of being reelected.

(Political vindication, legitimacy, reprieve)

2. Explain the underlined sentence:

Passing the Affordable Health Care law was made possible at the cost of other very important questions / efforts like curbing climate change or reforming the tax code. The presidential elections next November will show if a majority of the U.S. population is satisfied with Obama’s health care reform.

3. Other American presidents are mentioned in the text / what do you know about them, why are they mentioned in the text?

The article refers to

Franklin Delano Roosevelt (1932-1945): New Deal measures (+ his victories over the Supreme Court. Cf: “A Switch in time that saved nine”)

Harry Truman (1945-1953) (Vice President of Roosevelt. Succeeded him after his death in 1945. Elected in 1948): In his State of the Union address, Truman put forward a set of proposals referred to as the Fair Deal, and which aimed to reform education, establish health insurance (…). More generally the term “Fair Deal” has been used to refer to Truman’s agenda between 1949 to 1953. Because of a conservative coalition in Congress Truman’s Fair Deal proposals were voted down.

Lyndon Baines Johnson (1963-1968):

In 1965, L.B.J. introduced Medicare which is a national social insurance program that guarantees access to health insurance for Americans ages 65 and older and younger people with disabilities.

In 2010, Medicare provided health insurance to 48 million Americans—40 million people age 65 and older and eight million younger people with disabilities. Medicare serves a large population of old, sick, and low-income people. On average, Medicare covers about half (48 percent) of health care costs for enrollees. Medicare enrollees must cover the rest of the cost.

Johnson also introduced Medicaid which is the United States health program for families with low incomes and resources. It is a means-tested program that is jointly funded by the state and federal governments, and is managed by the states.

Richard Nixon (1968-1974): Extended Medicare and Medicaid coverage.

In 1969 Richard Nixon signed landmark social security and Medicare legislation increasing much needed benefits to widowed seniors who now receive 100 percent of their deceased spouses Social Security benefits, and extended medical coverage to 1.5 million beneficiaries.

In 1974, Nixon also created Supplementary Security income, to provide stipends to low-income people either aged 65 or more, blind or disabled. By replacing federal-state adult assistance programs this system aimed to standardize eligibility of requirements and level of benefits.

Bill Clinton (1992-2000): In 1993, under the patronage of First Lady Hillary Clinton, President Clinton attempted to introduce universal health care. (He set up the “Task Force on National Health Care reform”.) In 1992, Clinton had staked his campaign on this reform but because of strong conservative and libertarian opposition as well as divisions among democrats, the Democratic Bill failed to pass.

4. What are the two visions of the role of the government present in the text?

The text first mentions the Liberal vision of the role of the U.S. government, propounded by presidents such as F.D.R, J.B.J., or Barack Obama, according to which government has to play a significant part in the protection of the middle class.

Then, the article also presents the republican vision of government. Contrary to liberals (or democrats), republicans advocate less interference with U.S. citizens.

Indeed, in President Reagan’s words (to quote President Reagan) Republicans believe that “government is not the solution to the problem” of U.S. citizens, but that “it is the problem”.

This vision of the role of the government seems to prevail today.

(l. 28) Polls show that many Americans are quite skeptical about Obama’s action and the midterm elections in 2010 enabled Republicans to obtain a majority of seats in the House of Representatives.

5. Use the 2 paragraphs in Italics to explain the political atmosphere around the passage of the ACA:

These paragraphs drive home the idea that the ACA was adopted in an atmosphere of bitter rivalry.

Indeed, the rise of the Tea Party Movement as well as the victory of House Republicans in the midterms prove the extent of the opposition to Obama’s interventionist policy in Washington.

Obama may have underestimated the extent of the opposition he would face.

A Vindication, With a Legacy Still Unwritten

Vocabulary:

To stake a campaign on (something): to base a political campaign on something

To reshape (something): restructure

Vindication: justification

To reprieve: cancel or postpone a punishment / reprieve: such a cancellation

To span decades: to extend over decades

An acid test: a conclusive test of success or value

A safety net: a basic security

Income: wages

Inequality

To deliver on promises

Cherished

Historic ≠ historical

A cornerstone: an important measure of someone’s policies

To sketch out proposals: to outline proposals / to present measures in general terms

A leveler (British English: leveller): a person or thing that levels something

To stand in stark contrast to (something else)

To head in the opposite direction: to go in the opposite direction

To hew (past. part. hewn or hewed): to chop or cut (wood or coal) with an axe or a pick …

To hew to something (U.S. English): to conform to

Sceptical (British English) = Skeptical (U.S. English)

To be skeptical of something

Skepticism

To undertake a project / to undertake to do something

To curb something

To bail out:

To wind something down: to end progressively, slowly

A hard-fought campaign

To call something into question

A backlash: a strong and adverse (negative) reaction to something by a large number of people

To overreach one’s power / prerogatives

A quagmire: 1. a soft boggy area of land that gives way underfoot / 2. a complex situation

To be mired in a recession: to be stuck in a recession

To liken something to something else

To strike down a law: to declare unconstitutional

A landslide / a landslide victory / to win by a landslide = by a large majority