Endorsing a Health Care Plan

by Tom Collamore

It is great to see the issue of health care reform getting the coverage it deserves during this election season. I would just like to clear up one misperception we have noticed in the last few weeks. The U.S. Chamber does not endorse presidential candidates, nor have we specifically supported either candidate’s health care platform. As Tom Donohue, president and CEO of the Chamber, often states:

We stand ready to work with whoever is elected president, and we hope that any new president will want to work closely with us.

Neither presidential proposal on health care reform is perfect, very little in this world is. But the Chamber is committed to ensuring that we have a world-class health care system, and equally committed to working with the next Administration to ensure that the health reform debate builds on a foundation that works – the employer sponsored system.

If you are looking for a health care platform we do endorse, get a quick summary here, or read a more detailed version.

Comments

[ruby]

I wonder to what degree people opposed or in favor of the bill that passed have been paying attention to the substance versus the political rhetoric surrounding the bill.

Unless you seek it out, trying to learn about "the bill" is pretty impossible on any of the news networks who are more interested in the game of politics than your health. Who smirked? who shouted slurs? Who interrupted the President? Who made a nasty remark?

The news media prefers the metaphor of the mirror--merely reflecting back what the people are saying, but it's a pretty funky mirror in which extremists and idiots are amplified and rational people appear incredibly small--in the interest of whoever paid for that insightful 5 minutes.

I think the people with editorial control of the networks figured out long ago that the best way to manipulate the public is to feed them slop for news, cover the game, slant the outcome with your own blend of cheerleaders and weak critics, focus on nutjobs in the streets, and then continuously take the public's temperature with slanted questions.

In my opinion, the fact that the public is so evenly divided about a monumental change to the status quo after the crappy media diet we've ingested over the past year of debate actually testifies to a greater underlying support that could have been measured if people took the time to learn about the bill and turned off the news.

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[Eden]

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[ChamberPost]

Jeni - We do not endorse candidates for president. We do endorse pro-business candidates, from both parties, in congressional races. - BP

[Jeni Olsze]

I just received a mailed brochure which says it was paid for by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. The brochure is an advertisement for Republican John Gard of Wisconsin. I was under the understanding that the U.S. Chamber was not endorsing either party or their health plan.

The mailing asks me to join (Republican) John Gard
to make health care more affordable.

The seal on the brouchure says The Spirit of Enterprise U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

Is the U.S. Chamber supporting the Republican Party in the 2008 election. John Gard is running for congress on the Republican ticket in Wisconsin.

I am curious as to why the U.S. Chamber of Commerce paid for this brochure, if indeed they are not endorsing either candidate.

Sincerely,

Jeni Olsze
Shawano, Wisconsin

[ChamberPost]

We understand how Senator Obama's statements could be misperceived, but it is a question of perception. He did not state, in either debate, that we endorsed his health care plan:

Second Debate:

"In fact, just today business organizations like the United States Chamber of Commerce, which generally are pretty supportive of Republicans, said that this would lead to the unraveling of the employer-based health care system."

Third Debate

"The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which generally doesn't support a lot of Democrats, said that this plan could lead to the unraveling of the employer-based health care system."

In both cases Senator Obama was speaking of Senator McCain's plan.

We recognize the potential for confusion, which is why we have issued this clarification of our position. We do not endorse presidential candidates, nor have we endorsed either candidate's health care plan, though of course there may be elements in both that we do agree with. (BP)

[B Porter]

According to Barack Obama, you endorsed his healthcare plan - he told at least 60 million people that in 2 debates. I really believe that you need to DEMAND a retraction - I am sick of blow-hard politicians lying and not being held accountable to truth. Tell a lie to 67 million, leave the truth to the imbeciles to figure out; or make someone else pay to clarify the truth. IF you did not endorse his plan, DEMAND A RETRACTION OR CLARIFICATION PLEASE!!!!