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September 2009 Barack Obama speech to a joint session of Congress

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September 2009 Barack Obama speech to a joint session of Congress
DateSeptember 9, 2009(2009-09-09)
Time8:00 p.m.EST
VenueHouse Chamber,United States Capitol
LocationWashington, D.C.
Coordinates38°53′23″N77°00′32″W/ 38.88972°N 77.00889°W/38.88972; -77.00889
TypeHealth care reform
Participants

Barack Obama,the 44thPresident of the United States,discussed his plan forhealth care reformin a speech delivered to a joint session of the111th United States Congresson September 9, 2009 at 8:00 PM (EDT). The speech was delivered to Congress on the floor of the chamber of theUnited States House of Representativesin theUnited States Capitol.House SpeakerNancy Pelosipresided over the joint session and was accompanied by thePresident of the United States Senate,Joe Biden,theVice President of the United States.Energy SecretarySteven Chuwas chosen as thedesignated survivorand did not attend the speech.[1]

Speech[edit]

PresidentObamadelivering his speech on health care to theUnited States Congress
Obama addresses ajoint sessionofCongress

Obama's speech addressed topics regarding thepublic health insurance option,private insurance reform, estimated costs and revenue, basic coverage for individuals and employers, as well as subsidies and waivers for those who can't afford coverage, and the importance oftort reformin bringing costs down.[2]The President's speech lasted 47 minutes[3]and contained 5,614 words.[4]It was briefly interrupted by a cry of "You lie!" from Republican Rep.Joe Wilson,referring to a statement by Obama that his plan would not apply to illegal immigrants (discussed in more detail inthe next section).

Obama quoted a letter sent to him fromTed Kennedy,who had died a few weeks earlier. Kennedy had composed the letter after he was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer, and requested that the letter be sent after he died. Quoting Kennedy's letter, Obama said, "that what we face is above all a moral issue; that at stake are not just the details of policy, but fundamental principles of social justice and the character of our country."[5]

In the quoted portions of his letter, Kennedy, a steadfast proponent of health care reform, also posed the question of what would happen if one knew treatment existed for a condition but one could not afford it.[6]

President Obama placed health care reform into a broader historical perspective, in which the nature and role of government has been the subject of historical debate, and compared his reform toSocial SecurityandMedicare.He concluded his address by returning to Kennedy's theme of the "character of our country":

I understand how difficult this health care debate has been. I know that many in this country are deeply skeptical that government is looking out for them. I understand that the politically safe move would be to kick the can further down the road - to defer reform one more year, or one more election, or one more term. But that's not what the moment calls for. That's not what we came here to do. We did not come to fear the future. We came here to shape it. I still believe we can act even when it's hard. I still believe we can replace acrimony with civility, and gridlock with progress. I still believe we can do great things, and that here and now we will meet history's test. Because that is who we are. That is our calling. That is our character.[6]

Reactions[edit]

Outburst by Joe Wilson[edit]

Main article:Joe Wilson (American politician) § "You lie!" outburst during Obama address
Wilson's interruption of President Obama's address (at 00:15)
Wikisourcehas original text related to this article:

During the speech, the president discussed the health coverage of illegal immigrants, saying: "There are also those who claim that our reform efforts would insure illegal immigrants. This, too, is false. The reforms I'm proposing would not apply to those who are here illegally." At this point, South Carolina Republican Rep.Joe Wilsonyelled "You lie!", briefly interrupting the speech.[7]Wilson later issued a statement apologizing for his outburst.[8][9]On September 15, the House approved a "resolution of disapproval" (areprimandas opposed to formalcensure) against Wilson, on a near party-line 240–179 vote.[10]

The outburst led to media coverage about the issue. Various sources noted thatthe House billdenies direct benefits, such as affordability credits, to illegal immigrants.[11][12][13][14]Section 246 of the bill, titled "NO FEDERAL PAYMENT FOR UNDOCUMENTED ALIENS," states: "Nothing in this subtitle shall allow Federal payments for affordability credits on behalf of individuals who are not lawfully present in the United States."[11][15]The bill did, however, require some to purchase health insurance who were not explicitly restricted from the proposed Health Insurance Exchange.[16]The Obama administration later stated that, in the final bill, these people would not be able to participate in the Exchange.[17]Specific language was subsequently included when the Senate healthcare-reform plan was introduced on September 16 which prohibits participation in the insurance exchange by persons not lawfully present in the U.S.[16][18][19]

Republican response[edit]

The official, post-speech Republican response was given by CongressmanCharles BoustanyofLouisiana,[20]a formercardiothoracic surgeon.[21]

With few notable exceptions, Congressional Republicans were silent as their Democratic colleagues applauded various points Obama made during the course of the speech.[22]Republicans also held up copies of the health care bills in objection when Obama spoke and others laughed when Obama said that there are "significant details" to be worked out before a health overhaul can be passed.[23]

Critical reception[edit]

BBC Newscalled Obama's health care speech "one of the most important speeches of his presidency."[4]The Economistcalled the speech a "success on several measures".[24]Calling it a triumph ofspeech writing,Timemagazine praised the speech for its clarity, brevity and limited use of jargon.[25]Other media outlets felt the speech was "too little, too late" to make a difference in the outcome of the health care debate.[26]

Financial markets[edit]

The shares of health insurance companies advanced after analysts concluded that the proposal outlined by Obama as good news for healthcare investors.[27]Citianalyst Charles Boorady was quoted as saying that he expected shares to rise further as passage of health care reform would expand enrollment in plans.[28]

References[edit]

  1. ^"Energy secretary stays away during Obama health care speech to joint session of Congress".Chicago Tribune. Associated Press. 2009-09-09.Retrieved2009-09-14.
  2. ^Colliver, Victoria (2009-09-10)."Outline and analysis of Obama's proposals".San Francisco Chronicle.Hearst Communications Inc.Retrieved2009-09-10.
  3. ^Stolberg, Sheryl Gay; Zeleny, Jeff (2009-09-09)."Obama, Armed With Details, Says Health Plan Is Necessary".New York Times.Retrieved2009-09-10.
  4. ^ab"Obama woos Congress on healthcare".BBC News.2009-09-10.Archivedfrom the original on 9 September 2009.Retrieved2009-09-10.
  5. ^Kennedy, Edward M.(2009-05-12)."Text of letter to the President from Senator Edward M. Kennedy".whitehouse.gov.Retrieved2009-09-10– viaNational Archives.
  6. ^abPresidential address to Congress Full text of President Obama health care speech[usurped]
  7. ^Barack Obama, Joe Wilson (2009-09-09).Obama Heckled by GOP During Speech to Congress(YouTube).Associated Press.Archivedfrom the original on 2021-12-21.The nastiness of August reached from the town halls into the Capitol as President Barack Obama spoke about his health care plan. South Carolina Republican Rep. Joe Wilson shouted "You lie!" after Obama talked about illegal immigrants. (Sept. 9)
  8. ^"Obama heckled by GOP during speech to Congress".WebCite.Associated Press. Archived fromthe originalon September 16, 2009.Retrieved2009-09-10.
  9. ^Hulse, Carl (2009-09-09)."In Lawmaker's Outburst, a Rare Breach of Protocol".The New York Times.Retrieved2009-09-09.
  10. ^Isenstadt, Alex (15 September 2009)."House passes resolution of disapproval".Politico.Retrieved15 September2009.
  11. ^ab"Obama's Health Care Speech".FactCheck.org. 10 September 2009.Archivedfrom the original on 17 September 2009.Retrieved2009-09-16.
  12. ^"Seven Falsehoods About Health Care".FactCheck.org. 14 August 2009.Archivedfrom the original on 10 September 2009.Retrieved2009-09-11.
  13. ^"Joe Wilson of South Carolina said Obama lied, but he didn't".PolitiFact.com.St. Petersburg Times.2009-09-09.Retrieved2009-09-10.
  14. ^"From the Fact Check Desk: Illegal Immigrants and Health Care Reform - Political Punch".Blogs.abcnews.com.Retrieved2009-09-11.
  15. ^"CNN Political Ticker: All politics, all the time Blog Archive - CNN Truth Squad: Will health bill pay for illegal immigrants? An update « - Blogs from CNN.com".Politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com. 2009-08-27.Retrieved2009-09-16.
  16. ^ab"Republicans Cite Report To Support Illegal Alien Health Care Charge".National Public Radio.2009-09-10.Retrieved2009-09-10.
  17. ^Herszenhorn, David M. (2009-09-11)."Illegal Immigrants Could Not Buy Insurance on New 'Exchange,' White House Says".The New York Times.Archivedfrom the original on 15 September 2009.Retrieved2009-09-12.
  18. ^"House health bill unacceptable to many in Senate on Yahoo! Health".Archived fromthe originalon 2009-12-23.Retrieved2010-08-29.
  19. ^"What's in Baucus' health care proposal? - CNN.com".CNN.2009-09-16.Retrieved2010-04-26.
  20. ^Minority leader of the United States House of Representatives(2009-09-09)."Rep. Boustany Delivers Republican Health Care Address".Office of the House Republican Leader.Archived fromthe originalon 10 September 2009.Retrieved2009-09-10.
  21. ^Boustany, Charles(2009-09-08)."Boustany to Deliver National Republican Health Care Address following the President's Remarks to a Joint Session of Congress".Latest News.United States House of Representatives.Archived fromthe originalon 2009-09-15.Retrieved2009-09-10.Boustany, a cardiothoracic surgeon with more than 20 years of experience, was first elected to Congress in December 2004.
  22. ^Lawmakers react along party lines to Obama remarks.Retrieved September 9, 2009.
  23. ^The Daily Voice: "South Carolina Rep. Joe Wilson calls the President a liar during speech"Archived2009-09-13 at theWayback Machine.Retrieved September 9, 2009.
  24. ^"Fired up and ready to go".The Economist.The Economist Newspaper Limited. 2009-09-10.Retrieved2009-09-10.
  25. ^Klein, Joe(2009-09-10)."Obama's Appeal: A Test of National Character".Time.Time Inc. Archived fromthe originalon September 12, 2009.Retrieved2009-09-11.
  26. ^Balz, Dan (2009-09-10)."With Health-Care Reform on the Line, Obama Reframes Critical Debate".The Washington Post.Retrieved2010-04-26.
  27. ^Health insurers' shares rise after Obama's speech,MarketWatch,2009-09-10
  28. ^Health Insurer Stocks Rise Despite Obama's Call For ChangeArchivedSeptember 15, 2009, at theWayback Machine,CNNMoney.com,2009-09-10

External links[edit]

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