One more step

Thanks to the many marvelous Christmas editions of newspapers and magazines, you sort of get the feeling the world stops for a few days. Only cleaning the dishes, after lovely extravagant feasts, reminds of the build-up wherein people were nervously and frantically working on preparations.

Things are almost back to normal. Last obstacle is a smooth transition of time from our old year, into the new one. Luckily, this process will take care of itself. Unlike politics; here politicians keep forcing the people to keep a close eye on practices. After months of watching the process of a new health-care bill for Americans, I missed out on the Senate’s highly anticipated vote.

The Economist dubbed it ‘Obama’s Christmas present’. I don’t know what kind of presents the author normally finds under his or her tree, but I hardly believe it is malfunctioning, unfinished and highly debated. Of course that was not what the author was aiming for. It is a great collective achievement to get health-care this far, something unseen since the 60’s. We’re not quite there yet though.

Not that proposals by the Senate and the House of Representatives are that far apart. They should, in theory, make Congress well able to reconcile them, so that one combined proposal may be sent to the White House for a presidential signature. I do not have the intention to repeat the arguments I have made before here. If ever a bill passes, then I will, especially if it does not solve those things that I and many others think need solving.

At this moment we’ll ignore our rearview mirror, and wait a little longer.  Since no combination of Senate and House has so far been drafted things could still go horribly wrong, though admittedly I think this is unlikely. Margins of error are very small, but as long as the House recognizes this by leaning towards the proposal of their legislature-counterpart, something positive should come out.

Ironically, it is very doubtful whether this will go down well with Americans. Obama’s reputation has declined, something not altogether justified, but so has the reputation of health-care reform. People are sometimes said to be unsatisfied. Whether they are unsatisfied enough to see this reform as a potential boost for Obama’s popularity we can’t tell yet.