Dear Editor,
While there is little doubt that President Obama's approach to health insurance for church-affiliated organizations (hospitals, universities, etc.) is the correct one, the notion that his was the wrong execution is too simplistic.
First and foremost, there are no signs to suggest it will turn "key voters against Obama come November," as the editorial entitled
"Right idea, wrong execution" on Feb. 16 mentioned. Results from a recent New York Times/CBS poll indicate strong support for Obama's policy, specifically among Catholics: 59 percent of all voters and 57 percent of Catholic voters support "the federal requirement that religiously affiliated employers' health insurance plans cover the cost of birth control." While the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has declared its opposition, the data suggest a clear divide between Church leadership's take and the views in the pews.
But more importantly, if the debt-limit fight from last summer taught us anything, it is that Obama cannot start in the middle, even on issues with grave consequences for our country. Perhaps it is the reality of politics, but members of the Republican Party, be they in Congress or on the campaign trail, simply never miss the chance to paint his most moderate views as leftist extremism. Had he started with the Hawaii policy that is now in place, there is little doubt that his opponents would still decry his efforts as an onslaught against religion.
On the whole I think the socially progressive among us have to see this as an important victory for reproductive rights with little collateral damage.
Obviously the President would have preferred to avoid doing harm to allies on the religious left such as Sister Carol Keehan, but he took quick steps to amend their relationship by shifting to the policy the majority of American voters agree with. And that is the most important point anyone can make: at the end of the day, 59 percent of the country got the policy it wanted. From where I'm standing this seems like a big win for the President, both in politics and policy.
?
Sincerely,
Jake Strassberger
Class of 2012
