March 26, 2010
Walk down any main street and ask people to name their representatives in Congress, the state Senate or the local municipal board.
Most people won’t know, or are simply confused about who sits in what seat. I’ve run my share of political and public perception polls. In general, people are unengaged, don’t pay attention and are just plain busy.
With people so typically distracted and uninformed, imagine President Barack Obama’s task in trying to explain and sell his complex and groundbreaking health-care plan to the public. With the president’s once-rock-star approval ratings nose-diving in large part from trying to sell this complex plan, it’s no wonder others have tried and failed. Even with the baggage from selling a health-care plan most American’s either didn’t understand or were against, Obama stuck with it.
Public wasn’t onboard In the end, he really didn’t convince the public that this was the way to go. In fact, if there was a nationwide referendum on the issue, it would go down big as people usually vote no by a 2-1 margin on issues they don’t understand. While Obama did try valiantly to sell his health-care reform to the American people, in the end, he was forced to lean on his Democratic majorities in Congress to get the controversial plan passed. The good news for Obama is that his health-care plan is the law. Whether or not you agree with it, the plan’s passage is monumental and gives the president the chance to regain higher favorability with the public.
Confusion remains But there remains a lot of confusion and anger about the new health-care plan. People want to know who’s going to pay for it, what it means for them and whether it could cost or create jobs. Part of Obama’s challenge in selling the plan was that it was constantly evolving in order to build consensus in Congress. It was difficult to sell a plan that had not taken final shape. Some of the details were being finalized as this was written, but the reform is the law of the land. Now, the president should go to great lengths to continue to connect the dots for largely confused Americans about how things will change. If you watched CNN or read the newspaper this week, there was a lot of clarity about the plan. More is needed.
Will it be good for America? While Obama is sure to focus on other priorities, his office — and Congress — will benefit from further educating the public and not shying away from their accomplishment. The president’s long-term image is already benefiting from this landmark event, like it or not. But his allies in Congress will live or die by this legislative sword during November’s midterm elections. So there’s a lot more to do in convincing us this was good for America. Josh Sommers is president and CEO of Focus Media, a leading Hudson Valley advertising and public relations agency. He can be reached at josh@advertisingandpr.com or 294-3342, ext. 303. Read his blog at www.advertisingandpr.com. His column appears Fridays.
