WASHINGTON – President Obama veered into enemy air space on Thursday in hopes of charming a right-wing radio audience and reassuring supporters that health care reform will happen.
The silky-smooth President spent 25 minutes on the air calmly playing health-reform myth buster with nationally syndicated conservative talk radio host Michael Smerconish and his listeners.
“I guarantee you, Joe, we are going to get health care reform done,” Obama told a caller, who wondered if the President’s “knees are bucklin’ a little bit” in the health care fight.
“Passing a big bill like this is always messy,” explained Obama, who didn’t appear worried about declining poll numbers or Obama-bashers who have hijacked some recent health care town-hall meetings.
The President insisted he’s still wooing Republicans, but lamented that the GOP probably decided long ago to oppose health care reform.
“I think early on a decision was made by the Republican leadership that said, ‘Look, let’s not give them a victory and maybe we can have a replay of 1993-94 when [President Bill] Clinton came in. He failed on health care, and then we won in the midterm elections, and we got the majority,'” Obama said.
Obama set the low-key tone in the moments before going on the air, assuring an unusually nervous Smerconish they would have a “great time” on the show and asking the host about his four kids:
“Four? Man, well, I hope you’re saving for college tuition, brother.”
