Biden is relying too much on Obama nostalgia
When 'Barack and I' becomes a governing philosophy
![Barack Obama and Joe Biden.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/fk7xUT8LmLU7WM3Cs6JYcG-415-80.jpg)
Former vice president and current Democratic presidential contender Joe Biden officially unveiled his health-care proposal on Monday, and let's just say the whole thing was rather Bidenesque — slightly gaffe-prone, and maybe a little over-reliant on Biden's association with his onetime boss, former President Barack Obama.
"If you like your health-care plan, your employer-based plan, you can keep it," Biden said while introducing the proposal to the AARP. "If you like your private insurance, you can keep it."
That comment, of course, almost directly echoed a statement Obama made repeatedly while pitching the Affordable Care Act — also known as ObamaCare — nearly a decade ago. But Obama was wrong. An estimated 4 million people saw their existing coverage canceled in late 2013 because it didn't meet the law's requirements; PolitiFact named Obama's statement its "Lie of the Year," and his disapproval ratings shot up by 15 points as ACA implementation began. Public anger nearly upended the legislation before it even got off the ground. Republicans made hay with the quote for years. In other words, Biden made his own health-care plan an easy target for the GOP. But the longer-term problem illuminated in Biden's announcement is the enduring Obama nostalgia that runs through Biden's campaign, and his potential presidency.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
![https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516-320-80.jpg)
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
We already know Biden is relying on sentimentality for the Obama years as a central political strategy to winning the Democratic nomination and the presidency. Obama has made no endorsements during the primaries, but Biden is positioning himself as the former president's heir apparent. His frequent invocations of "Barack and I" have become fodder for TV comedians, rivaling Rudy Giuliani's frequent references to 9/11 during the 2008 Republican primaries.
Now that the health-care proposal has been made public, something new has emerged: "Barack and I" is more than a de facto campaign slogan — it might well be Biden's governing philosophy.
His health-care proposal eschews the "Medicare-for-all" proposals offered by the other major Democratic candidates like Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) in favor of something more moderate: building on the foundation of ObamaCare. The plan's elements include adding a "public option" insurance plan to compete with private plans, expanding ACA's subsidies and tax credits to help more families pay for health insurance, and extending Medicaid coverage to residents of Republican-run states that have refused to participate in the program.
As Biden makes his pitch, it's fair to ask: Does he want to expand ACA so more Americans have easy access to health care? Or is he more motivated to protect the legacy of Obama's signature achievement as president?
"I understand the appeal of Medicare-for-all, but folks supporting it should be clear that it means getting rid of ObamaCare, and I'm not for that," Biden said in a video accompanying the announcement. "I was very proud the day I stood there with Barack Obama, and he signed that legislation."
"I find it very strange that Biden is elevating the Affordable Care Act into a good in itself rather than as a means to an end," The New York Times' Jamelle Bouie wrote on Twitter. "Now, you can make the case that preserving [and] expanding the ACA is the path to universal coverage, but he's not making that move."
To be fair, Biden has argued that it will be easier to expand ACA than to build a Medicare-for-all system from scratch. "We should be building from what we have," he said last week. But as Bouie noted, it is difficult to escape the sense that Biden also very much wants to preserve the ACA for its own sake. "The Affordable Care Act was a historic achievement for President Obama," he said in the introduction video. "And if I'm elected president, I'm going to do everything in my power to protect it and build on it."
This is one issue where Obama nostalgia may fall short with the voters Biden needs to reach. For many Democrats, ObamaCare was a good first step, establishing the idea that the federal government has an important role to play in ensuring Americans have access to adequate insurance and care. But they also considered the law flawed — too reliant on profit-seeking private insurance companies, too derivative of Republican approaches to the issue, too much the result of the political compromises it took to get passed. For such activists, ObamaCare is the clunker they drive to work; Medicare-for-all — or something like it — is the shiny, sleek sports car they want to own someday.
An appeal to the good old days may be Biden's most effective political tool in 2020 — but voters know nostalgia won't help them pay for their next emergency room visit.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Joel Mathis is a writer with 30 years of newspaper and online journalism experience. His work also regularly appears in National Geographic and The Kansas City Star. His awards include best online commentary at the Online News Association and (twice) at the City and Regional Magazine Association.
-
Red Speedo: a 'darkly comic' doping drama
The Week Recommends Lucas Hnath's play stars Finn Cole as a 'reptilian' swimmer determined to win at all costs
By Irenie Forshaw, The Week UK Published
-
One Aldwych: where London's creative spirit takes centre stage
The Week Recommends This five-star Covent Garden hotel is the epitome of elegant independence
By Julia O'Driscoll, The Week UK Published
-
Charlotte Dujardin and equestrianism's dark side
In the Spotlight Olympic gold medallist and dressage star's suspension over horse whipping brings abuse in horse sports back into the spotlight
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
How could J.D. Vance impact the special relationship?
Today's Big Question Trump's hawkish pick for VP said UK is the first 'truly Islamist country' with a nuclear weapon
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Biden, Trump urge calm after assassination attempt
Speed Reads A 20-year-old gunman grazed Trump's ear and fatally shot a rally attendee on Saturday
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Supreme Court rejects challenge to CFPB
Speed Read The court rejected a conservative-backed challenge to the way the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is funded
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Arizona court reinstates 1864 abortion ban
Speed Read The law makes all abortions illegal in the state except to save the mother's life
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Trump, billions richer, is selling Bibles
Speed Read The former president is hawking a $60 "God Bless the USA Bible"
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
The debate about Biden's age and mental fitness
In Depth Some critics argue Biden is too old to run again. Does the argument have merit?
By Grayson Quay Published
-
How would a second Trump presidency affect Britain?
Today's Big Question Re-election of Republican frontrunner could threaten UK security, warns former head of secret service
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
'Rwanda plan is less a deterrent and more a bluff'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By The Week UK Published