President Obama reframes critical healthcare debate

After a month of angry town hall meetings and dire predictions about the state of healthcare reform, President Obama moved forcefully to take the initiative on the debate during a nationally televised speech to a joint session of Congress. Obama had two overriding objectives for his speech, according to the Washington Post: First was to reassure and ultimately rally a skeptical public to get behind the drive for comprehensive healthcare reform, and second was to appease independents worried that his agenda threatens a fiscal disaster for the country.