So, is this an admission that the law was purely political in nature? Or was he simply trying to defend himself out of fear? Nobody knows, except for one Mr. Ritter, who got a handwritten response from the president after criticizing his health care law.
Since Mr. Obama's writing is a bit hard to read, the full text is duplicated below.
Obama's response:
Mr. Ritter's initial statement:
Obama pens letter to schoolteacher, says health care ?wasn?t the smart political thing!?
Since Mr. Obama's writing is a bit hard to read, the full text is duplicated below.
A Texas schoolteacher who wrote a letter highly critical of President Obamas health care law was surprised when the president himself wrote back defending his policies but admitting that health care wasnt the smart political thing!
Just like every commander in chief before him, Obama has his share of critics. And in the Internet age, those critics have been given a bigger voice than ever before.
But what do you when the president writes back? The New York Post reports that fifth-grade schoolteacher Thomas J. Ritter was shocked to receive a handwritten response from Obama
Obama's response:
Dear Mr. Ritter--
I received your letter, and appreciate your concern about the toxic political environment right now. I hope to challenge you though, on the notion that any citizen that disagrees with me has been "targeted and ridiculed," or that I have "made fun" of tea-baggers. I think a fair reading is that I have gone out of my way to listen to legitimate criticism, and defend the rights of everyone to speak their mind--including those who routinely call me "socialist" or worse.
I sincerely believe that the health care reform bill was the right thing to do for this country. It certainly wasn't the smart "political thing!" And I hope that in the months to come, you will keep an open mind and evaluate it based not on the political attacks but on what it does or doesn't do to improve people's lives.
Sincerely,
Barack Obama
Mr. Ritter's initial statement:
This bill has caused such a divisive, dirisive [sic], and toxic environment The reality is that any citizen that disagrees with your *administration is targeted and ridiculed. I hesitated to write for fear of some kind of retribution. I watched you make fun of tea baggers and your press secretary make fun of Ms. Palin which was especially beneath the dignity of the White House.
Obama pens letter to schoolteacher, says health care ?wasn?t the smart political thing!?
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