Former President Barack Obama wants to see the United States Congress act in a more courageous manner in fulfilling its duties. President Obama was in rare form on Sunday evening in Boston as he accepted the "Profiles In Courage" award from the Kennedy Library. President Obama accepted the award and urged Congress "not to replace" his legacy legislation, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act or better known as Obamacare. He added that "political courage" is still a possibility in this age.
The 2017 John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award was presented to the former President by the members of the Kennedy family, including JFK's daughter, former Ambassador to Japan, Caroline Kennedy.
Her son, Jack Schlossberg, presented the award as part of the centennial celebration of John F. Kennedy’s birth in 2017. The ceremony was held in Boston, Massachusets, the home of the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum in Boston. The event included a special musical performance by James Taylor.
Obama asked Congress to show 'political courage'
Specifically, he asked Congress to show "courage" by not "repealing" Obamacare. Obama argued that replacing Obamacare with the Republican bill, American Health Care Act of 2017, would hurt the vulnerable disproportionately. He said it does not require courage to help those "not" in need of help, such as the wealthy and the powerful.
"Courage means not simply doing what’s politically expedient, but doing what, deep in our hearts, we know is right." https://t.co/IihhyXPtqm
— JFK Library (@JFKLibrary) May 8, 2017
"Courage means not simply doing what’s politically expedient, but doing what, deep in our hearts, we know is right." —President @BarackObama
— JFK Library (@JFKLibrary) May 8, 2017
"It is my fervent hope, and the fervent hope of millions, that regardless of party, such courage is still possible." —President @BarackObama
— JFK Library (@JFKLibrary) May 8, 2017
He started out his speech with his special brand of humor, thanking the Kennedy family for the award and adding that "unlike the Nobel Prize committee" they at least waited until he was out of office before awarding the prestigious prize.
The reference was to the stunning announcement in late 2009 that he would be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, in spite of the fact he had only been in office for some nine months. Many believed at the time he was given the Nobel Peace prize because he had campaigned on withdrawing from the Iraq War.
AHCA moves onto the U.S. Senate
Last Thursday, the U.S. House of Representatives passed The American Health Care Act of 2017 (AHCA) by a narrow margin with no Democrats voting "yes" and 20 Republicans defecting from the party line and voting "no." Those 20 Republicans deserve to be awarded the "Profiles in Courage" award, said Obama.
.@BarackObama says members of Congress who voted for #ACA deserve #ProfileInCourage for making choice to put people before politics. #JFK100 pic.twitter.com/us0qN9GNRM
— JFK Library (@JFKLibrary) May 8, 2017
The bill now moves to the U.S. Senate, where it faces is expected to face deep obstacles as the Senate majority has promised to "rewrite" the bill in order to pass the needed 51 votes. Parts of the bill only require a simple majority of the vote, but even that is proving to be a high hurdle for Republicans. What is certain, the House-passed legislation in its current form the bill has no chance of passage in the U.S. Senate.
(View the entire program in its entirety by clicking below).
