Thanks for the news coverage in Sunday’s paper about President Barack Obama’s Chicago connections, and for your editorial about his accomplishments. That said, the editorial misrepresents a key aspect of Obama’s legacy.
It is not accurate to criticize Obama for “ramming Obamacare through Congress along strictly party lines.” Obama and his team made many compromises with Republicans and conservative Democrats, not the least of which required him to renege on a campaign promise to include a “public option.” He was vilified by many on the left for breaking that promise in order to garner never-to-come Republican support. Then, despite his attempts at bipartisanship, Republicans as a party refused to support vitally necessary health insurance reform that has helped the economy boom, and, more importantly, saved countless lives. The party-line vote on the Affordable Care Act was not the President “ramming” anything through anything. It was pure partisanship on the part of the GOP, and should be remembered as such as we enter an even more partisan and polarized era.
Bill Savage, Rogers Park
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Hold firm on Supreme Court appointments
Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York and Senate Democrats have a moral obligation to prevent Republicans from filling the currently vacant Supreme Court seat — the same seat they did not allow a sitting president to fill, in spite of the Constitution. Obstruction is not the same as advise and consent. The only person who properly should be confirmed for that Supreme Court seat is Merrick Garland. Senate President Mitch McConnell set the precedent of denying hearings for Supreme Court nominees; the Democrats can do the same, no matter how many vacancies occur during Donald Trump’s term as president.
Michael Shepherd, Bellwood
