Obama's Speech Target Center

The text I chose is a transcript of President Obama’s speech given yesterday at the Target Center in Minneapolis, which I found in the Star Tribune. I have posted a link to the piece below.

http://www.startribune.com/politics/state/59134707.html?page=1&c=y

Saturday’s speech follows President Obama’s address to Congress last Wednesday, September 9th in which he outlined his new health care plan. During yesterday’s speech at the Target Center, the President historicized the health care reform debate, outlined specific clauses in the new plan and addressed financial concerns in relation to the plan. In addition, the President offered several specific and touching incidences of Americans who have struggled emotionally and financially due to faulty heath care practices.

After recalling these incidences, the President made the claim that “no one should be treated that way in the United States of America.” Aristotle would have defined this tactic as one likely to inspire pity based upon his definition that “pity is aroused by unmerited misfortune “(4). Thus Obama’s claim is that no American should have to experience this kind of treatment, because it is not merited. Upon reading this text, I was in agreement that these individuals were indeed experiencing “unmerited misfortune,” and this led me to feel pity for them. Aristotle also claims that there are specific “circumstances which strike us as terrible or pitiful,” and that the most effective of these situations occurs when “the tragic incident occurs between those who are near or dear to one another” (5). While Aristole may not agree that bureaucrats and everyday Americans are near and dear to one another, Obama is trying to highlight the fact that all Americans are human and in that sense they should honor one another’s humanity by not attempting to profit off of misfortune.