It's time to put away the white gloves

To paraphrase that old Republican Ronald Reagan, "There they go again."

I'm talking about the varied interests that are opposed to national health care reform. They know this is a critical time in the legislative process. Three committees in the House have adopted reform bills, which Democratic members are expected to fashion into a single bill.

The Senate is working on two bills, both still in committee.

Going into the summer recess, opponents in business and Republicans in Congress sent the message that President Obama needed to wait a minute, slow down, don't do anything rash.

The message has changed, and Republican leaders such as Senators John McCain and Mitch McConnell are now saying, "Start over." It almost sounds reasonable, if duplicitous, compared to the screeds on right-wing radio and TV.

Senators McCain and McConnell and other anti-government conservatives have been emboldened by the unruly crowds at town hall meetings and the irrational opposition to anything President Obama does, whether it's a pep talk to school children or where he was born. Kill health reform now and you will break President Obama, crowed Republican Senator Jim DeMint of South Carolina.

No matter their crocodile smiles about starting over or the almost visceral hatred of the country's first black president, their objective is to kill health care reform.

That is the message that President Obama should heed. He must put away the good silver and polite manners and do what President Franklin Roosevelt did when he, too, was called a socialist and traitor to his class because of his New Deal.

In a timely reminder, Roosevelt scholar Jean Edward Smith of Marshall University wrote recently about how President Roosevelt, with majorities in both houses, won approval for his then radical changes. He dumped bipartisanship when moneyed interests and their Republican allies fought his bills, calling him names and crying doomsday.

Mr. Roosevelt, in today's parlance, stuffed them.

Writes Professor Smith, "His opponents hated him—and he profited from their hatred."

Listen to Mr. Roosevelt himself, "Never before in all our history have these forces been so united against one candidate as they stand today. They are unanimous in their hatred for me—and I welcome their hatred."

The Great Recession leaves more and more middle class people without medical insurance every day.

Medical bills now are the single biggest reason for bankruptcy. Mr. Obama's opponents' solution—to do nothing—will mean private medical insurance costs will continue to rise.

Don't forget that our current system is the most expensive per capita in the world, and our citizens' health ranks 37th in the world. Worse than Saudi Arabia. History shows that major social legislation such as Social Security, Medicare, civil rights—these things don't end the world. They have changed our country for the better.

Most free-market nations that are like the United States have national health care plans. They have economies as strong as ours. They have not fallen into the oceans. And neither will this country if it fixes the current, inefficient, high-overhead system.

President Obama should know after this summer that he cannot reason with unbending "birthers" and "death panel" propagandists and Republican leaders who encourage them.

Mr. Obama has a majority in Congress.

Use it.