Michael Gerson: Obama's Epic Screw-up
Michael Gerson's Town Hall article "Obama's Epic Screw-Up" argues that Obama's health care mandate violates the Catholic religion. Gerson develops his argument by acknowledging the counter claim the "mandate on religious institutions was a skilled political stratagem" (line 5) directly after the thesis - leaving plenty of room to destroy the claim in the remainder of the article. Gerson synthesizes the counter argument with one that supports his own claim to emphasize the absurdity of the religious mandate. The columnist then includes several other reputable sources within the same paragraph however fails to make the synthesis connection. Gerson's body paragraphs intend to elaborate his thesis through appeals to pathos by describing the humiliation members of the Catholic church are said to be suffering. Appeals to pathos create effect in this situation because freedom of religion, according to Franklin Roosevelt, is a human right and should not be affected by the government. Gerson concludes with a strong analogy Obama is "playing a political chess game, he has just sacrificed his queen, a rook and all his bishops" (79-80). The board game reference is meant to sum up how lightly the President views America's basic human rights, a game to be played over and over. Gerson implies that Obama has betrayed and therefore lost the support of every important religious being that held his entire system together. The columnist strategically developed the argument by disproving the main counter claim, appealing to citizens who value their human rights and impactful analogies, successfully proving the absurdity of Obama's health care mandates. America's well-being goes beyond the president's political strategies, it is the respect of human rights that will allow the country to thrive.