Comparing and Contrasting Senator Barack Obama's speech on Universal Healthcare

I am a Health Sciences major, so I have decided to write this blog on one of Senator Barack Obama's speeches concerning a Universal Healthcare plan. One quote at the beginning of his speech, Obama states, “In the 2008 campaign, affordable, universal health care for every single American must not be a question of whether, it must be a question of how. We have the ideas, we have the resources, and we must find the will to pass a plan by the end of the next president’s first term.” He is appealing to logos in the way that he is suggesting a definite plan must be made to solve the health crisis in America. Marting Luther King also appealed to logos in his Letter from Birmingham Jail, in that he tried to explain the social injustice of segregation. He explained why the argument should be fought in courts. However, he also explained in logical terms why that was insufficient.
One of the quotes from Obama's paragraph that stood out to me was, “Well we can’t afford another disappointing charade in 2008. It’s not only tiresome, it’s wrong. Wrong when businesses have to layoff one employee because they can’t afford the health care of another. Wrong when a parent cannot take a sick child to the doctor because they cannot afford the bill that comes with it. Wrong when 46 million Americans have no health care at all. In a country that spends more on health care than any other nation on Earth, it’s just wrong.” This paragraph does more to pull at the heart strings of those listening to the speech because it is easy to relate to. It appeals to our emotions when this particular subject is brought up. Also, the repetition of the word "wrong" causes listeners to pay close attention to this point.
Obama also offers the solution of preventative care in our country to reduce costs and increase the health of the population. Once again, he uses logic to explain the benefits of preventative healthcare.
Overall, I believe that Senator Barack Obama presents his speech through the use of logic while appealing to emotion. Although, I do not believe Senator Obama's rhetorical skills match those of Martin Luther King Jr.'s, he delivers a well spoken speech that causes listeners/readers to think twice about the controversial issue of health care reform in the United States.