The Star Tribune (Associated Press) lead was the following: WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama urged Congress Wednesday to vote "up or down" on sweeping health care legislation in the next few weeks, endorsing a plan that denies Senate Republicans the right to kill the bill by stalling with a filibuster.
I felt like this lead was extremely effective in illustrating the tension that might result due to this vote "up or down" idea President Obama is urging. I also think the use of a direct quote from Obama works well in the context of this lead. This lead illustrates the dichotomy between the Democrats and Republicans on the health care legislation.
The lead for the New York Times article was: WASHINGTON -- President Obama, making his final push for a health care overhaul, called Wednesday for Congress to set aside political gamesmanship and allow an "up-or-down-vote" on the measure, so that Democrats can pass the legislation and he can sign it into law, after nearly a year of debate.
I don't really like this lead. I feel like it's somewhat confusing in the order. It also doesn't captivate me as a reader. The overall lead is pretty confusing and doesn't give me a clear idea of what the article is about. It also doesn't really illustrate the tension like the first lead did.
"I don't see how another year of negotiations would help. Moreover, the insurance companies aren't starting over," the president said, referring to a recent round of announced premium increases affecting millions who purchase individual coverage.
This excerpt from the Star Tribune provides a good explanation after the quote. I also think the second paragraph of the New York Times article was effective in opening the subject of the article:
"I believe the United States Congress owes the American people a final vote on health care reform," Mr. Obama said in a 20-minute speech in the East Room of the White House.
I think the Star Tribune's use of the quote "At stake right now is not just our ability to solve this problem, but our ability to solve any problem," from Obama was an interesting quote to use in this article. It illustrates the country's problems as a whole. Obama is indirectly saying that the way we solve this problem reflects how we will solve other problems. I think it effectively connects the speech to a wider range of issues the U.S. is dealing with. We constantly are immersed in this health care battle, and sometimes we don't realize there are other battles we need to fight besides health care. I feel like the Star Tribune has a negative attitude toward the health care plan. I wouldn't quite call it a bias, but I would say it's thought provoking. Contrastingly, The New York Times article seems like a bunch of quotes thrown together with no rhyme or reason. That might be exaggerating slightly. The Star Tribune article has a way of explaining the quote they chose to the straight and to the point. It has a reason and order to how the quotes are presented. I wouldn't say The New York Times article is a poor article, but if I had to choose a better written article it would definitely be the Star Tribune.
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