Laura Brod: On health care -- president should speak less, listen more - TwinCities.com

Laura Brod: On health care -- president should speak less, listen more - TwinCities.com: "It is always great to have a sitting president visit our state — regardless of party affiliation.

While President Obama briefly mentioned Mayo Clinic in his speech in Minneapolis last week, it would have been far more instructive for him, and the nation, had he gone to Rochester to see the cutting-edge treatments developed there. Despite President Obama's rhetorical reference to Mayo as an example of what is right, his 'new plan' includes proposals that are antithetical to what makes Mayo work for so many people. Better listening might lead to better policy — policy that relies more on what Mayo has learned about bringing teamwork to bear on the best interests of the individual, and less on the heavy hand of the federal bureaucracy.

The president could have gone to Medtronic - a global leader with a reputation for innovation such as the integrated insulin pump/glucose monitoring device that improves outcomes and the lives of those with diabetes. Or, he could have met with the folks at Medtronic to listen to them talk about how his tax proposals will impact their ability to create and retain jobs in Minnesota, or in the United States, for that matter.

Of course, he could have taken time to visit the University of Minnesota - consistently ranked as one of the top hospitals for health outcomes and for efforts related to childhood cancers and autism therapies.

But he didn't. He came to Minnesota to give a partisan speech to generate support for his idea of "reform." Unfortunately, when you spend so much time telling people why you're right you can never really hear people trying to tell you that you might be wrong. "