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Quietly Democrats
Counseled to Abandon Rationales for Health Care "Reform"
Part One of Three By Dave Andrusko Please send your comments on Today's News & Views and National Right to Life News Today to daveandrusko@gmail.com.
Let me summarize the major conclusions of a confidential presentation organized by FamiliesUSA -- "one of the central groups in the push for the initial legislation," writes Politico's Ben Smith. "The call was led by a staffer for the Herndon Alliance, which includes leading labor groups and other health care allies. It was based on polling from three top Democratic pollsters, John Anzalone, Celinda Lake, and Stan Greenberg." The most important components are two. First, we learn that the main sale pitches proponents used to pass this monstrosity--including the inherently implausible notion that ObamaCare would reduce medical costs, bring down the deficit, and jumpstart the economy--have been abandoned. Second, that nonetheless the groups firmly believe in what they peddled. The problem is (stop me if you've heard this before) a failure to communicate. The meeting included a PowerPoint presentation with lots of "Don'ts," including not claiming that "the law will reduce costs and deficit." Okay, so what takes its place of "overselling" the law? "The presentation advises, instead, sales pitches that play on personal narratives and promises to change the legislation," Smith writes. This use of "personal stories," can move people "from initial skepticism and support for repeal of the law to favorable feelings and resisting repeal." The presentation (in Smith's paraphrase) "stresses repeatedly [that] many are unaware that the legislation has passed, an astonishing shortcoming in the White House's all-out communications effort." But as more than one commentator who's read the Smith story noted this is absurd, in fact has it backwards. The more people know about ObamaCare, the more they oppose it. Democrats would be far better off if the entire electorate thought ObamaCare was merely a twinkle in Obama's eye. Take three minutes out and read Ben Smith's story at www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0810/The_new_message_Improve_health_care_dont_talk_cost.html?showall. Please send your comments to daveandrusko@gmail.com |
You
really, really need to read the story in Politico in full to get
the flavor of this remarkable back-handed admission by the
people who brought you ObamaCare that it's an albatross, an
anchor around the necks of Democrats who will face the
electorate in six weeks. [Read the article