Health Care Reform As A Future Campaign Tool
On Friday I aired a fear of mine that the Democrats would turn health care reform into an abortion style issue for the Democrats.
For years political insiders have said how abortion was a necessary evil for the Republicans, and overturning Roe v. Wade would actually cost them in the long run. The conventional thinking is that opposition to Roe is a vote getter for Republicans and once you take that away you end up with less turnout at the polls.
To keep the dream alive Republicans have always taken minor steps to help keep the dream of a Roe v. Wade-less America alive. Things like the partial birth abortion ban and reporting requirements, but they have stopped short of really pushing a full out ban on abortion.
Now it appears that health care is poised to become the same sort of issue for Democrats. While the current health care bill does a lot to expand coverage and reign in some costs, it stops short of something progressives have fought for for years – a federal plan designed to give care, not profits. That leaves Democrats with the core belief in health care reform as a key campaign issue in coming years, while still touting the success of the new legislation
The Politico is reporting on an internal memo that pretty much backs up this belief:
A new polling memo offers encouraging news to Democratic senators as they embark on a high-stakes effort to sell health reform to voters following this week’s historic votes.
In a strategy memo to be provided to Democratic senators on Tuesday, Mark Mellman, CEO of The Mellman Group, reports that public polls are giving a distorted picture of the level of opposition to health-care reform. That’s because in many of these polls, “opponents” include people who think the current proposals do not go far enough.
The thinking here is that Democratic senators will be able to turn the defeat of the public option into votes. The hardest thing to do in a mid-term election is get the voters to show up, and by rolling out the public option in campaign speeches and commercials, they can try and fire up the base and turn that energy into votes.
I am going purely on speculation, but it could have been the thinking of some Democratic leaders to leave the public option out and use that down the road as a tool for re-election. If it seems rather dirty, well it is, but it is a practice not at all uncommon to politics. Given the lack of a real push for the public option, including numerous Senators saying there was no real push, the increased “fix it later” push and President Obama’s highly dishonest statement yesterday that he “never campaigned for the public option”, my speculation is sadly becoming more of a reality.
The big question remains though – will it actually work?
So cynical....it just might be....ugh
holy joe's already trying to. He's held up the senate plan so many times, that when he ceases his objections, he's gonna present that to Connecticut voters as him saving the bill.
Diabolus est Deus Inversus
..but I'm sure you meant that the current health care bill would expand coverage and rein in some costs, as in controlling a runaway horse. To reign means to exert sovereign power over something.
"In theory theory and practice are alike. In practice they are very different."
You rainin' on their plain?
Diabolus est Deus Inversus
The Dems have done it before (even Obama) with Gays. Promise and cajole, and then back away AFTER the election. The Rethugs use Gays as a fear tool to get their votes. Both sides being dishonest as possible, and Gay people getting the shaft...and not in the good way.
That said..of course Health Care will be used this way...nothing new, nothing changed.
I like this new ad coming out:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/12/23/obam...
"The US has an army of 90,000 soldiers in Afghanistan and is spending $100bn a year, but has still been unable to defeat 20,000-25,000 Taliban who receive no pay at all." - Patrick Cockburn
In my younger days one of my favorite past times was drag racing.
I ran a Ford Galaxy 427 S/S.
To build the car to go fast - at least faster than when buying it from a dealer - you buy it without all the bells and whistles. At that time an FM radio was an option, I just got the AM, no tape, no A/C, it came with a heater.
All I wanted was the body, the engine, the transmission (4-speed) and the differential.
Then I removed parts, like windshield wipers, heater, radio - anything that did not make it go faster and just added weight.
Then I went shopping for performance parts. A Holley 3bbl, headers to replace the exhaust manifold, a high-rise intake manifold, a different cam, Detroit locking unit, 4.56 ring and pinion and a bunch of other stuff.
I made imprvements on what was there, including engine balancing, clutch and disc, etc.
So now we have a health insurance 'vehicle'. Once that gets installed it will be the time for removing stuff, adding stuff and improving stuff.
You get the idea?
My car was named 'Good Grief, and was popular in Southern California, mainly because it was the only Ford that ran decent.
If you need funds to pay for essentials, you have a revenue problem
If you need funds to pay for frivolity, you have a spending problem
I know I wish I had my old muscle cars - but that's anothe conversation.
Onto your post though. I see the insurance industry as totally controlling the debate - and (it seems the inevitable) outcome. When the dem.s have control of the house, senate and presidency - what makes you think positive change will come through future ammendments when we probably won't have the majorities we have today and the insurance industry will be exponentially more powerfull?
... after they see that the program will work well for the population, they will come around as they did with Medicare, Government employees and Social Security, and we may pick up some repugs to vote for improvements.
"I hate health insurance reform, but DON'T TOUCH MY MEDICARE type stuff."
If you need funds to pay for essentials, you have a revenue problem
If you need funds to pay for frivolity, you have a spending problem
A converter and a holley carburetor on an old, floor totally rusted out, beat-up Kaiser Jeep (late 60's model) Wagoneer that was well basically "hey it still runs" farm truck carting my redneck arse around to college. It had a nice 327-short-block V8 (not the Chevy!) engine.
Local dirt track helped me keep it running so I could stay in college if I a) kept my grades up and b) did some of the labor myself. The racing Holley was a loaner when I was .. err .. between working carburetors. I would pull up at a light with my whap whap whap and everyone would look around for the racer. No one, no one, ever thought the noise was in that wreck. It had a name too, but not because it ran decent!
That shop, I would trust to fix that old truck, and just about anything back up.
This Senate as my mechanic? No. Really. No.
Campaign tool. Hell they need something after all the lies about how they hate abortion being in control of both houses and the whitehouse, filling the courts with political hacks and not doing a damn thing to stop abortion I think they have shot their wad on that dead horse.
But then I see them for the lying sons of bitches they really are.
republicanism/conservatism is a mental illness that is killing America!
Education????:
http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_14037564
This is how nutty this has become? They give him this for NOTHING!!
At least Dodd got $250 million for a new hospital in CT and they'll get his vote! (And Dodd's chances for re-election will supposedly be improved because he brought some bacon home to his constituents).
Seriously. ABSTINENCE EDUCATION DOES NOT WORK....IDIOTS!!!!
"The US has an army of 90,000 soldiers in Afghanistan and is spending $100bn a year, but has still been unable to defeat 20,000-25,000 Taliban who receive no pay at all." - Patrick Cockburn
debate on purpose in order to feather their caps in future elections - then I'm done with the party forever.
Is a republican way of life!
Get elected and fuck up the government.
You see republicans don't understand government only criminal activities. Because they are all criminals!
Name one honest republican I bet you can never find one!
was a Republican.
I know, I had to go back to the 19th century and of course during the period before the 2 parties switched ideologies, but there ys go.
Honest Abe Lincoln....Republican.
`As a republican after all he was honest, had integrity, honor, and cared about the whole country and not just himself!
Does not fit with todays crop of lying, backstabbing, knuckle dragging morons.
"...I had to go back to the 19th century and of course during the period before the 2 parties switched ideologies, but there ya go."
Doesan't matter....Abe was a Republican of that time. And because of that, blacks for the longest time voted Republican, simply because it was the party of Lincoln. The Log Cabin Repubs (gay Repugs) is named in reference to Lincoln. No matter that today's Repugs disenfranchise both groups, Abe was still in name a Republican party member.
You can't rewrite history, no matter how often the Rethugs try to do it.
The polls show there is tremendous support for the public option/expansion of Medicare. It was the one element that a clear majority of Americans really wanted. But this bill doesn't have either. NO politician is going to squander the energy favoring the public option/Medicare expansion going into an election year.
They read the polls. They know what people wanted. They were probably left out on purpose, just so they could be trotted out for the next election. It explains everything about what Lieberman's true role in all of this was; as the "spoiler"...this time. He was perfect. He isn't even a "Democrat", so no Democrat can be blamed for leaving out the public option/expansion of Medicare...this time.
THEREFORE, look for either or both of those aspects to be "in the works" to be added to the bill starting in, oh, let's say September. It won't be added by then, mind you, only "in the works" to be added early the following year IF ONLY the Dems can maintain or add upon their majority.
Republicans usually do this on some war issue. You know, "the democratic election in blah-blah-gistan our troops gave their lives for has been scheduled for November 10th...if ONLY nothing changes in our government to rock the boat."
Dems will use the public option/Medicare expansion issue as a means to prod Democrats off their butts and VOTE next November. And that's a GOOD THING. Republicans are already fired up to vote every Democrat out next year. Democrats need to be motivated to get out there and make sure they FAIL.
coming back again and again to make adjustments and improvements to the current version of this bill?
Remember MEDICARE for fifty-year-olds?
Remember the ROBUST PUBLIC OPTION?
Remember Single Payer?
I believe that the Democrats have really accomplished something here. Maybe not something GREAT... but something valuable.
All the Republicans are ever going to do is BITCH AND COMPLAIN... right into their own political GRAVES.
easy to fix:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/lincoln-mitchel...
"The US has an army of 90,000 soldiers in Afghanistan and is spending $100bn a year, but has still been unable to defeat 20,000-25,000 Taliban who receive no pay at all." - Patrick Cockburn
They've lost. Full stop.
a) Many many Republicans voted for this bill. It wasn't a Democratic effort. So you can't exactly say "We were for it, they were against it."
b) It so absolutely sucks, they may as well have done nothing. Seriously, forcing people who can't afford insurance to buy it isn't "reform." It's collusion with the insurance industry to increase profits.
c) They have control of the House, the Senate AND a president who won in a landslide. If you have the best offense, the best defense AND the best quarterback and you make it to the Superbowl, only to get crushed, you're still an effing loser.
Republicans have achieved every imaginable conservative economic policy of the last thirty years.
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