The GOP Has Already Lost The Argument On Health Care Reform
Back in May, Republican language guru Frank Luntz wrote a memo for Republicans on how to fight the Democratic plan for health care reform. The Republicans did a good job of following the script for a while, often invoking “government-run health care” and “government bureaucrats” when making their arguments.
Dr. Frank Luntz, a top Republican consultant on the language of politics, is warning the GOP that the American people want health-care reform and that lawmakers need to try to avoid directly opposing President Barack Obama.
“You simply MUST be vocally and passionately on the side of REFORM,” Luntz advises in a confidential 26-page report obtained from Capitol Hill Republicans. “The status quo is no longer acceptable. If the dynamic becomes ‘President Obama is on the side of reform and Republicans are against it,’ then the battle is lost and every word in this document is useless.
“Republicans must be for the right kind of reform that protects the quality of healthcare for all Americans. And you must establish your support of reform early in your presentation.”
Instead, Luntz says Republicans should warn against a “Washington takeover” of health care, and insist that patients would have to “stand in line” with “Washington bureaucrats in charge of healthcare.”
I hope you’re sitting down. It appears that conservative organizers and Tea Party activists aren’t really interested in some kind of bipartisan reform of the health care system, or watered down Democratic proposals. Their goal is to protect the status quo at all costs. Greg Sargent reports:
On a private conference call, a group of top Tea Party and conservative organizers offered a surprisingly frank description of their goal, according to a source on the call: Completely blocking any kind of bipartisan compromise, and completely preventing any type of health care reform bill at all from ever becoming law.
The source who got himself on the call was an organizer for the AFL-CIO, and AFL-CIO spokesman Eddie Vale provided me with the organizer’s notes. It’s certain to be seized on by Dems to argue that organized Tea Party opposition to Obama has no constructive intentions and is fomenting public “concern” about Obama’s plan solely to prevent any reform from ever taking place. GOP officials would argue that they don’t share these goals.
The call consisted of representatives of top conservative groups, such as the American Liberty Alliance, the “Tea Party Patriots,” and
According to AFL-CIO’s notes, the moderator on the call said, “The goal is not compromise, and ANY bill coming out this year would be a failure for us.” Another organizer added, “The purpose of Tea Parties is not to find a solution to the health care crisis — it is to stop what is not the solution: Obamacare.”
Palin and Gingrich have upped the stakes by getting involved. It’s now become conservative vs. conservative and the media is (belatedly) starting to debunk the lies of the anti-reformers.
I hope this is the beginning of the end for the deathers. Del Dem posted on this recently as well, but Obama’s numbers are starting to rise again – related to the antics of the deathers?
Tags: Deathers, Health Care Reform
No, Obama has lost the issue of health care. Luntz wrote his OpEd 3-4 months ago and he was correct on many things but the House/Obama plan has so many over the top ideas that citizens are right to say “no”. Onama has messed this idea up so badly.
Too many elected officials, Obama included simply don’t know the bill or are lying. Obama says he doesn’t back single payer but there are campaign videos of him saying so.
In the end after Obama screws this thing up so badly it will come down to states initiatives and not the huge bill from DC. Our Delacare Plan is much better, http://www.rebuildthedelawareGOP.com
Mayo Clinic rejected Obama and so did the CBO.
Mike Protack
Who is winning the debate? I beg to differ with you. The groups that you mention are not even the driving forces in the movement.
I am sure the AFL-CIO organizer gave an unbiased account so we won’t question it. The status quo is better than what is being proposed. There is something better than what we have, but it won’t even be considered judging from all the bills we have left on the docket without committee consideration. It would be better to block most of the efforts and wait until we have a new Congress in 2011. That could change if the Blue Dogs stop being lap dogs and join with Republicans in developing a real solution. They seem more interested in finding amendments for the big insurance companies so they can get campaign money.
Sorry, David, but you guys are being represented by crazy people and they’re hurting you. You guys are making people nervous.
I haven’t seen any crazy people. I have seen you guys represented by thugs including a senate staffer who allegedly directed the assault on a man who was peaceably passing out flyers. If people want something to be nervous about drop by DP tonight and read what the Kennedy Dodd plan will do to wages.
If you people are truly for sound health care reform, why are you trying to push it through so fast? Shouldn’t it be debated, and examined? I for one, don’t like it when things whith large implications are buried in a thousand pages. In the cap and trade bill, there was the 300 page amendment added late at night. One of these amendments was that you have to get your house up to their “green” standards before you can sell. Way to put the screws to lower income homeowners who may need to seel their homes.
Whatever happened to Obama’s campaign promise to allow time for the people (us) to read and respond to large scale legislation?
Right…
There was Crazy Eileen
The Larouchies
The Obama/Hitler posters
The guy who told Dodd to commit suicide
The guy who accused Dingell of wanting to kill his son with cerebral palsy – he did an interview and claimed that Nancy Pelosi broke into his house.
The woman who was worried about rationing of toilet paper.
The guy who carried a loaded weapon to Obama’s townhall in NH
These are just the ones I could think of off the top of my head. I think the GOP is confused about the media. Just because you’re on TV a lot doesn’t mean you’re winning. The media is dutifully showing your nuts.
“Crazy” Eileen had what to do with health reform? Oh, the Democrats put her in an unrelated health care commercial.
The Larouchies are Democrats and they are not crazy. They may be wrong in a lot of ways but that doesn’t give us insanity. The posters– you don’t like them that doesn’t make them crazy.They raise valid points about the rise of a fascist state by hyperbole. Maybe you aren’t familiar with that literary devise. I don’t think many people confuse the President with Hitler. After all didn’t I see a lot of Bush is Hitler stuff? If both sides stopped it, I would be happy.”
What disability rights group favors these plans? The plans would lower their quality of life not enhance it.
The guy who carried a loaded weapon to Obama’s townhall in NH”—I don’t know any details. I am sure he was a Republican operative. They are so evil.
Now why did you put things that had very little to do with the townhalls or the GOP up there? They are not representative of what you see or even what is reported. It is because you don’t want to talk about the substance of the plans.
If we fail to reform our health care system this year, a major reason will be that a majority of Americans are satisfied with their health coverage and believe that reform could hurt them. According to a recent (unscientific) Consumer Reports survey, 64 percent of readers are satisfied with their plans — down from 67 percent in 2007, but still a clear majority. A recent New York Times poll found that 59 percent of Americans do not think that health-care reform will benefit them personally; 69 percent are concerned that reform could harm the quality of their own care and 68 percent are concerned that it could limit their access to treatment.
Baseline Scenario
They raise valid points about the rise of a fascist state by hyperbole.
how cute, David acts like he knows fascism when he sees it.
It is because you don’t want to talk about the substance of the plans.
You don’t like that people are linking to the nutjobs that “protest” the town halls? Here’s an idea, why don’t you get your fellow crazies in line
Mike Protack in to save the day….
If we fail to reform our health care system this year, a major reason will be that a majority of Americans are satisfied with their health coverage and believe that reform could hurt them
You are so stupid you make peoples points for them. No shit they will BELIEVE reform could hurt them. That is exactly what the health care companies want them to think.
Man, I can’t wait till you run for Governor again. lmao. What a maroon.