Yesterday the White House announced that David Plouffe, Obama’s campaign manager, would take an expanded role. Today an op-ed by Plouffe appeared in the Washington Post called “November doesn’t need to be a nightmare for Democrats.” I hope Democrats are listening to him:
We still have much to do before November, and time is running short. Every race has unique characteristics, but there are a few general things that Democrats can do to strengthen our hand.
— Pass a meaningful health insurance reform package without delay. Americans’ health and our nation’s long-term fiscal health depend on it. I know that the short-term politics are bad. It’s a good plan that’s become a demonized caricature. But politically speaking, if we do not pass it, the GOP will continue attacking the plan as if we did anyway, and voters will have no ability to measure its upside. If we do pass it, dozens of protections and benefits take effect this year. Parents won’t have to worry their children will be denied coverage just because they have a preexisting condition. Workers won’t have to worry that their coverage will be dropped because they get sick. Seniors will feel relief from prescription costs. Only if the plan becomes law will the American people see that all the scary things Sarah Palin and others have predicted — such as the so-called death panels — were baseless. We own the bill and the health-care votes. We need to get some of the upside. (P.S.: Health care is a jobs creator.)
Yes, yes, yes! You can’t spend a year talking about healthcare only to let it die. Democrats have to show they can actually do something instead of just talk about it. There are significant problems with the Senate bill, we all know this. Democrats should stop pretending that they are powerless because if they don’t do something, they will soon be powerless. I also hope Plouffe puts some much needed discipline on the Democratic caucus. If I have to hear another one get up and talk about their hurt feelings, I just might lose it.
— We need to show that we not just are focused on jobs but also create them. Even without a difficult fiscal situation, the government can have only so much direct impact on job creation, on top of the millions of jobs created by the president’s early efforts to restart the economy. There are some terrific ideas that we can implement, from tax credits for small businesses to more incentives for green jobs, but full recovery will happen only when the private sector begins hiring in earnest. That’s why Democrats must create a strong foundation for long-term growth by addressing health care, energy and education reform. We must also show real leadership by passing some politically difficult measures to help stabilize the economy in the short term. Voters are always smarter than they are given credit for. We need to make our case on the economy and jobs — and yes, we can remind voters where Republican policies led us — and if we do, without apology and with force, it will have impact.
— Make sure voters understand what the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act did for the economy. Rarely does a congressional vote or issue lend itself to this kind of powerful localization. If GOP challengers want to run ads criticizing the recovery act as wasteful, Democratic candidates should lift up the police officers, teachers and construction workers in their state or district, those who are protecting our communities, teaching our children and repairing our roads thanks to the Democrats’ leadership. Highlight the small-business owners who have kept their doors open through projects funded by the act.
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— Don’t accept any lectures on spending. The GOP took us from a $236 billion surplus when President Bush took office to a $1.3 trillion deficit, with unpaid-for tax cuts for the wealthy, two wars and the Medicare prescription drug program. Republicans’ fiscal irresponsibility has never been matched in our country’s history. We have potent talking points on health care, honest budgeting and cuts in previously sacrosanct programs. Republicans will try to win disingenuously by running as outsiders. We must make them own their record of disastrous economic policies, exploding deficits, and a failure to even attempt to solve our health care and energy challenges.
Yes, all these things. It’s what we’ve been saying in the blogosphere, apparently to brick walls. We all know that national leaders don’t listen to us, but they will listen to Plouffe. A Daily Kos diarist explains why:
Very few Democratic consultants have the kind of stature that is necessary to get Dems together. Yes, you need leadership from the President directly, but it helps to have a pure political animal like David Plouffe who is well-respected in the political community and can spend his time wholly on the political and campaign basics angle.
His entire op-ed is filled with common sense advice for Congressional Democrats many of whom aren’t going to listen to anyone in the netroots (which I define as the larger activist blogs) and quite frankly, the consultants that the netroots have elevated over the years. The difference between Plouffe and almost all the people who the netroots have pushed lately is that Plouffe has actually managed a winning presidential campaign and has an intimate knowledge of Congressional districts and races up and down the ballot.
There are many Democratic consultants and operatives (in private) who have pushed much of what is in Plouffe’s op-ed, but sometimes it takes a David Plouffe to put it all into one place and to put it in such a common sense way for Cong. Dems and Democratic candidates to “get it.”
I’m glad to see there’s someone that can calm the Democrats. It’s been infuriating to watch the national Democrats turn into a pack of whining loser wimps, who need Obama to hold their hands just to do their jobs. If Plouffe can pierce their cloud of self-interested panic, more power to him.