The democrats can’t win for losing, but the GOP can

There is no doubt the American people are not favorable to government health care reform. The issue tanks in approval polling and has the democrat party fractioning.

To spite the public disapproval, the latest end-around strategy by the democrats is to get something, anything through the Senate and House somehow, no matter what and no matter how. One wonders just what it is the democrat majority is doing on this kamikaze path.

Rasumussen Reports shows that while 50% of Americans are against government health care reform, 44% are for it. The problem for the 44%, who responded favorably, is what are they for? At present, there are several different bills between the House and Senate and the only one with news-making headlines, the plan proposed by Senator Max Baucus (D-MT) doesn’t yet have any legislative language to define exactly what it would and wouldn’t include.

What is so puzzling about this debate is the opposed to this or that plan are doing so because they know full well once anything is passed it will be the eye of the needle through which a fiscal albatross passes. On the other hand, those in favor of health care reform don’t seem to be at all concerned with the consequences, whether they are fiscal, privacy concerns or quality of care.

And that may be the greatest consolation for the unpopular majority party – they are working hard to get their base something their base wants. But that as it stands now, that will almost certainly cause them to lose big in 2010 as they head strongly ignore the economy and pay little more than lip service to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

While this may be good news for the Republican Party, it’s only as good as they make it. Should the GOP win big in 2010, they will have done so (at present) simply for not being democrats – kind of like the President winning the Nobel Peace Prize for not being George W. Bush. This will be a precarious place for the republicans – especially if they win a majority in the House. Any opposition to Mr. Obama plans will be labeled partisanship and it will be said that racism is yet to die among the voters.

The GOP will walk a fine line if they gain a significant number of seats or win outright; simply to oppose the president won’t be enough, they’ll have to put forth better alternatives and demonstrate why they’re so doing.

The democrat majority appears to be on an electoral suicide mission, but that mission will be complete if they can enacted a foothold in the door toward universal health care – once in, there will be little to no chance of slamming the door shut.

-- Killswitch Politick

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4 reasons Mr. Obama can’t sell health care

1) “It’s the economy stupid.”

Bill Clinton’s camp bludgeoned Bush 41's reelection chances to death with this little observation. Apparently, the same myopia that tunnel-visioned the elder Bush right out of office is blinding President Obama. Americans respond and are concerned for their pocketbooks (oh, and two wars still being waged). So when the Commander in Chief becomes Dr. No, there’s a two-fold problem: one, he isn’t fixing the economy that Bush broke and two, he’s talking about reforms that everyone (everyone but he and his administration) believes will cost consumers more. Which brings us to the next reason Americans continue to reject health care reform.

2) “What are you talkin’ about Willis?”

A quick anecdote: my brother is a mechanical engineer. I once asked him how a thermostat works and this was his answer verbatim, “It’s a bi-metallic strip of two dissimilar metals affected by the coefficient of thermal expansion.” Wow thanks; that clears it right up, how could I have missed that?

There’s not much difference in my example than what Mr. Obama is telling seniors (the biggest demographic actually listening). They don’t have a clue as to what he’s saying because it’s always something different without being new. Get it? First it was about reform, then about competition, then about stabilizing the economy and now it’s been hijacked by talk of racism. While the reasons purporting for it have changed, the devil in the details have not.

3) “Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain!”

When big pharmaceutical airs ads backing the President’s health reforms, people are naturally skeptical. Why in the world would big pharm be backing this plan? The inescapable logic is they want to make more money. While average Americans are all for the American way, they tend not to be so keen on gigantic corporate entities that manufacture costly prescription drugs. Although big pharm’s profits are under 5%, seniors don’t care as they pony-up the dough for their prescriptions or have to wade through Medicare red-tape to get prescriptions.

4) Trust me, I’m with the government

As President Obama’s agenda tanks in the polls, out onto the public stage comes former President Carter to throw in his two cents. Jimmy Carter really? Arguably the worst president in the history of the republic; a man that was tossed out of office on a 34% approval rating, who left the economy in shambles, botched foreign affairs and relations, unchecked high interest rates and unemployment and this is your surrogate?

I’m sure it doesn’t help Mr. Obama’s cause when the former President says the opposition are a bunch of racists and because of that, they don’t have the mental capacity to see how great Mr. Obama’s plans are. (For those of you “George Bush was the worst president in history” types, I beg you to ask yourself one simple question…why was he reelected? While his second term economic policies surely paved the way for the crisis we’re in today, he kept the country safe. He kept his eye on the ball and the one issue that mattered to Americans most, national security.)

Today, the issue is the economy and Mr. Obama is not only not doing anything about it, it doesn't seem to be important to him).

-- KillswitchPolitick