General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: STOP Calling Social Security & Medicare Entitlements! [View all]LiberalLovinLug
(14,190 posts)I think Democrats have to understand this. It seems sometimes they are too arrogant for their own good sometimes. By clinging onto these names long after they have been poisoned. Give it up! You can't always win the battles, winning the war is more important. Republicans have successfully changed the meaning of entitlements to mean either limousine libtards sipping champagne and feeling entitled to speak out just because of their celebrity, (or bribe their kids into exclusive colleges), that or Democratic voters that are voting D just because they feel 'entitled' to get free stuff. Stick with "earned benefits" and do not waiver.
Its almost like when the Republicans decided to call the Affordable Care Act, "Obamacare". In the mistaken belief that it would fail, (with their help), and so this move, or any future move even remotely towards a mandated tax based health insurance system, would be forever stained with his name, and the debacle they were hoping to bring about.
But when Democrats saw this, and with the belief that it would succeed, especially with Hillary almost assured to carry on in the Presidency, fix the problems and solidify it, they doubled down and began to join the Rs in adopting the name "Obamacare" instead of pounding out the term Affordable Care Act at every opportunity when guests on news shows. I remember even Obama himself calling it "Obamacare"! When every time the legislation came up, they should have made a point of referring to is as the ACA only. Because it only opened the door for Republicans to muddy the waters in their base states to the point that most supported the ACA, but hated "Obamacare", even though they were the same thing! The word "Affordable" was lost in the discussion, and it was easily re-defined as a (failing) vanity project by Obama.