This Health Bill will cost Dem seats

[maseman]

The Dems are so weak at managing a message while letting the right manage the entire message. It doesn't matter that the health bill might be good the message from the right is "more tax", "more deficit", "government run healthcare", "socialisim", etc.

I don't think that we'll lose control of either house or Senate but there will be repurcussions unless we start managing the message better.

[zanne]

1. How would you do it? nt

[abluelady]

3. Personally, I Would Have Gone At It From a Different Angle

I think we should have taken the moral high ground about health care. Perhaps if we had promoted health care for all and focused on that rather than the economics. I can't imagine that at the start up of health care for all the costs wouldn't rise. But over time they would come down and we would all be healthier. When you start out talking about $$$ the Republicans' talking points will always beat us. We also should have started demanding single payer--there would have been lots less to tear apart.

[maseman]

14. Here's what I would do

1. Marketing basics is to control the message. The Repukes are good at this and the Dems could do some learning from their counterparts. Take the moral route (and I did see this mentioned below.) Use the bible and quote the dozens of places it talks about taking care of others...loving thy neighbor, etc. Quote it frequently and forcefully.

2. Use the media. Every Dem in the Senate and House has access to the media. Get the talking points straight and stand together. Repeat often and forcefully.

3. The President seems to have not been in the spotlight about HC as he could be. He has the biggest megaphone as any. FDR used the media like he owned it. President Obama can do the same.

4. More letter writing from both Dems in the House and Senate.

It just needs to be a concise, strong message that is heard often. Make it moral. Remind everyone that teh right strated this awful economy, 7 mill are unemployed, it would be good for small business, etc.

[zanne]

18. Using the Bible is useless...

I know it sounds like a great idea, but you know how conservatives think. The "Love Thy Neighbor" thing doesnt work with them, because so many of them know the bible by heart (especially the parts they like), they can sling a proverb or whatever at you that says the opposite. Either that, or they'll tell you you don't know "your" bible. You can't win with the bible, but talking about compassion and it's opposite, greed, are good starting points. You have some good ideas.

[rucky]

2. Will it cost any Republican seats?

All the nay votes on the final bill will essentially be on record as supporting denial of benefits based on pre-existing conditions. They're for unrestricted rate increases, too. And if we're lucky, they'll also be on record of supporting antitrust exemption, which allows them to continue to run their price-fixing schemes with no recourse from the consumer.

I hope their challengers use that against them. I also have no idea why the moral imperative of reform has not been our front and center message, when that's the thing most people would connect with.

[jpak]

5. Yup!

:thumbsup:

[AndyA]

6. I think this will harm the GOP more than the Dems.

Almost everyone knows someone suffering without health care, or getting less than they need. People know of those who have died because they didn't get help soon enough, or couldn't afford to do everything that needed to be done.

I think this shows the GOP for what they truly are: LIARS, and UNCARING HYPOCRITES.

People remember that the GOP hasn't had a problem voting for war funding, even if it did raise the deficit. Now that the Dems want to do something for the American people, the Republicans are fighting it every step of the way. I think people recognize that.

[Chan790]

4. I think only in the short term...

it's a clusterf*ck for GOPers. If they don't take it apart when the opportunity comes, they'll be stuck with it forever and we'll expand on it whenever we can. If they do take it apart when their opportunity comes, it'll be their albatross...all those people who received benefits under this that will lose them will be irate at the GOP.

Looking at socio-economic numbers by region, the majority of the people who will benefit most from this plan...are from the deep South and the bible-belt. It's a curse for Republicans. They literally can't win at this point...all they can do is hope to poison-pill the final bill which passes to the greatest extent possible and hope it dies a failing death on its' own.

[Bitwit1234]

7. The first thing I would do is bring back the Fairness Doctrine

and any news media that proclaims to the public anything that is false or misleading will be cited and called before an investigation board to explain why they continue to lie and slander.

If the democrats would get off their a** and fight back a lot of these things wouldn't happen. We know the media, in print and in TV is all republican owned and all the carry is the republican message. CNN is so so sickening with their Palin love feast. And with all the stuff they post and tell on cable.

Calling them before a board and making them support the lies they tell would stop this crap right at the head.

The democrats are afraid to do anything. But not doing anything will loose them their seats. The republicans aren't afraid. They have now turned it around that the Obama Administration is responsible for the recession not the bush administration. How did they do this...with the media and the democrats not getting the message out that republicans were lying.

[Laelth]

8. The problem isn't so much the message as the bill itself. It stinks.

The Democratic Party, and the nation as a whole, will both suffer if the individual mandate passes. It's just a bad idea.

:dem:

-Laelth

[Coyote_Bandit]

12. +1

[stray cat]

9. We almost certainly will be losing seats regardless at this point

It is impossible to do something practical with health care without making many people unhappy one way or another. Its better to do nothing if you want re-elected

[lonestarnot]

10. It sure as hell should get rid of some blue dogs and obstructionist pugs!

[barbtries]

11. pound home the good message

no more deaths from poverty in this amazingly rich country? but that won't work, right wingers think the poor should just die. health care for everyone? that won't work, "everyone" does not deserve a decent life. there's nothing, absolutely nothing, the dems can say or do that the republicans will not find fault with. i would rather just ignore them and pretend they didn't say anything at all. stop trying to address their bogus "concerns." talk about the real concerns of real americans and address those, and just carry on as if the naysayers aren't even there.

understood this fantasy will never ever fly, because msm is owned by wingnuts.

[LibDemAlways]

13. If the bill includes a mandate, and people wake up to

discover that they are being forced to give their hard earned dollars over to corporate crooks whose sole mission is to deny their claims, the Dems better be prepared for a bloodbath next Fall. The repuke platform will be "We opposed this POS. Vote for us."

[Kitsune]

15. Well, when you vote Dem over and over and over and nothing changes even when they win in a landslide

would you keep doing it?

[leftstreet]

16. Only if the Republicans start screaming 'MANDATES! MANDATES!'

But given that both parties have every intention of screwing us over on healthcare, they might not be able to use that.

[TomCADem]

17. Oddly Enough, Republicans Get A Free Pass On Opposition To Any Health Care Reform

I frankly don't think any magical PR effort would fool the hundreds of millions of dollars being directed at defeating health care reform.

For example, the "Government Take Over" argument. This is a complete lie. Yet, the liberal response is to demand single payer, which does not exactly negate that talking point.