Posted on 11/30/2009 1:01:58 AM PST by Kaslin
Democrats have long complained about the “wedge issues” that Republicans allegedly exploit to “divide” the country. Perhaps it’s no coincidence that these so-called “wedges” are the issues where majorities or large pluralities of Americans are at odds with “enlightened opinion” as defined by liberals and the media: Abortion, affirmative action and immigration, just to name a few. It’s now increasingly clear that Republicans have found an effective new “wedge” for the upcoming 2010 elections: Health care. Ironically, the Democrats are the ones who created it for them.
Here’s what happened. Rolling into Washington last January, liberals felt invincible. From the newly-elected President on down, Democrats believed that the election results signaled a sea-change in the American electorate – a new enthusiasm for activist, big government – rather than simple weariness with war and perceived GOP incompetence, coupled with the desire to “make history” by electing Obama. (In fairness, this conceit was amplified by the pro-Obama enthusiasm of left-of-center commentators and newspapers.)
Misreading the national mood (much as Newt Gingrich and congressional Republicans did in 1995), President Obama and congressional Democrats immediately embarked on an unprecedented spending spree. Much of it was for passage of a $787 billion “stimulus” that rewarded core Democrat constituencies like labor unions and government employees, while doing little for regular Americans even as unemployment shot into double digits. As a result of the unprecedented levels of spending, government outlays and the relative deficit have soared to post-World War II highs.
Although Americans have loudly voiced their worries about rising unemployment, skyrocketing deficits and rapidly-expanding government, President Obama and congressional Democrats are ignoring their concerns. Instead, they’re jamming through a highly unpopular, budget-buster health care bill that guarantees nothing but higher taxes, more government spending and inferior medical care.
As voters have learned about the details of the legislation, most have been rightly outraged. That’s not least because Democrat politicians are playing them for fools, insisting that it’s possible to rework 18% of the economy to expand health care insurance coverage, allow those satisfied with their care to keep it unchanged – and cut costs, too, all at the same time. Despite the palpable voter anger, the President and congressional Democrats march on in a breathtaking display of political arrogance, determined to pass the bill regardless of public opinion.
It’s hard to fathom what they’re doing without understanding the political dilemma Democrats have created for themselves. A new Daily Kos poll shows that Republicans and independents (who oppose the current health care legislation) are fired up and ready to vote, with 81% of Republicans and 65% of independents saying they will definitely or probably vote in 2010. Only 14% of Republicans and 23% of independents say they will probably or definitely not vote next year. In contrast, only 56% of Democrats say they will definitely or probably vote, while a whopping 40% report that they will probably or definitely not vote.
These numbers have created a troubling scenario for the President and congressional Democrats. They attribute the diminished level of enthusiasm among their base to the absence of a completed health care bill containing left-wing features like abortion coverage and a “government option” – and they’re probably correct. But while forcing through an expensive, unpopular and left-wing health care bill may inspirit their base, it will only exacerbate the opposition of Republicans and independents.
Being stuck on the horns of this kind of dilemma is an ugly place to be. But perhaps it’s the price that politicians in a democracy pay for ignoring voters’ most pressing concerns, and instead playing to their base with legislation that not only lacks bipartisan support, but is so sweeping and so extreme that it alienates a majority of independents, as well.
No doubt it was easy for the President and Democrats to campaign exclusively against George W. Bush – and for Barack Obama to style himself as a moderate to moderates, and a liberal to liberals. The only problem is that this approach raised expectations – among moderates and liberals alike – that would inevitably founder on the shoals of reality. Now, the President President and his party have been forced to choose between disgruntled competing constituencies in the middle and on the left.
By throwing in their lot with the left, the Democrats have divided America and created the perfect “wedge” opportunity for Republicans. If this “wedge” defeats them, the Democrats and their leader have no one to blame but themselves.
“Tactics are those conscious deliberate acts by which human beings live with each other and deal with the world around them. ... Here our concern is with the tactic of taking; how the Have-Nots can take power away from the Haves.” p.126
Always remember the first rule of power tactics (pps.127-134):
1. “Power is not only what you have, but what the enemy thinks you have.”
2. “Never go outside the expertise of your people. When an action or tactic is outside the experience of the people, the result is confusion, fear and retreat.... [and] the collapse of communication.
3. “Whenever possible, go outside the expertise of the enemy. Look for ways to increase insecurity, anxiety and uncertainty. (This happens all the time. Watch how many organizations under attack are blind-sided by seemingly irrelevant arguments that they are then forced to address.)
4. “Make the enemy live up to its own book of rules. You can kill them with this, for they can no more obey their own rules than the Christian church can live up to Christianity.”
5. “Ridicule is man’s most potent weapon. It is almost impossible to counteract ridicule. Also it infuriates the opposition, which then reacts to your advantage.”
6. “A good tactic is one your people enjoy.”
7. “A tactic that drags on too long becomes a drag. Man can sustain militant interest in any issue for only a limited time....”
8. “Keep the pressure on, with different tactics and actions, and utilize all events of the period for your purpose.”
9. “The threat is usually more terrifying than the thing itself.”
10. “The major premise for tactics is the development of operations that will maintain a constant pressure upon the opposition. It is this unceasing pressure that results in the reactions from the opposition that are essential for the success of the campaign.”
11. “If you push a negative hard and deep enough, it will break through into its counterside... every positive has its negative.”
12. “The price of a successful attack is a constructive alternative.”
13. Pick the target, freeze it, personalize it, and polarize it. In conflict tactics there are certain rules that [should be regarded] as universalities. One is that the opposition must be singled out as the target and ‘frozen.’...
“...any target can always say, ‘Why do you center on me when there are others to blame as well?’ When your ‘freeze the target,’ you disregard these [rational but distracting] arguments.... Then, as you zero in and freeze your target and carry out your attack, all the ‘others’ come out of the woodwork very soon. They become visible by their support of the target...’
“One acts decisively only in the conviction that all the angels are on one side and all the devils on the other.” (pps.127-134)
http://www.crossroad.to/Quotes/communism/alinsky.htm
Update #2: Only 24% of the adults polled say they would definitely vote to re-elect Obama in 2012. 41% of the adults polled say they definitely would not vote for him.
If Obama polls show this early in his administration only 24% of the adults would definitely vote to re-elect in 2012, he is not going to make it to 2012 IMO. The rest of the Dems have got to be shaking in their boots right now. I hear a lot of subliminal lamenting on the occassional listening to the DNC Media.
God help us all....
I like the refrain: “Fired Up, ready to Vote” It throws Zeros stuff right back at hi...LOL
If they are passed then ACORN fraud and amnesty will not matter.
Once you have this kind of socialism/communism in place then the only thing that can be done regarding policy and lawmaking is to tinker around the edges. It would take a second Civil War and a near bloodbath, which nobody has the stomach for, to remove this kind of major legislation from the books and the Dems know it.
Once these are made into law then it limits the conservative argument to how we can run programs at a slightly lower cost. Communism will prevail and the Dems know it and know that even if they are booted out of office after passing these they will have positions of power waiting for them so as to rule us.
Those 30 million illegals will make up for whoever changes their minds. Oh the vote from the Senate will be 70-30 at the least...Guaranteed!!!! Remember the Republicans wanted Amnesty even before the Democrats!!!
Democrats and their constituencies are laughing like hyenas for a reason; they don’t see defeat in the years ahead.
They see only electoral success.
They have fifty percent of an indoctrinated electorate and lots of “independents” who claim impartiality who will vote Democrat no matter what.
DEfeat for Democrats? Never happen.
IMHO
Actually, it could be possible to do this (although you don't really need to rework the 18%, just the small part that is broken). Government regulation and a selective tax code has restricted health insurance options -- Congress could fix that. Laws favoring lawyers have allowed lawsuits to shape medical care, and Congress could fix that as well.
It always amuses me when leftists talk about “divisiveness” -
the Man Himself stated that He didn’t come to bring peace, but division.
He came to testify to the truth (something the left despises), and the truth IS “divisive”.
So true, but as long as Congress itself is mostly lawyers, it ain't gonna happen.
Once these are made into law then it limits the conservative argument to how we can run programs at a slightly lower cost. Communism will prevail and the Dems know it and know that even if they are booted out of office after passing these they will have positions of power waiting for them so as to rule us.
Yeah, the Dems know it. On non-partisan talkboards, they are taunting conservatives about it: once it's passed, they claim, it'll be there forever.
However: I have some good news for you, and a shocking surprise for them. Most of the provisions of this gigantic mess aren't set to take effect until 2013. Obama and the Democrats (particularly Rahm Emanuel) don't want the entire crushing burden of the deficits caused by this gigantic mess to take effect until after (cross fingers) Obama is re-elected.
This means that if it passes, in 2010 and 2012 the GOP can run on a promise to repeal this gigantic mess before it bankrupts America. And there won't be any desperate single moms with handicapped kids using "public option" insurance yet, to be interviewed by a sobbing Katie Couric on the CBS Evening News. The public resistance to this gigantic mess will be about the same as it is now: fairly high. And the public resistance to repealing it will be fairly low.
Part of the 'rat strategy is also probably this:
The Medicare CUTS are put in the bill, but not enacted...they are kicking the can down the road. Watch: if the fascists pass this bill, the REPUBLICANS can win the Congress back. The REPUBLICANS will be forced by law to eventually CUT the Medicare funds--this fascist health care bill says it has to be done--and Hussein and his sycophants will decry the action.
Kind of devious, they require the Medicare cuts but won't do it. They plan to lose power temporarily, only to leave the distasteful budget cutting to be done by the Republicans. Then, when that happens, they'll cry "Uncaring!"
How important is it we stop this nonsense NOW? Very!
The responsibility for paying "first dollar" medical care would instantly revert to the individual while catastrophic care would be picked up by insurance, or the government insurance plan.
To obtain "gap coverage" you'd simply buy a "gap policy" ~ which would appear instantaneously and look remarkably like the old system.
Once that was in place, the Democrat bill could be carefully edited and nibbled away until it applied only to elderly retired Armenian Americans living in Azerbaijan.
That's not good news. that's bad news for us. Yes if we had a Reagan who could effectively communicate well to the masses maybe we could educate them but we have no Reagan and the truth is for most American voters - as long as they are not paying for it - they are fine with socialism. we're screwed. We don't have the votes
Read Charlie Cook. We’ll have the votes. Independent voters are already getting sick and tired of Obama.
Thanks for the ping!
All the Republicans need is candidates. Who will be the candidates? As Charles Krauthammer recently pointed out in an interview, you can’t defeat the opposition with nobody.
You have to have somebody.
Thanks for the heads up!
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