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Posted on 01/19/2010 8:00:03 PM PST by GOP_Lady
Democrats should be willing to seek common-ground reforms.
Liberal Democrats might attempt to spin the shocking victory of Republican Scott Brown in Massachusetts by claiming that the loss was a result of a poor campaign by Martha Coakley. Would that it were so. This was a defeat not of the messenger, but of the message—and the sooner progressive Democrats face up to that fact, the better.
It's the substance, stupid!
According to polls, fears about the Democrats' health-care proposal played a prominent role in Mr. Brown's victory yesterday. In the last several months, the minority congressional Republicans have dominated the message on health care—and stamped on the Democratic Party the perception that we stand for big government, higher taxes, and health insecurity when it comes to Medicare.
How is that possible? The Democrats have a simple message on health care that has still not really gotten through: If our bill passes, you never have to worry about getting, or losing, health insurance for the rest of your life. How is it that so few people have heard that message?
Then there were the two "deals" that put congressional Democrats in a worse light than the infamous "Bridge to Nowhere"—as impossible as that might have seemed—as an emblem of the special interest politics Barack Obama ran against. We Democrats had to explain to Massachusetts voters and other Americans why non-Nebraskans and nonunion members have to pay more taxes, while Nebraskans and union members get to pay less. Those two deals seem to have alienated most people across the political spectrum. That's not easy.
(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...
Coakley drilled herself in the foot with a Gatling gun, ‘tis true.
You neglected to mention the death panels, Lanny.
why the long face John?
Ding dong the death panels are dead!
in Luntz’s group tonight, after the entire room ranted that they were voting against the Democrat Agenda, one brain-dead female Coakley voter actualy claimed “she didn’t get her message out”.
Oh, they heard it, Lanny, but you, like most libs, don't want to talk about tradeoffs, about the other side of the equation. In this case, that means higher taxes, more government intervention in your life, and, for the elderly, reduced Medicare benefits. Davis makes the typical, one-sided left-wing argument that refuses to weigh what you get against what you give up, and concentrates your aim only on what you get. Like the entire "pro-choice" movement that says that a woman should have the right to choose what to do with her own body, while completely denying the right of the human being living inside her to exist.
LOL. Yes, I saw that.
” If our bill passes, you never have to worry about getting, or losing, health insurance for the rest of your life. How is it that so few people have heard that message?”
We heard the message Lanny, loud and clear - we just know it’s a bunch of BS.
We know costs will continue to increase - premiums will go up, all the while quality and availability go down. We know our parents and grandparents will be rationed. We know our favorite doctors will either retire “early” or refuse to accept most plans.
The people of Massachusetts have to live with it already.
They don’t like it Lanny.
Yeah, I laughed when she said that. Coakley got her message out. It’s just that it was firmly rejected today.
They already had the PERCEPTION, Lanny. The Socialist Party simply validated it. In big fat SPADES!
Not to mention that Lanny leaves out is what the democrats are REALLY offering: everyone gets insurance but it is CRAPPY insurance (doctor shortages, killing innovation in our medical industry, death panels and rationing, etc). This is the kind of insurance that if your employer offered it to you, you would likely seek an alternative somewhere else. Except under the democrats plan there are no alternatives. Finally, in order for everyone to get the crappy insurance we get to kill off Mom, Dad, Grandma and Grandpa or those that just happen to get too sick.
Typical democrat plan, instead of lifing everyone up, the left brings everyone down and calls it “equality.”
I get a mental image of a chain gang guard standing over the shackled prisoners exclaiming, "What are you griping about? Look at all the fresh air and sunshine you're getting!"
We heard the message, and Joe Wilson gave our response, "YOU LIE!"
for those that rocked the vote.. all cannons, FIRE !!!!!
we SALUTE you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
We have heard it. We simply don't believe you. We know there's no such thing as a free lunch. How is it you don't know that, Mr. Davis?
Not until that bill has been run through a shredder.
[If our bill passes, you never have to worry about getting, or losing, health insurance ]
Don’t have to worry about getting? Huh? I thought you got fined/taxed if you didn’t get a Democrat approved plan. That’s enough to make anybody worry.
Fined is right. We will have to pay a fine of $900 (that was actually the 2008 tax year fine) because we lived in MA and were unable to pay for our $2000+ a month health insurance bill past January. It was so high because we are self-employed.
Thank God we moved from that state last summer simply because we could no longer afford to live there. I hope they prorate the fine.
Thank God also that Brown won. I am truly amazed. I never could figure out how Kennedy kept getting re-elected.
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