This Week In Elections
Starting today, I will be doing a weekly update on the trends I’m seeing. I’ll also be writing about noteworthy articles that go at the heart of this November’s elections. This Doug Schoen op-ed is one worth reading because it talks to the seemingly few sane people left in the Democratic Party. Here’s what Schoen wrote that I emphatically agree with:
If the president decides to forgo compromise and move forward with his original bill, only two things could happen; both spell political disaster for Democrats. He could fail, with moderate Democrats voting “nay” out of fear of political pushback. In that case, Obama would look incredibly weak. Health care has been the defining issue of his presidency so far. And the perception of inefficacy could cost Democrats control of both chambers in November.
Alternatively, the Democrats could jam the existing health bill through Congress via reconciliation, a Senate procedure that lets them ignore Republicans. But that would be an act of just the sort of hyper-partisanship Americans have rejected time and again. Indeed, a recent CNN poll found that nearly three and four Americans want lawmakers to either abandon the existing bill and start over, or drop health care reform altogether.
We now know that President Obama’s idea of a slimmed-down version of health care reform isn’t slim by thoughtful people’s standards. It’s bigger because President Obama is theoretically adding 4 Republican ideas to the bill. I say theoretically because President Obama’s lawsuit abuse reform is a sham aimed at grabbing headlines.
President Obama’s mishandling, with the ‘help’ of WH Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, of the health care debate is causing independents to question congressional Democrats’ competence. It’s affecting their opinion of the Obama administration, too. Health care, the failed stimulus and the Democrats’ unwillingness to listen to the American people are the main reasons why this is shaping up to be a wave election that Republicans will likely ride back to the majority in the House.
This article is another noteworthy article because it shows the lengths to which President Obama is willing to go in selling his health care plan:
President Barack Obama on Saturday continued his final push to pass a healthcare bill this year as he attempted to assuage Democratic concerns that pieces of the massive measure wouldn’t take effect this year, in time to show voters tangible results.
“And while it will take a few years to fully implement these reforms, there are numerous protections and benefits that would start to take effect this year,” Obama said in his weekly radio address. “This year, small-business owners will receive tax credits to purchase health insurance.
“This year, thousands of uninsured Americans with pre-existing conditions will finally be able to purchase coverage. Insurance companies will no longer be allowed to deny coverage to children with pre-existing conditions. And they will no longer be allowed to drop your coverage when you get sick.”
Republicans have said that they have a plan that would lower the cost of health insurance premiums while dealing with the issue of people with pre-existing conditions. They’d do this by moving people with PECs into a high risk pool that the states would run. People in that pool would have their health insurance premiums subsidized, which would make their insurance premiums affordable.
Republicans did a great job explaining the details of their plan at the Blair House health care summit two weeks ago. In other words, people now know that there’s an alternative to the Democrats’ plan. The people now know that there is competition between the Republicans’ plan and the Democrats’ plan. That’s a fight the GOP is likely to win, especially when they find out that the Ryan plan doesn’t raise taxes.
The thing that caught my attention was that President Obama didn’t mention the tax increases contained in the Democrats’ health care legislation. He didn’t mention the individual mandates, either. When those provisions are implemented, people will immediately feel the pain caused directly by the Democrats’ legislation.
It’s a pretty lame sales pitch if you can’t mention a number of things contained in the bill. That’s where President Obama finds himself. My message for the Democrats’ congressional candidates is simple: Good luck this November.
Technorati Tags: Economy, Doug Schoen, Bipartisanship, President Obama, Tax Increases, Mandates, Blair House, Summit, Democrats, Paul Ryan, Republicans, Election 2010
Cross-posted at LetFreedomRingBlog