The GOP should not be misled by what it does well . . .

The GOP are excellent in-fighters. They may yet finesse this ObamaCare revolution.

The GOP may also exploit voter fear and anger to great advantage in 2010.


Now is the time for the GOP to cultivate finesse!

We must not permit our strengths to prevent our overcoming of our weaknesses. We must learn to do better at the memes - at the framing of political issues so that voters {especially The Good Folks in the Middle) will understand our positions and support us.

Pelosi maneuvers while the GOP huffs & puffs:

Saturday's planned ObamaCare vote in the House 

= The Battle of Gettysburg

check it out at: http://sayingnicedoggie.blogspot.com

The GOP is railing that the Democrats are losing support.  That's an argument that carries no weight inside or outside of the Beltway.  The GOP should be pounding what John Boehner and I pounded out over the weekend:

“Medical care is your medical care. The issue is to lower health care costs and make it easier to obtain high quality, affordable coverage without imposing a massive burden on individual families or impossible debt on all of us together.”

Be careful. Go slow.

It’s your healthcare.

And, it can’t be free.

Fox News has a good headline today . . .but, not good enough . . .

House Republicans Find 111 New 'Bureaucracies' in Health Care Bill

"111 new boards and commissions" looks good as a battle cry. "111" is a big number and a good number to use.

111

But . . .the good folks in the middle will look at "111" and then they'll realize that their medical bills are even bigger numbers. "111" won't do the trick.

Less coverage. Higher taxes.

Death Panels. Longer Waits.

All of that is true. None of it is sexy enough.

You gotta give 'em a hook:

Just Say "NO"

Nancy Reagan nailed it a long time ago.

Just say "NO" and then go on to sell what John Boehner put into his radio address on Saturday and what I rewrote for him (see below, Nov. 1 entry):

“Medical care is your medical care. The issue is to lower health care costs and make it easier to obtain high quality, affordable coverage without imposing a massive burden on individual families or impossible debt on all of us together.”

Be careful. Go slow.

It’s your healthcare.

And, it can’t be free.

Ultimately, this isn’t about healthcare. That’s why today’s election is so very important.

It’s about power.

The GOP leadership hasn’t done a very good job of recognizing that. And, I’m surprised that Newt failed to recognize the importance of this situation.

Those folks who backed Doug Hoffman were fighting this battle against ObamaCare, too.

Don’t call it PelosiCare because general voter outrage is only a vague threat to Nancy Pelosi, where it is an enormous threat to The Won.

ObamaCare - The Biggest, Fattest Target for Memetics & Marketing™ Since Forever

Today's Wall St. Journal has a perceptive article by David Henninger, called "Obama and the Old Hat People."

"In a world defined by nearly 100,000 iPhone apps, a world of seemingly limitless, self-defined choice, the Democrats are pushing the biggest, fattest, one-size-fits all legislation since 1965. And they brag this will complete the dream Franklin D. Roosevelt had in 1939."

If the GOP cannot frame opposition to ObamaCare  for this electorate in a manner that is compelling, then the GOP will lose The Republic and will deserve to lose it - not that The Republic deserves to be lost, as it has been the best hope for mankind since its inception.


In this AP photo, we have Schumer, Reid and Leahy bravely striding forward into our bright tomorrow.

The alarm bells should be going off in everyone's head when they look at these two photographs.  How can such a thing be such a serious menace in a nation with universal education and mass communications?  Something is fundamentally askew.

Nancy Reagan - a woman before her time !

I really, really try not to give this stuff away for free.

Sometimes, it just screams at me and, sometimes, I let it go:

Just say NO to ObamaCare !

NO to compulsory insurance.

NO to tax on uninsured, under-insured or over-insured.

NO to tax on medical innnovation.

NO to compulsory unionization of all American health-care.

NO to bureaucrats denying or approving treatment.

Come on! Grab the issue! Have the courage of your convictions and perceptions!

and then . . . NO to "Card Check"

and then . . . NO to Cap & Trade

and then . . . NO to the next power grab

Obama Blinked/Winced/Dodged . . . Two words: TORT REFORM

Now that Obama has pulled his "public option," at least publicly and at least for the moment. The photo shows not a wink, not a blink . . . but a wince. That's Obama wincing. Yeah!

He'll try to do it another way, but . . .

NOW is the moment for the Conservatives to yodel: TORT REFORM.

Make tort reform a condition for anything done to health care.

Tort Reform would put a cap on claims for malpractice. It would be fair to suffering patients but remove the risk of run-away jury awards. It would also remove most of the incentive for lawyers to create causes and cases, like the source of John Edwards' wealth.

Say it loudly and say it now, when the public's attention is available.

Make it a test of Obama being able to do something simple, logical and right to reduce medical costs. The Trial Lawyers Association is one of the largest contributors to Obama and the Democratic Party. This won't be easy for Obama. Make it impossible for Obama to say "no." Embarrass and blackmail him into Tort Reform by making it the first step, a trial step, a first proof, a demonstration.

It would be nice if doctors put a notice in their waiting rooms:

"Malpractice insurance costs each patient $ x,xxx; please support reform of the legal system called Tort Reform. Tort Reform will reduce the cost of an office visit by $xxx."

Dr. Krauthammer explained it much better than I could: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/06/AR2009080602933.html .

Now.

Tort Reform.

Sarah BLINKED . . .not winked.

I think that Sarah Palin is great but she wasted a great opportunity on Aug 14.

When whathisname agreed to remove the Death Panel Provision, Sarah said thanks.

She should have said, "Now drop the rest of it! There's no crisis! The whole idea of government health control is flawed. And, what's the rush?"

When she had the whole country focused, she could have used the opportunity to question the entire premise behind ObamaCare.

Icky Old Stuff - How Younger Voters Tune Out ObamaCare

What do voters under 40 make of the fracas over ObamaCare?

Does anyone over-40 remember what they thought of Social Security when they were younger? No, they don't. They never thought about it. Never. Social Security and Old Age were things that would never happen to them. Young folks still think that Old Age will never happen to them.

It's easy to see how Obama wants to spare younger people any details on what ObamaCare will look like in 20 years. It is almost impossible to understand why the Republicans have not put forth more effort to show (not say, show) what a train-wreck is coming. Of all the organizations and marketers that target the Youth Market, why is there such silence concerning the welfare of their constituency?

Younger voters have more to lose. Younger voters can be swayed by this issue, if they understand it. In a 50.1% electoral world, one would be wise to remain mindful of younger voters:

• Old age will happen to them.
• The younger they are, the more broken will be the system that they inherit.
• Young voters have more to lose, not less - financially and politically.
  
• Freedom and liberty issues will fall more heavily upon the young - required this and forbidden that. They will not be spared the life-style mandates that are embodied in the 1,300 pages of law.

But . . .nobody is driving the run-away bus that is the Republican Party. And, Chicago-style politics have muffled everyone else who could possible have an interest in getting involved.