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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsThe Democrats Need to Stop Freaking Out About Obamacare and Take Charge
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/11/14/the-democrats-need-to-stop-freaking-out-about-obamacare-and-take-charge.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+thedailybeast%2Fpolitics+%28The+Daily+Beast+-+Politics%29The Democrats Need to Stop Freaking Out About Obamacare and Take Charge
by Michael Tomasky Nov 14, 2013 5:45 AM EST
Well, here we are againthe Democrats are in disarray, flailing on Obamacare. Its a potent story line, but this time Obama must crack the whip, stop the panicking, and make it work.
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Yes, Republicans have been in disarray, too, from time to timethe low points of the Iraq War, Katrina, and just last month during the government shutdown. But for a variety of reasons, the 24-7 news cycle era has found Dems in disarray to be a far more potent story line than Republicans in disarray. Its alliterative, for starters. And it has been, I readily concede, legitimately true at times. Plus, Fox, for many years, drove the agenda that the other cable nets swallowed hook, line, and sinker. MSNBC has been a liberal pushback channel only for five years or so, or less than half the life span of the 24-7 cycle. (Remember when Tucker Carlson was an MSNBC host?) And Republicans have tended to have tougher game faces, march more in lockstep, and not concede those crucial rhetorical inches that Democrats so often feel compelled to grant.
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Democratsespecially Obama, but all Democratshave to take charge of the situation right now. In danger of losing the countrys trust, they must say in essence: All right, we did screw up Round 1. Were going to admit it, and were going to apologize, and were going to fix it, and were not going to bullshit you. But were also not going to panic. Were going to make this thing work.
If they do all those things, they will still come out looking a hell of a lot better than the radical obstructionists. Obamas approval rating may be down to 40 percent, but thats four times the Republican Congresss rating. He can step in and take more control of the agenda here, and he and the Democrats can be seen as the ones sincerely trying to fix these problems, while the Republicans will inevitably be seen as wanting only to kill yet another law and throw yet another wrench into the engine. They will be led once again by Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA), the man who has enticed his party to go down several rat holes already these past couple of years. He is now sitting up on his throne warning that hackers are about to steal applicants Social Security numbers, a charge that rings with all the veracity of his earlier accusation that the administration knowingly targeted conservative nonprofit groups.
The current situation is serious. But I remember a lot of other times when it was supposedly curtains for Obama, too, because inside the Beltway, the more disciplined Republicans, who after all are in the luxurious position of just sitting back and firing away, have an easier time winning news cycles. But out beyond the Beltway, the party that shut down the government for three weeks and killed immigration reform and wants to decimate food stamps and cant even pass its own spending bills doesnt look very appealing to most people. The fate of Obamacare can be changed. The DNA of the GOP cannot.
Ninga
(8,275 posts)with her "I agree" is a symptom of weasel virus.
Laelth
(32,017 posts)http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Harry_S._Truman
-Laelth
IrishAyes
(6,151 posts)very interesting. With the general pile-on, I have a great deal of sympathy for and with him; but I do want to see him push back also. Every major social program has had a rocky start, many adjustments needed along the way. What a shame so many people are ignorant and vindictive. They seem to think it's better to rule in hell than to serve in heaven. I'll tell the trolls right now not to bother piling on me for quoting Milton. Most of them probably never read anything deeper than comic books.
michello
(132 posts)Dopers_Greed
(2,640 posts)The storm surrounding the ACA is a bunch of shit whipped up by the media. "Misleading for profit," as a certain turtle once said.
Every major new initiative will always have issues. Nothing has ever been launched 100% perfect.
spanone
(135,823 posts)KittyWampus
(55,894 posts)to continue throwing their money into that sort of useless toilet.
As for the malfunctioning website
fix it while emphasizing it's still months before people actually need to sign up.
dembotoz
(16,799 posts)Nuclear Unicorn
(19,497 posts)The thing that is pissing people off the most -- cancelled policies replaced by unwanted products at higher prices -- is a requirement for keeping the ACA afloat. Assuming the technical aspects are fixed anytime soon we're presuming to inject tens of millions of new consumers into the healthcare system.
That system has not expanded its production capacity, i.e. we don't have more healthcare providers to absorb the new consumption of services. Scarcity equals higher prices so as to lure more people into becoming providers, not to mention it just plain ol' costs more to treat more people.
The system needs this extra money but the people were lied to about how much this was going to cost them. In fact, they were told this was going to save them money.
How do you take charge and fix that?
Demeter
(85,373 posts)Take charge of this ball of ****? No thanks, I got better things to do, like housework, sorting and filing, working at charitable events, root canals, etc.
Put Universal Single Payer on the Table (sorry, Nancy Pelosi)? WHERE DO I SIGN UP?!!
randome
(34,845 posts)And not using the exchanges to their full extent. "Sorry! We had to cancel your policy! Here's your new one! Sign here!"
So 'taking charge' could mean stopping this kind of 'bait and switch'.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]TECT in the name of the Representative approves of this post.[/center][/font][hr]
Nuclear Unicorn
(19,497 posts)What we are experiencing isn't a bug, it's a feature.
GoCubsGo
(32,079 posts)This, too, shall pass. This kind of shit gets really old...
ProSense
(116,464 posts)http://thinkprogress.org/health/2013/11/14/2939731/6-reasons-democrats-let-americans-coverage/
DNC Chair: 'Democrats Will Not Revolt' Against Obamacare (VIDEO)
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/dnc-chair-democrats-will-not-revolt-against-obamacare-video
It's their own fault that they're on the defensive.
MyNameGoesHere
(7,638 posts)There is one, and only one reason why this needs fixed. The president said it over and over and over again. It was foolish to say it. Even if you and I are smart enough to know why he said it, we aren't bitching about it. We don't have to be sold on it. The administration needs to shut up the media and opposition immediately with a solution. They have to make it work, under the plan and assurances that were hammered in the media.
kelliekat44
(7,759 posts)Peacetrain
(22,875 posts)Basically I think I knew it would be a messy roll out.. these things always are.. so I guess what happened is what I expected.. and as John said yesterday.. the roll out in Massachusetts .. close to 90 % or so of sign ups happened in the last month. Heck I have one family member who cannot get it because he lives in SD and is below the poverty line..(long story..but a republican tactic) but the others .. the younger ones.. I advised.. just hang on a couple of months till the kinks get worked out.. they tried once or twice and got frazzled.. everybody take a deep breath
edit to add.. that roll out in Mass... was romneycare a number of years ago
Iliyah
(25,111 posts)from their so called journalists which makes it headline gossip. Dems are not divided. The bullshit keeps rolling . . .
Obamacare is well on the way of succeeding but alas the naysayers are out in full force.
quinnox
(20,600 posts)with Senate Democrats. It would really suck if Obamacare turns out to be poison and causes losses in 2014, so better to fix it now, and make radical changes to it, if required. Bill Clinton was 100% correct.
Pretzel_Warrior
(8,361 posts)Romulox
(25,960 posts)That's the hard part. Otherwise, all you have is doubling down on a bad idea.