Liberal Groups’ Strategy: Don’t Talk about Health Care!
Politico has a fascinating article this morning about how the liberal umbrella group Health Care for America Now (HCAN) is “fighting hard to help re-elect lawmakers who voted for the [health care] bill – even if it means not talking about it….HCAN’s field crews are finding that the best way to support reform-friendly lawmakers is to talk about something else,” like jobs or the economy.
The article also included a striking admission from HCAN’s national field director: “Most people out there are not going to see their health care change for awhile…You might see your premiums go up, but your premiums are going to go up anyway.” This of course represents a clear break with the President’s rhetoric on the campaign trail, as candidate Obama famously promised to reduce family premiums by up to $2,500 “by the end of my first term as President.”
Just as important, when it comes to jobs and the economy, the health care law is a loser not just on message, but in substance as well. The law contains more than half a trillion dollars in job-killing taxes on businesses large and small, and contains perverse financial incentives that the Congressional Budget Office recently found would discourage work, further damaging the American economy.
Speaker Pelosi famously said in March that Democrats had to pass the health care bill “so that you can find out what is in it.” Now, nearly six months later, even liberal groups are afraid to talk about their unpopular health law, and have admitted that the public doesn’t believe the law will help either the deficit or the economy. When will the majority admit that their government takeover of health care is the furthest thing from the “reform” most Americans wanted?