Monday, January 03, 2011

OH YES, LET'S ENDURE 2009 AND 2010 AGAIN

You know that the House Republicans are going to vote on repeal of health care reform next week, and you may also know that Democrats want to fight back:

... In an interview with me just now, Dem Rep. Anthony Weiner, who is one of the best there is at framing liberal arguments in pugnacious terms, said Dems are leaning towards seeing this fight as an opportunity, and appear to be eschewing their typical "fetal position" on health reform.

Separately, in another development, Dem Rep. Peter Welch -- last seen leading the charge on behalf of House liberals against the Obama tax cut deal -- is circulating a letter among Dems vowing to introduce amendments to the GOP's repeal bill forcing votes directly on the Affordable Care Act's most popular provisions.

Weiner told me this afternoon that he's urging fellow Democrats to see the GOP's repeal push as a chance to do what they failed to do last year in the runup to the midterms: Aggressively make the case for the individual provisions in health reform that the public likes....


You know who'll win this fight, as far as the public is concerned?

Whichever party talks about health care least.

Think about it -- the economy was in the toilet for two years and the Democrats seemed to spend the entire time fighting to pass health care reform. Then they got shellacked at the polls. Now, with the economy still in the toilet, the Republicans want to plunge us right back into a huge debate about ... health care!

Dems? Just let them do it. Let them be the ones obsessing. Don't pontificate and bloviate and relitigate it. Just let them seem like the ones who are out of touch and obsessed with this subject. Defeat them in the Senate, but don't engage them. Let them seem like monomaniacs this time.

Talk about jobs. Talk about the economy. Don't talk about health care. Leave it to the GOP. Let them be the ones talking about a subject the public is sick of hearing about.

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