Vanity Suicide: The Joker’s Arrogance Is Killing His Health Plan
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President Obama’s health care “plan” is going down like a handful of tacks, and the Democratic Party, experiencing the political equivalent of a nervous breakdown, is poised to commence a civil war over health reform that could virtually tear the party’s leaders to shreds.
The White House has made a series of irreversible blunders that have left the party, and the President, in peril.
* Message schizophrenia. The talking points coming out of the White House these days are harder to follow than a Jessica Simpson autobiography. First, there was the moral imperative that it wanted to move forward with universal health care to cover the 46 million uninsured. This number is misleading. Many of the uninsured are offered insurance and don’t take it, and millions are illegal aliens. More troubling is the fact that the former director of the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) says that 43% have the means to buy insurance but don’t. CBO projections among the uninsured in 2009: 18% will be eligible for but not enrolled in Medicaid, and 30% will be offered, but will decline, coverage from an employer, leaving the electorate questioning a full overhaul.
When the original argument fell flat, the White House quickly shifted to an economic imperative that its plan would help cut the rising cost of care. Not so, according to the CBO, which found that the Democratic “plan” will raise – not cut – costs. Nothing blows up a sales pitch like getting mugged by reality.
* Hubris. There’s a proverb that states that pride comes before a fall. Not only did Obama’s overbearing pride cause him to grossly underestimate how savvy seniors and the entire American electorate is when it comes to health care, it also allowed him to overestimate his own understanding of the issue – particularly from a purely political standpoint.
* Playground Tactics. Insults are generally reserved for people who cut you off while driving. They aren’t smart strategy when used against the people who elected you.
The left discounted the initial concern and anger of its constituents and insulted them by calling them “angry mobs” and “evil.” When you put forth a plan that is baked with every possible political poison from half a trillion in tax hikes to penalties for small business to fund it, you can’t expect anything but legitimate fury.
Worse yet, as polls show support for health reform declining along with Obama’s approval numbers, the administration continues to ignore the public outcry. It is either in serious denial, doesn’t give a damn about losing Congress to Republicans in 2010, or is more beholden to the far left than one could have ever imagined.
* Poor Planning. Obama and his team never expected to have to fight “evildoers” all August long over universal health care. The President’s presumption anticipated a bill being sent to his desk the first week in August. In fact, that’s exactly what Dr. Obama ordered. And because they didn’t think they’d experience any pushback, they never had a real blueprint, especially when it came time to explain how they were going to pay for it. Cutting $300 billion from Medicare would result in fewer services for seniors. That’s not exactly going to move the masses.
* History. They ignored it. What’s the saying? “Smart people learn from their mistakes, while wise people learn from the mistakes of others.” The Obama team didn’t learn from the mistakes of the Clintons when it comes to trying to reform health care. One look back at the 1990s would have shown the left that the more people hear about drastic changes like a government option in health care, the more they dislike it.
Again we see the arrogance. Or perhaps it was ignorance. Notice a theme here?
The next few weeks will be pivotal for Obama and his credibility. There is little room for error. That means he’ll need two plans: one for the nation, and one to protect his political health.
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