What went wrong? Bearing the brunt of some of the criticism is Obama himself – once viewed as a sure-fire closer, now facing grumbling on the left for letting critical months slip by without a constant, coherent and consistent argument. Think “change” and “hope” from the campaign, catchwords that Obama practically trademarked. In this fight, his key messages have shifted, from fixing health care to fix the economy, to “stability and security” for people who already have insurance.This is good, up to a point. At the video, Mitt Romney argues that the administration not only lost the message from the beggining, but outsourced policy to the hardline leftists in the Democratic Congress. Totally abandoning any effort at bipartisanship, Nancy Pelosi's forces have sought a socialized health bill that the public was guaranteed to reject.
And this week, he returned to an argument Democratic strategists said shouldn't be part of the pitch this year – trying to convince Americans they have a “moral obligation” to help people without insurance, a discredited argument from the reform effort under President Bill Clinton.
“I don’t think the messaging has been very clear,” said Celinda Lake, a leading Democratic pollster on health care. But more so, she added, “the campaign to disseminate the messaging has not been as relentless and organized as it needs to be.”
What's interesting in both Budoff Brown and Romney's discussion is the complete omission of the effectiveness of grassroots opposition. In "ObamaCare and the Tea Party Effect," I argued that "grassroots conservative activism" was having a significant influence in shifting public opinion against Democratic healthcare proposals. At the time of publication, public opinion surveys rarely asked specific questions on the effect of tea parties and town halls. Polling shows now, however, that right-wing protests have had a dramatic impact in shifting the debate in this country - and in handing the administration a major domestic policy defeat.
See, USA Today, "Poll: Health Care Views Take Sympathetic Tilt."
See also, "Zogby: Obama Hits Record Low in Poll":
President Barack Obama's popularity has plummeted to a record low, with just 45 percent of voters now approving of his performance, according to the latest Zogby International poll.Hat Tip: Hot Air, "Oh My: Obama Down to 45% Approval in New Zogby Poll."
Asked whether they approve or disapprove of the president's job performance, just 45.3 percent of likely voters say they approve. That compares with 50.5 percent who disapprove of the job Obama is doing.
The results are a strong indication that contentious national debate over healthcare reform has taken a major toll on the president's popularity.
2 comments:
This is like most issues pushed by the Left, one has to hold them off long enough for the average person to get up to speed on the facts and the ramifications. Green Peace finally admitting they dissemble on GW data. This is standard leftist SOP.
One can never let up the pressure on the Left. It has to be constant and consistent. Force them to deal with an issue long enough and they will show their real agenda.
Instead of presenting a well reasoned argument for their positions they resort to name calling which has lost much of its power due to being used so much that it has no value.
Compassion is something that is shown by individuals to individuals. One gets no credit for compassion by absolving themselves from responsibility by having the government do it. Even the Catholic Church created their own hospitals to help those in need. Just think what would happen if every religion put their money where their mouths are we would have healthcare for al without government involvement. Actually do GOD's work.
One get no credit from GOD, since Obama is invoking GOD and morality, for assigning your personal responsibilities to others by using the power of government. Where is that separation of church and state now?
Compassion does not come out of the barrel of a gun, read government power. It is each individual giving of his own time and money to help his neighbor Personally in a face to face manner.
President Stupidly not only left it to Pelosi and similar dingbats to argue for state-run healthcare; he argued for it very inarticulately and went off-TOTUS to mumble incoherently, make gaffe after gaffe and basically shoot himself and the Dems in the foot. Stupidly is his own worst enemy. IF he had shut up and IF Dems could have explained this debacle of a bill without either lying or treating Us the People like total morons, they might have had a chance.
Then Palin comes along with the brilliant meme Death Panels and town halls demonstrate utter lack of faith in and total disrespect for our so-called leaders (disrespect I heartily endorse) and this was inevitable. Never mind the extreme, daily damage done by Rush, Mark, Sean, etc.
I find it hard to believe Obama's and the Democrats' polls are as high as they supposedly are. Just does not make sense.
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