What Obama has done wrong on healthcare so far, and how to fix it:

If anyone hasn't read George Lakoff's essay on HuffPost on Obama's mistakes in this healthcare debate, DO IT. I'd like to elaborate with my own views on what has gone wrong, and how to fix it:

1) Obama and Dems thought that high numbers showing people want reform would carry the day. But, when the rubber hits the road, they need CONCRETE, CLEAR messaging, on SPECIFICS before they will support something. There has been a lack of CLARITY and downright shitty messaging. Give the Re-Pukes credit. They have messaged well, as they always do: CLEAR and FORCEFULLY ! It is sad that our side hasn't done the same. People don't understand "Public Option" and "Bending The Cost Curve." They DO understand "Death Panels," "Public Financing of Abortion," "Higher Taxes," and
"Government Takeover."

2) Obama and Dems knew the Re-Pukes and the insurance companies were going to do this and use their ignorant, Obama-hating FoxNoiseSwallowers to do their dirty work. They knew exactly what the other side was going to do here because the same thing happened during "HillaryCare." Obama and his team messaged great during the campaign: "Change We Can Believe In" "McCain is Four More Years of Bush" etc. They have so far BLOWN it here, and their message has been drowned out by a CLEARER Re-PUKE message. (YES, I know they have been aided by the MSM, but it would still NEVER have been so bad if they had messaged right.)

3) NOW, Obama and Dems need to GET ON OFFENSE and ATTACK ! Fine to clearly debunk the right wing myths, and fine to tell people what is in this for them, but they need to ATTACK the opposition with a CLEAR, UNIFYING message that sticks and resonates. Like an electoral campaign, this is also a campaign, and political campaigns are FIGHTS. No one wins a defensive war, and no one respects a wishy washy wimp. You have to be STRONG and CLEAR. You ATTACK the insurance companies as "WealthCare" and "Insurance Company Bureucrats." You ATTACK the Re-PUKES as being for "Idon'tCARE" or "StatusQuoCare" or "InsuranceExecCare" or "RePubLiCARE" or "OnYourOwnCare".
You ATTACK them as "Anti-Reformers" and "Champions of the Status Quo" and "Failures to Reform it When They Had a Chance" and you say it all a thousand times. IT WILL WORK BECAUSE AMERICANS OVERWHELMINGLY WANT REFORM AND WILL NOT SUPPORT THE STATUS QUO.

4) Have a clearer positive message frame. As Lakoff says, make reform PATRIOTIC. Call it The American Plan and say very simply, "It will ensure you get quality, affordable healthcare."

5) Finally, when the PUKES talk about Socialism, PIN THEM THE FUCK DOWN with "So, you are for eliminating Medicare aren't you ! You're for eliminating Social Security aren't you ! You are for eliminating the VA hospitals aren't you ! You're for closing down the postal service, public education, public fire departments, public police departments, public water and sewer systems, public roads systems, and anything "public" aren't you !" KNOCK THEM BACK ON THEIR FUCKING HEELS ! Just look at how Bill Clinon does it with Anti-Choice goons. He tells them, "You want to put doctors and nurses in jail, don't you ! Don't you ! Well we disagree with you !"

Thanks, and yes, without the swearing I'll be passing this on to the pols and progressives working on this issue. Thanks for your comments. PS: Trying to work with PUKES on this is futile, and my hope is that the Dems will start jelling on this and get CLEAR and FIRM next month.

Thus far, neither the administration nor the Senate "leadership" have shown that they are capable of doing anything close to that.

some kind of consensus next month. The PUKES won't even support co-ops, and certainly not ANY form of public option (except maybe Sens. Snowe and Collins - right now they support a public option back-up with a trigger date - hey, with this PUKE party, better than nothing). They are invested in DEFEAT and FAILURE to damage Obama and Dems in 2010. Already even Baucus is losing his patience with the Pukes, and I think if they can reign in some more cost, with reconciliation they'll get a bill. I thik Obama wants to be able to say he gave the PUKES every possible chance to play, but their stated purpose is to simply kill reform. When he's ready to pull that trigger, he needs to use a fucking UZI. Hopefully most Dems will come to his side. He needs to realize that try as you might, you can't work with PUKES. The mods are GONE ! They are right wing basers. ATTACK THEM !

if giving the Republicans ample time to repeat NO every which way they can goes the way I suspect, it was all a very clever trap. From this recess period should come a solidified Congress on how to write the final Bill.

Recommend.

"whys". The average American is not as schooled in the issues
as activists etc.

The other night Charlie Rose had a panel -- Doris Kearns-Goodwin,
Arianna Huffington, and Ross Douthout(NYT). The topic Obama Leadership.

They seem to conclude that Obama has tried the Pres. Lincoln approach
(Bipartisanship etc trying to work with business.) It is time for
a change say these three. Perhaps a quick and solid pivot to FDR
approach. In the beginning FDR tried to work with Busines but
it did not work so he went after them. Likewise, Republicans rebuffed
his trying to work with them. So he toughend up that Polio stricken
spine and saved Capitalism. The Obama has it appears saved Capitalism
at least the financial markets. Now he should agressively set out
to save Mainstreet. Healthcare Insurance a first step.

This works well with Lakeoff, do you think?