Back in Nov. 10, on OpenLeft I wrote
Frankly, I believe that if the Republicans had any brains, they'd tell one or two of their members in the Senate to help break any filibuster attempt, so as to let the healthcare 'reform' become law ASAP. If the reform is as bad, overall, as some of us believe (even while simultaneously having some very good reform elements), then the Republicans could use this issue to rout the Democrats in 2010. But only if they 'help' the Democrats achieve their mandate-laden 'reform' legislation soon enough.
Well, well, check out this HuffPo article by Lawrence O'Donnell Will Scott Brown Ruin Republicans' (Secret) Plan to Pass Obamacare?
Back in Nov. 10, on OpenLeft I wrote
The Republicans, realizing that the "pulling the plug on Grandma" meme didn't cut it, decide to make the Democratic healthcare 'reform' their issue of choice. To do so, they have to throw their own cozy relationships with the healthcare industry under the bus - temporarily. (Through back-channels, they can assure the industry that they'll help them keep on fleecing the American public. Since they certainly delivered on this process while Bush was President, they actually have great credibility in this area.)
So, they run merciless ad campaigns, where they remind the public that no more than 5% or so of the public is expected to have access to the public option, and that while candidate Obama said he'd negotiate with Big Pharma on C-SPAN, President Obama's deep concern about American citizens' health led him to cut a back-stabbing deal with Tauzin/Big Pharma, leading to higher drug prices. Etc., etc.
Heck, they can read progressive blogs to get all the material they need for running ads that will make the Democratic brand poison, while simultaneously dropping Obama's approval ratings to below 50%. If they do a thorough enough job, then in some districts, having Obama (the president of "Obamacare") come stump for you might be as popular as having GW Bush stump for Republicans in 2008.
Now, hypocrisy is no problem for the Republican campaigners. Recall what a disgusting trick they pulled on Max Cleland. So, historically, that is not even an issue for them, at least in some races. The only real downside for the Republicans (integrity issues aside, which doesn't seem to be a factor for either Dems or Repubs) is how they respond if the Democrats mercilessly attack their record on healthcare. (Which will raise the question of why the Democrats, now in power, haven't corrected the Republican healthcare follies). Since the Dems are in power, and they are the ones who raised healthcare reform expectations, I believe that the Dems would lose such a propaganda war of attrition - badly.
Frankly, I believe that if the Republicans had any brains, they'd tell one or two of their members in the Senate to help break any filibuster attempt, so as to let the healthcare 'reform' become law ASAP. If the reform is as bad, overall, as some of us believe (even while simultaneously having some very good reform elements), then the Republicans could use this issue to rout the Democrats in 2010. But only if they 'help' the Democrats achieve their mandate-laden 'reform' legislation soon enough.
Well, well, check out this HuffPo article by Lawrence O'Donnell Will Scott Brown Ruin Republicans' (Secret) Plan to Pass Obamacare?
In Washington, where everyone is desperate to know what's happening behind closed doors, all you have to do to keep something secret is do it out in the open, preferably on C-Span. Mitch McConnell did exactly that when he entered a unanimous consent agreement with Harry Reid about how to proceed on the health care bill. McConnell knew that agreement was going to make it impossible for Republicans to amend the bill and would put it on a fast track toward passage.
.
.
And now the strategy becomes clear: Repeal it! That is the Republican Party battle cry for the 2010 election. Repealing Obamacare is going to be the centerpiece of their campaign to take back the House and Senate. But how can you repeal it if they don't pass it. Hence, Mitch McConnell's enabling.
President Obama threatening to violate a campaign pledge by taxing workers' health care plans is one thing, but actually doing it is a dream come true for Republicans. They know the health care reform bill has a handful of taxes like that, none of which were mentioned by any Democrat in the last campaign. They can't wait to campaign to repeal those taxes. The internal Republican strategy debate now is should we repeal the whole bill or maybe leave some of the more popular sounding bits alone? But how can they run on any kind of repeal if Scott Brown wins in Massachusetts and steps into the Senate just in time to kill Obamacare?