There are already a couple of great diaries up about the O'Donnell/Culbertson confrontation yesterday (see here- billybam, theone718) and I would like to add a little bit more to the conversation. The O'Donnell interview provides reform advocates with a way to take back the issue of health care reform from the conservatives and to do it in a way that brings seniors to our side. It is a very simple notion, letting the Republicans win on health reform, means losing Medicare.
More below-
While it pains me to say this, the groups opposed to health care reform have been able to control the message and set the terms of the debate. How did they do this? They were able to get the media to talk about the things they wanted to talk about, in the way they wanted them discussed (i.e., the 'what' and the 'how'). They did this by taking the offensive. They have gone to town hall meetings and asked their congressperson if health care reform meant free abortions, free care for illegal immigrants and was leading us towards a socialistic dystopia. It doesn't matter if the things they say are off base or crazy, they have changed the conversation in a way that benefits them.
Now, we can do either one of two things about this. We can complain that the media is not doing their job and that they should be calling out the lies, but that doesn't do us any good. It still gets the media talking about the conservative talking points. The other option is to go on the offensive. We need to find an issue and bring it into the national conversation and we need to do it in such a way that it helps us control the debate on our terms. I think that O'Donnell, through his interview with Congressman Culberson, has provided us with just that issue- Medicare.
The reason why this particular issue works is that it puts the GOP in a very precarious position. Right now, there is a very tenuous coalition at work in the anti-health care reform camp. You have seniors who believe that the Democrat's plan will disrupt Medicare and you have the teabaggers who are railing against the evils of 'socialism'. By challenging the GOP on Medicare, you force them to make a choice. They can either standby Medicare- a single payer health insurance plan (i.e., Canadian style health care), or they can decry this type of socialism and curse Medicare.
How do we do this? First, we need to make certain issues salient in the public mind (i.e., we need to prime certain notions):
- As a matter of principle, Republicans are opposed to public services and programs.
- Medicare is a public (read: socialistic) program.
- Remind the public that the GOP tried to dismantle Social Security after 2005.
Second, we need to present to the public a way to think about how the issues are connected (i.e., we need to frame the issue). We need to make the argument that if Republicans succeed in blocking health care reform, they will be emboldened to go after Medicare- just like they did with Social Security. The following is a letter to the editor I wrote to my local newspaper which does each of the things noted above:
Letting the Republicans Win on Health Reform, Means Losing Medicare
With conservatives trying their darndest to fight the 'evils' associated with public services, one has to wonder- what will happen if they win on the issue of health care reform? For instance, what will they do to Medicare? Medicare is a single-payer, government funded, health care insurance plan- a true ‘socialist’ plan. It is also a plan that has helped seniors for over 40 years receive affordable health care when they need it the most.
If the conservatives (and the screaming mob that accompanies them) gain the upper hand, it is only a matter of time before they target Medicare, just like when they tried to privatize Social Security in 2005. If given the chance, they will turn Medicare into the same horrible mess that health care is like for the rest of us- a for-profit system which can refuse to treat you if you have a pre-existing condition or lets corporate bean counters get between you and your doctor. While I will admit that the Democrat's plan to reform health care will benefit me and my family, it will do something even more important- it will send a strong message to Republicans and those that can’t wait to dismantle Medicare- back off.
To be clear, this isn't an expertly crafted argument designed to sway the audience, just like the teabaggers arguments are designed to persuade. Those messages are designed to connect health care reform to socialism (or whatever else they are trying to say). Similarly, my letter to the editor is designed to bring certain thoughts to mind and then cast them in a certain light. The idea is to get the public thinking about the GOP and their shaky relationship to Medicare.
Finally, and most importantly, how do we get this into the public consciousness? Well...that's a whole hell of a lot more difficult. You can write a letter to your local newspaper (go here for a link), you can do this when talking to other people about health care reform ("The thing that worries me is that if the GOP blocks health reform, they will go after Medicare.") or you can challenge these folks directly (if you are lucky enough to gain access). The fact of the matter is, we have been on the defensive for too long, we need to retake control.