Obamacare as Windows Vista

NRO Corner ^ | September 04, 2009 | a reader e-mail to Jonah Goldberg

[Tolik]

From a reader:

Jonah,

The following quote from your column was spot on:

"This suggests that the White House still thinks it has a communication problem, and if only it dispels the cloud of “lies” belched up by the opposition, there will be nothing but blue skies ahead. Funny how the people who run the most sophisticated communication operation in the history of the presidency keep concluding that their difficulties stem from their inability to get their message out and never from what their message actually is."

Marketers make this mistake all the time, which ensures that marketing consultants like me have steady work. No amount of advertising, promotion, bikini-clad showroom girls, or gimmicky give-aways can sell a lousy product or one that consumers do not actually need. Or as I like to say, "You can't polish a turd."

As I see it, Obama's healthcare plan is the Windows Vista of public policy. It's far too complex for anyone to understand why it's better. It's larded up with bloated features that make it impossible to use. And for the vast majority of existing customers, the current system for all its faults, works pretty well. Or at least well enough that the upgrade is worth neither the extra expense nor the risk that it will destroy the entire system. And no amount of advertising can sell it.

[Tolik]

Nailed It!

This ping list is not author-specific for articles I'd like to share. Some for the perfect moral clarity, some for provocative thoughts; or simply interesting articles I'd hate to miss myself. (I don't have to agree with the author all 100% to feel the need to share an article.)

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[The Anti-One]

Right on!

[Fester Chugabrew]

An offense to Windows Vista. 0bamacare is much, much worse.

[SueRae]

That was beautiful. And spot on.

[OneWingedShark]

Are you sure?
The ultimate goal of an operating system is to provide the resources of the computer to the use-would you like to continue?-er, not “look good” (who cares if it uses 32-bit color if-Would you like to continue?- it is less usable than a system that uses 4 colors (or even monochrome text)), it is my belief tha-Windows Vista needs your permission to continue.-t Vista gets in the way of the resources rather than making them accessible.

[SonOfDarkSkies]

Obama is rapidly becoming the most loathed person in America...and he just doesn't see it coming.

His anti-American, anti-Semitic, hate-whitey, autocratic, communistic roots smell like the city landfill and no amount of deodorant is going to change that.

[Starboard]

For those of us who are running Vista now, is there any reason to believe that Win 7 will be any better? Just curious.

[benjibrowder]

Yes.

[MNlurker]

PING me for this

PING me for VDH

Thank you.

[Starboard]

Thanks. I have a free upgrade. Hope it dosen’t destroy my system.

[bamahead]

heheheh...ping.

[McGruff]

I call BS. The guys probably a Mac user and see this as an easy cheap shot. NRO, stick to what your specialty is and it's not computers.

[Fester Chugabrew]

It's only a computer operating system. The analogy falls short in terms of importance, but is perhaps spot on in terms of marketing a product leaving much to be desired. Vista, being the potential object of hacks, has introduced overkill in defenses.

[combat_boots]

mark

[Tolik]

Added to my ping lists. Thanks

[Tolik]

It’s not NRO’s fault. It’s a reader e-mailing his comment to Jonah. The comment he liked and shared. The comment I liked too and posted. This comment was liked by some people who posted on the thread. One does not have to be a computer specialist to have an opinion on Vista. For what it worth, if all people here followed your advise “stick to what your specialty is” - it’d be a very boring site.
IMHO, of course.

[BJClinton]

Are you defending socialized medicine or Vista?

[Jmouse007]

Yes, both of our sons are in the computer field and have been extensively beta testing Windows 7 and have found it to be an outstanding operating system and a tremendous improvement over VISTA (blech...).

I am about to heavily invest in a new laptop and am waiting for Windows 7 to debut.

Microsoft has to make sure that Windows 7 is a success and works properly right out of the gate because they can not afford another Vista (blech...) fiasco/failure.

[longtermmemmory]

Obama is a liar

Obama is a socialist

Obama supporters KNOW he is a liar

Obama supporters KNOW he is a socialist

The MSM KNOWS Obama is a liar and a socialist.

The MSM is Obama supporters (this includes FNC, especially the weekend crew)

NOBODY CARES.

They just want to win because they are socialists who think they will not be lined up against the wall and shot when their useful idiot time is done.