Posted on 11/27/2013 1:07:38 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
The Affordable Care Act’s Hindenburg-like debut has been characterized a series of spectacular failures, the latest being an attempt by President Barack Obama’s political arm, Organizing for America, to furnish their followers with effective pro-ACA talking points. This army of true believers was instructed to bombard their unsuspecting kin with counterpoints to deflect the unceasing stream of bad ACA news screaming at them from the television set.
It was a noble effort, albeit one that was mocked furiously on the right. But it wasn’t conservatives that scuttled this operation. It was the mortifying inability of the ACA’s infrastructure to back up any of the claims ACA supporters were preparing to make.
When OFA sent an email to their followers with a number of pro-ACA talking points, the law’s supporters in the media took their cue. The most comprehensive expansion on the theme of how best to arm ACA supporters with information that would allow them to “win” arguments with their relatives about the ACA came from the Huffington Post.
“Here at HuffPost we believe in news you can use,” wrote reporters Shadee Ashtari and Ryan Grim. “Because what good is having a political opinion if you can’t prove it’s the right one in front of your extended family on Thanksgiving?”
They proceeded to detail how stalwart liberals can dodge their anti-Obamacare relative’s “I-told-ya-so” jabs and counter with a variety of salient counterpoints like “corporate greed” and “you prefer corporate monopolies?”
Huffpost was joined by other left-leaning media outlets who anticipated a nationwide holiday Gotterdammerung that would finally settle the legitimacy of the ACA. But these wide-eyed health care reform advocates would be undone, not by their own efforts, but by that which they had no control over – the abject failure of the federal insurance exchange site to function.
First, the news broke that HealthCAre.Gov holiday call center operators would not be working on Thanksgiving. Combined with the website’s inoperability, this put a damper on OFA’s suggestion to supporters that hey walk their relatives through the signup process while they were too inebriated to fully appreciate the consequences of their actions.
Then, on Wednesday morning, the New York Times reported that the fragile website would simply be unable to handle a burst of interest in the ACA exchanges over the holiday. The White House urged “allies to hold back enrollment efforts.”
Just as events were looking most grim, enter Huffington Post reporters Ashtari and Nick Wing to repair the damage done to the credibility of millions. Who needs those annoying political arguments over the holidays anyway, they asked “Here’s how you can stop them.”
“We know the president wants us to discuss healthcare, but it might ruin the turkey in this family,” they observe. “Is everyone aware there’s a baby panda trying to walk right now?”
What a perfect way to bookend this latest debacle.
Those ACA supporters still capable of embarrassment should be absolutely beside themselves over this latest fiasco in a Macy’s Day Parade of fiascos. They were being used by the administration and they were perfectly willing to serve as talking props for the cause, even at the expense of familial comity. And now they discover that they cannot even be used effectively due entirely to the incompetence of the federal government. How positively humiliating.
Sucks to be the lib at the table this Thanksgiving. There’s just no comeback to “How’s that website thing going?”
Vet, Oh WOW... didn’t remember about the baby panda at the National Zoo. If you want to get some value from your taxes which run the zoo (and I don’t mean the congress.), see the panda at http://nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/webcams/giant-panda.cfm?cam=panda03
It should be you better get you brags in now because if the website ever starts to work everyone will find out whats been done to them all.
What are they supposed to say if we ask if everything will be fixed by Dec 1?
What’s with the Affordable Care BS. This is THE FOREIGNERS baby all the way down the tubes.
They proceeded to detail how stalwart liberals can dodge their anti-Obamacare relative’s “I-told-ya-so” jabs and counter with a variety of salient counterpoints like “corporate greed” and “you prefer corporate monopolies?”
Buzzwords aimed at getting the low information crowd to nod, without thought, unanimously in agreement.
Stupid arguments for stupid people.
I wonder how many "low information" people are capable of setting a traditional Thanksgiving table for an extended family? That's the image that this strategy is based on, right?
-PJ
I’ve found that any leftist wacko at Thanksgiving dinner can be silenced by suggesting that while the women are doing the dishes the men all slip on their boots and step into the woods for some shooting sports.
Hindencare. I like it.
The largest monopoly in the world is the United States Federal Government. I prefer having health care of MY choice, if I choose to buy it, which I select, that fits MY budget.
Next?
And what about “what do YOU plan to do with your $2500 in savings?”
“I wonder how many “low information” people are capable of setting a traditional Thanksgiving table for an extended family? That’s the image that this strategy is based on, right?”
Too true. I don’t see too many of the OWS crowd celebrating Thanksgiving in any traditional way at all.
But again, the idea that this government would use stooges in the media to subvert family discourse is abhorrent on its face.
Can we please stop doing what the LIBs want us to do? It is NOT the Affordable Care Act. It IS ObamaCare, DeathCare, BemocratCare; but please don’t call it affordable.
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving.
Taking this to the lib sites and Yahoo to mock them now!!!! What a wonderful gift, just before Thanksgiving. I am very thankful!
Can I keep my plan if I want to?
Pray America is Waking
As opposed to a "government monopoly run as well as the post office and longer lines than the DMV?!? HELL YES, D*BAGGER!"
; )
counter with a variety of salient counterpoints like “corporate greed” and “you prefer corporate monopolies?”
monopolies? More then one? Then it is not a monopoly is it...
Not to mention I would greatly prefer a corporate monopoly over a Government monopoly..
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.