“Anyone hoping for any spine among the Republican “leadership” is fooling themselves.”
Republicans tend to get bogged down in the details. That’s fine for people like us who have been following this, but they don’t need to convince us.
We really need to focus on those who occasionally tune in and just want their free stuff and can’t be bothered with the horrible details in this bill. Now, we only have a few seconds at a time to reach these folks, so there’s no point in talking about the trillions it will cost or cooked CBO numbers.
Rather, Republicans need to hit hard with things that reach these people directly, such as taxing now & getting the free stuff much later(meaning grandma won’t get help now)or the cost of student loans going up by $1500-$1700 a year or IRS enforcement.
Another is to stress the congressional exemption of these exchanges. This is particularly important because those looking for the free goodies believe in fairness, which always translates into spreading the misery equally.
Don’t take the idea of a future repeal off the table, and certainly keep the lawsuits going. But while Obama is running around peddling utopia, Republicans need to identify their targets and keep it simple for the public.
Dems realized long ago that it’s easier to feel than it is to think. Republicans need to market to the “feeling” group and make them feel very bad about what’s coming their way.
Don’t kid yourself - the Repub leadership is like Boromir in Lord of the Rings - they are now lusting at the thought of taking over the health care ring of power and using it for their own purposes - after all, why should all of the good bribes and kickbacks go only to rats? There will be no effort to repeal or starve this monster - just an effort to take over the reins.