Letters to the Editor
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Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, Peter Pan,
Cinderella and as many other very nice people other nice people can collect need to get those grumpy GOP Bush supporters types, who apparently "hate children's health", in a room and make them listen to John Lennon's, Imagine, for about six hours.
What is it about the, "sick kids need to be made into healthy kids", component of this equation don't they comprehend? Don't they realize that healthy kids eventually grow up and can be useful? How can these dorks be so uncaring? Didn't they ever watch Sesime Street with their own kids? These people have no souls. They might be healthier than these unisured kids, and they are, for certain, wealthier, but they most definitely are much poorer in spirit...
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Veto
"...but there are still aren't enough votes to overturn a veto if* President Bush nixes the bill again. "
*[strike]if[/strike] when
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Missing the point...
It's not that American's are, by nature, stupid. On this issue, the public isn't even badly informed. When given a fairly honest poll on the issue (http://www.npr.org/news/graphics/2007/oct/kaiser_poll/kaiser_charts.html) 67% those asked felt that the government wasn't doing enough to help sick kids. If you go through all the questions asked and the responses, it's obvious that the public doesn't agree with the president on this issue, and that they'd back Congress. The problem is that Congress, which is, in my personal lexicon quickly becoming a synonym of "spineless disgrace," lacks the stones to stand up for sick kids.
And just in case those jellyfish on the hill need help, Democrats, failure to back S-Chip hurts your re-election chances with 45% of your constituents, and only helps with 12%. Not a winning propisiton for you. And for you GOP folks, 20% are more likely to vote for you if you vote for the expansion, and 19% more likely to vote against you. Not a bad deal, and you get to help some kids.
In other words, don't put the blame on the public. Maybe the media ought to cover it better, but the fact remains that Congress is full of rampaging morons.
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It's the narratives, stupid.
Creating a simple, clear, consistent message is not 'mudslinging.' It's not 'pandering to the lowest common denominator.' It's good, effective communication.
We on the left need to create good language and effective narratives. Calling SCHIP a "Healthy Kids" isn't pandering or mudslinging: it's accuracy. It's the damn goal of the bill. If we have a good narrative, we show everyone what we're talking about, and we win.
Which is what we need to do if we want to get anything done at all.
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@Jim
Is it really because we're so daintily intellectual that we don't play unfair, that clever lies don't come trippingly to our tongue
No. It's because Democrats seem to keep wanting to believe and behave as if the Republicans won't do the crap that they, in fact, like clockwork, do. The Democrats are the Charlie Browns in the political process, and the Republicans are the Lucys.
I'd like the discussion to be about substantive issues. I loathe the slogans of the Republicans, and how effective those slogans are. I am appalled that the Administration and the Republicans have their very own network at this point (although I do wonder why so many of the family values crowd is so willing to appear on the "news" division of easily the sleaziest network on the block....but I wander)--But here's the thing: the Democrats won't get into the dirt with the Republicans and don't seem able to combat them any other way, and I am incensed with their continued bumbling.
And yes, John Kerry probably would have loved to Swift Boat George Bush--but that example highlights the problem: Kerry seriously underestimated the skeeziness of his Republican opponents, and got sunk as a result. Charlie Brown, anyone? And he was helpless after that episode to combat it, because whatever he said, or did would have been dismissed as sour grapes. It's what makes me want to set my hair on fire: why can't the Democrats see the reality that is the Republican party?????
I echo the commenter who said "It's the narratives, stupid".
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And the President?
He is pissed off and stated in that fashion that the Democrats are wasting valuable time and that the poor kids are high on his list. BS artist , looking at him on the tube made me swear out loud. Idiot.
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Some of us are beginning to get it.
Reading the already-posted LTEs, I am struck by the fact that there are finally a few agreeing that we, as Democrats, have generally been pretty lousy communicators. We tend to be so persuaded by our own "rightness" that we forget that the general public (aka "voters") does not particularly care to listen to, let alone absorb, lengthy discourses on the finely nuanced, cross-referenced facts behind our carefully reasoned positions. They don't, and they won't. Horses to water, folks...
Make it a simple, straightforward narrative, preferably one with a memorable "hook" (for all his other worthlessness, Reagan and his writers had this one down cold) and it's money in the bank.
We, on the other hand, are still, as a group, subscribing to the "one more fact" fallacy. Repeat after me: There is no one additional fact that will change the mind of the public.
The only way we're going to get veto-proof numbers is if voters turn up the heat on some of the Republicans. Voters from their districts. Until that happens, they feel no need to change their votes, and we simply don't have 2/3 of the House - or Senate. Until we do, this is going to be the nature of things in Congress.
Make the narrative immediately accessible and understandable to the average voter and we win. Right now, we tend to bore them to tears.
Disagree all you want, you know this is the truth.
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Liberals can only sink so low
The problem with liberals using "sinking to the level of vapid debate so embraced by the right wing" approach is that to do so requires a suspension of ethics, honesty, and common sense.
Republicans will try to sell you miracle water to cure all your physical and emotional ailments while promising money will spout out of your butt. They can do this by making themselves believe every goddamn stupid foolish thing they say is true and just.
Democrats cannot convince themselves that bullshit is true, Republicans can. And thats why Democrats suck at that approach. It's a catch-22. The citizens have to get smarter to see past the vapid bullshit, but they won't since the miracle water sold by the Republicans and entertainment based news media makes it easy for them not to.