Brown’s run may be model for GOP (Tapping discord on health bills)

[shopgreen]

Source: Boston Globe




Brown’s run may be model for GOP
Tapping discord on health bills


WASHINGTON -

“He’s making health care a front-and-center issue in the most liberal state in the country, and it’s working for him,’’ said Whit Ayres, who cofounded Resurgent Republic, a group of conservative pollsters and strategists formed to shape the national debate. “That’s the major message - that this bill is an albatross around the necks of the Democrats, and if it works this well in Massachusetts, just imagine how well it will work in less liberal states.’’

Brown has portrayed the Democratic health care bills as bloated, tax-stuffed mistakes that would do little to solve Massachusetts’ biggest health care challenge - controlling costs - while forcing its residents to sub sidize insurance for people in other states. He has called for Congress to “go back to the drawing board’’ and come up with a new plan. And he has capitalized on speculation about whether Democrats might try to delay his confirmation if he wins in order to ram the health bill through, stoking concerns about transparency and fairness raised by special deals Democratic leaders made last year to entice fence-sitters to vote for the bill.
................

Even some Republicans who had been predicting big gains in the 2010 elections can scarcely believe the seat that was once occupied by US Senator Edward M. Kennedy, a revered liberal who held it for 47 years and called universal health insurance “the cause of my life,’’ is suddenly vulnerable. This in a state whose landmark 2006 health care law became a model for the federal legislation under discussion, a law that remains popular today.Continued...


Read more: http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2010/01/15/gop_sees_template_in_run_by_brown/

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I think we can agree that there a lot of upset voters out there--of all stripes.

I am not from Mass but what I have read may Democrats there are not happy with the Insurance reform put in place (vs Medicare for all or any semblance of single payer). Now we about to pass the same Insurance "reform" on a national level. Unbelievable!!

[Name removed]

1. Deleted message

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[mdmc]

2. I am sure that MA residents are very happy with their mandated insurance

which has raised the cost of receiving medical treatment and left many in my exact situation - I have private health insurance that I cannot afford to utilize for medical treatment.

Romney's health insurance mandate is a pretty good model for what is to come if we win in MA.

[shopgreen]

3. I believe Obama once said he wanted an 'uniquely American" health

system reform. Yup--the greedy capitalists reign!! In the primaries he ran on health Care reform, then it was suddenly switched to insurance reform!

[mdmc]

5. yupyup

[dflprincess]

30. Yes he did

my state senator also used that phrase a couple years ago. I pointed out to him that we already have an "uniquely American" system - and it doesn't work for us. Apparently, Obama and Congress are happy with that.

[qanda]

4. As much as I can appreciate that many Democrats are unhappy

Why would they dishonor the memory of Ted Kennedy and put a Republican in his seat? Isn't there another way to show dissatisfaction?

[mdmc]

6. I think the dishonor comes from pre-existing condition penalities

and the lack of affordable medical treatment.

But I bet Teddy would have supported Obama on this..

[shopgreen]

8. He, like Obama, was for anything just to get a signing ceremony.

[dflprincess]

31. It's hard to say

Kennedy wanted us to have access to health CARE and he didn't live long enough to see just how bad this bill got.

[shopgreen]

7. Maybe that is all they can think of for now??

[Craftsman]

9. It is not Teddy's seat, it belongs to the people of the people of MA

The party would do well to remember that.

[shopgreen]

10. Brown reminded people of that.

[Craftsman]

12. My FIL is in MA, that was one of the things he said he like with Brown

He says the sense of entitlement to that seat by the dems has rubbed some the wrong way.

[shopgreen]

15. ah, the specter of the sense of entitlement has risen. I did not

know that nor think of the race in those terms. It may indeed play a role (as it did for Hillary--I think it played a role in the primaries also. Sorry to bring up the primaries but there are lessons to learn from it).

[Craftsman]

17. It'll be interesting to see where the independents go in this vote

in MA even the independents lean to teh left, I know of several from friend's of my wife. She is fom Methuen. If in thei dark blue state teh independents run to the righ in large numbers it is a ill wind for the dems in November.

[shopgreen]

22. I saw a poll recently saying the indies were leaning for Brown. given that

the polls seem to be all over the place (but many within the margin), it is hard to tell.

[rem3006]

34. The really smart thing about that remark

was by leading off with "with all due respect". That took the statement from flippant to serious, and made listeners pay closer attention. That made it really sink in.

[dkf]

11. If we can lose in MA over this healthcare bill we can lose everywhere

Electoral suicide. I knew it.

[Craftsman]

13. If it is even closer then 55% to 45% the blue dogs will bolt to the right

[onehandle]

14. The sooner health care is passed and signed by Obama, the sooner this will not be factor.

Thus the GOP's 'Operation Delay.'

[dflprincess]

32. That's assuming that he ever gets a healthcare bill and it doesn't look like that will happen soon

Right now it looks like all he'll do is sign the Insurance Company Profit Protection Act and then claim it was HCR. I'm sure he'll make it sound so pretty at the SOTU that many people won't even know he's talking about a bill that doesn't exist.

[Toots]

16. I just hope everyone understands the Republican plan for Health Care..

The way I feel about it is every single Democratic Senator is for it and every single Republican is opposed. I believe Democrats one hell of a lot sooner than I believe Republicans..If Mass is so stupid as to vote in a Republican then there truly is no hope left in America..

[WriteDown]

18. I think Mass. residents undrstand that better than anyone....

It's called Romney-care and its about to be nationwide.

[Toots]

20. If that were truly the case why would they elect Ted Kennedy decade after decade?

If Republicans make any headway on this with their long history of blocking any and all Health care or any social justice programs then all I can say is America deserves exactly what they will get and it will be an even worse decade than the last one was..

[WriteDown]

21. Ted Kennedy did not support Romney-care...

and he wouldn't support this national bill. Mandates with no public options. Sure sounds a lot like Romney-care to me.

[shopgreen]

23. Is that true?

[blue_onyx]

28. That's why I think...

Romney won't be the GOP nominee in 2012. The GOP plans to campaign against the health insurance reform that will soon be passed. It would be pretty difficult to run against "Obamacare" when it pretty much the same plan your presidential nominee enacted.

[Craftsman]

19. The devil I know is better then the devil I don't

is the view of many I've talked to.

[dflprincess]

33. Let me get this straight..

The Democrats sell us out to the health insurance companies - but it will be the voters fault if what they want is access to care, not "coverage", and can't bring themselves to vote for another Democrats who is willing to screw them?

[reformist]

24. It's not just unhappiness with the health care plan

If Brown wins, it will be a wake-up call to Democrats to deal with the #1 problem in the country today. In case they forgot, "it's the economy, stupid." If the Dems think that last year's $787B stop-gap bill solved everything,, they are sadly mistaken.

[Winterblues]

26. Sometimes people are so short sighted they don't understand Health Care reform "is" the economy

Every day that goes by costs for health care go up and up. Employers will not hire when Health Care costs keep soaring and they have to pay the majority of it..In fact a lot of employers are either already laying people off or considering doing so entirely because of Health Insurance costs..Causing this bill to go down will do nothing but continue the decline..Amazing to me how quickly people want to return to a completely failed way of governing (Republican)and can't see the forest for the trees..This is going to be one of the most important bills that Democrats have ever passed and they need a little support not constant criticism.

[burning rain]

25. I"m sure the happy-talk cheerleaders will be coming along any time now...

to set you straight and explain how the health care bill as it stands is terrific, how all Americans--save for a few Republican and hard-left bitter-enders--love it, and that it will be a big, big, big winning issue for Democrats in November, and will lead to the defeat of Republicans who vote against it.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

27. yes he is a nude model

[bvar22]

29. LESS than 35% of ALL Americans ...

..support MANDATES to BUY w/o a Public Option.

What DO the Democrats EXPECT to happen?:shrug:

ALL projections show Premiums INCREASING over the next few years.
America WILL blame the Democrats....and rightly so.


The Democrats have done the impossible.
They have resurrected a DEAD political party and given them credibility for opposing this nightmare without forcing THEM to take ANY political risk.


In 2008, America gave The Democratic Party:
*The White House

*The House

*The Senate

*a HUGE MANDATE for "CHANGE".


But..but...but..."Its ALL Joe Lieberman's fault!!!".
Sorry.
America won't buy it.