A Tale Of Two Headlines

[babylonsister]

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2010_03/022893.php

A TALE OF TWO HEADLINES.... Paul Krugman makes a point that congressional Democrats may want to keep in mind over the next several days.

By this time next week we'll have seen huge headlines about health care. These headlines will either read "Democrats do it!", followed by various Republicans and their apologists complaining that what the Dems did wasn't nice, or "Democrats -- losers again", followed by Republicans going bwahahaha.

And it's up to a handful of Democrats to decide which headlines we get. They're out of their minds if they don't choose door #1.

It's tempting to think this would be obvious to lawmakers, but I don't think it is.

It doesn't take much of an imagination to visualize what the media narrative will be after the debate over health reform ends. If Dems fail, they can expect the rest of the year to be dominated by stories about how a Democratic House and a Democratic Senate both passed a monumental reform bill, but the hapless party managed to screw it up anyway.

If Dems succeed, they can expect news reports about what the new law does and does not do -- "How the new health care law affects you" -- which would further help improve the policy's public standing, while at the same time seeing "comeback kid" coverage, with Dems snatching victory from the jaws of defeat, rather than the other way around.

Just today, the Washington Post, speculating about the possible success of the reform push, ran an article about whether "this be the week congressional Democrats reverse their fortunes." Perry Bacon Jr. asked, "Will this week be the start of a political comeback" for Dems?

If the party wants the answer to be "yes," it's going to have to succeed on health reform. It's really not that complicated.

—Steve Benen

[Cha]

1. My blue dog obviously doesn't

care as long as he doesn't vote with the Dems and listens to the special interests who have him by the cajones.

[grantcart]

2. Actually I am guessing that your blue dog hopes that it passes to avoid the

'loser' headline and is able to show his no vote to his constituents.

There is no hiding one basic fact and that is if it now fails to pass the party will be seen as the gang that couldn't shoot straight and it will bring all Democrats down.

[Cha]

3. Yeah, little two faced weasel that he is..

He's been getting a lot of calls from me and my friends who live in the District to vote for it but apparently he's more :scared: of the brainswashed who listen to fauxsn00ze than our "No" votes for him in November.

I've been getting emails from moveon and the White House to call and write him too..as I've been doing.

[ConservativeDemocrat]

5. Good work...

...and go ahead and call your local county and State party as well. They're
already on your side, but when you tell them you are someone else who won't
support a Congressman who chooses Republicans over Democrats, that will give
them more ammo to bring to him.

- C.D. Proud Member of the Reality Based Community

[Cha]

6. Good idea, thanks Conservative Dem.

[FrenchieCat]

4. The only choices they seem to see is "Having my cake and eating it too"

They are losers in my book either way.

[jenmito]

7. The Dems. who vote against it will get huge positive headlines from places like FDL...

and National Review. :eyes: