GOP's Medicare Message Might Not Be Fixable

[NNN0LHI]

http://www.theatlanticwire.com/politics/2011/05/gops-medicare-message-might-not-be-fixable/38174/

By Elspeth Reeve 11:23 AM ET

Republicans are vowing to tweak their Medicare message to make it an easier sell to voters in the wake of the party's defeat in New York's 26th Congressional district special election. The problem is not what's in Rep. Paul Ryan's plan, they argue, but how they sold it. "If we'll just stay with our argument and do a better job developing it, we’ll be fine," Rep. Tom Cole told The Hill's Molly K. Hooper and Russell Berman. "I think we need to be stronger in marketing who we are and our message," Rep. Allen West agreed. But anonymously, some Republicans are "grumbling" that "you don't piss off senior citizens," The Hill reports, and some are even talking of "revisiting" Ryan's overhaul. That might be even more tempting, given that a one-time massive change to the system might be politically impossible, Politico's Jason Millman reports.

The Hill reports that Republicans are "frustrated that their leadership failed to prepare them for the outrage" over the Medicare propsal. Lawmakers "know that this was handled badly, that there was no messaging, that Ryan's not making his case and they are all looking down the road thinking, 'Oh my God, it’s coming,'" a source familiar with internal discussions said. Another lawmaker said that while some have been considering rethinking the plan, "How serious it is... don’t know."

[C_U_L8R]

1. Silly republicans think they have the wrong message

Did they ever consider its their ideology that's so wrong.

[iemitsu]

3. same idea at the same time. :)

[socialist_n_TN]

4. That's because it IS ideology

rather than message. To change an ideology is equivalent to changing religions. You have to have a "Saul on the road to Damascus" or a "Come to Jesus" moment. And they don't happen often.

[iemitsu]

2. any plan that takes from working americans and gives to the super-rich is a flawed plan.

the republicans ought to be thinking twice about this "plan".
their problem is not the messaging but the idea itself. what is wrong with these people?

[AlinPA]

5. Immediately after the Senate vote against the Ryan plan, CNN had Ryan on, pushing his message hard.

If they hammer away with Fox 'news" and the rest of MSM until 2012 November they can "fix' their message.

[emulatorloo]

8. don't forget the Kochs and Karl Rove's Crossroads. 24/7 Lie ads coming our way

[AlinPA]

12. Yes, and with billions in ads for republicans.

[OHdem10]

6. The Leadership did not prepare them?????? What about

Individual Responsibility. This is BS.

I posted on this site, how the Republicans were
hounded about SS during the last elections. Here
in Ohio, some candidates ran ads assuring people
they would not mess with SS. Any person with one
ounce of logic should have known SS and Medicare
go togther like macaroni and cheese.

No, they Permitted their Libertarian Ideiolgy to
take hold. They made a mistake in thinking we
can "lead" with our plan and the people will follow.

There are some things you do not touch without
first working with people and gaining their trust.

The Republicans run on "cutting spencing" and never
telling the public what it is they are going to cut.

[gratuitous]

7. Gee, how do we make geronticide palatable?

It's a messaging problem, see, convincing everyone that older people (not us, of course) should just die. Preferably quickly and out of our sight. There's nothing wrong with the proposal, it's just how it's presented!

The sooner we vote these motherfuckers out of office and get them away from the levers of power in this country, the better.

[Aerows]

9. "I'm selling a shit sandwich"

"It doesn't matter if everyone knows it's a shit sandwich, I'm so awesome, charismatic and special, that people will buy it from me anyway. Because I'm so awesome."

[DirkGently]

10. They'll try hard to spin it. They're "saving" Medicare. By killing Medicare. See?

[emulatorloo]

13. "Empowering grandma to enter the free market for insurance coverage"

Mitch McConnell said something like that the other day.

[DirkGently]

14. Sounds like that's the new memo. 'Cause 'grandma' loves to shop for health insurance, apparently.

[Angry Dragon]

11. Get rid of Congressional pensions

Make them rely on SS

But it matters not too much because most of them are millionaires