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March 12, 2010

Democrat Pollsters Pat Caddell and Doug Schoen: 'Comprehensive health-care initiative is a failure, regardless of whether it passes'

Topics: Political News and commentaries

Democrats Pat Caddell and Doug Schoen warn the Democrats on ObamaCare:

[...] Their blind persistence in the face of reality threatens to turn this political march of folly into an electoral rout in November. In the wake of the stinging loss in Massachusetts, there was a moment when the president and the Democratic leadership seemed to realize the reality of the health-care situation. Yet like some seductive siren of Greek mythology, the lure of health-care reform has arisen again.

As pollsters to the past two Democratic presidents, Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton, respectively, we feel compelled to challenge the myths that seem to be prevailing in the political discourse and to once again urge a change in course before it is too late. At stake is the kind of mainstream, common-sense Democratic Party that we believe is crucial to the success of the American enterprise.

Bluntly put, this is the political reality:

First, the battle for public opinion has been lost. If it fails, as appears possible, Democrats will face the brunt of the electorate's reaction. If it passes, however, Democrats will face a far greater calamitous reaction at the polls. Wishing, praying or pretending will not change these outcomes.

[...] Second, the country is moving away from big government, with distrust growing more generally toward the role of government in our lives. Scott Rasmussen asked last month whose decisions people feared more in health care: that of the federal government or of insurance companies. By 51 percent to 39 percent, respondents feared the decisions of federal government more. This is astounding given the generally negative perception of insurance companies.

[...] Health care is no longer a debate about the merits of specific initiatives. Since the spectacle of Christmas dealmaking to ensure passage of the Senate bill, the issue, in voters' minds, has become less about health care than about the government and a political majority that will neither hear nor heed the will of the people.(emphasis added) (Read more.)

As bad as things are for the Democrats, Caddell and Schoen propose a simple solution, and it's actually one that the GOP has proposed numerous times. Cadell and Schoen write:

For Democrats to begin turning around their political fortunes there has to be a frank acknowledgement that the comprehensive health-care initiative is a failure, regardless of whether it passes. There are enough Republican and Democratic proposals -- such as purchasing insurance across state lines, malpractice reform, incrementally increasing coverage, initiatives to hold down costs, covering preexisting conditions and ensuring portability -- that can win bipartisan support. It is not a question of starting over but of taking the best of both parties and presenting that as representative of what we need to do to achieve meaningful reform. Such a proposal could even become a template for the central agenda items for the American people: jobs and economic development.

Caddell and Schoen goe on to warn that unless the Democrats fundamentally change their approach, they run the risk of unmitigated disaster in November. Yet does anyone really expect Obama, Pelosi, Reid and their fellow far-left progressives to listen to the American people? The answer is not only a no but a resounding "hell no." After all, the American people are faced with ideologues, not ordinary politicians. They care only about radically transforming the nation into a nanny state, and healthcare is the basis of their plan that would control every aspect of our lives. There is simply no way that these people will voluntarily abandon their agenda. Either the non-progressive Democrats in Congress stand-up against the progressives agenda by refusing to vote for Obamacare, or both the Democrats and the American people come out as losers - the Democrats lose their power and the American people lose there freedom, healthcare, and even their lives.

Posted by Richard at March 12, 2010 8:20 AM

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• Democrat Pollsters Pat Caddell and Doug Schoen: 'Comprehensive health-care initiative is a failure, regardless of whether it passes' - Mar 12, 2010