Winning

by digby

In case you were wondering, here’s one Republican’s advice on how to “win” the health care debate. (Winning means keeping the status quo, by the way, or even providing less health security if at all possible.)

Want to defeat national health care? Make two points, over and over again: Federal spending is already out of control and the budget deficit is too big. Gallup:

PRINCETON, NJ — While 67% of Americans view President Barack Obama favorably, his overall job approval rating and his ratings on specific areas are less positive. At the low end of the spectrum, only 45% of Americans approve of Obama’s handling of federal spending, and 46% of his handling of the federal budget deficit.

Now ask yourself why the average citizen should care about the budget deficit and what they think the effects of it will mean to them personally.

And then ask yourself why we are seeing fiscal scolds and deficit hawks coming out of the woodwork now that the Republicans spent the country into oblivion on tax cuts and wars and elites of both parties destroyed the economy.

It isn’t an accident. And the Democrats have done absolutely nothing to change that dynamic or help the citizenry understand the issues. President Obama today once again compared the federal budget to your family budget when he announced that the Democrats would voluntarily tie their own hands (they sure aren’t going to raise taxes in a recession) by reinstating Paygo. There has not been even the smallest attempt to explain why the federal government is not the same as your family finances. I don’t think we need to ask ourselves why that would be.

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