Advice for Democrats Running for Senate, Part 1: Stop Cowering from Obamacare:
(Note: Obscenity-free for the kiddies)
Is this really that difficult, Democrats? Is it really that hard to bring yourselves to embrace the Affordable Care Act, say that the Republicans are dead wrong, and tell your constituents that they have been believing lies? Is it just that hard to find the stones to fight? Maybe it is. Maybe it's just easier to curl into a fetal ball, cover your head with your arms, and hope that no one hits you too hard.
Because, see, look how simple this is, Democrats in states where Republicans might pick up a Senate seat:
Montana - "Marilyn Bennett, who was diagnosed with breast cancer almost three years ago, said she had been paying $700 a month for a policy that had a $2,500 deductible and an out-of-pocket maximum of $5,000. Under the ACA, she was able to get better coverage — a lower deductible and out-of-pocket maximum — and save almost $500 a month on the cost thanks to federal subsidies. The 52-year-old Helena woman said the lesser financial burden is a huge help as she recovers her health and gets back on her feet and that she won’t mind paying more as her income increases and the subsidy decreases."
What about it, John Walsh? Why not call up Bennett and get an ad out there with her? Or how about an ad featuring some of the 50,000 Montanans who should have been covered by Medicaid expansion but were blocked by the state's Republicans? Walsh's campaign website has a page on the issues he's working on. It doesn't mention Obamacare or health care of any sort once. For a dude who did time in Iraq, that's some pretty straightforward cowardice right there.
Michigan - There's the story of Chip and Dolly Harris of Kalamazoo. Chip left his job at a plant to start a restaurant, but he lost his health insurance doing so 18 years ago. They went bankrupt and have lived without health coverage since 1996. Now that Chip's cleaning houses and Dolly's a waitress? "Their income is low enough that their subsidy completely covers the premium costs. The plan itself has a $350 deductible and $1,000 maximum cap on out-of-pocket costs. They have a $10 co-pay for doctor visits. In fact, both Chip and Dolly scheduled doctor visits in January and Chip Harris was diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease." Chances are that Obamacare saved Chip's life.
How is that not all over the airwaves of Michigan, Gary Peters? Working class people who started a small business and failed? That's anecdote gold, Gary, gold. Instead of just challenging the lies that others put out about the ACA, offer some heartbreak and hope. Peters hasn't totally run from the ACA, but he should be celebrating it, putting it in the faces of his opponents, daring them to take health insurance away from people who just got it.
Louisiana - Hey, Mary Landrieu, quit pretending like Obamacare is your Kryptonite. It's not like Republicans were gonna let you slide if you had voted against it. You want a story? How about the Rude Pundit's sister? Yeah, she and her family, including a child with an expensive pre-existing condition, are going to save $500 a month over their current premiums starting in April. That's $6000 in their pockets that they'll spend in other ways, which, you know, multiplied by tens of thousands, would put a hell of a lot of money into the state's economy. See? Capitalism at work.
In other words, dear, frightened Democrats, you get nothing by distancing yourself from the Affordable Care Act. Stop letting Republicans and Fox "news" and talk radio dictate the rules of the game. Come right at them. Demand that they say what they'd do for the millions of people who just got covered. Make them own their cruelty.
