Monday, September 30, 2013

GOP faces its meltdown ... by gimleteye

Remember those TEPCO executives in Japan, after the Fukushima earthquake, denying the meltdown that was occurring inside their damaged reactors? The same is happening with GOP members of the House of Representatives and Senate reading from a script based on focus groups comprised only of Tea Party enthusiasts.

The script -- polished to a fine shine by the GOP media message machine -- is that the public will turn on the Democrats when the government is shut down this week and revolt against the roll out of Obamacare. This two pronged strategy is a GOP disaster in the making and bound to backfire with the voting public.

How do we know? For one, when Karl Rove tries to wipe his fingerprints off a political disaster -- as happening right now -- you know that running from the impending meltdown is the only sane choice. Of course that's not what's happening on Capitol Hill, where video cameras are catching Republican members of Congress acting with the hubris and confidence of Japanese nuclear power engineers.

The Obama administration predicts that in the first month of the Obamacare rollout, 7 million Americans will avail themselves of the opportunity to enroll in new healthcare opportunities. The number is likely vastly understated. Under promise and over deliver: that's the first rule of marketing. But the Republican "business experts" seem to be blinded by their own products.

What they can't fathom is that the silent majority of Americans have been standing in the background, scared and shocked by the nasty political assaults -- launched by Republicans for the insurance industry and backed by Tea Party enthusiasts. Yes, the polarization of American politics is real. But, when Americans can save money -- alot of money -- on healthcare, the divisions dissolve.

Just wait for the assessment of how many Americans flood to change their insurance to take advantage of the new competitiveness and coverages. For the Republicans, that is going to be Disaster Number One.

Disaster Number Two, the government shutdown, is tied to Disaster Number One. GOP leaders who calculate that the refusal of Americans to embrace Obamacare will link up with revulsion against government spending and thereby drive a final nail in the Democratic/ Obama coffin are off their rockers. First of all, President Obama will be vindicated through the success of health care reform: an epochal event. Secondly, GOP leadership who triggered the government shutdown will be held accountable by an energized public who will use the example of successful health care reform -- Obama was right on health care, Republicans were wrong -- and Democrats were right: government is not the problem, the problem is Republican corporatism.

In the 2014 election cycle, Republican leadership will stand before the American public, like contrite engineers apologizing for the meltdown of Japanese nuclear reactors. You will see a lot of Republican members of Congress changing into street clothes, trying to be inconspicuous. No one wants their fingerprints on the GOP disaster.

5 comments:

Grillo said...

Amen!

Anonymous said...

From your mouth...

Anonymous said...

We need to begin to apply the pressure where it counts. There are 30 to 40 House Republicans who are holding the nation hostage. Who among our House members from Miami-Dade county are in this group? Once we have isolated them, we need start phone calls, emails, petitions, office visits, and if the governments shuts down, direct action. Same thing goes for all communities around the state. We also need to explore the feasibility of a constitutional amendment to immediately cut salaries and benefits of Congress Members each day the government is shut down. We have to address irresponsible Members, and make it clear, they are there to do their jobs, not play around with bs.

Anonymous said...

I think you are right. The media should put the spotlight on the 40 so everyone in their states and around the country knows exactly who they are. Especially if the government shuts down tonight.

Anonymous said...

A little something from:
Miami Herald Naked Politics
Marco Rubio's top-five Obamacare distortions
@AmySherman1

1. "The American people support defunding Obamacare and oppose shutting down the government." Sept. 20, 2013 in a press release.

But we’ll point out that both sides in the budget battle in Congress say they don’t want a shutdown.

We rated his statement Mostly False.



2. Under Obamacare, people who "have a doctor they’ve been seeing for the last 15 or 20 years, they won’t be able to keep going to that doctor." July 31, 2013 in a Fox News interview

We rated that claim Mostly False.



3. "Even the employees’ union for the IRS -- the very people in charge of enforcing this law -- are begging to be let out from under this law." July 31, 2013 in a Fox News interview

We rated the statement Mostly
False.



4. Under Obamacare, "75 percent of small businesses now say they are going to be forced to either fire workers or cut their hours." July 25, 2013 in a FoxNews.com op-ed



We rated that claim Pants on Fire.



5. "Obamacare is bad policy that adds around $800 billion of taxes on the American people. It does not discriminate between rich and poor. It hurts everyone." July 8, 2012, in an Orlando Sentinel op-ed



We rated that claim False. - Posted by Marc Caputo at 10:13 AM on Sunday, Sep. 29, 2013 in Marco Rubio

Read more here: http://miamiherald.typepad.com/nakedpolitics/2013/09/marco-rubios-top-five-obamacare-distortions.html#storylink=cpy