Dems Co-Opting GOP Message: "Hands Off Our Health Care"

"Hands off my health care!" has been a near constant refrain from Republican leaders and conservative activists in recent months.

Now that health care reform is the law of the land, however, Americans across the country are going to be hearing that message from Democrats.

The Democratic National Committee is launching a series of radio ads touting the benefits of their health care package and hammering Republicans who voted against it. But in a twist, the DNC is co-opting the message of conservatives, warning voters that their newly-minted consumer protections will be stripped away if they put the GOP back in power.

"Leading Republicans are vowing to repeal reform and put the insurance industry back in charge of your health care," a narrator says in the radio spots airing in districts of Republican members. "Call [your congressman] and tell [him], hands off our health care!"

Listen:

It's evidence that Democrats think the health care debate has been turned on its head since President Obama signed the reform bill into law on Tuesday. They're counting on voters to recoil at the thought of losing the concrete, tangible benefits that health care reform provided.

A DNC official says the above spot features prominently in a seven-figure ad buy in 35 congressional districts, which also includes a spot set to run in Democratic districts thanking Members of Congress for supporting the bill.

Comments

[meko]

01:13 PM on 03/26/2010

As I look around under this bus, and try to find enough crumbs to make half a loaf, I've decided to save my pennies and stop giving time to Democrats. I'm one of the over-informed, who actually read the bill.

The meaningful cost controls - drug reimportation, Medicare direct drug-price reumbursement, public option, a central provider reimbursement negotiator - not in the bill.

Consumer protections sounded good, but left up enforcement up to the states and the states didn't enforce the consumer protections we had before.

And there wasn't any competition - the anti-trust waiver stayed, no public option, no national exchanges.

Those mandates Candidate Obama campaigned against were there. Those taxes on employee benefits that Candidate Obama campaigned against were there. "If mandates were the solution, we could end homelessness by mandating that everyone buy a house.."

I was completely blindsided by getting an individual mandate that forces women to buy insurance, but also prevents them from getting insurance that covers a legal medical procedure. Obama had campaigned against Hyde, and Democrats are the "pro-choice party".

And the consequences of mandating 30 million people buy insurance seemed totally disregarded. With the billions in premiums insurers would get, why would they not spend it to lobby to make sure those customers never got greater competition or enforcement of regulation? Especially after Citizens United.

But what about the children?

Uh-oh http://www.kaiserhealthnews.org/Stories/2010/March/24/sick-kids-coverage.aspx

[Tribal Knowledge]

02:47 PM on 03/26/2010

WOW.

WELL SAID. The zealots who blindly, like lemmings, carped and crowed about passing this bill, whatever the consequences, whatever was (or was not) in it, whatever it covered, mandated, cost...now have to wrap their tiny minds and threadbare principles around this entire mess - passed with only the Dems, with the GOP locked out, this is Obamacare and very few have any idea what's in it.

Facts, those sticky facts, have never bothered true believers, however. I was on another post and got a great kick out of the crew there blaming - get this - the GOP for Obama signing the abortion language. No matter the facts, no matter the villian, these crusty few will happily drink Big Brother's koolaid. come what may.

[masher]

02:22 AM on 03/26/2010

But this isn't "our" health insurance, its the corporations. Obama put all the power in the hands of private for-profit corporations (which is what BUSH WANTED TO DO!)

If you support this then you need to admit Bush was awesome.

[Tribal Knowledge]

02:48 PM on 03/26/2010

Excellent point!

Obama seems to have learned a great deal from Bush. I have seen many, many on this blog citing Bush as precedence for many of the Obama gyrations.

[gypsysailor]

04:56 PM on 03/25/2010

Rassmunsen? Aren't they one of the dirt bag conservative groups who like to skew results and only call GOPhers to get the results they are looking for? Thought so.

[Tribal Knowledge]

02:49 PM on 03/26/2010

What?

They are the highest rated independent pollsters going, withthe best record by far.

You REALLY need to crawl blinking back into the light. You have missed a few episodes.

[bilmardre]

02:55 PM on 03/25/2010

"repeal and replace" should be changed to "do nothing, like we did"

[Karen Hagrup]

01:29 PM on 03/25/2010

Yeah! Hands off my health care!

[liveordie]

11:50 AM on 03/25/2010

The old phrase "fight fire with fire" is so true.

[Yikes11]

11:48 AM on 03/25/2010

Of course, this won't get covered in the msm. Only the dirt baggers deserve that recognition. Only in america.

[MonsoonStorm]

11:37 AM on 03/25/2010

I'm so glad the Dems are finally looking like the adults. Unlike "those other guys."

[Wide Stance]

11:37 AM on 03/25/2010

I'm volunteering for opponents of DINOS who didn't support the health reform bill.

DO YOU KNOW WHO YOUR DINO IS?

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2009/11/08/us/politics/1108-health-care-vote.html

[pepperhead28]

10:53 AM on 03/25/2010

Good one ~~~

[BetsyC]

10:35 AM on 03/25/2010

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey, conducted on the first two nights after the president signed the bill, shows that 55% favor repealing the legislation. Forty-two percent (42%) oppose repeal.

[errol44]

10:42 AM on 03/25/2010

USA/Gallup, from a March 24 poll: "Some 49 percent of American adults called the new law “a good thing,” compared with 40 percent who called it a “bad thing.”"

[hidenout]

02:07 PM on 03/25/2010

Then what's your spin on this poll....?

http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/blogs/beltway-confidential/cbs-poll-62-percent-of-americans-say-keep-fighting-obamacare-89076032.html

[billw8017]

12:09 PM on 03/25/2010

The Rasmussen poll and telephone polls, generally, are biased conservative. This has to do with the difficulty of polling cell phones and the more conservative use of landlines. During the heady days of Obama's inauguration, Rasmussen indicated approval around 60% while others went as high as 80%. Even so, the disapproval includes some who felt the legislation doesn't go far enough.

Still, the older more conservative voters are more likely to vote, and Medicare was not immediately popular. Vietnam was a big issue, and the Democrats were punished in 1968. Democrats, who win this year, have to be regarded as in solid. If the party keeps an advantage, we may detect an emerging majority of younger voters and minorities going Democratic. Fox is a serious factor, and we can only hope it is so clearly unreasonable that people are immunized to its arguments before the flood of propaganda in late October.

What the country needs is jobs and living wage jobs in manufacturing most of all.

[Tribal Knowledge]

02:50 PM on 03/26/2010

Hahahahahahahahah!!!!!

NUTS!

You have GOT to be joking, right? Hahhahahahahah!!!

[freethinking moderate]

10:26 AM on 03/25/2010

Looks like SOMEONE at the DNC has finally figured out how to punch back.

[billw8017]

12:19 PM on 03/25/2010

Rahm Emanuel is not a good politician. He bitterly opposed Dean on the 50 state strategy, and would have produced a much smaller Democratic majority in Congress. This can be taken to mean any considerable Democratic victory this year will have to be built from the ground up rather than out of the White House.

Maybe, and it seems too much to hope for, us policy wonks will make our case and the Democrats will win on merit.

[Funkylicious]

09:53 AM on 03/25/2010

Mr President
Nancy, Harry et al.
My Progressive friends ..

I say this not to burst the bubble of the moment ..nor tomorrow ...nor the next ..

I remind you Sir, Nancy , Harry ...friends ( as most of you know allready)
THIS BILL IS JUST A STEP ...

DO NOT take a breather ..do not give up ..do not be satisified...

There are still and will be still MILLIONS that are going to be following through the cracks, that are still going to be suffering ...that are still going to lose everything ..including their lives in this fight.

We NEED to continue that fight ..
- to reach them ..help them..comfort them
- to achieve the goal of health care access as a basic human right
- to take the profit as a singular goal out of the system .

FOR SINGLE PAYER...that is the goal .!!!

and we shall not give up until it is achieved!

Regards,
Your irish friend

[Funkylicious]

09:53 AM on 03/25/2010

Giving deference to a great man of long ago

Mr Churchill

We shall fight on the blogoshpere
We shall fight on the phone lines, cell lines and by text
We shall fight for true progressive representatives and senators
We shall fight for what is right and true
We shall fight by word , by voice and by action
We shall fight against the lies and h8
We shall fight against the obstructionists and faux statesmen
We shall fight for our principles against tyranny
We shall fight for basic and equal human rights for all

We shall fight for the underpriveleged masses
Whatever the cost and wherever they shall be ...

WE SHALL NEVER SURRENDER!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0c4PAb8DJg

[Trogenhorse]

10:58 AM on 03/25/2010

You have a big part to play in that. If you don't mobilize yourself and others in Nov, all maybe for naught.

[SeaShell226]

09:36 AM on 03/25/2010

So silly!
These teabag people would rather fight against something that will help themselves...
Seniors would get money and help with perscription prices.
People with kids in college can cover them until 26.
Sick kids cannot get dropped.
No lifetime cap on ins benefits.
You can change jobs and the new insurance cannot deny you.
in 2014, if you make over $200,000.00 a year you will get a 1% tax increase.

Now YOU KNOW those people out there spitting & yelling - are not making 2 hundred grand a year, got kids that cannot find jobs after college, and would LOVE the other items in the bill, but they can only talk about the govenment take over... or too much government in our health care.

I remember Terry Schivo and how the president of the US came off of one of his 1000 vacations to sign a bill that the republicans stayed the weekend for... JUST FOR ONE BRAIN DEAD WOMAN.

Not if THAT's not the ULTIMATE government interference... I don't know what is.

These jokers are a bunch of HYPOCRITES!!!
.

[CountryBeforeParty]

10:47 AM on 03/25/2010

What government take over?

[georgia1951]

10:52 AM on 03/25/2010

They don't think for themselves.
They believe what they are told.
They don't remember what the previous administration did.
I still believe, though they all deny it, that it all comes down to having a black man in the white house.

[ezgoingal]

09:21 AM on 03/25/2010

I'd add to that refrain: Step off and go to the back of the line. Rather ingenious to use the Rethug's own words against them in this way.