Musings on Monday
Medicare For All
As you know, I’ve been wondering a lot about why so many people in the U.S. are opposed to a national health care system, “Medicare for all.”
After you peel away the racist (who will never get their minds around a mixed race President so they have a knee-jerk “No” response to everything he proposes); the living-in-the-past-century type where socialism (except of course for their beloved Medicare) is always an anathema; the any-change-is-bad crowd and the really stupid people who could be convinced to gnaw off their own leg even if it wasn’t caught in a bear trap, you still have a hard core and influential group of Americans who oppose a national heath care system.
Health care. Jesus H. Christ. What more fundamental right is out there? Once the fallacious argument was: Well, we pay a lot but we have the best health care system in the world. Then as the facts to disprove this statement hit even the Yahoos like a ton of bricks (U.S.- 47th in highest total life expectancy; 43rd in lowest infant mortality rate, down from 12th in 1960 and 21st in 1990. Source: http://www.healthpaconline.net/health-care-statistics-in-the-united-states.htm) they just moved on with: We don’t need no stinky facts.
But I really don’t care about all the opposition. I care about the feeble job the Administration has done to sell national health care reform. Just a few annoyances:
1. You don’t sell a program by having to put out forest fires the opposition starts. For example: having to respond to and refute the ludicrous charge of “death panels” delays and diffuses your opportunities to rally support.
2. You don’t try to reason with crazy people. I know that politicians hate to anger any walking pulse that may vote, but there are crazy people out there in this debate who are way beyond any reasoning. You don’t cajole them. You say: Your behavior is not the American way; Americans disagree and discuss. You got an issue? Let’s discuss it. You want to scream; find an empty room. And you say this over and over again. You don’t let the Hitler-comparers or the death panel nuts have a second to come up for air. Hey fellas, these guys are out to destroy. Don’t reason with the charging bull elephant.
3. You, not your opposition, get the memorable phrase. Medicare for all, not death panels, must become the meme. Americans like it short and simple. Al Gore discovered that too late. Give them your program in no more than 4 words. And repeat it again and again and then again.
4. When you are trying to institute any phenomenally important change you must have the proverbial “fire in the belly.” This must be your passion, your raison d-etre. Not just another policy decision concern.
This is a battle to the death, perhaps figuratively and literally. You could pare it down to dedicated die-hard idealists versus the American capitalistic system. And this ain’t no Hollywood movie with the arrival of the deus ex machina before the credits. Realistically, as the days head closer and closer to the 2010 campaign season our prospects dim even more. This may be a fool’s fight, but it is the right fight.
As Andrew Cohen says:
It takes guts and integrity of motive to fight the good fight. It takes a passionate interest in life itself. It’s easy to stand on the sidelines, shaking your head and commenting on how tragic things are. But if you really care, you are going to be in the ring, trying to make the world a better place.
http://www.andrewcohen.org/quote/?quote=308
(Next week: Movie Monday returns)
After you peel away the racist (who will never get their minds around a mixed race President so they have a knee-jerk “No” response to everything he proposes); the living-in-the-past-century type where socialism (except of course for their beloved Medicare) is always an anathema; the any-change-is-bad crowd and the really stupid people who could be convinced to gnaw off their own leg even if it wasn’t caught in a bear trap, you still have a hard core and influential group of Americans who oppose a national heath care system.
Health care. Jesus H. Christ. What more fundamental right is out there? Once the fallacious argument was: Well, we pay a lot but we have the best health care system in the world. Then as the facts to disprove this statement hit even the Yahoos like a ton of bricks (U.S.- 47th in highest total life expectancy; 43rd in lowest infant mortality rate, down from 12th in 1960 and 21st in 1990. Source: http://www.healthpaconline.net/health-care-statistics-in-the-united-states.htm) they just moved on with: We don’t need no stinky facts.
But I really don’t care about all the opposition. I care about the feeble job the Administration has done to sell national health care reform. Just a few annoyances:
1. You don’t sell a program by having to put out forest fires the opposition starts. For example: having to respond to and refute the ludicrous charge of “death panels” delays and diffuses your opportunities to rally support.
2. You don’t try to reason with crazy people. I know that politicians hate to anger any walking pulse that may vote, but there are crazy people out there in this debate who are way beyond any reasoning. You don’t cajole them. You say: Your behavior is not the American way; Americans disagree and discuss. You got an issue? Let’s discuss it. You want to scream; find an empty room. And you say this over and over again. You don’t let the Hitler-comparers or the death panel nuts have a second to come up for air. Hey fellas, these guys are out to destroy. Don’t reason with the charging bull elephant.
3. You, not your opposition, get the memorable phrase. Medicare for all, not death panels, must become the meme. Americans like it short and simple. Al Gore discovered that too late. Give them your program in no more than 4 words. And repeat it again and again and then again.
4. When you are trying to institute any phenomenally important change you must have the proverbial “fire in the belly.” This must be your passion, your raison d-etre. Not just another policy decision concern.
This is a battle to the death, perhaps figuratively and literally. You could pare it down to dedicated die-hard idealists versus the American capitalistic system. And this ain’t no Hollywood movie with the arrival of the deus ex machina before the credits. Realistically, as the days head closer and closer to the 2010 campaign season our prospects dim even more. This may be a fool’s fight, but it is the right fight.
As Andrew Cohen says:
It takes guts and integrity of motive to fight the good fight. It takes a passionate interest in life itself. It’s easy to stand on the sidelines, shaking your head and commenting on how tragic things are. But if you really care, you are going to be in the ring, trying to make the world a better place.
http://www.andrewcohen.org/quote/?quote=308
(Next week: Movie Monday returns)
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