Time For The Dems To Be More Bushian

According to The NY Times, the Democrats plan to use their majority to pass reform in health care. They now need to focus on the blue dogs and get them in line with the party.

The only question that needs to be answered in why wasn't this the strategy all along? Did the President really think that he would get cooperation from a significant amount of Republicans in congress to pass a reform bill?

This seems like it was a massive miscalculation from the administration and leaders in congress. Democrats have giving too much space on the health care stage in their attempt at bipartisanship. Accordingly, they have amplified the voices of opposition with the ubiquity of "death panel" and other ridiculousness. The path back to controlling the debate will not be as easy as it seems. This seemingly simple change in strategy will not turn the heads of suspicious people in the districts of the blue dogs.

Looking at the MSNBC/WSJ poll the President's recent town halls have not seemed to have any impact on voters attitude toward the President's goals in reforming health care. The majority of respondents in the poll identified themselves as democrats but the level of support for President Obama's performance of health care is the same as July. Also the the number of people who think the President's plan is a good idea is even with July.

Matt Yglesias at Think Progress posits that perhaps the past few months on health care have been a calculated plan from the Democrats to give the Republicans just enough rope for which hang themselves. Perhaps, but what is the counterweight on that rope, it may be the cornerstone of the President's reform, the public option. Sphere: Related Content