Five Reasons the Health Care Battle Is NOT the Presidential Campaign

[eridani]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/peter-daou/five-reasons-the-health-c_b_251194.html

The netroots, excited and energized by the prospect of an Obama presidency, are disillusioned. The administration's Bush-affirming decisions on secrecy, civil liberties, torture, gay rights, etc. have alienated a good number of influential bloggers and progressive activists. These are the elite opinion-makers on the left, and their voices have been perennially marginalized (and their impact underestimated) by Democrats.

As Democrats fight for a signature issue, a serious strategic blunder has left them scrambling to catch up with their opponents. The White House should have laid out clear, unwavering objectives, a solid plan, rather than leave the health debate to meander through Congress. That vacuum has enabled the proponents of the status quo to marshal their forces.

Perhaps resorting to campaign tactics will turn the tide, I certainly hope so, but it bears acknowledging that the landscape has changed.

[asphalt.jungle]

1. ahhhh

And if they created a plan and handed it to congress, these same people would be saying "Why didn't they learn from Clinton that's not how it works. We're always shooting ourselves in the foot." You can't win either way with some.

Also, if he's saying that these elite opinion-makers only care about an issue that affects their readers/viewers when their butts are being kissed then maybe they are overestimating their impact. It will happen with or without them.

[eridani]

2. Obama needs to be aggressive in advocating his general principles

So far he has been more interested in "bipartisanship".