President Obama in particular and the Democrats in general have failed to make the case for the benefits they have brought the American people. I so admire Barack Obama, but I must say I am disappointed in his communication to the country as a whole. Similarly, HRC ran an attack campaign but IMHO didn’t spend nearly enough time making the case for why she should be elected. “Go to my website” just doesn’t cut it.
So now that the Rethugs have posted their plans and timeline for Medicare and ACA, we need a full-throated defense of these programs. PBO needs to make a televised address to the nation, complete with Perot-like charts and graphs, showing the Before and After these programs. Both have bent the curve of medical costs substantially down.
He needs to sound the alarm for these important programs. He could also make suggestions for what people could do to stop these actions by Republicans — letters with statement of intents to vote against House members for vouchering Medicare and gutting ACA would be helpful.
PBO is a dignified and graceful man. It is probably beneath him to make this kind of speech, insisting all three networks provide air time. But it is past due.
Make the case, Democrats. It’s really time to add public communication for realz to all the behind-the-scenes tactical shit and before-the-camera bravado that politicians so love. Time to the real work of showing the electorate where their bread is buttered.