Continuing the recent trend of candidates keeping their distance from President Obama and his unfavorable approval ratings, Politico reports that many Democrats are also keeping their distance from his arguments. Instead of arguing that the Health Care Reform bill will lower the deficit, White House allies are turning to promises of changing and "fixing" the already passed legislation.
Sound like a change of heart? No, not really. It's purely a strategic move in light of the 58% disapproval rate for the bill:
"Straightforward ‘policy’ defenses fail to [move] voters’ opinions about the law," says one slide. "Women in particular are concerned that health care law will mean less provider availability — scarcity an issue."
...the fiscal and economic arguments that were the White House's first and most aggressive sales pitch have essentially failed. ...
The presentation advises, instead, sales pitches that play on personal narratives and promises to change the legislation.
"People can be moved from initial skepticism and support for repeal of the law to favorable feelings and resisting repeal," it says. "Use personal stories — coupled with clear, simple descriptions of how the law benefits people at the individual level — to convey critical benefits of reform."
Read the rest of the article here.
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