Health care rope-a-dope?

by David Safier
Allow me to indulge in a bit of hopeful fantasy.

I wonder if the Democrats, intentionally or unintentionally, have been playing rope-a-dope with the health care debate.

Maybe the conservatives have more tricks hidden away that will match the town meeting shouters and the Death Panel liars. Maybe they can keep controlling the media coverage and drown out anything the Democrats have to say. But maybe not. Maybe everything they come up with from now on will appear weak next to what they've already done. And people, and the media, will be underwhelmed and unimpressed.

If you remember the famous Ali-Foreman fight, an aging Muhammad Ali knew he was no match in a blow-for-blow exchange with the unbelievably powerful George Foreman. So Ali slumped against the ropes and allowed Foreman to swing away. Sure, Ali took lots of punishment, but he was able to put together enough defensive moves and use the slack ropes to absorb most of Foreman's power without being seriously hurt. Occasionally he fought back, but he mainly allowed Foreman to tire himself out. Most of the audience through Ali was getting pummeled and would end up on the canvas. In the middle rounds, Foreman's power began to wane, and Ali got more aggressive, in spurts. Finally, in one of the most amazing moments in boxing history, Ali went after Foreman with a barrage of perfectly aimed punches, and Foreman went down for the count.

The Republican's town hall shouting is so yesterday. They can't revive that old side show and expect to get any traction. The Death Panel lie had its day, but its power has ebbed. Unless the conservatives and the insurance companies have enough in reserve to keep punching with the same kind of power they expended in the early rounds of the Congressional recess, they're not going to be able to dominate the debate anymore.

Meanwhile, I haven't seen Obama look this spirited since the campaign. He's been in his element, and in his glory, during the town halls. The media has eaten it up. Lately, CNN has started to have quiet, serious discussions about health care reform. If that kind of thing keeps up, the momentum will begin to swing back our way.

The conservatives and the insurance industry will keep punching, keep flailing, just as Foreman did until the final few seconds of the fight. But what if they're punched out?

I can dream, can't I?

10 thoughts on “Health care rope-a-dope?”

  1. Framer,
    Not being a democrat I don’t see me suffering from the ‘mistake’ you claim. If you look at polls there is a clear divide in the party between people who are ‘birthers’ or believe in ‘death panels’ and those that don’t. If the former continue to seem to represent the party more and more of the latter will become independents.

  2. The rumor I’m starting is that the whole health-care “debate” is a screen for the upcoming blanket-pardon/amnesty for illegal immigrants late 2009, early 2010.

    President Obama wants an accurate census count.
    It’s the reason he has ignored the “excluding illegals” portions of the reform bill.
    It’s the reason he’s been meeting with Harper & Calderon.
    It adds potentially 12 million votes to the Democratic party.
    It potentially changes several Republican districts into Democratic ones.
    He would get to call it “Bi-Partisan” as he could claim the support of John McCain & Lindsay Graham.
    Etc, etc, etc.

  3. It’s sometimes tough to determine which is worse- the overt criminal Republican party, or the party that pretends to be the moral opposition. Both have the same financial backers. We’re still committing war crimes, still torturing, still lobbying, still adulterating, still disarming, still looting, still bugging and still putting up with signing statements!
    On a lighter note, here’s a great way to counter “tea-baggers”:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHVwrCzRUX0feature=email

  4. Very interesting comment, Nick. I heard similar statements during the presidential campaign from a Ron Paul libertarian. If this is the beginning of a third party movement that doesn’t like Republicans and likes Democrats even less, it’s going to make for some very interesting times.

    I agree with at least part of this statement from your comment: “…the townhalls are a creature of dissent and revolt to big government, not partisanship. The fuse was lit with the bailouts and the explosion just happened to hit with the health care scheme.”

    I think genuine feelings of anger at the election were stirred up by Republicans and moneyed special interests to further their goals at thwarting the Dems, but it may start to spin out of their control. That being said, up until now, the Rs and the lobbyists have been using it perfectly to further their agenda.

  5. “Meanwhile, I haven’t seen Obama look this spirited since the campaign. He’s been in his element, and in his glory, during the town halls. The media has eaten it up.”

    David, I interact with the general public on a daily basis. I make contact with anywhere from 3-50 people a day. These are people that I may meet only one time, and never see again. Also, I often work inside offices, where I’m invisible, and people converse freely.

    I have been hearing the exact opposite. The biggest question I’ve heard from people is them wondering why Obama’s town halls have been so quiet. It’s such a contrast, they are wondering if he is stacking them. I believe that he is, based on several of the questioners having extensive ties to the administration and campaign. But, I don’t know. Also, people are not very happy with his answers. They seem to think he doesn’t really know what’s in any of the proposed bills, and is speaking in generalizations.

    Again, these are regular people. I have no idea of their political affiliation, it’s just water cooler talk that I happen to overhear. And from what I’m hearing, people don’t agree with your assessment. In fact, they seem to think the opposite.

  6. Todd,

    I believe the mistake that many Democrats are making is that the Tea Party “townhall” Movement is a subset of the Republican Party. It is the opposite that is true. If the movement had been left to the direction of the Republican party or “lobbyists” it never would have gotten to the point it is now. Even Obama’s attempt to counter-organize has been a monstrous failure, and he was supposedly the best there ever was at this sort of thing. It’s has long since ceased to be about “organization.”

    And, at least in Tucson, I can safely assure you that interest will not die to a standstill. It is an off-election year. Imagine what will happen once people get a chance to go after incumbents directly. It is now to the point that the Tucson Tea Party does not have to organize events. People show up in great numbers at their own initiative. That will become more intense, not less, on the coming months.

  7. I think Nick is correct to the extent that this is symptomatic of the fracture in the GOP that may lead to a third party and an even more weakening of the GOP.

  8. Dream on. Until the townhalls, the republicans were most definitely on the ropes. And Rahm is most definitely Foreman (in his own mind). But before you think I mean to suggest the Repubs are Ali, I have to admit the entire analogy falls apart even from this angle. The problem for both Repubs and Dems is that the townhalls are a creature of dissent and revolt to big government, not partisanship. The fuse was lit with the bailouts and the explosion just happened to hit with the health care scheme. There’s more fuel to this fire than either Repubs or Dems can handle, I think. We’re looking at the coalescing of a third party as much as anything else.

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