Republican National Committee Rolls Out Epithet: “Obama Democrats”
A source sends over the latest fundraising email from the RNC, which employs an interesting phrase to tar Congressional Dems on health care and the economy:
The RNC believes your voice should be heard before the Obama Democrats nationalize almost one fifth of our economy, incur trillions of dollars in new spending and debt, and begin rationing health care to the American people.
Your opinion on the many domestic and foreign policy issues that America faces has been vital. The future of health care in America is so important — especially as Obama Democrats are moving swiftly to bring European-style socialized medicine here — that I am asking for more of your grassroots insight today.
That’s why I hope you will take a moment right now to fill out online our Future of American Health Care survey. Your input will help Republican leaders in Washington, D.C. and across America know where you stand on the Obama Democrats’ nationalized health care plans and the Republican alternative.
It’ll be interesting to see if we’ll hear more of this. Six months ago, the Republican approach was to avoid attacking Obama and to fault Congressional Dems for falling short of Obama’s bipartisan ideal. Now the GOP is stamping Obama’s face on Dems in a manner once reserved for Nancy Pelosi. The specifics of Obama’s agenda have made him a lightening rod for the base, but the GOP is also gambling that his goals are losing broader support.
By contrast, despite the downturn in some polls, Dems continue to believe the public wants Obama to succeed in enacting his agenda. Guess we’ll find out who’s right soon enough.
This blog’s homepage is here. RSS feed here. Twitter feed here. Email me here.
Calling someone an “Obama Democrat” doesn’t really even seem like an attack. I, for one, would be proud to be called it.
European style healthcare? Really? Does the RNC understand that this reform effort falls far short of the single-payer plans used in Europe and Canada? That these countries do not ‘ration’ vital healthcare. Sure, here in Canada, where I’m living as an Expat,you have to wait a while for non-vital surgeries, including hernia operations (which, I’ll admit is a little lame, but not unconscionable), but you do still get the aforementioned procedures done. ow, I can’t come right out and say how wonderful the Canadian system is (as I’m a non-Canadian grad student and don’t qualify for the ‘true’ national health care, and have to buy-in- resulting in me having a different health card, which many medical facilities outside of University towns don’t recognize my health card and assume its ’supplemental coverage’ (that is, for prescriptions, dental, etc). That said, my only experiences with the system here have been very good- long waits at the emergency room, but that happens in the states too, and I have NEVER ONCE heard a single Canadian in my six years living here complain about it at all, not even people waiting for procedures, with the exception of some high-ranking politicians of the Conservative Party (but, of course Stephan Harper and his ilk have made it very clear that they wish they were in fact the GOP).
Bottom line, everyone who actually knows anything about the Canadian system has no complaints. Too bad the GOP base doesn’t care enough about the facts to look into them.
Doesn’t that mean now that Reagan Democrat is also an epithet?
They’re just flailing around, trying to find something, anything that will work. Pathetic.
The specifics of Obama’s agenda have made him a lightening rod for the base, but the GOP is also gambling that his goals are losing broader support.
I disagree. This is a fundraising email being sent to the base. These are the reddest red meat Republicans. Of COURSE they hate Obama. They have always hated Obama. They will always hate Obama. And yes, they hate his policies, but they hate much more than that about him.
There is the most annoying ad running here in New Mexico. It is actually whiney – it’s about telling Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid not to tax soft drinks and juice boxes to pay for health care cause “taxes never made anyone healthy. Education, good food and common sense makes people healthy – not taxes.”
I had no idea that Mountain Dew and Juicy Juice were going to be taxed, but bring it on! The stuff is 99% corn syrup, no matter what they call it.
Tena — who’s running that ad, do you know?
Greg – they don’t say and I keep missing that part. It has to be in small print somewhere that they flash during the ad. I’d like to know myself and I’ll try harder to catch it because I was really surprised the first time it came on. It runs constantly now and I’ll definitely make the effort to catch that but they are not making it obvious at all.
How do we pay for all of this?
Greg, I’ve actually seen the same ad that Tena saw here in GA. In fact, I saw it just this morning while I was watching either Morning Joe or the Today Show. I, unfortunately, can’t remember who was sponsoring the ad, but my favorite line was “Since when does taxing anything make someone healthier?” Hello? Ask those people who are quitting smoking because the taxes just went up by $2 a pack.
“How do we pay for all of this?”
How does Congress pay for the health care coverage reps and senators get?
And why aren’t we entitled to the same thing?
You know, it strikes me, and did the first time I heard it, that the ad that is running here whining about taxing soft drinks and juice boxes is running in the wrong state. The reason I say that is that diabetes is almost epidemic here because Native Americans are particularly susceptible to it and it’s well known. There is more than one program here to combat it. So whining about drinks that are heavy in corn syrup here strikes me as really really stupid.
““Since when does taxing anything make someone healthier?” Hello? Ask those people who are quitting smoking because the taxes just went up by $2 a pack.”
Well, exactly.
I’ve never seen people use this much effort to preach to the choir.
@Tena – I fully believe HFC is responsible for the diabetes & obesity epidemic today. However – the corn lobby is powerful .. look at the e85 boondoggle. I doubt it will go away anytime soon.
I just drink water & eat fish & lean meats – and the occasional vino.
– probably get mercury poisoning from the fish. 
This legislation is going to effect EVERYONE. IT WILL lead to downsizing in small busniss. IT WILL lead to inflation as this TAX is passed on to the consumer of EVERY product you use. IT WILL lead to diminished quality of health care in this country. IT WILL lead to the elderly NOT getting the health care they require. What’s next? Soilent Green?
Funny, no one in the Democratic Party has inidcated if illegal aliens will be eligible for health care under this proposal.
I heard that advert on FNC this morning, too. I’m glad all the liberals support taxing sugar but I’m sure that idea is a loser amongst the general population. If such a tax were enacted and did get people to stop eating/drinking sugary beverages then I’m sure y’all would be happy to subsidize all the poor ******** who just lost their jobs in that industry because everyone stopped buying their products.
Hi Greg,
It took a while but I saw the ad that was discussed earlier. I live in Georgia, home of Coca-Cola, so it doesn’t surprise me the ad is playing here. It appears to run by an organization called “Americans Against Food Taxes”, as if soft drinks are food. It links to a website http://www.nofoodtaxes.com (sorry, couldn’t get the link to work).
It does seem funny that they think “Obama Democrats” sounds bad, given that Obama is considerably more popular than Democrats in general, let alone Republicans.
I guess they are trying to break up the party and separate “Obama Democrats” from the “centrist”. This is their way of picking off some democrats and claim they more identify with them.
I think it is good that democrats aren’t single minded as they are made out to be. Not every democrat is a big “tax and spender”. We come in all flavors and sizes. This is the checks and balances that makes our democracy great. It is too bad the GOP won’t participate. It is either their way or the world will end.
I live in Dallas, and I saw the ad on either MSNBC or CNN.
‘Obama Democrat’? Hell, I’d be proud to be called an Obama Democrat.
For eample:electronic cigarettes is always better option than regular cigarettes -this actually is changing one habit for another but at least this other habbit doesn’t brings cancer or death to people arround you….now they should come up with electronic alcohol or electronic drugs…LOL….
I work on this stuff full time. I couldn’t agree more. Great post! Good stuff! – Kyle