Why the White House Picked a Contraception Fight

[babylonsister]

Speculation, but maybe true.

http://politicalwire.com/archives/2012/02/10/why_the_white_house_picked_a_contraception_fight.html

Why the White House Picked a Contraception Fight

While the White House has taken quite a bit of heat over its decision to mandate that health insurance cover contraception, The Fix notes that this may be a politically useful fight the Obama administration.

"For a White House that has often been accused of trying to undermine Mitt Romney in the Republican presidential race, the contraception debate is perhaps its happiest accident in that quest. After all, while the issue hasn't exactly been fun to deal with for the White House, what better way to help a social conservative like Rick Santorum in his quest to bring down Romney?"

Meanwhile, The Hill reports that the White House will announce a compromise in response to pressure from Catholic groups and Democrats.

[RC]

1. Compromise? Not tax the church in return for the church to lay off politics?

Now there is a compromise I can get behind. Never mind it is already the law of the land.

[CAPHAVOC]

2. Bad News

The way I see it is this. The GOP wants to make the election a referendum on Obama...Wrong! They want to make it a referendum on the Obamacare. Something in there for everyone to hate. People like Obama but hate Obamacare. This is just the start. 2010 was the result of just passing Obamacare. The implementation will be an even worse nightmare. It is an easy task to attack the negative than to defend the positive. Look out below!

[CTyankee]

3. I don't think people hate Obamacare. Maybe you'd like to believe that...I've noticed that some

people do like to believe that and spread it around.

[CAPHAVOC]

5. They do not yet know what it is.

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

7. Exactly! Obama and the Democrats failed to attack the Republican narrative.

As Americans learn more about ACA, the more they support it.

[CAPHAVOC]

14. Do you mean you like it?

Amazing

[JoePhilly]

15. I love it.

My niece who was diagnosed with cancer at 2, had less than a 10% chance to survive and beat the odds. ... well, she is 16 now. And for the past 14 years, the only coverage that she could get was for simple illnesses and sports injuries. She will probably have issues later in life due to the chemo.

She's now FULLY COVERED and for a reasonable price. She will never face a CAP on what her coverage can be ... she can't be dropped for he "pre-existing condition".

The GOP would have had no problem letting her, and those like her be unable to ever obtain coverage. Obamacare prevents that.

Bottom line ... the "compassionate conservative Christians" are not compassionate nor Christian.

[CAPHAVOC]

17. We should have Medicare she would not have to worry. But at least you got her care. Good.

Maybe we can go from this mess to Medicare.

[JoePhilly]

19. yes ... and of course we could have had nothing.

Medicare for all was never going to pass this congress.

Clinton failed to move us forward in the 90s. Bush did nothing. Obama has moved us forward.

And we still have more to do.

[vaberella]

34. This I wholly agree with you.

I was speaking to my best friend's grandmother. I'm overseas and she's in Georgia and we were speaking through my friend since it's skype I can hear all she says but she can't hear what I say but my friend can (he's wearing headphones). She was on her regular rant at Obama about bailing out the car industry. Since I saw her as all america I thought she would have had a soft spot for Ford since they are not only a car company but they made history not only in America but world wild. Ford is iconic in so many ways. She said that Ford should have collapsed along with Chrysler and GM. Then I said what about the thousand of workers put out of work. Her response to me and I quote, "It's their problem." Yet she's also bitching that Obama is not putting people back to work fast enough within the exact same breath. I kid you not.

[JoePhilly]

37. They seem to have the ability to activly hold diametrically opposed positions on any

number of topics.

I was sitting at the bar in a local restaurant waiting for a table, and there two guys sitting to my left. The one closest to me is telling the other guy how hard its been being out of work. Its clear he's trying to get the other guy, who appears to be an old friend, to help him in some way.

At some point he says "Liberals hate capitalism and they all they want is hand-outs", which almost caused me to jump into his rant. But I stayed quiet.

He goes on. Hates Obama. He's a huge Sarah Palin fan, things she's a strict Constitutional constructionist, blah, blah, blah ... I really want to say something. But I stay quiet. Then he starts to talk about his unemployment is about to run out and he's not sure what he's going to do after that.

He's on unemployment, and he thinks that liberals only want hand-outs. I really wanted to point out the irony.

Thank God that the little buzzer went off and our table was ready.

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

16. It's not perfect, but it's got some good stuff in it. I prefer to have a public option and I

believe that we will give that if given a more *progressive* Senate!! Remember, there were Democratic senators who were not going for a public option. We never had enough Democrats in the Senate who supported the public option, and that was the problem.

The ultimate solution to ALL of our woes is single payer. Give me a Congress that will approve that system, and you've sold me.

[CAPHAVOC]

20. So simple.

Medicare would work. Someone should try and sell it. It is so logical. Old Senator Bob Graham tried but nobody would listen.

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

23. Medicare Part E was put forward in the House by Kucinich and Anthony Weiner. It couldn't even get

out of committee. This is why we need MORE progressive Democrats. It was the Blue Dogs and of course the Republicans who banded together to keep the bill stuck in committee. Over in the Senate, a similar version was put forth and it didn't get through committee.

Again, we need MORE Russ Feingolds and less Max Baucuses, Blanche Lincolns, and Joe LIEbermans.

[vaberella]

35. I couldn't agree more. n/t

[vaberella]

33. Obama did not fail. Congress and Democrats overall did.

Shit even Democrats on DU were spouting the same Republican bullshit and that is undeniable since I remember several threads on DU2 of people hoping and wishing "obamacare" fails.

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

38. I hear you, but there was something lacking in the messaging. Back then,

Obama had a horrible messsaging team. His press secretary and surrogates seemed afraid to push the good things in the bill. It was a problem of articulation. I think Obama did o.k., but he was drowned out by the Teabaggers and the Corporate Media that continues to push the pro-Republican/Teabagger narrative. And you're right: Democrats, as a group, were so afraid to fight, afraid of losing the 2010 midterms. What I never understood is that they were too scared to fight for fear of losing but ended up losing anyway. Why not go down fighting?

[Laura PourMeADrink]

32. I have to disagree - at least if you are in the south. People more than hate it

they despise it here. They utter it like a dirty, filthy word. Yet, no one
understands a single thing about it. It's an overriding attitude. If I
pay, then everyone else should. If they can't afford it, they should
get a better job. They think Obamacare means everyone gets free
health insurance.

I do not understand why Obama has made zero attempts to explain
what is going to happen, in layman's terms. I can only guess it is
some kind of strategy I don't get.

I am hoping that after 2014, when their lives don't change, they will stop
and think, "What am I doing listening to the bullshit scare tactics of the
Republican Party,"

Part of the problem though is that HMOs are continuing to raise premiums
like there's no tomorrow. This people will associate with Obama.

[Odin2005]

30. "Obamacare" is a RW term.

[bemildred]

4. Yep, a shiny object for the "Conservative" rubes.

The Conserva-News has become so predictable, it's easy to exploit it.

[CAPHAVOC]

6. Falling out of bed easy.

[grantcart]

8. If this tips it so that Santorum runs Romney deep into the primary campaign or if by

some miracle takes him out and becomes the 'presumptive Obama landslide maker' then this contraceptive move will

go into history as one of the most devious and brilliant ploys in American politics.

Of course pundits will go on about how 'lucky' candidate Obama is running against the unelectable Santorum.

Mitt Romney has been pwned and is just begining to realize how he has been out manouvered by the White House.

If this doesn't work maybe the WH can gin up some 'prayer in the school' nonsense to take the Romney out.

And if that isn't funny enough Trump is sitting on the sideline saying "I don't get it".

[quaker bill]

27. I see you get it.

This is cool. Slowly but surely, one piece at a time, the "issues environment" has been narrowed.

OBL now being dead, cuts off the "weak on defense" angle.

GWB did them in on the economy, and if the numbers keep improving, that issue is completely dead and gone.

OWS helped put emphasis on the failure of cutting taxes and deregulating the 1%.

So it all boils down to abortions, contraceptives, and gays. Rick Santorum is the correct candidate if those are their issues.

Watching TV of late, the ratings would seem quite GLBT friendly. Anti-abortion planks have never attracted more than 25 to 30%. Anti contraceptive planks can't really attract more than 10 to perhaps 20 percent, as nearly everyone uses them.

People will be going on about "luck". The Tao Te Ching states that when a leader does the job well, the people will say "we did this ourselves".

[grantcart]

28. slowly and surely their area of conflict is shrinking

soon the only thing that they will be run on is

Creationism and Evolution.

[quaker bill]

31. and perhaps a McCain redux

"bomb bomb bomb, bomb bomb Iran"..... ala the Beach Boys...

However, even there, I think the people are pretty sick of republicans starting wars.

[Myrina]

9. Tired of all the strategerizing and triangulating ...

Just take a stance, and stick with it, Mr. President.
Those who agree will support you - and continue to do so.
Those who do not, will not.

Enough 47 level quasi-dimensional campaign chess bullshit.
Show us what you REALLY believe and who you REALLY are.
(Unless you are showing us that you're not much more than a bad player of games.)

Thanks and have a nice day.

[The Doctor.]

10. It's not all that complicated.

It may not have even been deliberate.

The administration simply went with an issue that put wind at Santorum's back. Would you not also prefer to see Santorum as the Republican nominee?

[cliffordu]

12. This was done on purpose.

It's called politics.

[Ikonoklast]

13. Politics isn't quite that cut and dried, even if you feel it should be.

Sometimes the strategy is seen as bullshit by those who fail to see anything past their own noses, but there are excellent reasons top-shelf political stretegists command huge fees, and are in demand.


And if you actually think Mr. Obama is a 'bad player of games', your analysis is, uh, not good.

[JDPriestly]

11. Plus, this issue activates women.

[UCmeNdc]

21. It seems women are mute on this issue

It seems that women are mute on this issue. They are letting the Catholic Bishops have all of the press.

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

24. Women aren't mute. The Corporate Media is making this into a one-sided issue by

focusing ONLY on the Catholic Church view. Not framing this issue as a HEALTH issue has been the problem. Women don't just rely on contraception for birth control. There are a host of reasons for why women use contraceptives. The problem is that the entire debate was framed as a religious issue when it should've been messaged differently. I do blame Obama and the Democrats for this. Once again, they allowed the Republicans and the religious conservatives control the message.

[tfrey1225]

26. The Democrats

constantly let the GOP frame debates. They've been doing it for years. The GOP is always more forceful in their (mostly) wrong opinions and the problem is the people eat it up. People love a "fighter" and Democrats are usually more cool and even tempered like Obama. I agree with you and I wish for once Obama would forcefully come out and state how things are and not back down.

[vaberella]

36. But it's not only that.

I'm coming to the states in February and I would go on Rachel's show to say how my health is entirely dependent on BC. All women with PCOS are on BC to control their hormones.

[tfrey1225]

22. If true

this is masterful politics. Though I don't really believe Obama has anything to fear from Romney, I'd much rather face Santorum. Although I am kind of disappointed Obama kind of backtracked on this issue and caved a bit. I know it will help him politically but I kind of wish he would have stuck to his guns. But the important thing is that no woman will go without vital contraceptive aid no matter their ability to afford it.

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

25. See my response (Post #24). The president/Democrats should have framed the debate

differently...as a health issue rather than a reproductive rights issue.

[Odin2005]

29. Somebody read my mind, because that is what I was thinking!