Mar 15 Axelrod's Target Audience

During his appearance on Meet the Press Sunday morning, David Axelrod said that he's spoiling for a fight on health care. I'm certain that Axelrod doesn't want that fight. It's just that he knows that's what's facing congressional Democrats.

Top White House adviser David Axelrod says that if Congress passes the Democrats' national health care bill, it will be politically impossible for Republicans to undo the changes brought by the massive legislation. "I say, Let's have that fight. Make my day," Axelrod said on "Meet the Press." "I'm ready to have that, and every member of Congress ought to be willing to have that debate was well."

Axelrod made the point as he put forward the now-common argument that House Democrats who have already voted for the health care bill once should do so again because they will be attacked by Republican opponents this fall whatever they do.

"I've said many times that they've got a vote that Republicans and the insurance industry and others can run against them already," Axelrod said. "What they don't have is the accomplishment. If this bill passes, this year, children with pre-existing conditions will now be covered. There will be an end to lifetime caps and annual caps on what the insurance companies will cover, so if you get sick you won't go broke, if you get sick they won't throw you off your insurance. The doughnut hole will be filled in, so senior citizens will save hundreds of dollars on their prescription drugs. The life of Medicare will be extended, and on and on and on."

First off, Mr. Axelrod is either knowingly lying about what's in the Democrats' legislation or he's a complete idiot. I don't think that he's an idiot. Axelrod knows that Medicare will go broke sooner if the Democrats' legislation passes. He knows that because the Obama administration plans on using the Medicare cuts to pay for another entitlement program, not to strengthen Medicare solvency.

The biggest 'accomplishment' contained in this bill is a huge tax increase. I'm certain that Democrats won't want to run on that this fall. Huge tax increases on families and small businesses when the economy is sputtering isn't the way to create jobs or stabilize an economy.

Just like President Obama, Mr. Axelrod enjoys employing strawman arguments:

"So if the Republican party wants to go out and say to that child, who now has insurance," Axelrod continued, "or say to that small business that will get tax credits this year if [President Obama] signs the bill to help their employees get health care, if [Republicans] want to say to them, 'You know what, we're actually going to take that away from you, we don't think that's such a good idea', I say let's have that fight. Make my day. I'm ready to have that, and every member of Congress ought to be willing to have that debate was well."

It's easy to understand why Axelrod is spinning things this way. Pretending that the Republicans don't have a plan is smart strategy. It just isn't reality. The choice isn't between the Democrats' attempted takeover of the health care industry and nothing. It's about picking between the Democrats' attempted takeover of the health care industry and the Patients' Choice Act. When the public reads about the Patients' Choice Act, and they will, the American people will pick the Republicans' plan by wide margins.

In short, I'm betting that there are Republican strategists that can't wait to pick this fight.

What's really happening here is that Axelrod is making these statements with a single audience in mind. He's speaking to House Democrats in an attempt to get them to vote for the bill. He's essentially saying that this administration will fight with House Democrats this fall.

Considering President Obama's history of broken promises, why would any Democrat be willing to trust him?

Comments welcome at LFR.