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hat tip:HeritageFoundation
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“…There might have been some loose ones, but they’re all solid now.”
Well said Senator!
From Wilson Research Strategies Political Insider’s Journal Blog:.
Last night’s special election in Massachusetts was a huge win for Scott Brown and Republicans and we have a lot to learn from the election about the way that the winning coalition is shifting and how we can tap into populist sentiment nationwide.
While fully understanding what happened and how we can use the lessons from Massachusetts around the country will take time, here are five lessons from Massachusetts in the form of more-or-less famous quotes.
1) “Once is an accident, twice is a coincidence, three times is enemy action.”
Since the 2008 election, Republican candidates are three-for-three in major statewide elections and all three came in states that Obama won.
The political winds are clearly blowing our way, but we can improve our chances of winning big in 2010 by understanding what our victories in Virginia, New Jersey and now Massachusetts have in common.
2) “Things fall apart, the center cannot hold.”
Much has been made of Obama’s “top and bottom” 2008 coalition.
Obama won big with voters with annual household incomes under $50,000 and also took 52% of the vote among those with household incomes over $200,000.
But, middle class voters were critical for Obama, as well.
He won 51% to 48% among voters with household incomes of $75,000 to $100,000.
Frustration with a Democratic agenda that seems to favor the very rich and the poor has driven a wedge through the middle of the Obama coalition.
Handouts to Wall Street and car company executives have fueled middle class anger at Democrats.
The decision to sacrifice cost control for a focus on access and universal coverage in the health care plan has furthered middle class disenchantment.
Republican candidates with a populist message have shown the way to winning back the middle-class vote.
Bob McDonnell won across the board in Virginia, but his biggest margins came from voters with household incomes of $50,000 to $100,000
In Massachusetts, election night polling showed Scott Brown winning every income group from $40,000 to $100,000 and winning blue collar strongholds like Lowell and Quincy.
3) The conventional wisdom that ‘negative campaigning works’ is “true in some sense, false in some sense, and meaningless in some sense.”
In the final days of the campaign, Martha Coakley went negative and tried to paint Scott Brown as everything from an arch-conservative to a Wall Street elitist.
None of these attacks worked.
We hear a lot in the campaign world about “driving up opponent negatives” and “inverting their image” but that kind of thinking is too simple and leads to failure.
“White hats versus black hats” is still one of the strongest narratives available to a campaign, but it takes more than just telling voters why the other side is bad. We have to tell them why our candidates are the “white hats.”
Scott Brown did this effectively by tapping into the populist middle-class sentiment and then branding Coakley and the Democrats as elitist, out of touch, and pursuing dangerous policies.
4) “Campaigns matter.”
Scott Brown and his campaign understood the mood of the electorate, developed a winning narrative, and got their message to voters. That’s how you win campaigns.
Much has been made of Brown’s “everyman” image.
- What he understood and what we need to understand is that the Republican constituency today is populist, middle class, and “everyman.”
If a well-run campaign with the right narrative, energy, and execution can win in deep-blue Massachusetts then we can win anywhere.
5) “Don’t pull your arm of socket trying to pat yourself on the back.”
Last night was a huge win for Scott Brown and should motivate every Republican around the country to redouble our efforts to win big in November.
But, last night also makes us one-for-five in special elections during this election cycle.
Republicans should be confident and emboldened, but we should also learn one from the Coakley campaign and not take anything for granted.
Politics really does make strange bedfellows!
Reverend Al Sharpton, President of National Action Network, Former Congressman J.C. Watts, and Dr. Gary A. Puckrein, President of the National Minority Quality Forum, called a press conference at the Boriken Neighborhood Health Center in New York City to focus a spotlight on the need for health care reform that eliminates inequities in health care quality and access for America’s emerging majority.
“I truly applaud Dr. Puckrein and the National Minority Quality Forum who have been in the trenches on minority health care disparities for many years,” said J.C. Watts. “I am delighted to have the opportunity to join forces with The Forum and the National Action Network to encourage Congress to oppose any cuts to Disproportionate Share Hospital (DSH) payments in the final version of health care reform legislation unless the cuts are tied to significant reductions in a state’s uninsured populations.” Read more…
By Rep. Jason Murphey
What if you had a pressing need for a new car? And what if, when you went to buy a new car, the only vehicle you were allowed to purchase was a luxury vehicle with all options pre-installed? Can you imagine how many Oklahomans would be unable to afford transportation if this scenario were a reality?
One of the most pressing topics the Legislature deals with each year is health care. The issue is of added importance because Oklahoma has the fourth highest population of uninsured people. The most obvious reason for this lack of coverage is the high price of purchasing insurance in Oklahoma.
The average price of a job-based health insurance policy in Oklahoma is $4,088. The national average is $3,991. Oklahoma’s median income is significantly lower than the national average, which means that Oklahomans pay higher health insurance costs with a lower average income.
One of the reasons for high insurance fees in Oklahoma is because the Legislature has driven up the cost over the years by mandating a “one size fits all” approach to coverage. Policies become even more expensive when the Legislature approves new laws to mandate the coverage of any number of heartbreaking medical situations that have not traditionally been covered by health insurance policies Read more…
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–Legislation requiring abortion clinics to provide a woman with an ultrasound before terminating her pregnancy passed the House today.
House Bill 3144, by Rep. Lisa Billy, expands on pro-life legislation passed in 2006 that required abortion doctors to tell a woman she had a right to a free ultrasound at an off-site location. This legislation would require the ultrasound to be available at the clinic where the abortion would be performed.
This bill is needed to give women as much information as possible to ensure she does not later regret her decision, said Billy.
“There is nothing more important we can do here in the Legislature than protect the lives of innocent children,” said Billy, R-Purcell. “This bill will further prepare every woman who is about to make a life-altering decision. When a woman has all the information in her hands, she will walk out of that clinic confident in her choice.”
The bill passed the House with a vote of 88-11 and will now move to the Senate for consideration.
The Oklahoma State Senate passed key pro-life legislation that provides protection to pro-life healthcare providers.
Senate Bill 1878 by Senator Todd Lamb, R-Edmond, creates the Freedom of Conscience Act, which protects the rights of healthcare providers to refuse to take part in the destruction of human life.
Protection under this legislation is provided to employees or prospective employees who have objections, based on their religious conviction or moral code, to such scenarios as participating in or performing an abortion, stem cell research, or euthanasia.
“The bipartisan effort made to allow this legislation to pass is to be applauded,” said Senator Lamb. “Pro-life healthcare providers deserve protection for their moral or religious convictions, and Senate Bill 1878 does just that.”
Senate Bill 1878 will now move to the House for consideration.
Next the state will try to ban smoking in individuals’ cars and homes as well, said Sen. Randy Brogdon (R-Owasso) who proposed an amendment to SB 1875 that would have simply banned all smoking within the state of Oklahoma, but the measure failed when the members of the committee – including Brogdon – refused to vote on the amendment.
Senate Bill 1875 passed the Senate Business and Labor Committee, and will move to the Senate. This bill reinforces current smoking bans, and expands the bans to bars, casinos and racetracks.
This legislation is part of a growing trend nationally by government officials to assume the responsibility for the personal health habits of its citizens. As previously noted by OKPNS, such smoking bans are becoming more common. In California, there is a move toward smoke-free apartments and condos.
Other health habits are under scrutiny, as well, as Mississippi’s House of Representatives is currently considering legislation to prohibit restaurants from serving obese customers and New York City Restaurants are banned from using trans fats.
Closer to home, Tulsa and Oklahoma City launched the Mayors’ Fitness Challenge, which is part of the national Mayors’ Healthy Cities Campaign, by the United States Conference of Mayors. At least participation in these tax-payer-funded programs is voluntary for citizens – for now.
Can you put an entire city on a diet? Mayor Mick Cornett is trying to do exactly that, on a program called OKC Million:
Obesity in America has reached epidemic proportions and Oklahoma City wants to lead the way to a healthier nation. I invite all citizens of Oklahoma City to join up on this Web site and become healthier for a lifetime.
My goal in establishing this initiative is to bring awareness to the problem, introduce programs to help cure it, and inspire all citizens to become healthier and lose weight.
There are programs for Oklahoma City residents of all ages, and and even a meter to keep track of how many pounds enrollees have lost.
Last year, Tulsa Mayor Kathy Taylor had a similar program, called the Mayor’s Fitness Challenge for Tulsans:
I challenge kids, parents, and everyone in Tulsa to make fitness and health a top priority in your lives. You don’t have to become a marathon runner to achieve a fitter lifestyle — just get up and get moving!
Parents, be good role models for your kids: shoot some hoops, take a walk in the park, or take them for a bike ride along one of Tulsa’s great trails. And then provide your family with healthy, nutritious foods every day.
When we are active and consistently eating well-balanced meals, we will enjoy healthy and fulfilling lives. Join me today in getting fit and healthy for life!
These two city-wide campaigns are part of the larger state-wide Mayors’ Fitness Challenge, and now part of the national Mayors’ Healthy Cities Campaign, by the United States Conference of Mayors.
Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Oklahoma, says the Healthy Americans Act’s mandate for insurance “is not freedom.”
Coburn has his own plan, which he is sponsoring with North Carolina GOP Sen. Richard Burr, which would change the tax code to give every person the refundable tax credit for health care. They could purchase insurance through their employer or go out and get it on their own. States could create a blanket plan to cover those who don’t sign up on their own. Those who fell into this default plan wouldn’t be penalized, but they would have a high deductible, making them responsible for a sizable chunk of the final bill.
Both of these proposals would provide financial incentives for people to get preventive health care.