I am really surprised with N.Y. Senator Chuck Schumer, over comments he recently made to the National Press Club. No, Senator Schumer, it was NOT wrong for Democrats to take up the health care issue back in 2009 and 2010. Jobs are important, yes, that's true. But health care can be a life or death issue for those who don't have it. Don't underestimate what Congress can do, Chuck, if it has the will to do it. Congress can walk and chew gum at the same time. Have you forgotten that Congress passed the big stimulus bill back during that period. And it did that with almost no help from Republicans. That stimulus bill should have been twice as big as it was. It was as if we were trying to heal a deep, deep wound with only a band aid. The Democrats should have MERCILESSLY hammered away at the Republicans for not supporting that stimulus package, during campaigning for the 2010 election. But they DID NOT. That 's part of the reason why we lost 63 House seats and six senate seats in the 2010 election. Democrats have to learn to SELL their ideas and programs to the people. They did an incredibly poor job of selling the Affordable Care Act to voters. That fact is obvious judging by multiple polls that showed a huge portion of the Americans said they were opposed to it, even though they admitted that they didn't really know all that much about it. But tell me, Democratic members of Congress, why DIDN'T the voters know that much about it? It was because Democrats absolutely STINK at explaining and defending their programs and priorities to voters. That's why!
And, as a Democrat, that makes me very angry. Because the Republicans, on the other hand, are VERY GOOD at selling THEIR ideology, which is basically crap and offers mostly just "hope" to the poor and the middle class. Hope that someday we will be part of the top 1%. Or even in the top 5%. With a hearty disinterest in the other 95%. What they have to sell is mostly just packaged old manure, with a heavy coat of perfume. It is old, it's been tried and failed, trickle down economics and free trade. Free trade, which in the long run, has been proven to hurt Americans with lower wages, fewer benefits, and mostly help the wealthy. But let's give the GOP credit for this much. They sure know how to sell. If they can sell their shabby political wares to the American public, and obviously they can, with an assist from loads of wealthy donors, they can sell just about anything.