While it is useful to remind the American people of the benefits of the ACA, there is a more important message to convey, and Biden did it with the necessary intensity. Instead of just praising what Democrats achieved through the ACA, the president explained how Republicans could undermine those gains and leave Americans worse off, a framework his fellow Democrats would be wise to take note of.
“We need to keep fighting,” Biden said. President, since you signed the law, (our Republican colleagues) have not stopped for a second. Multiple court challenges, cited the previous administration’s sabotage (and) more than 70 attempts to repeal the law by Republicans in Congress. “He concluded that, 12 years later, the Republican Party “has not stopped attacking this life-saving law.”
Knowing that Obamacare is a complex law that few people fully understand, Biden offered stark examples of what would be lost if the bill were repealed. She said, “(i)t means that 100 million Americans with pre-existing conditions may once again be denied health care coverage by insurance companies.” Biden also stressed that tens of millions of Americans, including young people under 26 who could no longer stay on their parents’ insurance plans, could lose coverage, and premiums, he added, “are going to skyrocket.” “
In fact, you don’t know what you have until you lose it.
Biden’s message and tone mark a crucial shift in Democratic strategy, one that acknowledges the lived reality of American voters.
Many Democrats seem to think they can prevail if voters can see what a great job they’ve done. However, voters will not hear a message of the party’s achievements.
When your opposition is willing to lie about you, the least you can do is tell the truth about them. And, on Tuesday, Biden told the truth about the GOP and its track record on health care. Democrats should build a campaign message around the threat posed by Republicans rather than looking for an attack from people who are in no mood to thank anyone.
The red tide was so great that it swept away my beloved Texas Governor, Democrat Ann Richards, who was ousted by George W. Bush. I remember talking to Richards after her loss, when I started strategizing for Clinton’s re-election campaign. She told me to remember that “the American people don’t give a damn about your precious accomplishments.”
Richards was right. People expect political leaders to do their jobs, and telling them you did a great job when they’re battling inflation and high gas prices just frustrates them even more. But, if you tell them that the other side is even worse, and if they come to power, things will really fall apart, well, maybe, then you have a fighting chance.
Of course, a fighting chance requires Democrats to really fight. With his longtime friend and partner at his side on Tuesday, Biden finally began lacing up his boxing gloves.