BALANCING HEALTHCARE, PUBLIC POLICY AND POLITICS: Which Candidates are the Real Deal -- And Which are Counterfeit?

Balancing Healthcare, Public Policy and Politics with Linda de Seife

Tuesday, May 18th was Super Tuesday 2010, and pundits of all political stripes have analyzed the results of primaries and special elections held that day. Most seem to agree that there is a rebellion growing amongst American voters.

Basically, the poll numbers discussed in previous columns haven’t changed much, and if anything, have trended more negative toward incumbents. So, here I want to discuss one race in particular that Republicans need to learn from for the fall 2010. That race is the special election in PA-12 (Pennsylvania) to replace the late John Murtha.

The situation is that the district has an overwhelming Democratic registration majority. John Murtha represented the district and “brought home the bacon” for decades. The Democratic candidate, Mark Critz, was a Murtha staffer, and is therefore well known in the district. Despite all these factors, right up to election day, most major polls had the race a dead heat. Yet, Critz went on to defeat Republican Tim Burns by an unexpectedly large 8-point margin.

Republicans were understandably disappointed, but they need to learn from this. Critz ran as pro-gun and pro-life, said he would have voted against health care reform, and is opposed to cap-and-tax. These are Republican issue positions, yet Critz was able to co-opt them. Thus the question: Who is the real deal and who just talks the talk? Will Critz go back to Washington as a Member and vote with Nancy Pelosi as his mentor did, or will he truly vote based on what he told his constituents in order to get elected?

The Republicans need to know that this is a tactic that Democrats will use in November, and they need to nip it in the bud. PA-12 showed that simply running against the national Democratic establishment doesn’t work. Candidates need to know their district and know the folks and what they’re thinking. As this column has mentioned several times, all politics is local; that hasn’t changed. The Republican positions are in tune with the majority of Americans’ views, but they need to take it district by district. PA-12 gave Democrats a blueprint for November, which is basically, if you need to run to the right to get elected, do it. At the end of the day, if they do that, they could still end up with the majority. The question then will be, will they still try to govern from the left, or will Nancy Pelosi no longer be able to control her members?

For the Republicans, they need to stop a repeat of PA-12 by challenging Democrats who attempt to outflank them. They need to challenge the voters to choose between “the real deal” and a counterfeit. In 2008, and today, Barack Obama continues to say one thing that people want to hear and to reel them in, and then do another. The American people cannot fall for this again.

So, before you vote in November think: Real deal or counterfeit?

The Center for Health Transformation (www.healthtransformation.net) has a daily “news you can use” post relating to the implementation of the health care reform law. On May 23rd, they published an article from thehill.com (http://thehill.com/blogs/on-the-money/domestic-taxes/99387-study-healthcare-law-encourages-small-businesses-to-stay-small) which reports on a study by the National Center for Policy Analysis (NCPA) showing that tax credits in the new law could negatively impact small business hiring.

The new law provides a 50% tax credit to companies with fewer than ten employees who offer health insurance and whose employees’ average annual wages are $25,000. The tax credit is reduced as more employees are added to the payroll.

Pamela Villarreal, a senior NCPA analyst says, “If a business can make a decision to substitute capital for labor – say, contract the procedure out or automate it – I believe (losing the tax credit) will play an important part in the reluctance to hire. It’s puzzling that we have this perverse incentive not to have business grow by not encouraging them to hire additional workers.”

This column will continue to provide updates on the implementation of the law and their impact. Stay tuned.

Quote of the Month: “Society is infested by persons who, seeing that the sentiments please, counterfeit the expression of them. These we call sentimentalists – talkers who mistake the description for the thing, saying for having.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson


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BALANCING HEALTHCARE, PUBLIC POLICY AND POLITICS: Why the Tea Party Movement Makes the Left Nervous

Balancing Healthcare, Public Policy and Politics with Linda de Seife

On April 15th, tax day, I attended my first Tea Party in front of Town Hall in my community of about 60,000 residents. All in all, it was a pretty sedate affair. It drew about 200 people, some from neighboring towns. Mostly, it was comprised of known Republican activists. Many of the speakers were Republican candidates for statewide office. We were welcomed by our First Selectman (the New England equivalent of mayor). Both my friend and I were surprised that he would publicly support the tea party movement. And, there were a couple of known Democratic leaders who quietly listened, but were subsequently quoted in the local paper, defending their President’s policies.

Prior to rally day, the national tea party movement sent e-mails containing instructions on behavior and warning about potential rowdy infiltrators seeking to paint the movement in an unfavorable light. By preparing, and outing these hooligans, the tea party organizers almost guaranteed that they would not show up. Good for them!

Whether through infiltrating rallies or trying to marginalize the movement, as the President and his supporters have, my question is, “why do they feel it necessary?” What are they afraid of?
Maybe they’re afraid of these statistics:

• An April 13th Rasmussen poll indicates that 24% of U.S. voters say they consider themselves part of the Tea Party movement. Another 10% say they have close friends and family who are.


• 48% of voters now say that the average tea party member is closer to their views on major issues than President Obama. 52% believe that the average tea partier has a better understanding of the issues facing America than the average Member of Congress.


• Just 21% of voters nationwide believe that the federal government now enjoys the consent of the governed.

Add to this the results of a new Pew poll which finds historic levels of unhappiness about the federal government and its role in Americans’ lives. Only 22% said that they can trust the federal government always or almost always, the lowest level in 50 years.

While this level of discontent is a worry for all incumbents, two factors should cause more worry for Democrats: first, they have the most to lose; and, second, the Pew poll also found that the discontent runs more deeply among Independents and Republicans. Those who are highly dissatisfied say they are absolutely certain to vote. Historically, passion and intensity are strongly correlated to turnout and results, especially in mid-term elections.

What else are the tea party bashers afraid of? Maybe what they’re afraid of is that a majority of the American people is not buying in to their culture of dependence. Michael Barone’s April 19th commentary in the Rasmussen Report nailed it. “The Obama Democrats’ vast expansion of the size and scope of government is really not just about economics. It is really a battle about culture… (they) see a society in which ordinary people cannot fend for themselves. They are trying to permanently enlarge government and increase citizens’ dependence on it.”

The tea partiers, on the other hand, believe in the culture of independence which motivated the Founding Fathers and which has enabled America to become the most productive and prosperous nation. We believe in American exceptionalism, Ronald Reagan’s “shining city on the hill.”

Barone further points out that Obama won election in 2008 with a “top-and-bottom” coalition – those dependent on government transfers and benefits, and those in what David Brooks calls “the educated class.” Obama barely exceeded 50% among those between the two extremes. These are the believers in the culture of independence who are fueling the tea party movement.

Although the tea party movement is a grass roots, decentralized one, their message comes together in the “Contract from America” (See www.thecontract.org for more details.) The #1 plank in the contract is protect the Constitution. This is followed by: reject cap and trade, demand a balanced budget, enact fundamental tax reform, and restore fiscal responsibility and constitutionally limited government in Washington.

George McGovern learned the power of the “silent majority” in 1972. When almost half of voters say that the average tea party member is closer to their views than the President is, today we are a not-so-silent majority who support the moral values of the culture of independence and the constitutional values of limited government based on the consent of the governed.

Archibald Mac Leish said, “Criticism in a free man’s country is made on certain assumptions, one of which is the assumption that the government belongs to the people and is at all times subject to the people’s correction and criticism.” The criticism has been loud and clear. November should bring the correction.


Quote of the Month: “Government is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem.”
-- Ronald Reagan


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BALANCING HEALTHCARE, PUBLIC POLICY AND POLITICS: Real Hope for America

Balancing Healthcare, Public Policy and Politics with Linda De Seife

Initially I was contemplating writing about another topic this month, which probably would have turned out to be another rant about what’s wrong with politics today. Then I read a Business Week article about Congressman Paul Ryan, Ranking Member of the House Budget Committee, and his Roadmap for America’s Future 2.0, and decided to write about something positive in public affairs today -- something that offers real hope for America’s future.

First, something about Congressman Ryan that I had not been aware of and that instantly caused me to look at his proposal more closely is that his mentor, and former boss, was the late Congressman Jack Kemp, father of Kemp-Roth tax relief legislation and the concept of enterprise zones in the late 1970’s and 1980’s.

Jack Kemp was a colleague of two of my former Congressional bosses. I had the pleasure of working with him and his staff when he made trips to our districts to both support his colleagues and get the word out about the benefits that the Kemp-Roth legislation could bring to the American economy and the American people.

The situation then was similar to now, in that the Democrats controlled both houses of Congress. Only then, they had controlled it for forty years. But that didn’t stop Jack Kemp and Sen. William Roth from developing their proposal and talking it up around the country and in print. Eventually, when Ronald Reagan became President, they worked with a still Democratically-controlled Congress to get their proposal signed into law, which led to a resurgence in the American economy and an optimism in the American people.

That seems to be the path that Congressman Ryan is following. Let’s only hope it doesn’t take as long to see his proposals become law.

The Roadmap outlines recommendations for health care, tax policy, job training. Medicare, and Social Security that will put our nation on a sustainable fiscal course. Here are the basics:

Health Care

• Ensures universal access to affordable coverage by establishing a new $5,700 refundable tax credit for families to purchase insurance. It provides transparency on price and quality to help bring costs under control while enhancing quality of care.


• Secures Medicare for current beneficiaries and gradually phases in reforms for those under age 55 to make Medicare permanently solvent.


• Reforms Medicaid to give beneficiaries greater choice in their care, provide greater flexibility to states, and gets spending under control to preserve the critical safety net for future generations.

Tax Policy

• Provides an alternative to the needlessly complex, cumbersome and unfair tax code by giving taxpayers the option of filing their income taxes under a highly simplified tax code that has just two rates and no special tax deductions, credits or exclusions (except the health care tax credit).


• Promotes work, saving and investment: by eliminating taxes on interest, capital gains, dividends, the alternative minimum tax (AMT), and the death tax; and, by replacing the corporate income tax with a competitive border-adjustable business consumption tax.

Social Security

• Preserves the existing program for those 55 or older.


• Offers workers under 55 the option of investing over one-third of their current Social Security taxes into personal retirement accounts, similar to the Thrift Savings Plan available to federal employees.


• Makes the program permanently solvent, according to the CBO, by combining a more realistic measure of growth in Social Security’s initial benefits, with a gradual, modest increase in the retirement age.

Job Training

Helps prepare the nation’s workforce for success in the global economy by transforming 49 job training programs, scattered across eight agencies, into a flexible, dynamic program focused on results, and accompanied by clear measures of transparency and accountability.

“The Roadmap is not simply a slimmer version of the 'progressive' government expansion. It is a true alternative, consisting of specific policies supported by CBO estimates of its fiscal and economic consequences. It focuses government on its proper role; it restrains government spending, thus limiting the size of government itself; it rejuvenates the vibrant market economy that made America the envy of the world; and it restores an American character rooted in individual initiative, entrepreneurship and opportunity – qualities that make each American’s pursuit of personal destiny a net contribution to the Nation’s common good as well. In short it is built on the enduring truths from which America’s Founders established this great and exceptional Nation.” -- www.AmericanRoadmap.org

I would encourage you to visit www.AmericanRoadmap.org to view the details. The website also contains rebuttals to false charges such as that it “provides tax breaks for the wealthy,” “ends Medicare as we know it,” and “privatizes Social Security.”

The late Senate Minority Leader, Everett Dirksen, once said, “A billion here, a billion there; pretty soon you’ve got real money.” He would be appalled at the state of today’s runaway government spending and deficits when we’re now talking in trillions. We need Congressman Ryan’s policies today, even more than we needed Jack Kemp’s thirty years ago.


Quote of the Month

"A patriot must always be ready to defend his country against his government."
-- Edward Abbey.

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BALANCING HEALTHCARE, PUBLIC POLICY AND POLITICS: Real Hope for America

BALANCING HEALTHCARE, PUBLIC POLICY AND POLITICS: Politics and Policy

Balancing Healthcare, Public Policy and Politics
with Linda de Seife

In this inaugural post, I thought I would start by sharing with you my vision for the column -- that is, to offer some insights into politics and policy based on my experiences both inside and outside the beltway. Each month I’ll discuss a campaign or election or the latest polling data, as well as a hot issue from the headlines. I’ll try to tell you what it means and why it’s important. And, I’ll close with a relevant quotation or political cartoon. I hope that you find these thoughts and opinions worthwhile, and I welcome your comments and suggestions. So, here goes.

Campaigns and Elections - 2009 Results and 2010
By the time you read this, the 2009 elections will be a faded memory to most. However, I choose to see them as a kick-off of the 2010 election cycle. In 2009 in Virginia and New Jersey, Republicans won the governorships. There has been a debate as to whether these elections are a referendum on the Administration’s policies. At least in New Jersey, where I had a ringside seat, the President made five trips to the state and was featured in commercials for the Democratic candidate. In my opinion, there is no doubt that the answer is “yes”.

Former Speaker of the House, Tip O’Neill said, “All politics is local”. And I believe that is true. However, the “local issues” in Virginia and New Jersey were high taxes, the economy, and runaway government spending – issues facing the electorate in every state. So, the Democrats have something to be worried about in 2010 when there will be 435 House races, 35 Senate races, and 37 gubernatorial races, not to mention the state legislatures.

A recent poll by the Pew Research Center found that only 34% of Americans said they want most Congressional incumbents re-elected in 2010. These are among the most negative numbers in twenty years of collecting data. Even more concerning to incumbents is that independent voters are more negative on their elected officials than members of either party. Only 25% of independents want to see congressional incumbents reelected next year.

What it means and why it’s important: Having said that all politics is local, after all the results are in, one can form a picture of trends that are showing up consistently across the nation – like a mosaic where each race is a piece, but you don’t see the complete picture until they’re all put together. The picture in 2009 gives hints of an electorate experiencing a certain amount of buyers’ remorse regarding the 2008 elections; the public is starting to feel that maybe the pendulum is swinging too far in one direction. In addition, both Virginia and New Jersey are states that have historically favored Democats and were carried by the President in 2008.

As a poll worker in my Connecticut town, where there were only local offices on the ballot, I observed that most voters were over 40. Where were all the “youngsters” who came out to vote for President in 2008? Apparently they aren’t interested in the government that is closest to them. This is another phenomenon that does not bode well for 2010 candidates who have alienated more mature voters concerned about the effect of excessive government spending, intrusion, and deficits on their taxes, their retirement, their healthcare, and the future prosperity of their children and grandchildren.

Lastly, there will also be a census in 2010, and those governors and state legislators elected next year will be responsible for redrawing congressional districts in 2011.

This sort of political environment is unpredictable, to say the least, and could lead to some surprising defeats next November. On the other hand, there are many variables, and a lot can happen between now and then. So neither party should count their chickens just yet. That’s why throughout next year we’ll be analyzing some specific races around the country that might be the keystones of our national mosaic.

Issue of the Month – Health Legislation
What else could it be but health care. With new developments almost daily, whatever is printed here could be outdated by the time you read it. So, I’ll discuss one aspect of the issue that strikes me as particularly interesting and not likely to become outdated soon. That is, the fact that the legislation working it’s way through Congress is not health care reform; it is primarily health insurance reform. What we need is both; it will take reforming both the care system and the insurance system to bring down costs and maintain quality and access.

What it means and why it’s important: Trying to make the needed changes by focusing only on health insurance reform can only lead to higher costs, not lower. 60 Minutes has done stories on Pennsylvania’s Geisinger Health System and how it has improved care and reduced costs, and on fraud and abuse in Medicare. And then there is medical malpractice reform which is not addressed in the current legislation.

Personally, I find it very frustrating to learn about all the innovation in technology and care that is happening in hospitals, health systems and technology companies in our country today that should be encouraged; and yet the federal government is spending months (in the current effort alone) trying to force fit changes to the current insurance system instead of looking outside the box and truly transforming the entire health establishment to meet 21st century needs and capabilities. I highly recommend that anyone who is interested in this topic visit the website of the Center for Health Transformation.

In future columns I’ll continue to comment on other aspects of the health care debate. Stay tuned.

Part of what makes politics and policy so fascinating and intriguing to me is that democracy is messy, so many moving parts – the Congress, the Administration, interest groups, the press, and of course the great American citizenry. Just when you think you’ve got it figured out, one, or all, of them throws you a curve ball!

So I’ll close with a quote from Winston Churchill: “It has been said that democracy is the worst form of government, except for all the others that have been tried.”

Here’s wishing everyone a happy, healthy and prosperous 2010!

For more information, please visit Linda's TNNW Bio.





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