August taught Democrat congressmen and senators four things:
First, there are a great number of citizens in their districts that are very unhappy with the idea of greater government control over healthcare. How these politicians learned nothing from the rallies around April 15 and July 4 is a good question. Evidently hundreds of unhappy voters talking directly to a politician makes a bigger impact than a rally of 5,000 aimed at big government in general.
Second, polling shows that independents have flipped from tired of George W. Bush and Iraq to anti-Barack Obama/Harry Reid/Nancy Pelosi big government tax and spend programs. The attempt by Democrats to demonize those who dared question their rulers at town hall meetings led to independents telling pollsters that by 2-to-1 they sided with the demonstrators. As a result the name-calling of tough questioners is seen as an insult to all middle class independents. Not smart.
Third, “Blue Dog” democrats who have been told their political health was foremost in the concerns of Pelosi and Reid have learned that they don’t care about the abuse they are getting in their districts. They sent the Blue Dogs out without functioning talking points, without an understanding of the political winds. When Pelosi and Reid told the Blue Dogs to suck it up because they were just imagining middle class rage — this was all really, said Pelosi, run by big insurance companies and drug companies — they lost the trust of their freshmen and senators who knew perfectly well the mass-produced signs were being carried by paid union staff in identical T-shirts and riding buses and the critics of Obamacare made their own signs and came by car.
Fourth, August ended with House Democrats elected in 2006 and 2008 from states like Alabama and Indiana learning that the next bright idea of their fearless leaders was to publicly link government run healthcare to Ted Kennedy — a synonym for “bizarrely left wing” in every city in the country other than Washington D.C. and Cambridge, Mass.
The Blue Dogs are beginning to realize that being part of the party run by Pelosi and Obama is about as healthy as living in a kennel owned by Michael Vick.
© 2013 Newsmax. All rights reserved.