Maverick's World

Is healthcare loss really an electorally decisive issue?

A lot of people are saying they can't believe that the GOP is actually going through with repealing Obamacare and killing Medicaid. Despite everything that major experts in the healthcare field and large organizations like the March of Dimes, AARP etc... are saying - opinion on the ACHA bill is stubbornly split along party lines.

One wonders what the GOP is feeding to its members to keep them so well aligned. The Democratic Party for its part seems convinced that the ACHA is going to hand the 2018 election over to them on a plate. It is certainly likely to be politically advantageous - but is it really going to kill the GOP as so many Democrats hope?

I don't think so - and here is why -

1) Old people know they are going to die. They don't want to think about it. Most know that the cost of their healthcare is not sustainable, the few that that don't will figure it out in the coming years as cost of living offsets their small savings and IRAs.

2) Trump's bullshit and nostalgia makes them forget this reality. Some choose it as a deliberate act, others do it without a second thought.

3) Democrats talking about healthcare cuts only forces the older voters to think about issues that make them uncomfortable.

4) The more uncomfortable they get, the more older voters are drawn to Trump's total bullshit and fake promises about "making things like they used to be".

5) The bizarre notion of  "dying with dignity intact" will gain ground.

It will be extremely hard for Democratic Party people to explain to older voters that there is no way to "die with your dignity intact" when you deliberately take healthcare away from someone else.

As seen with the TrumpRussia situation, Trump voters will simply reject facts and submerge themselves in even deeper denial for easily accessible facts.  The rejection of reality will grow and political tribalism will continue to rise. With each iteration - it will become more and more expensive for Trump voters to climb down from where they have currently perched themselves.

Human stupidity is a bottomless pit.

While Democrats make sophisticated appeals to reason, the GOP strategies revolve around finding the stupidest Darwin award thought you have and amplifying that to secure your alignment with their political survival. Their tricks work better with vulnerable older white voters right now - but this is an accident of history. The same trick works elsewhere with other racial and ethnic votaries. (Cough India Cough.. cough).

posted by maverick @ 6:55 AM