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Who can make the connection between an obscure and bizarre British kids TV show and contemporary U.S. political analysis? The Power Line Show, that’s who! “Henry, were helping Henry and were telling Henry everything we know, Henry, were helping Henry, but we’ve still got a long long way too go!”—is the refrain of “Helping Henry,” but in this episode, Henry Olsen of the Ethics and Public Policy Center helps us keep up to date on the latest tea leaves of the political scene.
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Good interview.
This “Helping Henry” program, I think shows the utility of massive doses of LSD, its gotta be one of the weirdest concepts I have ever heard of.
Henry Olsen again points out why we fail in our most important task as conservatives- we cling to our green eyeshades without persuading the voting public, especially the non-elites, that we give a mosquito’s left wing about them. Kevin Williamson said roughly the same thing after Obama’s 2012 re-election. It is not about what we would prefer as a purist policy matter, it is about reality.
And the reality is that the non-elites- and “flyoverland” which are quite related- believe that the system is rigged against them, and Gehenna will be subject to Siberian weather before they will accept the assurances of perceived elites that this won’t hurt a bit, it is for your own good in 2037 because of Social Security system bankruptcy, and we really care. Meanwhile the evidence is every piece of campaign literature talking only about stopping excessive spending, while the same people don’t raise a peep of protest over the fact that JP Morgan was bailed out 100% for their loans to Lehman and the executives got to keep all their jobs and even their bonuses. This visceral response will not go away until conservatives prove by actions what they say about caring.
ObamaCare is not more popular, rather it is clung to because the big message was “repeal”, not “we recognize that health care is a mess mostly caused by Federal actions, pharmas, hospitals and doctors get away with full pockets while you suffer, so we will make sure that you can get needed care.”
Until the real, not the stated, message changes along with supporting policy innovations, those who like to give away stuff will be more popular.
For years and years conservatives have been making the argument with facts and figures, for years democrats have leveled baseless ad hominem attacks on candidate after candidate. We finally found the guy that will play on that field.
If you go back to listen to any Obama speech, he doesnt persuade his listeners to any point of view – he states his own policy, then attacks those who disagree.