I'm only listening to bits and pieces of Blagojevich's impeachment speech. I heard a line in passing that confirmed something I've thought since he took office.
He said that all the Democratic Senators had probably read the DCCC talking points about prescription drugs for seniors. For several years around the time Rod was first elected Governor, this was the top canned talking point for national Democrats.
Democratic leaders gave up on pushing for universal health care after 1994 and chose to focus on narrow health care issues that affect seniors, the age group which votes in the highest numbers. It comes form strategists who believe that the best way to win elections is to target regular voters instead of expanding the electorate with new voters. That approach had some limited success from '94-'06, but Obama was finally able to achieve a big win by engaging new voters.
In 2000, Al Gore talked about prescription drugs for seniors in every campaign speech. I take monthly prescriptions for my asthma and allergies and for part of that time I didn't have insurance coverage. Young people out of college or high school are less likely than any other age group to have health insurance.
Every time I heard a Democratic candidate talk about prescription drugs for seniors I wondered why they thought prescription drugs for anyone else didn't matter. Democratic leaders at the national level had almost nothing to say to young voters from '94-'06.
When Blagojevich ran in 2002 I recognized his overplayed talking points about prescription drugs for seniors. It gave me the impression that he was the kind of politician who would repeat whatever trendy lines someone told him would make him more popular. It sounded like the only thing sincere about it was his ambition.
Most politicians listen to consultants who help them tailor their message, which is fine, but it says something when all of your top agenda items come from a cookie-cutter strategy memo. Rod's speech today reminded me to listen to my first instincts.