Fight the Fear

Last week we learned that the express strategy of the Republican party is to use “fear” to stoke opposition to President Obama’s agenda for change. And as we approach the finish line on health insurance reform, we are seeing Republicans try to implement that strategy now more than ever.

Sensing change on the horizon, the insurance industry and their allies in the Republican party will say and do anything to protect their profits and political contributions. This shouldn’t be a surprise from the party that, instead of bringing you news ideas meant to help, brought you refrains of “death panels” and “government takeover” meant to scare.

On the campaign we fought smears by exposing misleading attacks quickly and forcefully and making sure people got the truth from their friends. We can use the same approach to defeat Republican “fear” tactics now. So, today we launched our “Fight the Fear” effort, and we need your help in aiding us to keep track of Republican “fear tactics.

As DNC Executive Director Jen O'Malley Dillon wrote in an email to supporters:

We'll count on volunteers like you all around the country to let us know at FightFear@DNC.org when Republican candidates or groups:

-- Air misleading ads or offer false claims intended to poison the political debate,

-- Incite fear of President Obama and Democratic leaders in an attempt to stir up their base, or

-- Align themselves with the most extreme fringes of the Republican Party.

We'll read the responses and call out the most egregious examples to continually expose the GOP's fear tactics. And we'll hit back hard with the truth in ads and by organizing against the Republican candidates involved.

Together, we'll fight back and prove that Republican scare tactics are no match for our collective grassroots strength.

We’ve already heard from folks about a new Republican fear tactic hitting the airwaves in many communities across the country this week. The national Republican Party launched a new television ad this week featuring embattled RNC Chairman Michael Steele. The ad attempts to stoke fear that health insurance reform is a ‘massive government expansion’ that ‘threatens our freedom.’

There’s nothing in ensuring that every American has access to affordable, stable health insurance that represents a government takeover or that threatens anyone’s freedom. It’s a lie being perpetrated by Michael Steele and the national Republican Party meant to scare people and protect insurance companies, plain and simple. And we’re not going to let them get away with it. Here are the facts, and they’re not scary at all.

Health Insurance Reform Will Not Create a Government Takeover of Health Care

Politifact: “Obama Health Plan Does Not Call For Government-Run Health Care.” “Obama health plan does not call for government-run health care.” [Politifact, 3/5/09]

Factcheck.org: "President Obama Hasn’t Proposed A Government-Run [Health Care] Plan And, In Fact, Has Rejected The Idea." FactCheck.org: "President Obama hasn’t proposed a government-run [health care] plan and, in fact, has rejected the idea." [FactCheck.org, 5/6/09]

Factcheck.org: President Obama Hasn’t Proposed Government-Run Health Care. FactCheck.org: "We’ve written before about conservatives claiming that Congress, or Obama, or Washington, or Democrats in general want the U.S. to have a Canadian-style, government-run health care system. The truth of the matter is that the president has repeatedly said he doesn’t." [FactCheck.org, 8/10/09]

AMA President-Elect Reassured: Physicians And Patients Don’t Need To Fear The Rise Of A Monolithic Health System With No Choice From President Obama. The Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal reported that “American Medical Association president-elect Dr. James Rohack told Mississippi doctors Friday…Physicians and patients don't need to fear the rise of a monolithic health system with no choice, because it's not something the American people would accept, Rohack said. The president didn't advocate a single-payer system for the United States at the meeting, Rohack said. Obama said he believes in access to health care for all with a system that is a mix of public and private sources with patients still able to see the physicians of their choice.” [Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal, 5/30/09]