Taegan Goddard's Political Wire

October 30, 2009

Republican Guide to Undermining Health Care Reform

GOP strategist Frank Luntz briefed Republican lawmakers this week "on his new plan for undermining Democrats' health-reform without making the GOP look bad," reports Mike Allen.

Luntz's 8-page memo is a fascinating read. He notes Republicans "still need to acknowledge the need for reform." He also says President Obama "is right: what Americans want is a solution, not continued political bickering."

However, Luntz says that once Republicans have "articulated the goal of bipartisanship, it is fair game (and according to our polling, supported by independents) to level a sharper attack on those who control Congress: 'The Democratic Party controls a 77 seat majority in the House and almost 20 seats in the Senate, along with the White House. If they cannot get a bill passed with such overwhelming control of Washington, it says there's something wrong with the legislation. Rather than forcing a bill through with only limited support, they should keep working until they can get a bill that represents the opinions of most Americans.'"

Here's the memo via Politico:

Frank Luntz Memo

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Taegan D. Goddard is the founder of Political Wire, one of the earliest and most influential political web sites.

Goddard spent more than a decade as managing director and chief operating officer of a prominent investment firm in New York City. Previously, he was a policy adviser to a U.S. Senator and Governor.

Goddard is also co-author of You Won - Now What? (Scribner, 1998), a political management book hailed by prominent journalists and politicians from both parties. In addition, Goddard's essays on politics and public policy have appeared in dozens of newspapers across the country, including the Washington Post, USA Today, Boston Globe, San Francisco Chronicle, Chicago Tribune, Philadelphia Inquirer and Christian Science Monitor.

Goddard earned degrees from Vassar College and Harvard University. He lives in New York with his wife and three sons.

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