tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post2097124563500475494..comments2023-09-15T04:27:57.129-04:00Comments on Commentarama: Obama Lays A Health Care TrapAndrewPricehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comBlogger27125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-89481275315701079652010-02-08T17:46:27.904-05:002010-02-08T17:46:27.904-05:00Anon, I have no doubt you would beat me at soccer!...Anon, I have no doubt you would beat me at soccer! LOL! Thanks for the kind words. I'm glad you enjoyed the article. Let's hope that the Republicans play this very carefully!AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-39996758031089617602010-02-08T17:40:24.781-05:002010-02-08T17:40:24.781-05:00I'll beat you at soccer Andrew however this ar...I'll beat you at soccer Andrew however this article is brilliant.<br />If I needed an attorney you would get my vote.Your insight to this scum's tactics needs to be brought to the attention of the group that will meet with him in the arena.<br />You should offer to be their center forward and lead the team.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-76658348859335100792010-02-08T13:42:02.939-05:002010-02-08T13:42:02.939-05:00That's good to know. Hopefully this will get ...That's good to know. Hopefully this will get enough airing that the Republicans will get the message pretty clearly.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-31575192321591341252010-02-08T13:33:47.787-05:002010-02-08T13:33:47.787-05:00Andrew: As sure as the sun comes up in the mornin...Andrew: As sure as the sun comes up in the morning, <i>The New Republic</i> (house organ for the Democratic Party) has two articles today on how Obama can use the Republican strategy against them. They promote exactly the pitfalls that you warned about in your post.LawHawkRFDhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17800255923675295515noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-23548466900071667382010-02-08T13:04:49.583-05:002010-02-08T13:04:49.583-05:00Stan, Thanks for telling us, even if Jed beat you ...Stan, Thanks for telling us, even if Jed beat you to it! :-)AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-11268355634937466472010-02-08T13:01:35.515-05:002010-02-08T13:01:35.515-05:00Hink, I know a good many doctors (I've defende...Hink, I know a good many doctors (I've defended some, sued a couple, and used the services of many others) and they are all suffering from the cost of medical malpractice insurance. What's really disturbing is that it's only a handful of doctors who are causing all the problems but everyone is paying the consequences.<br /><br />I think the medical profession needs to get better about getting rid of those doctors, plus I think significant legal reform is needed -- I outlined some proposals in my CommentaramaCare posts if you're interested. Based on my own experience, I am extremely confident those proposals would work -- unfortunately, those are not generally the way legislatures are trying to handle the issue.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-72190612856288833752010-02-08T12:56:47.409-05:002010-02-08T12:56:47.409-05:00JG, Thanks! :-) I'm happy to be on our side!
...JG, Thanks! :-) I'm happy to be on our side!<br /><br />A lot of the people on the Hill are attorneys (I think you're right about the 60% estimate), but most of them didn't do trial work. Many went straight into politics, which means they never had to deal with figuring out how to sell horrible facts to a jury or how to negotiate the best deal for your client.<br /><br />Still, I hope if they have any political instincts at all, Obama's offer should be setting off warning bells all over the place.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-21302334499627936072010-02-08T12:46:02.316-05:002010-02-08T12:46:02.316-05:00Jed beat me to my desk. Great minds think alike, R...Jed beat me to my desk. Great minds think alike, Rush is beating the same drum.StanHhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07395708786509590321noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-12983158212727270962010-02-08T12:43:26.430-05:002010-02-08T12:43:26.430-05:00Andrew, I'm sure I read your estimate and it s...Andrew, I'm sure I read your estimate and it spilled out of my head. My uncle was a well respected doctor. He was part of a MASH unit in Korea and could pinpoint ailments a mile away--a House before there was a House. He decided to retire at 65 instead of continuing till 70 as planned because of the cost of medical malpractice insurance. He had to subsidize his practice out of his retirement fund. It was an extremely painful decision for him to make. That was almost 20 years ago. I can't even imagine what it's like now and how many good doctors are now sitting on the sideline.FB Hinkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04070980563164999574noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-43280319360555125832010-02-08T12:37:29.655-05:002010-02-08T12:37:29.655-05:00Andrew, I'm glad you're on our side! :) I ...Andrew, I'm glad you're on our side! :) I just hope that those guys on the Hill are using their legal experience (aren't over 60%, or something like that, lawyers-turned-politicians) to arrive at this conclusion, rather than some sort of limp-wristed "why can't we be friends" stance.JGhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03116405895683599572noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-83197810893930815672010-02-08T12:32:59.188-05:002010-02-08T12:32:59.188-05:00Jed, Thanks for the heads up! I'll have to se...Jed, Thanks for the heads up! I'll have to send him an e-mail asking him why he doesn't comment at the site? LOL!!AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-72010994599513762632010-02-08T12:28:43.453-05:002010-02-08T12:28:43.453-05:00Andrew - no less than Rush Limbaugh just called Ob...Andrew - no less than Rush Limbaugh just called Obama's offer a trap. Maybe he read your article!Tennessee Jedhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10604275115906776992noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-47927516218320479392010-02-08T12:06:44.163-05:002010-02-08T12:06:44.163-05:00Hink, Those are good points. This is a PR battle ...Hink, Those are good points. This is a PR battle after all, so they should score any points they can -- and both left and right have been upset by Obama's secret negotiations with his union buddies. It's indefensible, and now they can effectively add hypocritical to the charge, so that's a great idea.<br /><br />Off the top of my head, I think we concluded that med-mal reform could save around $66 billion a year (it's in the health care articles I wrote), so Obama is wrong. But more importantly, the public has come to believe that medmal reform savings could be vastly higher. So Obama has lost that argument already, and the Republicans should press ahead with it.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-82509123896657668252010-02-08T12:00:12.252-05:002010-02-08T12:00:12.252-05:00First point: The Republicans need to make dang sur...First point: The Republicans need to make dang sure they point out that it's okay to televise "negotiations" with the opposition but not the union thugs and drug companies that drive up the cost of health care.<br /><br />Second: Obama has stated that lowering medical malpractice will only save $5 billion. Progressives only think in one dimension. Lowering the cost in one area creates ripple effects, lowering cost that allows more flexibility in lowering price.FB Hinkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04070980563164999574noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-20468501650655628302010-02-08T11:47:45.475-05:002010-02-08T11:47:45.475-05:00Lawhawk, Thanks! I've had the same experience ...Lawhawk, Thanks! I've had the same experience in the law. Law school taught technicalities, but nothing useful about how to persuade. And, like you, I've learned that the more prestigious the office or the school, the less prepared the attorneys seem to be to handle actual practice -- too scared to venture off the beaten path.<br /><br />I think this could be a potentially huge opportunity for the Republicans if they handle it right -- they could easily show themselves capable of governing if they get this right. But if they get it wrong, they will breathe life back into a dead health plan. Let's hope they handle this well.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-71685188779081018862010-02-08T11:30:48.598-05:002010-02-08T11:30:48.598-05:00Andrew: Really enjoyed that. I paid my way throu...Andrew: Really enjoyed that. I paid my way through law school as a salesman. Truthfully, I learned more about "handling objections" there, and leading the customer/jury to draw the conclusion you want, than I did in law school. Most trial techniques courses were about the technicalities of running a trial, but far too little about human nature. You have to know your "product," but knowing your audience is just as important.<br /><br />As an aside, I always checked out where my opposition in court was coming from. If his law school license said Harvard, or Yale, or Boalt Hall, and his letterhead had the name of two or three partners and fifty associates, I knew I had it won before we ever started. <br /><br />As you said, Obama is setting a trap, and smart Republicans will use those techniques to make sure the hunter becomes the hunted. We have to summarize our "case," but we don't have to hand him the tools to beat us over the head. Put the ball back into his court, then go for the jugular.LawHawkRFDhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17800255923675295515noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-65165969688307003052010-02-08T10:09:22.719-05:002010-02-08T10:09:22.719-05:00Writer X, Time will tell. This could be the first...Writer X, Time will tell. This could be the first big test of their ability to govern in 2010? If they pass, they may make a return to power inevitable. If they fail, then who knows. Let's keep our fingers crossed.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-1550057096389968852010-02-08T10:02:15.159-05:002010-02-08T10:02:15.159-05:00Andrew, given how the President also likes to poin...Andrew, given how the President also likes to point fingers and shift blame, you're absolutely right. I wouldn't be a bit surprised. Let's hope the Republicans come prepared. I wish that I could say I felt confident about the Republicans' abilities too, though.Writer Xhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16505411188186283813noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-88680394376840358762010-02-08T10:00:43.910-05:002010-02-08T10:00:43.910-05:00Jed and X, I agree with both of you. I think we c...Jed and X, I agree with both of you. I think we can't ignore the fact that he may have stumbled into this -- it presents a danger even if he only made it happen by accident.<br /><br />But at the same time, he's gotten to the point that he turns people off. If the Republicans can appear to be sincere and helpful, and he comes across like a jerk, that will be the nail in the coffin for his support because it will rob him of his ability to lay blame on the Republicans -- his last weapon.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-73741899413050189412010-02-08T09:58:06.542-05:002010-02-08T09:58:06.542-05:00Writer X, In all honesty, he hasn't shown hims...Writer X, In all honesty, he hasn't shown himself to be a very capable at anything so far -- not good at negotiations, not good at persuasion, not good at politics. Indeed, he's only recently mastered (actually "high school diploma'd" might be a better word for his level of achievement) the ancient political art of the trial balloon. So it's possible that he just stumbled upon this.<br /><br />But then his strategy has now become to shift the blame to the Republicans, so this would seem to be a conscious decision and I think we need to assume he has done this with the express intent of shifting the blame.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-59030681187629316432010-02-08T09:54:56.055-05:002010-02-08T09:54:56.055-05:00TennJed, given the President's track record, p...TennJed, given the President's track record, probably the more he's on television, the better. The more he talks, the less people trust him.Writer Xhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16505411188186283813noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-50914882076351174332010-02-08T09:50:15.278-05:002010-02-08T09:50:15.278-05:00Writer X - regardless of how smart or not smart Ob...Writer X - regardless of how smart or not smart Obama's people are on this subject, in politics, most of what you do or don't do turns out to be hit or miss by accident, e.g. you get lucky sometimes even if you don't deserve it.Tennessee Jedhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10604275115906776992noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-11421316842694719092010-02-08T09:44:47.981-05:002010-02-08T09:44:47.981-05:00Stan, I have no doubt that there is a related/simi...Stan, I have no doubt that there is a related/similar sales technique. I know many salesmen will try to get you giving your reasons against the sale at some point so that they can tear those apart, which presumably leaves you with no excuse not to buy the product -- the exact same kind of technique.<br /><br />I heard them make a similar statement about wanting to start over, but the last I heard, they did agree to attend even if he doesn't do that. I hope they play this carefully. This is not the time to assume that he's surrendering and then run to his aid with a plan of hard choice.<br /><br />Of course, I'm assuming that Obama will know how to exploit anything the Republicans say, which hasn't proven to be the case so far?AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-40819039523323638982010-02-08T09:40:30.186-05:002010-02-08T09:40:30.186-05:00The President hasn't been very smart about his...The President hasn't been very smart about his handling of health care so far; do you think he's smart enough to lay this trap? While I like the idea of televised proceedings, I'm not confident that either party will turn it into anything more than a media-grabbing, speechifying event. But, like you, when the President made this grandiose announcement about televised joint negotiations, my first reaction was suspicion.Writer Xhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16505411188186283813noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-15148162285502378262010-02-08T09:37:27.020-05:002010-02-08T09:37:27.020-05:00Surely to goodness our team can recognize a trap? ...Surely to goodness our team can recognize a trap? I know…I made a funny! I did hear this AM that indeed the Republicans are willing for said televised conference, provided they start over. And on a purely political basis they can’t say an emphatic no, but like you be succinct, and do not allow the White House to reframe their lost narrative. <br /><br /> I’m not an attorney, but what you described is classic sales technique, knowing when to shut up, and not talk yourself out of the sale. The right has sold to America the dud that Healthcare Reform is, now shut up!StanHhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07395708786509590321noreply@blogger.com