If the House does succeed in passing this health care bill, that’s a big step. But it is just the beginning of the battle for many members.
The next thing the Democrats will have to do is convince a very divided and skeptical public that they did the right thing. We were reminded of how difficult that can be by Marjorie Margolies, who reflected here in Swampland last week on the difficult vote that she cast for the Clinton economic plan in 1993–a vote that ended her political career. “I was really good at the four-minute explanation when I went back back to the district,” she said. “But it’s the Frank Luntz 30 seconds that kills you.”
With that in mind, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has already begun to prepare its most vulnerable incumbents for what may lie ahead. As Politico first reported, the DCCC has sent out a memo with suggested talking points. A copy of that memo was sent to freshman and sophomore members’ district directors, along with an accompanying Power Point that was put together by the White House. Here is the memo:




