In an IBD article today, poor messaging over healthcare solutions was blamed as the major reason why the Republicans lost the House to Democrats in the midterms. And House GOP losers made a mistake by not emphasizing a national strategy, one that told the story of a Republican platform that’s bringing American growth back, bigtime.

House Democrat winners ran on healthcare, with deceptive ads how a cruel, evil GOP would take away everyone’s healthcare including pre-existing condition protections.

As today’s editorial notes “Republicans…have consistently struggled to message the limited-government perspective on healthcare policy…” (because of its complexity).“For Republicans to explain why government-run health care may decrease competition and increase costs, they need a lot of time and a whole lot of willing listeners.” (u/l added)

To counter, Republicans needed to first deal with deceptive and false Democrat ads, and this is where they failed. How hard could it have been to expose such lies? (Here’s a great byte…‘How did YOU spend the $2500 premium savings Democrats promised?’)

LYING about healthcare doesn’t give anyone better healthcare should have been their lead, followed by a clear compelling message that the same Republican policies Making America Great Again can just as effectively Make Healthcare Great Again.

How hard is that to message in a 20-second sound byte? In one fell-swoop, they could have countered deceptive Democrat messaging, and nationalized their own.

Not only did House GOP losers choose poorly by not embracing a national strategy, they also failed to neuter the Democrats’ deceptive strategy, calling out the lie. (And if anyone disputes this logic, the next few contradictory points prove that statement.)

Consider this dichotomy: “50% of Americans trust Democrats to handle healthcare policy, while only 34% say the same of Republicans.” And yet…“According to an NBC News/Wall Street Journal survey conducted earlier this year, only one-third of Americans believe the Democratic Party is “in the mainstream.” Fifty-six percent consider Democrats “out of step with most Americans’ thinking.” (emphasis added)

????????????????

How can 50% of Americans TRUST a Party that 56% of Americans believe is out of step with America? More importantly, how did Republicans fail to note the paradox?

Our perspective IS blue-collar, and by no means formally educated in political sciences, but how does anyone miss the fact 67% of Americans see the Democrat Party as out of the mainstream…but trust that Party more than the Republican Party…on healthcare?

IBD is right – Messaging Matters…and so does recognizing strategic opportunity.

Any Republican dumb enough not to connect HUGE dots from such publicly available polling (and unable to deliver a persuasive message) doesn’t deserve political office.

One can only hope their 2020 efforts will be more effective.