Hearing vs. Listening

I’ve talked enough in the last few posts about anti-incumbency and mad voters driving recent election results from Virginia to Massachusetts. Here in the Bay State, some politicians seem to listening. Here is Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-MA, 9th district).

“I think there is a message there and the people of Mass want us to listen. They are not happy about the economy. They're not happy about this health care bill. So they want us to listen.”

But then there’s this from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi:

You go through the gate. If the gate's closed, you go over the fence. If the fence is too high, we'll pole vault in. If that doesn't work, we'll parachute
in. But we're going to get health care reform passed for the American people.

And this gem from The New York Times:

But it should not be impossible if Congressional Democrats and the White House show courage and creativity. Health care reform is too important to throw away,and it is not too late to persuade voters that it is in their interest.

This is the difference between listening to voters, as Rep. Lynch seems to be doing, and just hearing noise as Pelosi and the Times editorial page does. I had cited the Suffolk poll the day before the election as the bellwether to watch. Not only did it nail the election results, but also cited that 51% of Massachusetts voters oppose the health care plan and 61% said the country cannot afford it. And this is in Massachusetts, which already has a universal health care mandate!

Much has been written about the health care bill legislation and debate being conducted behind closed doors, and only getting passed with sweetheart deals to specific senators. The lack of transparency has only exacerbated public opinion against the bill. The health care debate was never properly communicated and sold to the public in the first place.

Should Democrats not listen to the voters of the “blue” states of New Jersey, Virginia and Massachusetts, it is proof they have no interest in what the public has told them. The American people do not want this bill, and if the majority party covers its ears and keeps ignoring what the voters are telling them, prepare for a GOP resurgence in November.