The Overton Window: Why the Right Still Leads Debate

[Phil Florian]

This is an interesting article linked on Huffingtonpost.com that talks about a strategy the right uses to get their wilder ideas into public policy. It is called the Overton Window and I only just read about it today. It seems to make sense, too. Basically, keep proposing wacky ideas (like: eliminate public schools or Creation Theory Is Science) enough that the idea moves from Unthinkable to Public Policy over a period of time as the nation becomes more comfortable with the unthinkable.

The current health debate would seem to fit this. As long as they keep yelling things like "death panels!" and "bankrupt socialist society!" over and over they will soon be believed. The age of discourse through discussion seems to be over, I guess. Heck, Palin even has the once somewhat thoughtful Republican Gingrich eating from her table. Yowza.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/peter-daou/why-the-national-debate-i_b_257599.html

[Roy Pitchford]

Don't think it isn't also used by the left.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2006/5/10/03022/3544
Looking specifically at the section in the middle about the evolution of the gay marriage issue.

You don't believe that nationalized health care is going to give us massive debt?

[Charlie Page]

As long as they keep yelling things like "death panels!" and "bankrupt socialist society!" over and over they will soon be believed.

Kind of like "Yes we can" and "hope and change"?

[sharon kinsella]

Roy - Gay marriage isn't unthinkable. It should be a human right. Gay people are humans - even by the creationist "theories".

Healthcare is already creating massive debt, this is a way to fix it.

[Phil Florian]

Don't think it isn't also used by the left.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2006/5/10/03022/3544
Looking specifically at the section in the middle about the evolution of the gay marriage issue.

You don't believe that nationalized health care is going to give us massive debt?

I concur about gay marriage, thankfully, though I would argue that there is an attempt to alter this on both sides. The right wants to contend that gay marriage will somehow invalidate non-gay marriages or somehow make them weaker and so on. It is a rallying cry without substance that definitely has slowed the change to accept gay marriage but thankfully not stop it in its tracks. I guess the Window goes both ways.

As for Nationalized Healthcare I guess I am not sure what you mean? Is this on the table? Can you show me where in the current bill proposals? Barring that I would totally love to see Universal Health Care though I honestly don't care if it is government run or run through a single private entity. Use money currently being funneled into the current for-profit market instead of new tax dollars.

What is the Right's counter proposal other than 'don't change...it is perfect!' ? Or do we let 40 million plus go without health coverage?

[Phil Florian]

As long as they keep yelling things like "death panels!" and "bankrupt socialist society!" over and over they will soon be believed.

Kind of like "Yes we can" and "hope and change"?

Actually, that is a good point but I think the Overton Window is talking more about substansive discussions and not just campaing slogans. "Yes We Can!" was a great rallying cry to put a person in office but it honestly doesn't change anything. It doesn't propose anything. It doesn't make a blanket statement about something to change public discourse.

"Death Panels!" suggests that this is a factual concern in the bill that, as noted in the article, first sounds ridiculous but the more it is repeated for longer periods of time it starts to sound reasonable. We are in the ridiculous phase of this (I mean, c'mon...Palin) but the hope is that in a few years it will seem like it was always a reality.

I will totally admit that the Left uses this...just not nearly as good as the Right has done. I think the Right is in fact in their home element right now. They were the Underdogs for so long that once they got into power in Congress after decades of being out (back in the 90's) that they had no idea how to be the party in command. Which is why we had such an...er...interesting 8 years that now have to be cleaned up. Now that the Republicans are back in the passenger seat they are reveling in it. Rush Limbaugh has always been a counter-culture movement. He spent the last 8 years still talking about his old nemesis Bill Clinton, for god's sake! Now he has an in-office President to snipe at and his ratings and popularity have hit the roof.

I think the Left's biggest issue is that they lack the singular, monotheistic, monochromatic view of the Right. What is important to one left leaning person might be way down on the list of another. For the Right, they seem to get in lock step so much quicker. Frankly, the Right has it easy now. They don't have to propose solutions to anything...just shoot down whatever is proposed as "big government" and be done with it.

[Roy Pitchford]

[quote="sharon kinsella"]Roy - Gay marriage isn't unthinkable. It should be a human right. Gay people are humans - even by the creationist "theories".

Healthcare is already creating massive debt, this is a way to fix it.[/quote]
I am not going to even attempt to debate gay marriage. I was simply showing an example of the Overton Window being used for a left-leaning agenda.

How exactly does adding anywhere from 36 to 48 million additional people to government health care on top of everyone on medicare save money? Are there cost cutting measures in the bill? Perhaps, but passing the 3200 is not the answer.

Let me tell you what I see:
Let's compare government health care to a house. The house is falling down because it has a poorly made foundation. 3200 might repair the house, but it will also double, triple, quadruple (or more) the size of it. The problem is its still sitting on that bad foundation. They need to fix the foundation as well.