Communicating Smarter to Win Health Reform

“Ma’am, trying to have a conversation with you would be like trying to argue with a dining room table, I have no interest in doing it.”

That is what my former brethren in the news media like to call the money quote. And among money quotes, that is about the best I’ve seen in a while.

It’s a line that has already circled the globe and back, delivered with great zeal last night in Dartmouth, Mass. by a guy who is known for his one-liners, Congressman Barney Frank (D-Newton). For those who haven’t seen Frank’s comments, watch it here

That is what you will see on the national news nets looping all day. For some context make sure you see the question and the poster in this video via the New Bedford Standard-Times.

In it, the woman appears to be holding a picture of President Obama with a Hitler-style mustache and, in her comments to Frank, she says the Obama plan is akin to Hitler’s policies in pre-World War II Germany.

Barney, never one to suffer fools, asks the woman, “On what planet do you spend most of your time?” And then he unloads, calling her comments, “vial and contemptible” and, for good measure, closes to applause with the dining room table metaphor.

So, what’s the reaction?

Liberals in Massachusetts and beyond are hailing Barney as the guy who finally found a way to quiet the waves of protests that have turned a slew of August recess Town Hall-style meetings on health care reform into shout-fests. Having watched other members of Congress wither under what some have said are Republican-led efforts to disrupt the forums, they see Frank as a hero for fighting back. Blue Mass Group, the go-to blog for the MA lefties, declared “Barney Frank is the man.”

Republicans, naturally, are pouncing too. On FoxNews, Sean Hannity said Frank’s handling of the questions from “concerned citizens” showed an “arrogance” and “condescension.” And, for good measure, they are beating up on the media for not mentioning that the woman who started it all may be a supporter of Lyndon LaRouche, not a Republican.

So both sides try to snare victory from a sound bite and the spin wars escalate. This isn’t a problem for Barney Frank. Frank is in a very safe Congressional district which, as shown, will hail him for his bombast.

The problem, for Democrats and the President, is that it doesn’t help their cause. Now is the Democrats time to lead and they are going to have to be the ones to carry health care reform over the goal line. To do so, they need America with them and, if this is all Americans see, they will only continue their slide away from Obama on this issue, and perhaps others.

It’s Back to School, PR 101 time for health care reform supporters if they want to get this done before the end of the year. Here’s where they need to start:

1. Tell your story. Voters want to know why we need health care reform and they want to know what it will do to their coverage. Go tell that story over and over again and find new, interesting faces to help tell it. Where are the families from Omaha who want reform? Where are the small business owners from Nashua who demand change? Where are the seniors from Sacramento who are comfortable knowing their Medicare and prescription drug programs will be protected?

2. Keep it simple. Anyone who wants to dislodge this debate need only hold up a copy of the bill – now thousands of pages – in front of a camera. Americans want change, but maybe not that much change. Find a way to boil this reform down to terms Americans understand without being patronizing or skimping on details they need and this will start to turn around.

3. Keep it positive. It’s the job of critics to criticize, keep focus on the negative and trip up the issue with sideshows like these town hall forums. The key for those who want to get it done is, don’t bite. Answer the questions, throw in a couple one-liners if necessary, but don’t add fuel to the fire and don’t become a part of the sideshow.

4. Activate the masses. Despite the obvious signs of public fatigue on this issue, there is a base of support – Obama ought to get about using it. A new NBC poll says 36 percent still support the reform plans. That 36 percent needs to get in the game and boost that figure by 10 points by the fall or support will whither. College kids are back on campus soon, get them to work. Reactivate the grassroots. Reenergize the base.

Barney Frank is a great quote but experience teaches us that while good theater may be what the media wants, it often isn’t a very good communications strategy.

In public affairs, the winning strategy is the one that relentlessly tells the most compelling story in an honest, believable manner and focuses on solutions to the problems that really matter to your target audience. That, more than even the best dining table knockdown or Town Hall dust up, will be what gets health care reform passed.