Friday, September 04, 2009

Obamacare as Windows Vista   [Jonah Goldberg]

From a reader:

Jonah,

The following quote from your column was spot on:

"This suggests that the White House still thinks it has a communication problem, and if only it dispels the cloud of “lies” belched up by the opposition, there will be nothing but blue skies ahead. Funny how the people who run the most sophisticated communication operation in the history of the presidency keep concluding that their difficulties stem from their inability to get their message out and never from what their message actually is."

Marketers make this mistake all the time, which ensures that marketing consultants like me have steady work. No amount of advertising, promotion, bikini-clad showroom girls, or gimmicky give-aways can sell a lousy product or one that consumers do not actually need. Or as I like to say, "You can't polish a turd."

As I see it, Obama's healthcare plan is the Windows Vista of public policy. It's far too complex for anyone to understand why it's better. It's larded up with bloated features that make it impossible to use. And for the vast majority of existing customers, the current system for all its faults, works pretty well. Or at least well enough that the upgrade is worth neither the extra expense nor the risk that it will destroy the entire system. And no amount of advertising can sell it.

09/04 09:29 AMShare