OH SPARE US - AT 8:01 A.M. ET:  A new White House strategy on health care may be taking shape.  Actually, it looks like an old White House strategy, as Fox reports:

WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama, trying to regain control of the health-care debate, will likely shift his pitch in September, White House and Democratic officials said, as he faces pressure from supporters to talk more about the moral imperative to provide health insurance to all Americans.

The word "pitch" is exactly right.  This administration places too much faith in the president's salesmanship.  We know about the moral imperative.  It's the plan we don't know about. 

The president is expected to present a more emotional appeal during a conference call Wednesday with liberal religious groups. A senior White House official said the message would be tailored to the groups' moral emphases, although he cautioned the president's message to religious groups may not herald a broader shift in themes.

"This is such a technical issue, it's easy to get bogged down in the weeds," said Dan Nejfelt, a spokesman for Faith in Public Life, one of the groups scheduled for the Wednesday call. "It's important to have a voice saying, 'This is about right and wrong. This is about honoring faith.'"

COMMENT:  Once again this administration is talking down to the American people.  Americans understand the relationship between faith and caring.  But they also know that, as we learned as children, the road to hell is paved with good intentions.  It's not enough to mean well, you have to do well.  The complaints about the Democratic "reform" plan is that it's too vague, doesn't really reduce costs, and can lead to the government making medical decisions. 

That doesn't mean Americans are in love with insurance companies.  They're not, and most Republicans agree that the health-care system needs improvement.  What Americans need is detail and information, not a moral lecture.

August 19, 2009