The Mushroom Treatment for Health Care

Yay! Legal Insurrection post of the day! Thanks to Professor Jacobson and welcome LI readers!

I am fairly certain I have uncovered the secret strategy Democrats have planned to pass health care.  Short of throwing anyone who might be influenced by the political "chatter" into a sound proof booth, Democrats seem to be opting for a full-scale mushroom treatment strategy for skeptics in Congress.  This highly technical strategy consists of two essential ingredients, the first being keep 'em in the dark:

In the very body sworn to protect and defend the Constitution, an e-mail is circulating warning U.S. Senate staffers not to view one of the most popular news sites on the Web, claiming it could spread computer viruses.

The Senate Sergeant-at-Arms, the chamber's official gatekeeper, said the Drudge Report, a news aggregator, and whitepages.com, a telephone directory site, "are responsible for the many viruses popping up throughout the Senate,"

I am a bit surprised they weren't warned they might go blind or suddenly grow hair on their palms if  they visited Drudge "for now."  I must give them points for introducing the manure diet early in the "keep 'em in the dark" operation.   Clearly the addition of the whitepages.com feint should gain points for presentation if not for technical merit.   That takes care of Drudge, now what to do about the cable news networks?  Darn that free speech thing, the Democrats can't order the television punditry to shut up.   Well they do try, but it seems not to work very well.    Alternate strategy with additional points for technical merit, convince them no one is watching  and no one outside the Washington echo chamber cares except them, of course.

More on the manure diet front.  The plan seems to rely on treating the skeptics to banquets of Kabuki theater.   Congressman John Adler, who previously voted no on the first go around of health care, was treated to the theater at Arcadia University on Monday.  I guess they were hoping the masses screaming for health care reform would convince the Congressman a vote for health care would make him as wildly popular as Arlen Specter or something.  Perhaps they can treat a few more skeptics to some dinner theater today in St. Louis.  If  the public can't be counted on to beg for health care on cue then the Obama administration will just lock them out.  How are they going to hide those 1800 patriots who showed up today to scream "kill the bill"?

That's a lot of people to hide in my humble opinion.  I am sure there are a few young staffers tasked with inventing a reason to keep the skeptics in the dark on this one as we speak.

The desperation to convince skeptics they must take a bullet for ObamaCare knows no bounds.  As Ed Morrissey  points out banning access to a site like Drudge is more likely to increase usage not decrease it.  Make something forbidden then suddenly everyone wants it.  Moreover, Obama's efforts to take the health care Kabuki on the road seems to be hurting him in ways the war in Iraq hurt Bush.  Still they persist despite the harsh truth they can't budge the approval needle even a notch.  The public is rejecting the steady diet of manure.  It remains to be seen whether the skeptics in the House can push themselves away from the trough.

H/T: Memeorandum