Opponents of health care reform have been wringing their hands these last few months. Ever since America elected a president dedicated to fixing our broken system last November, it seems that no amount of spin can distract people from the fact that we're paying billions of dollars for a health care system that doesn't work.

This week, as a last ditch effort, Republican spin-doctor Frank Luntz floated a confidential memo on how to scare Americans into believing health care reform is bad. The only problem: the memo was leaked. And, now, the media and members of Congress are calling his bluff.

Today, U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley of Oregon called out Luntz's memo for what it is - an attempt to kill health care reform:

Dr. Luntz, the man who developed language designed to promote preemptive war in Iraq and distract from the severity of global warming, is at it again -- this time with a messaging strategy designed to sink our historic opportunity for health care reform.

Let's be clear: this is not a strategy to push certain ideas about health reform. It is a strategy intended solely to kill reform efforts altogether. In his own words, Dr. Luntz has stated, "You're not going to get what you want, but you can kill what they're trying to do."

Among the finer points of Luntz's memo is the section in which he encourages enemies of fixing health care to - as Time magazine put it - "scare people. Especially about their children." Because they can't win the debate on its merits, Luntz recommends fear mongering and double talk to confuse away the issue.

This is the same low road political maneuvering the right wing used to attack President Obama's plan during the 2008 election. And according to Senator Merkley, just like in 2008, it's not going to work for health care:

I have to give Dr. Luntz credit on one front: he points out that Republicans need to appear to be on the "right side of reform" or they lose the health care argument. The problem is that you can't fake support for reform. You're either for improving the quality and affordability of health care or you're against it. You're either for expanding coverage to every American or you're against it. At the end of the day, no matter what talking points they use, each member of Congress is going to have to vote for or against improving our broken health care system.

Luntz has a little tag line that he uses throughout his memo - "words that work." He tries to give our enemies words that will work to derail the movement to fix health care. But Americans have watched politicians talk in circles long enough.

Words that work won't cut it anymore. It's time for Change That Works. We need to let our coworkers, friends, family - anyone who is fed up with the state of our health care system - know about people like Luntz and how important it is to stand up to their lies.

Together, we can cut through the words and create real change in our broken health care system.