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ObamaCare After the Elections
Part Four of Four By Dave Andrusko
As we look to the future--as we look to repealing and replacing what incoming pro-life House Speaker John Boehner calls the "monstrosity" that is ObamaCare--we need to know how both some of its major proponents feel after last night and those who believe the Democrats "did the right thing" in flouting the public's opposition. Having survived his own tough re-election campaign and the loss of at least five Senate seats to Republicans, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nv.) talked about being "open" to "tweaking" ObamaCare. He also made reference to legislation being "the art of compromise." That's a long way from Republican Congressman Mike Pence, who said "Obamacare was roundly rejected. We need to rip it up, root and branch." Reid is as partisan as they come and is heavily invested in ObamaCare. It is only prudent to conclude that he will spout the same kind of "common ground" talk we've heard from President Obama at the same time both fight even the most minute changes. Why? For lots of reasons, starting with Obama's no-bones-about-it announcement that he didn't become President to accomplish little things. Chances are he didn't imagine that ObamaCare would be a major reason his party would be swept out of power in the House, but my guess is he was perfectly prepared for them to take a tremendous hit to get it passed. Ezra Klein writes for the Washington Post and is a passionate supporter of ObamaCare, passage of which is a classic example of what he calls accomplishing "big things." In his view, if a few dozen Democrats (actually a lot more than that) lose, so be it. "[I]f you see the point of politics as actually getting things done, the last two years, for Democrats, have been a stunning, historic success. Whatever else you can say about the 111th Congress, it got things done," he wrote. "If [its members] failed as politicians, they succeeded as legislators. And legislating is, at least in theory, what they came to Washington to do." Lost in that nostalgic recollection is that "legislating" ObamaCare was done in the teeth of strong public opposition, which showed itself in the defeat of a number of House Democrats last night. Those included a number of Democrats who had previously voted pro-life but who at the last minute supported ObamaCare even though it was saturated with abortion-promoting provisions and guarantees of rationing. (See Part One.) Klein to the contrary notwithstanding, their defeats were not an exercise in courage, but the logical--and justifiable--consequence of legislative hubris. Please send your comments on Today's News & Views and National Right to Life News Today to daveandrusko@gmail.com. If you like, join those who are following me on Twitter at http://twitter.com/daveha. |
