Tuesday, 15. December 2009, 15:00:16
Byron York writes in the
Washington Examiner that the Democrats' race to pass national health care seems irrational -- even suicidal:
I put the question to a Democratic strategist who asked to remain anonymous. Yes, Democrats certainly understand that voters don't like the current bills, he told me, and they are fully aware they will probably pay a price next year. But they have found a way to view going ahead anyway as the logical thing to do, at least in their eyes. [...]
Even if there's a strategic rationale for doing it, why are Democrats dead-set on hurting themselves?
"Because they think they know what's best for the public," the strategist said. "They think the facts are being distorted and the public's being told a story that is not entirely true, and that they are in Congress to be leaders. And they are going to make the decision because Goddammit, it's good for the public."
Well, of course they do; "They think they know what's best for the public" has been the unofficial motto of the Democrat Party since LBJ's day. And, yes, it reeks of elitism and arrogance -- particularly given many Democrats' attitude that, by golly, if you don't agree with them you're stupid, evil, and therefore a Republican.
But this mad dash -- damn the public, full speed ahead! -- seems downright suicidal. Every major opinion poll, from Rasmussen to Gallup, shows public opposition is in the majority, and growing. And if that's what the public polls show, you can be damned sure that the Dems' internal polls are even more depressing.
So what explains this seemingly lemming-like behavior? Here's the thing: It's not about paternalism. It's about power. The Democrat Party is playing for the long term.
The Democrats know that, once they've planted a new entitlement, it will grow as fast as they can water it with taxpayer dollars. It may take a while, but there's no hurry. Once they've planted this seed, it can be grown into the Holy (but secular) Grail of the left: a single-payer health-care system. By hook or crook, this new entitlement will, as surely as the national debt rises, grow like Topsy. This will happen even if/when the Democrats lose their majority. This is the way of entitlements.
And more: the Democrats may well lose their Congressional majorities -- but only temporarily. This Congress has also gone to great lengths to ensure that a majority of Americans rely upon the government (via tax 'credits' and the rest), enabling them to override the minority of Americans who will actually have to pay for it. That means voting for the party that promises 'free' money. (Acorn and their successors will have an important role to play.)
The Democrats figure -- rightly -- that while they may be punished at the polls next year, it's only a matter of time until grateful (or greedy, depending upon one's view) voters return them to power. They're willing to sacrifice as many blue-dog Democrats as it takes to get there. While it remains to be seen how many current Congressional Democrats will be sacrificed as voter fodder, Reid and Pelosi -- and Obama -- know that the party will rise again.
And don't count on the Republican Party to stop this. For one thing, entitlements are nearly impossible to eliminate once established. The Democrats know they can rely upon their traditional constituencies to instantly mobilize huge (astroturfed) rallys, as well as a plethora of ads, condemning as cruel, heartless, etc. any Republican foolish enough to oppose it.
That, plus the fact that today's Republicans have no cojones and have essentially abandoned any pretense of being the less-government party -- hey, they want to be re-elected, too -- means that unless this farce is stopped in this Congress, it's over. We'll be saddled with a sweeping new entitlement that, according to every sane voice (including Obama's own HHS and Congress' own CBO), will grow like Topsy and bankrupt the country within two generations at most.
Update: Many spot-on comments at Hot Air, as usual.
WIDGETIZE