Ed Morrissey has a post at Hot Air that caught my attention. It’s worth reading, as it contains some accurate insight from Andy McCarthy and Dennis Prager too. The question is whether or not enough Democrats in this Congress are so principled that they’re willing to force through ObamaCare even if it kills them politically.
This is an interesting question, and the answer illustrates an important point. I cannot emphasize enough the wave of radical leftists that have taken over the Democrat party. That may sound like an exaggerated charge, coming from a person with my political beliefs, but it’s absolutely true. I’ve watched these liberals take over the Democrat party, and now the country. One strong signal that the new wave had come to town was when Henry Waxman ousted John Dingell in the House Energy and Commerce Committee. Another was Nancy Pelosi becoming speaker of the House.
These people are far from the mainstream of this country. They are not moderately left, they are quintessential liberals. They believe that America is the source of the world’s problems, and that government elites must try to make up for the imbalances and injustices of the world. They believe in some form of Marxism and redistribution, whether that’s through taxes or energy regulation. They are hostile to businesses, and they despise efforts by those outside of their circles and not under their control to gain wealth. They believe that interpretation of the Constitution must adapt to today’s trends. They’ll sacrifice their own party if they have to in order to remake this country.
I’ve been daring the Democrats to try to jam through ObamaCare after Massachusetts because I don’t think they have the votes, and I anticipate such a partisan push will significantly hurt them politically. That said, I can almost guarantee you that the liberal leadership running this country will not give up. I agree with Morrissey, McCarthy, and Prager about that.
The question is whether or not enough of the Democrat party will go along with them. I don’t believe so (meaning not all Democrats fit the description I offered above), but we still need to continue to communicate the dangers of liberal policies, and present viable alternatives. If we lose the argument over debates like what caused the economic collapse, these liberals could take advantage and push their massive agenda. If you don’t yet believe that their agenda is far from moderate, you will if they pass it and we have to endure it.
UPDATE: Speaker Pelosi helps make the point by encouraging members of Congress to push through ObamaCare, even if it means sacrificing political careers. I respect her stand on principle, and a beautiful part of Democracy is that voters can choose which principles they want to vote for. I submit that Speaker Pelosi does not represent the majority of American opinion.
UPDATE 2: Peter Wehner has good commentary about Pelosi’s stance:
The acid test on these matters is always the wisdom of the act itself. Insisting on political courage from Members of Congress on behalf of a legislative monstrosity would be unwise, whereas insisting on political courage from Members of Congress on behalf of a piece of legislation that advances the common good would be commendable. Since I consider ObamaCare to fit in the former category, I naturally believe what Nancy Pelosi is asking her caucus to do is politically insane. Why issue political death warrants to your allies in behalf of a terrible idea? But her broader point, which is that self-perpetuation in Congress is should not be the lawmaker’s primary concern, strikes me as quite right — and since she believes that nationalization of health care is in the public interest, her argument is understandable.
As Wehner points out, the difference between the liberal stance on healthcare and Bush’s stance on the war comes down to whether or not the unpopular policy is truly in the best interest of the country. As John McCain said, it’s better to lose a campaign than to lose a war.
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