Megan McArdle On Health Care Through Reconciliation: Why They Still Try
February 23, 2010 / 1:49 pm • By Dr. Melissa ClouthierIt’s far from clear that Democrats have the votes to pass anything close to this bill, even through reconciliation. Pro-life Democrats in the House may not go along with the Senate bill, which has more liberal language on abortion.
But even if they eventually go along, Speaker Pelosi could still be short of the votes she needs, thanks to attrition. To pass the Senate bill, she will probably need to flip a significant number of “no” voters into the “yes” column. Since most of the “no” voters come from relatively conservative districts, this is tantamount to asking them to commit political suicide.
I would submit that President Obama and the House and Senate leaders have been asking their members to commit political suicide from the beginning; for the cause. This is not a new development.
Yet here we are in late February watching the Democrats dance this insulting health care jig. Why? Because this is everything. They don’t care about losing their jobs. Passing this structure would be for the greater good.
This drum is one I keep on beating because I don’t think people on our side can fully comprehend the degree to which health care in the hands of the government matters to leftists.
Health care is the conduit with which to control every citizen’s life. It is core to a socialist’s world-view. It means survival for the unions.
This battle ain’t over ’til it’s over. And the Congress leaders on the left and President Obama know November will be a bloodbath anyway. They want something to show for it. Don’t underestimate their determination.
