The Fight Will Go On
Now it’s up to conservatives to make sure that the victory is short-lived.
Philip Klein at American Spectator writes:
Whatever it might mean for Democrats in November, last night represented one of the biggest victories in the history of American liberalism.
During his campaign, President Obama made clear that he wanted to be a transformative liberal leader who “changed the trajectory of America.” Once he signs the comprehensive health care bill into law this week, Obama will deliver on that promise, and complete the third major wave of entitlement expansion in America.
Now it’s up to conservatives to make sure that the victory is short-lived.
Let’s be under no illusions. There’s a reason why the battle over this health care bill dragged on for so long and was so bitterly fought. Once a law is enacted that delivers benefits to a given constituency, it becomes very hard to overturn. Not even the conservative icon Ronald Reagan, for instance, was willing to lay a finger on the big box entitlement programs of Medicare and Social Security.
But with that said, there are a number of things unique to Obamacare that make it vulnerable.
While Social Security and Medicare passed Congress with large majorities in both chambers, Obamacare passed without a single Republican vote — and with 34 defections among House Democrats. The process was tainted by legislative maneuvers and back room deals, and rammed through in the face of overwhelming public opposition.
Furthermore, because Democrats had to make the legislation appear cheaper over the Congressional Budget Office’s ten-year budget window, they delayed the bulk of the benefits until 2014, while many of the unpopular aspects of the legislation, such as the huge tax increases, kick in almost immediately.
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