Obama’s Health Plan Misreads the American Character
If a revolution takes root throughout the country and no one in Washington hears it, does the revolution exist? In our representative system, the answer is yes - and members of both parties ought to start paying attention if they hope to survive the 2010 midterm elections intact.
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Since the liberal movement became ascendant in the Democratic Party 40 years ago, no president has successfully governed from the left. Jimmy Carter ran as a moderate, governed as a feckless liberal, and boarded a plane back to Georgia four years later. Bill Clinton ran as a moderate, governed as a liberal for two years, then - chastened by the Republican Revolution - made the last term and a half of his presidency an extended genuflection to his conservative opposition.
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There’s a lesson here for both parties. Healthcare isn’t failing because of Obama’s weaknesses or his opponent’s strength. It is failing because the proposal misapprehends the American character.