The large Democrat majorities and Dem president sealed the GOP’s fate on HCR. If they had played ball from the beginning, the likely result would be far more left, perhaps even approaching single player and definitely including the public option. The tea party movement and promotion of other illegitimate thoughts on HCR were very successful in turning the public - even independents and moderates - against the initial efforts of Democrats. If the GOP had played along, they still would not have achieved anything embodying their ideals of personal responsibility and limited government. Neither party stands up for those things anymore.