Fog of ‘War’
Saw this Mike Flynn quote on Instapundit:
The Democrats and the White House are lost in a legislative “fog of war” right now. They are focused on twisting enough arms, offering jobs and negotiating specific “deals” (bribes) to get them to 216 votes. Their attention and energy is focused exclusively on a final vote in the House tonight. No one is looking even one minute beyond that horizon. They are like a general who pours all his reserves into taking a symbolic bridge, never realizing that his lines have already collapsed and his flanks have been turned. They may take the bridge and get to 216 votes. (I’ve learned to never bet against Congressional leadership and an Administration united for a single legislative victory. ) But, they have already lost the war. They have deluded themselves that if they can…just…get…this…bill…passed, the public’s anger and attention will subside, they can put health care ‘behind them’ and they can focus on other ‘popular’ measures that will shore up their election prospects in November.
What they don’t realize is that today’s vote isn’t the end, but just a new beginning in the debate over health care. Buckle up, because if they manage to cobble together enough votes to pass the Senate Health Bill today, we’re set for weeks and perhaps months of a constitutional and political crisis the likes of which we haven’t seen in our lifetimes. . . . A representative democracy cannot long endure a political class that is so out of touch with the populace. In some respects, what happens tonight is almost beside the point. The politics are set. Some Democrats are deluding themselves that they can put this behind them and somehow survive in November. They are most assuredly wrong.
I think this is true. And when Flynn says that this is “just a new beginning in the debate over health care”, I think it’s even more than that — I think it’s a whole new chapter in the debate over what the government’s role in our lives is and should be.
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What I don’t understand is why so many congress people are willing to vote for something so unpopular–to the extent that they discussed NOT voting and declaring it passed. If you have to go to such great lengths to get the thing passed, that should be telling them something right there.
Twisted arms, bribes, go around the constitution, –they have spat on the whole procedure. Passed or not, they look bad and this article is right about one thing. Getting it passed is the beginning of their problems, not the end.
Comment by Maria — 3/21/2010 @ 7:39 pm
Randy, I agree with your ending statement. I think the procedure to pass this bill, and all the mess that’s gone along with it, has put the workings of big government in renewed focus.
How many were paying attention to these types of shenanigans during PATRIOT act? The push for war in Iraq & Afghanistan? TARP + bailouts? And now the HCR mystery meat bill that no one (aside from its authors) seems to have read?
I think a larger pool of citizens were alerted to this type of govt. aggression with each succeeding step, but it’s amazing how willing the lobbyists, Congress, and President are to cram these things down our throats. The people (some, anyway) have woken up to this reality, but what can we do about it?
Comment by David — 3/21/2010 @ 7:58 pm
From a comment at Reason.com, on why social democrats are more dangerous that communists:
Comment by BMB — 3/22/2010 @ 9:39 am