Two people look at a glass of water filled halfway. One sees the glass half full. The other sees the glass half empty. That is an understandable difference where different people see the same thing from different vantage points, and both are right.
Two people look at an empty glass. One sees the glass as full; the other sees the glass as empty. Both cannot be right. Someone is either blind, or completely out of touch with reality. That is the situation with the healthcare bill that passed the United States Congress and was signed into law by the President.
Democrats see the healthcare legislation which impacts fully one-sixth (1/6th) of the U. S. economy as a godsend that will propel the Democratic Party into perpetual power reminiscent of its twenty (20) year domination during the President Franklin Roosevelt years from 1933 through his death in 1945, continuing through President Harry Truman’s administration ending in 1953.
Notwithstanding vitriolic protests, strong public opposition, and the inability to gain bipartisan support, Democrats pushed the healthcare legislation through the House and Senate using every parliamentary procedure in the Congressional book. Individual Members like Senator Blanche Lincoln from Arkansas and Congressman Bart Stupak from Michigan were served up by the Democratic Leadership as easy political road kill.
Yet, Democrats boastfully believe that any political costs are short-term setbacks which will be easily overcome as voters receive pre-election goodies with post election costs. More importantly, the noticeably absent liberal base (especially in New Jersey and Massachusetts) has been energized by Democratic delivery on a centerpiece to the liberal agenda. Fundraising is again up; volunteers are again plentiful; and the National Democratic Party is emboldened.
Indeed, Democrats see a glass filled with optimism and opportunity. Republicans see the same glass, yet very differently.
Republicans see the healthcare legislation as irrefutable proof that President Obama and Democrats view their power in totalitarian terms with a willingness to use it without regard for the political process or the will of the American people. They see another government program that can never pay for itself (like Social Security and Medicare) against the backdrop of debilitating deficits that could topple the entire U. S. economy. They see a definitive pivot from free market solutions toward government-centric control.
Of course, there are the identifiable political consequences of winning at all costs. Moderate and conservative Democrats have been left without cover, subject to challenge in their primaries from emboldened liberals, and defeat in the general election by center-right coalitions that have consistently won in the last year. It has become increasingly difficult for Congressman John Barrow to escape the liberal challengers in his primary, and for Congressman Jim Marshall to escape the long shadow of Speaker Nancy Pelosi in Warner Robins, Georgia. Representation by a conservative Democrat in this Congress is like having no representation at all.
Republican fundraising is off the scale (with the Republican National Committee raising over one million dollars in a single twenty-four hour period for its “Fire Nancy Pelosi” drive). Crowds, big crowds, huge crowds show up for Tea Party events, Republican drives, and candidate rallies. The internet is abuzz and the ratings for FOX News have never been higher.
Individual groups like small businesses, doctors, and employers have organized and plan for their opposition to de facto government-rationed healthcare to be heard in 2010. Taxpayers (in contrast to those who pay no taxes) have every reason to give early and often to Republican candidates because if they do not, they will give early and often and more to the government.
If the perception that the Massachusetts Senatorial election was an attempt by voters to say “no,” it is easy to understand why Republicans believe that the midterm elections might broadcast a more emphatic message to Democratic leaders.
But, both parties cannot be right. Someone is actually looking at a glass that is totally empty. That party will come up dry come November 2010. While the focus will be on the loud and obvious, there will be many more Americans who will look at what has happened, make an assessment, check the box, and then move on with their lives. On November 2, 2010, they will go into their polling place and make clear exactly what they think. And, it will not be too difficult for politicians to figure out what they are saying. The decision will be loud and clear.
Democrats got a sense of that in 1994. Republicans got a sense of that in 2006 and 2008. Remember how loud those messages were? Well, super-size it.
