Is Health Care Reform Dead?

With Scott Brown’s victory Tuesday Republicans in general, and Brown in particular, appear to be composing Health Care Reform’s obituary.

My first question is why are they so happy about this? Do they have a better idea? If they do, they’ve haven’t articulated it. They’ve managed to fool a part of the electorate that somehow Health Care Reform is a nefarious plot to pick their pockets.

Unfortunately they’ve done so through unsupported assertions, loud shouting and fear mongering so it’s unclear to me exactly what their issues are.

My Representative, Scott Garrett, keeps sending me e-mails claiming that it’s time for “real reform,” but he never explains what that is.

In an MSNBC impromptu poll, 72% of the respondents said that the public has clearly lost faith in Health Care Reform and the Democrats should abandon it.

Yet Health Care Reform is at the core of getting the Federal Budget Deficit under control; getting the budget deficit under control is at the core of reducing the National Debt and reducing the National Debt is at the core of creating a long term stable and strong economy.

Ordinary men do what is popular. Leaders do what they believe is right regardless of what is popular. Based upon the e-mail I got last night, Obama appears determined to press forward with Health Care Reform because he believes it is right.

I believe it’s the right thing to do as well. In fact it’s more than the right thing; it’s the necessary thing.

That Obama and the Democrats have screwed this pooch royally is undeniable. The question is whether or not the damage is fatal. Congress doesn’t have all that many leaders but it does have an abundance of cowards, and cowards head for shelter at the first signs of a storm.

The clock can’t be turned back so wishing things had been handled better is a waste of effort. I suspect that any meaningful Health Care Reform is pretty much finished. We might get a token bill, but that’s about it.

In the long term I think we’re pretty much screwed. I expect the Republicans to make huge gains in the 2010 elections and most likely manage to win the 2012 Presidential Election.

I don’t think the country can survive another Republican administration. You think this past recession was bad? You haven’t seen anything yet.