After gambling his young presidency on an ambitious domestic agenda, Barack Obamas political insecurity and ideological arrogance now demand passage of a health care reform bill that will vastly increase the federal governments role in the lives of American citizens. This could be accomplished in a number of ways, from a Trojan Horse compromise to the so-called nuclear option of budgetary reconciliation. But make no mistake, it will be accomplished; despite the vocal protestations of voters across the country.
Look carefully though. Deaf to budget warnings and terrified of a minor legislative loss, the Obama administration and its statist allies in Congress may inadvertently be committing a much larger strategic error.
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Their miscalculation stems from a failure to recognize the true nature of President Obamas electoral mandate last fall. Certainly plenty of Americans share his leftist world view, but many more Obama voters, especially the independents who have since abandoned him in droves, voted for his fiscally conservative platform of efficient government, lower taxes, and more transparency. With each passing day, it becomes increasingly obvious that is not the change they got.
Instead, the eloquent centrist Americans thought they elected has been replaced by a haughty cuadillo who demands that we all shut up and get on board with his various social engineering schemes. And always, despite the abysmal economic track record of government, his plans call for more federal control over private industry, including our single-most important industry: Health care.
However, ripping a page from the Bush playbook of condescension and demagoguery is not the way for Obama to gain trust the trust he needs. Heavy handed federal policy turns voters off even in the best of times, and these are clearly not the best of times.
Outrage over decades of bipartisan waste, fraud, and corruption has been on display for the last six months, and widespread fear over the federal governments motives has driven millions of previously apathetic citizens to vocal and vehement political activism for the very first time.
September 16, 2009