Democrats (inaccurately) see themselves as the party of the downtrodden. Therefore, taking the middle class and trodding them down should theoretically generate more of their supporters. In practice it doesn't work out quite that way.

I have spent some time thinking about "making the United States a more equitable country" and I am not convinced that economic equity is desirable. Some people will always be richer than others, and some will always be poorer; what I want is a society that maximizes fairness, opportunity and prosperity, while helping those who cannot support themselves such as the mentally ill homeless.

There is some truth about the political calculus here. I believe in one of his strategy memos opposing the Clinton health care reform, Bill Kristol noted that it would be politically very damaging for Republicans (and good for Democrats) if health care reform passed, and people liked it.

Bill Kristol noted that it would be politically very damaging for Republicans (and good for Democrats) if health care reform passed, and people liked it.

That's a tautology: generally speaking, politicians benefit from doing things that voters like. Similarly, it would be politically very damaging for Democrats if health reform passes and everybody's health care gets noticeably worse as a result.

If I were a politician, the thought of hitching my career to the health care bill recently passed by the House would fill me with dread. But I realize that my political beliefs are different than those of many Democrat politicians; their ideology leads them to believe that people want, and will benefit from, the laws they pass; or at least, that people will not connect the dots between the laws passed and the decline in their quality of life.

Even if something resembling this health care bill becomes law, it could be a stepping stone to actual reform by disentangling health insurance from employment. We need reform that leads to individuals purchasing their own health care plans, making their own health care decisions and paying their own health care costs.

Whatever has an excellent point. Republicans are scared shitless that the American people will like ObamaCare. So the GOP must block it at all costs - including the health of the American people!

Whatever has an excellent point. Republicans are scared shitless that the American people will like ObamaCare. So the GOP must block it at all costs - including the health of the American people!

If the GOP thought that Obamacare might succeed, they'd support it in order to get reelected. They're cynical politicians, after all. They oppose Obamacare because they believe it will flush the country down the toilet and make our lives and health worse.

Contrary to what the left believes, people who disagree are not necessarily stupid or evil: they might simply disagree.

@Whatever and Crusader:

No, we're scared shitless about Obamacare because we KNOW that it won't work. And because we know that no federal program ever ends.

The Rural Electrification Project finished its job decades ago. It still exists. The E-rate tax to run phone lines to the middle of nowhere accomplished its job decades ago. It's just been increased.

Everywhere that nationalized healthcare has been implemented, it is in varying states of decay.

We know it will fail because socialism always fails. And when you have people with a criminal background and the combined IQ of a tree sloth running it, it's not only going to fail, it's going to ass-fuck everyone so hard they can't sit down.

@Pseudonym: To the conservative, the liberal is misguided. To the liberal, the conservative is evil. That's the problem with American politics: one half of the participants are dedicated to the complete destruction of their political enemies.
The republicans would rather be nice and get invited to the good parties.

That's the problem with American politics: one half of the participants are dedicated to the complete destruction of their political enemies.

Historically, have there ever been concentration/death/labor/reeducation camps run by non-statists?