Health Care Reform: The Day After

I've said it before, I'll say it again.  Last night's vote on health care reform was do-or-die time for the Democratic Party.  If passage would have been blocked in the House last night, the Democrats' failure would have been seen as a high-water mark.  The party would have been demoralized beyond repair and likely obliterated in November.

Instead, the passage of health care reform is a rally point for the Left.  The Right threw absolutely everything it could at Democrats, Congress, President Obama, and anyone else even vaguely associated with the Democratic party over the last year.  They pulled out all the stops in terms of hyperbole, disruption, misinformation, and intimidation.  Thanks to relentless smears by far-Right talking heads, Democrats were caricatured as nazi-socialist-fascist-maoists, intent on destroying the American Dream, killing Grandma, and leading the true Americans to slaughter.  And for a while, it looked like the GOP was succeeding.  Two months ago, there wasn't much hope for health care reform.  Like the failed attempt of 1993-1994, it seemed that health care reform circa 2009 would be just another Democratic Waterloo.

And now, thanks to the tireless efforts of President Obama and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi among others, it's a brand new day for the Democratic Party.  Health Care reform made it through the House and will soon make it to the Executive Office and then the law books.  The Waterloo prophesy will not come to pass.  At least, not for Democrats.

Former Bush speechwriter David Frum has a very interesting take on what health care reform passage means for the Right.  And while I don't quite agree with his predictions of a GOP sweep in November (sure, we'll lose some seats, but that's what historically happens anyway), I think he's dead-on regarding the irreversible damage health care reform has done to his party, and the actual motives of Conservative mouthpieces.  Here's a little tidbit from his article, "Waterloo."

"So today’s defeat for free-market economics and Republican values is a huge win for the conservative entertainment industry. Their listeners and viewers will now be even more enraged, even more frustrated, even more disappointed in everybody except the responsibility-free talkers on television and radio. For them, it’s mission accomplished. For the cause they purport to represent, it’s Waterloo all right: ours."

Here's a link to Frum's article in its entirety.  I highly recommend it.