Obamacare

Peter Wehner nicely sums up what the Republican Party's political agenda should be vis a vis the coming November elections.

However, he overlooks one important factor.  We now see that on almost every metric, the passage of Obamacare not only failed to improve the Democrat's prospects this Fall, but wounded them further with most voters.  That is, except for one particular group, the Democrat base.  Obamacare appears to have given the Democrat loyalists something to unify and fight for in the coming elections.**

Both the Republican and Democrat bases are small electorally, but critically important in any election. They are the cadre on the ground, getting out the vote, organizing the precincts, and seeding the campaign coffers.  Before Obamacare, the Republicans had a near perfect scenario: large majorities of Americans motivated to toss out the Democrats this Fall and a depressed and befuddled Democrat base.  Obamacare has changed that dynamic, giving the Democrat's a cause celebre to rally around.

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If both bases turn out strongly for the elections, Republicans should still win a goodly number of races. But they can win more if they can re-depress the Democrat base. And the fact is, Reid and Pelosi have furnished the ammunition to do so.

Blindly obsessive about getting National Healthcare passed, those two Democrat leaders log-rolled a bill through Congress that, in essence, served a National Healthcare oligopoly up to the insurance companies on a silver platter.  Every citizen is now required to buy insurance under penalties of law at whatever premium the insurance companies deem appropriate.  Without the constraints of a free market, the insurance companies, at least in the near term, look to reap a bonanza of profitability.

That such a result should come from a Left wing Congress is nothing short of astonishing, and a complete anathema for the Democrat base.  Republicans must publicize this aspect of Obamacare loudly, and target their efforts towards the Democrats base. If Republicans can make Obamacare synonymous with more money and privilege for Big Insurance, the Left wing will retreat, if not in disgust, then at least into ennui.

Add this to the other things Mr. Wehner recommends, and some very good things will happen this Fall.

**UPDATE: A couple of polls confirming the renewed energy in the Democrat base as a result of the passage of Obamacare.