The Congressional Budget Office numbers on the Democratic health care bill look surprisingly good, and this means that the momentum for health care reform will be picking up. This today in the New York Times:
In all, it said, the proportion of nonelderly Americans with insurance would rise over the 10 years to 94 percent, from 83 percent today.
And this without increasing the federal deficit. This, to me, is the bottom line. Real measurable progress over ten years, and without ballooning deficits. This is how the Democrats can drive the Republican Party into irrelevancy, by delivering the goods. And I think Republicans know it. They need an insecure constituency to stoke their fears. A comfy population with real baseline securities (like health care) is less likely to turn reactionary in times of recession, terrorism, or other forms of turmoil. That’s why the Republican Party is fighting so hard against health care. It is not Barack Obama’s Waterloo. It’s the Republican Party’s.
Keep your eye on the ball, Barack. You’re winning.
Prometheus Unbound 