In the wake of the Brown victory, I’ve been reading as much progressive commentary as I can trying to get a sense of their interpetations. Interestingly, most of them seem to have taken the stance of not caring to divine voter thinking. The almost unanimous opinion is pass the bill and voter opinion will sort itself out. They believe that this is what leaders do and that Republicans have set precedents for this behavior that establish that the costs of action will not be as great as current perceptions appear.
I’ll join the counter argument side and say that I respectfully disagree with this game plan. I am not a Democrat. I’m also not a Republican. I’m an Independent with a liking for the Tea Party. How long that lasts remains to be seen. Regardless, I don’t pretend to think that the majority of America is as strident in their views as I am. I believe that they will follow political leaders with a plan that they plainly perceive will benefit them. Thus, I think there is a path forward for Democrats that gives them the healthcare reform they desire.
First, I’ll state that what follows is based on the guess that voter don’t believe government is working for them. I’m referring to the current practice of legislators constantly caving to special interest pressure when crafting legislation. The current healthcare bill is a shining example. Before it was finished, various Senators, the Unions, the pharmaceutical industry, the insurance industry and even doctors all basically dictated what the bill couldn’t do. Voters interpret all of these “concessions” as bribery and favoritism. The consequence is that they don’t believe that the legislation really benefits them.
With that in mind, a path forward emerges. A bill needs to be crafted without the influence of special interests. The practice of putting specific items in the bill that benefit one legislator or another just to get their support needs to end. Bribery in legislation does not instill confidence in the final product. A comprehensive bill that is a hodge podge of concessions and half-measures needs to be written.
I’m certain that a bill crafted in such a fashion would gain popular support, giving Democrats the confidence to fend off Republican criticism.
The problem for Democrats, I think, is that the people they’ve chosen to represent them are incapable of crafting legislation in such a fashion. This problem affords the President the opportunity to fulfill his leadership role. He needs to lay the groundwork and act to protect the process from the special interests by forcefully calling them out and shaming them. Again, this behavior actively demonstrates that he is working on behalf of the voters.
This kind of process would rob Republicans of talking points. It would also almost certainly pull moderate Republicans such as Snowe, and Brown, into the process. Possibly others. With moderate Republican support, Democrats would be covered from attacks from “radical” Republicans.
OK, do I think that such a thing can and will actually happen? Do I believe that Democrats are actually capable of demonstrating this kind of discipline?
No.
Of course, I think this also affords Democratic voters another path forward. But I’m not going to offer anymore advice at this point. I think your solutions are bad for the country to begin with.
But if it makes them feel any better, I know that Republicans can’t legislate like this either. That’s why I don’t vote for them currently. That’s why they were ousted in ’06 and even more in ’08. It’s also why Democrats will lose commanding majorities in the House and Senate, if not their outright majorities all together.
In short, it’s why voters are going to choose divided government.