... The health care plan that Obama signs is going to be around for a very long time. Republicans might one day come to wonder if picking up some seats in 2010 were worth forgoing a chance to help put their imprint on the U.S. health care system. Jonathan Chait (h/t Andrew Sullivan)
Chait pretty much gets it in one.
Problem: A lot of what's going on now is about corporate money and which party gets it. That said, I'm not so sure the Republicans are going to be rewarded with more seats in 2010 or big bucks. Chait also points out the Republicans may have missed an opportunity.
The proposal unveiled by Max Baucus is actually a fairly conservative thing. As I noted, it reduces the budget deficit by a not-insignificant sum, has no public plan, and contains some extremely stingy benefits. For its funding it relies on spending cuts to Medicare and a reduction in the tax break for employer-sponsored health care -- a longtime conservative goal most recently proposed by John McCain. It has the backing of nearly all the affected business interests. As TNR's editorial notes, this is the kind of thing Republicans should be supporting.
Since every Republican not named Olympia Snowe has apparently decided to oppose the bill, Baucus has decided to try to build up support on his left flank. The negotiations now all revolve around weakening the tax break for high-cost health plans, beefing up the benefit package, and including some triggered public plan. In other words, they're making the bill more liberal.
Oops.
