What the healthcare battle is REALLY about . . .

[markpkessinger]

I've seen folks on numerous sites writing that they simply cannot understand the desperation of House Republicans to stop the Affordable Care Act before it has even really started. And if you accept the House GOP's position at face value, it is indeed hard to make much sense of. I mean, if House Republicans really think the Affordable Care Act is a disaster and doomed to failure, then the logical thing to do, politically speaking, would be to allow it to be implemented. If they are correct in their estimation of the law, it will shortly flop big time, and the GOP will then be in a prime position to reap electoral rewards for the Democrats' colossal blunder.

But of course, concern over the law's potential for failure is NOT what is driving this fight. What's really at stake here (and the reason the GOP is so desperate to shut 'Obamacare' down before it has even started), is the continued success of a 30+ year propaganda campaign waged by conservatives, beginning with Ronald Reagan. to undermine the very notion that the government can play any positive, proactive role in addressing any of the social or economic problems the nation faces. The GOP was bitterly opposed to both Social Security and Medicare -- two of the most successful social programs ever implemented by the U.S. government. (cf. the audio clip linked below, of Reagan in 1961 predicting doom and gloom with respect to Medicare, with many of the arguments you now hear against the ACA).

This across-the-board, utter demonization of government, with its hysterical invocations of 'communism' and 'socialism' whenever the government proposed to try to address a social or economic issue, was not the mainstream view of either major party in 1961, but was instead considered on the radical fringe, even for Republicans (who throughout the '50s, 60s and much of the '70s were pretty progressive by today's standards -- arguably more progressive than today's Democratic Party in some respects) It was Reagan's successful 1980 campaign for the presidency that finally conferred an air of legitimacy to this anti-government worldview. Those of us who are old enough to remember Reagan's '76 and '80 campaigns will recall the way he hammered away on the campaign trail with phrases like, "Government is the problem, not the solution," as well as his anti-union rhetoric. From that time to the present, conservatives have invested a great deal of time and effort perpetuating Reagan's anti-government message, trying their level best to indoctrinate the entire society with the belief that these ideas are 'received wisdom' that cannot be challenged.

The Affordable Care Act, if it is implemented successfully, and people find that it offers some really helpful benefits for them, will effectively undermine that 'received wisdom' conservatives have been trying to peddle for the last three decades. And that, I believe, is what they are really afraid of, and is the reason behind their desperation.

[RKP5637]

1. Well said!!! n/t

[Wounded Bear]

2. K & R

[Triana]

3. Yea it's all the old "communist, socialist" rhetoric from the damn John Birchers...

...who USED to be considered a radical fringe and in fact still ARE. They just managed to go underground, rally their wealthy allies and BUY a lot of government and media control for themselves now, so they're running the show even though they're hardly a majority.

JBS was soundly rejected by the American public before. And America needs to reject them and their dangerous, ignorant extremism again now, too.

Ronnie RayGun was one of their first tools.

[kestrel91316]

11. The John Birch Society's heirs control the Republican Party today.

This book tells the whole story: http://claireconner.com/

[Triana]

12. I have that book! Highly recommended! n/t

[MNBrewer]

4. Yes, we are still fighting the Cold War.

Now it's internal.

[johnd83]

5. Our society is a hybrid between capitalism and socialism

The needle moves back and forth over the years as it is needed. Right now we need to move the needle to more public investments and research because the infrastructure is crumbling and the private sector isn't doing much. I don't understand the all or nothing approach. In 5-20 years it will move back when appropriate.

[RC]

6. The All or Nothing approach is because we are so far to the Right, everything is Black and White.

Either/or. 0/1. One or the other. We are so far to the Right, there is no longer any nuances or shades of grey in anything they see, even for many 'Democrats'. DU even has its share of long time examples.

[johnd83]

13. I think that is why so many here flame against Obama

He is a move the needle guy.

[Clyde Tenson]

7. I think you're missing the point

You seem to think that ideology is driving the push to repeal, slow down and kill the Affordable Care Act. Sorry, it's M-O-N-E-Y. Big money hiding behind ideology. That's why the rubes carry signs that say "Get the Guvment outta my Medicare!" They're clueless patsies. Smaller government means more opportunities for huge for-profit corporations. In this case it's the over priced health industry and their partners in crime, the Insurance industry that are stopping at nothing to kill Obamacare. They put all the "TeaParty" shills in place in 2010. It's a great scam.

[markpkessinger]

8. I'm not missing that at all . . .

. . . I didn't think, in writing to a DU audience, that I had to spell out that the GOP ideology is promulgated, in the first place, to serve the financial interests of the very wealthy. I guess I assumed everybody here would understand that as a given.

[Clyde Tenson]

19. If we're preaching to the choir, let's get to the point

Attributing the last 30 years of the erosion of this country's democratic principles to the Republican, conservative movement, on the face of it, is correct. And that's ONLY because the Repubs were more "pliable" than the Dems. I was gobsmacked when this nation of ours elected a Hollywood B actor with lite intelligence and a sunny disposition. It didn't start there though, Eisenhower's warning (a Republican) cannot be repeated enough. There's a plutocratic insurgency going on and it's not powered by our elected officials. To call them Tea Partiers, Republicans or Conservatives (there's a misnomer if there ever was one) misses the point. They are just paid pawns (Dems too, to a point). I don't like dancing around assuming that everyone knows that the boogie man is under the bed. I say haul his ass out and shine a spotlight on him, over and over again.

[truebluegreen]

21. Fine by me

and welcome to DU.

[markpkessinger]

23. No argument here n/t

[VanillaRhapsody]

28. they are libertarians that oppose govt

Altogether. They abhor Social Democracy. Because at their core they are selfish.

[Blue Meany]

29. There is also big money behind it. The insurance companies, pharmaceutical companies and for-profit

hospitals will benefit from this. And I don't think Wall Street (except perhaps those who are betting against the dollar) want the brinkmanship that is going on. And many companies will benefit from it, as the health care costs are reduced. Let's not forrget that Ford production was moved from Michigan to Ontario because of health care costs.

It is true that the Koch Brothers are against it, but I think that has more to do with ideology than financial interests. Likewise, I think opposition of tea partiers is based on the ideology that businesses to everything better and cheaper than the govt (and that facts don't matter).

[calimary]

9. Certainly makes sense to me!

They've been trying to rewrite everything since the rise of reagan. He was the Bizarro "Second Coming" they'd been dreaming about - a salesman who could sell their feudalistic shit all packaged up nice and harmless and folksy-like. Easy to swallow. Until after you did and slowly came to realize that you were feeling rather ill.

[Dark n Stormy Knight]

10. K&R.

[CaptCaribbean]

14. Tough Shit

Tough Shit Republicans, You lost, not once, but twice. CONVINCINGLY. America has spoken - Deal with it. Ronald Reagan was a two bit actor who never knew FUCK-ALL about Health care. Neither, as well, the Koch appointees in the current gerrymandered US House. The Affordable Health Care Law reigns as LAW October 1st. Go fuck your worthless selves and create some new conspiracies, you lazy, ignorant scummy douche bags. Your job description doesn't include holding my country hostage.

[johnnyreb]

18. +1

[DirkGently]

15. Yes. And the ACA is really just regulation.

... And that's enough to freak out some conservatives and their donors. What if insurance gets better because Bad Old Government got involved? What if the only cost is a sliver of corporate profits?

Terrifying.

[Denver Progressive]

16. Bingo!! n/t

[Flying Squirrel]

17. I wish you were correct

But it's much worse than that. The idea of limited government is just a smokescreen for the much more basic, primal, and evil truth: Social Darwinism. That's why they say they're afraid people will "get hooked" on Obamacare - what they really mean is, people who should really be dying will live. Yes, it's thanks to the government, and they oppose that - people should be standing on their own two feet, the logic goes, and it's really bad for people to develop an unhealthy reliance on government to do for them what they should be doing for themselves.. that's what they say. But deep down inside they just wish people who can't make it in this world without help - any help whatsoever - would just die and make room for the rest. Now, of course, if you're part of a rich family or a Christian (white) congregation that will raise money for you if you're in need, that's ok. You can accept that help. The rest of the masses, however, should really just die (and shouldn't even be in this country in the first place anyway.) The government is getting in the way of that dream becoming a reality, and that's why they hate government.

And the person who said you were missing the point and that it was all about money, was missing the point as well. It's not about money - the rich have all they need and more already. It's not about greed, it's about lust - the lust for ever more power, the desire to be further exalted above the rest of us by pushing us further down and getting rid of those of us who are superfluous to them.

Like the game of Monopoly which arose out of the Depression era (and which many people I know refuse to play), it's not enough to simply become rich - they must also bankrupt everyone else.

Meanness, to put it in a single-word nutshell, is the driving force behind the desire to kill Obamacare. The fear behind their desperation is not that the public will discover that government is not evil after all; it's not even that the public will discover that Republicans wanted them dead. The real fear is that the country they don't want to exist - the multicolored one with people in it they'd rather not have there - will continue to exist and even thrive.

[markpkessinger]

24. Good points all n/t

[Romulox]

20. Obamacare is mandatory, for-profit insurance. It's not "socialism"; it's corporatism. nt

[leftstreet]

22. +1 The GOP should be thrilled

This is all just theater

[Jackpine Radical]

27. However, for all its faults, it's better than what has gone before.

And the Republicans know deep in their hearts carapaces that the public will like it. They'll "get addicted to the handouts" and want more--and the only way ultimately to give them more without breaking the bank is to expand Medicare to everyone.

[leftstreet]

31. Insurance reforms = good. Mandate = not

There's NO REASON the insurance regulations and reforms couldn't have been the backbone of the ACA without mandating people purchase or pay a fine

Once the Obama administration dropped the public option, there was no argument to be made that mandatory payments could be justified

[JVS]

35. They'll want more. The way to take it will be exploiting a captive market and...

raising the penalty for not buying insurance.

[bvar22]

33. Exactly!

The Smart Money is betting that "ObamaCare" will be a Gold Mine for the private Health Insurance Industry,
especially when those mandated Tax Payer Funded Subsidies start flowing into their private pockets.

[seveneyes]

25. Agree and then-some

The opposition is worried that America will become a nanny state where perfectly able bodied people will sit back and just milk the system for a free ride without ever contributing to building a better country. Therefore leaving them to go to work everyday to support the arrangement. Why they feel that there would be that many choosing that route is unknown.

[VanillaRhapsody]

26. they are the libertarians......the fringe

They don't really believe in democracy

[Cleita]

30. Yep. I heard two women on the radio discussing what a swell state California

would be if they could ship out all the liberals. Hey conservative bimbos! The state functions better than many because of the liberals and their use of government to help people.

[WillyT]

32. K & R !!!

[indepat]

34. Let's lionize and deify the beloved gipper whose only goal was to promote the

general welfare. Yeah!