GW Bush's Economic Speechwriter: Republican's Waterloo

[LVZ]

http://www.frumforum.com/waterloo


David J. Frum

Conservatives and Republicans today suffered their most crushing legislative defeat since the 1960s.

It’s hard to exaggerate the magnitude of the disaster. Conservatives may cheer themselves that they’ll compensate for today’s expected vote with a big win in the November 2010 elections. But:

(1) It’s a good bet that conservatives are over-optimistic about November – by then the economy will have improved and the immediate goodies in the healthcare bill will be reaching key voting blocs.

(2) So what? Legislative majorities come and go. This healthcare bill is forever. A win in November is very poor compensation for this debacle now.

This time, when we went for all the marbles, we ended with none.

No illusions please: This bill will not be repealed. Even if Republicans scored a 1994 style landslide in November, how many votes could we muster to re-open the “doughnut hole” and charge seniors more for prescription drugs? How many votes to re-allow insurers to rescind policies when they discover a pre-existing condition? How many votes to banish 25 year olds from their parents’ insurance coverage? And even if the votes were there – would President Obama sign such a repeal?

We followed the most radical voices in the party and the movement, and they led us to abject and irreversible defeat.

[Captain Hilts]

1. He wrote the phrase "Axis of Evil." nt

[jaxx]

2. This guy is getting more time than the rest of the pubs put together.

He must be named mud by the pubs by now.

[wryter2000]

3. He's obviously a communist, nazi, baby-killer

K&R, btw.

[jaxx]

4. LOL

They gotta hate him.