While the end game for the health bill is still playing out, the result does not look promising for Obama.
After making health reform his top domestic priority – and finding no bipartisanship – Obama holds out as his best hope that he will sign a bastardized piece of legislation that will force tens of millions of Americans to sign up for private insurance that they may not want or can’t afford.
Even if there is such a signing ceremony, Obama has managed to demoralize and alienate his “base.” He’s compounded that problem with the perception that he has catered to the big banks on their bailouts and pandered to neoconservatives by escalating the war in Afghanistan and inserting Bush-like arguments in his Nobel Peace Prize speech.
After all the compromising and concessions, Obama and the Democrats are now looking at disaster in the congressional races for 2010. The millions of voters who were inspired by Obama’s call for change in 2008 are disillusioned if not embittered. Many are likely to stay home next fall.
By contrast, the Republicans are brimming with confidence. They’re sure they can blame all the nation’s problems on Obama and ride the wave of right-wing enthusiasm to a victory reminiscent of 1994 when the Democrats were routed from the House and Senate, leaving Clinton to struggle on trying to stay “relevant” and avoid impeachment.
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http://www.consortiumnews.com/2009/121909.html