The House Democrats are tonight celebrating the passage of the Health Care Bill by a very narrow margin. The House Democrats ought to enjoy their victory tonight because it will not be long before they face a tremendous public uproar.
The health care bill was passed despite strong opposition from a large number of people. The way the Democrats have dealt with the opposition throughout this entire process has given many people the idea that they hold them in contempt or just do not care what they think. During the August recess Democrats demonized the opposition by calling them “Nazis”, “Fascists”, and claiming that they were organized by the Republican Party, health insurance companies, and talk radio to stop “needed reform”. After the August recess, House Democrats went back to talking about health care in ways that suggest that they did not listen to the strong opposition back in August. Finally, a recently released poll suggested that more than 50% of people opposed the health care bill the very week it was voted on.
The way the Democrats have dealt with the opposition during the passage of an unpopular health care bill assuredly will infuriate people opposed to it to the point where they will take even bolder actions to show their displeasure. Many people now perceive that the government is trying to takeover of the economy and that the only way to stop it from happening now is to scare politicians straight. The Senate must next pass its own version of the Health Care Bill before a final health care bill can be devised. Senate Majority leader Harry Reid indicated that a vote on a Senate version of a health care bill would not occur until after the winter recess. Therefore, I expect there to be fierce protests during the winter recess and I would not be surprised if the protests exceed the protests we saw during the August recess. This winter will be America’s Winter of Discontent.
