- Apr 5, 2010
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While small government supporters such as myself have not been surprised by the myriad of issues with Obamacare, progressives are stuck scrambling to explain why the system isnt working as they were told it would, and as they told thier constituents it would.
A deeper issue for progessives is WHO the problems are happening to, be it glitches, increases in premiums, or detrimental changes in benefits.
This is the first time many supporters of progressive policies are being directly impacted in thier checkbook by the very policies they support. They were sold a bill of goods, Obamacare will help others get insurance, it will LOWER your out of pocket expenses, and IMPROVE the quality of the insurance you can get. Typically progressives can ride thier policies on the back of the wealthy, thus letting others think they are getting something for "free"
The sad truth is that the costs required to insure the people who cannot afford it via medicare (the one part of the system that seems to be working) and the costs to buy Obamcare compliant insurances is too hight to be foisted on the wealthy, thus the very people who thought they were going to get a cheaper ride are now seeing that THEY have to pay for it. Millenials are seeing for the first time how THEY have to pay for thier grandparents/parents spending all these years. Even the true beleivers are seeing that thier progressive poltitical class effectively LIED to them. Granted progressives have been lying for years, but this is the first time the results happened RIGHT AWAY. They can't blame it on the economy, or republicans, or those evil rich people, there hasnt been enough time to seperate thier own policies as the cause of all this.
The biggest hope for progressives is that they own the young. They depend on young people skewing heavily democratic. But what happens when the young decide they don't want to pay for all this? What happens when they realize the old people own all the property, and they cannot afford a home, kids, the life they want because thier taxes are so high, and they are paying for the sins of the past?
At that point the fact that the republican party contains elements of social conservatism may not be the deal breaker it used to be. At that point someone saying we have to cut all this crap may be heard, and voted for.
That is the real thing that scares progressives. Its that people may finally see through the bullshit.
A deeper issue for progessives is WHO the problems are happening to, be it glitches, increases in premiums, or detrimental changes in benefits.
This is the first time many supporters of progressive policies are being directly impacted in thier checkbook by the very policies they support. They were sold a bill of goods, Obamacare will help others get insurance, it will LOWER your out of pocket expenses, and IMPROVE the quality of the insurance you can get. Typically progressives can ride thier policies on the back of the wealthy, thus letting others think they are getting something for "free"
The sad truth is that the costs required to insure the people who cannot afford it via medicare (the one part of the system that seems to be working) and the costs to buy Obamcare compliant insurances is too hight to be foisted on the wealthy, thus the very people who thought they were going to get a cheaper ride are now seeing that THEY have to pay for it. Millenials are seeing for the first time how THEY have to pay for thier grandparents/parents spending all these years. Even the true beleivers are seeing that thier progressive poltitical class effectively LIED to them. Granted progressives have been lying for years, but this is the first time the results happened RIGHT AWAY. They can't blame it on the economy, or republicans, or those evil rich people, there hasnt been enough time to seperate thier own policies as the cause of all this.
The biggest hope for progressives is that they own the young. They depend on young people skewing heavily democratic. But what happens when the young decide they don't want to pay for all this? What happens when they realize the old people own all the property, and they cannot afford a home, kids, the life they want because thier taxes are so high, and they are paying for the sins of the past?
At that point the fact that the republican party contains elements of social conservatism may not be the deal breaker it used to be. At that point someone saying we have to cut all this crap may be heard, and voted for.
That is the real thing that scares progressives. Its that people may finally see through the bullshit.
