A lot of the pundits on both sides keep pointing to the fact how the Republican got control of the health care reform issue and almost ran it into the ground. That was their intention, because frankly, if President Obama and the Democrats succeed in bringing in major reform, it’ll be a cold day in hell before Republicans can drag themselves back into good graces with the public. But was it a mistake on the President’s part to let them get away with this for so long?
It certainly was unfortunate that so many people got so badly affected by all the lies and deception, but I have a feeling former President Bush’s misquote a while back will come up in the end and haunt the GOP for a long time to come. “Fool me once, shame on me . . . you. Fool me twice . . . and we won’t get fooled again!”
The madness of this past August allowed the Republican right to play out their entire hand and expose them clearly as mere obstructionist. They used every underhanded trick in the Rove Play Book to kill Democratic efforts. But in the end, they never really got away with their phony “grassroots” appearance, and even the spewing of people like Glen Beck didn’t hide the fact it was coming directly from the GOP.
And now they face the “Community Organizer” tonight as President Obama addresses the Joint Houses of Congress. What do they have left to say that could possibly be taken as credible? How will what they’ve already said measure up to Obama’s ability to motivate in a positive and progressive way?
We’ll see who gets the last word on health care reform, but I have a suspicion the Rove Play Book may end up being good kindling for the GOP funeral pyre when this is all said and done.
