Waterloo
The passage of Obamacare into law in 2010 represented a major defeat for Republicans, but the implementation of the health-care law will be an even greater setback for the GOP, and American conservatism in general.
Not only have Republican lawmakers lied about what they're prepared to do to prevent Obamacare from going into effect, but they've been lying all along about what Obamacare is and what it does. Wait until people start to realize that there are no "death panels" and that they can keep their insurance if they already have it and are happy with it. Wait til they realize that it actually makes life better for them and for millions of other Americans. Wait til they see the number of uninsured Americans begin to drop.
Not only have Republican lawmakers lied about what they're prepared to do to prevent Obamacare from going into effect, but they've been lying all along about what Obamacare is and what it does. Wait until people start to realize that there are no "death panels" and that they can keep their insurance if they already have it and are happy with it. Wait til they realize that it actually makes life better for them and for millions of other Americans. Wait til they see the number of uninsured Americans begin to drop.
Even members of congress and their staffers will have to be covered by Obamacare as of January 2014. They've recently been lying to constituents, saying that congress is exempt, but this isn't true. Not only is it untrue, it's doubly mendacious since it's only because of a Republican amendment to the healthcare bill (proposed by Chuck Grassley) that members of congress and their employees will no longer be covered by the federal employee insurance program. (This amendment was presumably a failed attempt to scuttle the bill by making lawmakers put their money where their mouths were.)
A moment of truth is approaching - Obamacare is about to become a reality instead of a straw-man, or a bogeyman. This could be the occasion for an epic, and epochal, loss of faith in the GOP as millions of faithful Republican voters begin to realize that they've been lied to and played for fools - and worse, that they've been deprived by their leaders of opportunity, security, prosperity, peace of mind. The coming Obamacare debacle could open their eyes and minds to the range of deceptions that GOP leaders have been perpetrating on their own constituents for years now.
Of course this will depend on Democrats making the point and repeating it continually, which is something Democrats are not good at. (I would argue that the success of conservative ideology in American political culture over the past generation is largely owing to the fecklessness of Democratic communications.) But if Democrats are somehow able to keep reminding the public of the right-wing hysteria that almost defeated health-care reform - which is to say, almost prevented millions of Americans from living better, healthier, less stressful lives - then Obamacare may indeed turn out to be a Waterloo. For Republicans.
Of course this will depend on Democrats making the point and repeating it continually, which is something Democrats are not good at. (I would argue that the success of conservative ideology in American political culture over the past generation is largely owing to the fecklessness of Democratic communications.) But if Democrats are somehow able to keep reminding the public of the right-wing hysteria that almost defeated health-care reform - which is to say, almost prevented millions of Americans from living better, healthier, less stressful lives - then Obamacare may indeed turn out to be a Waterloo. For Republicans.