Reid Gets It Done.

Although few people had the ability to read Harry Reid's (D-NE) "manager's amendment" health bill, it was passed in the middle of the night. The bill was openly opposed by right wing nutroots such as Howard Dean, Arianna Huffington, and Daily Kos founder Markos Moulitsas. The latest Rasmussen poll showed 56% of Americans opposed it, increasing to 63% of those 65 and older.

Why did they do it? In the Washington Post, Kathleen Parker speculated:

"The growing sense now is that Obama is desperate -- for any kind of bill. What matters is checking the box next to "health care reform" and declaring some kind of victory.

Thus, the man who was going to remain above the political fray has revealed himself as pluperfectly political, ready to settle for the very kind of mandate (without the public option) that he opposed as a candidate challenging Hillary Clinton. Rather than inspiring confidence, he has inspired a groundswell of disapproval and a populist uprising that may allow Republicans to clean House come November."

But it's all about reducing costs, right? WellPoint looked into the data and did some regional comparisons. 25 year old in Milwaukee buying coverage on the individual market will see his costs increase by 178%, eight employee small business in Richmond VA costs will increase by 23%, 40 year old with 2 kids will see a 106% increase for family coverage. And as I have explored in previous postings, there is nothing in the bill that will actually reduce the costs of health care for Americans.

From a great article in today's Wall Street Journal:

"The tragedy is that Mr. Obama inherited a consensus that the health-care status quo needs serious reform, and a popular President might have crafted a durable compromise that blended the best ideas from both parties. A more honest and more thoughtful approach might have even done some good. But as Mr. Obama suggested, the Democratic old guard sees this plan as the culmination of 20th-century liberalism.

So instead we have this vast expansion of federal control. Never in our memory has so unpopular a bill been on the verge of passing Congress, never has social and economic legislation of this magnitude been forced through on a purely partisan vote, and never has a party exhibited more sheer political willfulness that is reckless even for Washington or had more warning about the consequences of its actions.

These 60 Democrats are creating a future of epic increases in spending, taxes and command-and-control regulation, in which bureaucracy trumps innovation and transfer payments are more important than private investment and individual decisions. In short, the Obama Democrats have chosen change nobody believes in—outside of themselves—and when it passes America will be paying for it for decades to come."