The Cure for The Common Republican-A Pedagogical Argument Against Healthcare Reform

Republican resistance to healthcare reform (or, more appropriately, a federal takeover of the healthcare industry) has been, and continues to be strategically ambiguous, if not just plain quirky.  Their latest tactic, as reported by Bloomberg, is “telling House Democrats they can’t rely on the Senate to approve the [desired] changes [in the healthcare bill], which congressional leaders are trying to navigate through a process called budget reconciliation.”  By painting their constituents in the senate as untrustworthy, Republicans hope to … convince house democrats to give up healthcare reform altogether?  Maybe?  The problem with such political tactics is a lack of vision; Republican leadership has failed to effectively communicate what should be its central message–that any healthcare reform legislation that expands federal control of the healthcare industry, be it through regulations, subsidies, or social programs, is bad policy and will, inevitably, increase costs and stifle innovation.  It’s a simple, empirically backed argument that speaks truth to the common sense of even the most uneducated american.  Of course, taking such a position to its logical extreme would require opposition to not only healthcare reform, but Medicare as it now stands.  And, like Social Security, many Republicans see Medicare as politically untouchable.  Why?  Who knows.  The last true dismantling of a federal social program, in the form of the 1996 Welfare Reform Act, worked wonders.  The same could, and should be done for Medicare.  De-regulation–now that’s a strategy.