Nov 05 It's Deeper Than That

If there's a theme in Daniel Henninger's WSJ article, it's that voters' anxieties run deeper than just picking a good candidate to vote for:

The GOP is now spinning the results in Virginia and New Jersey as proof that voters are fed up with the liberal ideologues in the White House and Congress. Yes, but it's deeper than that.

What was learned Tuesday is that the American voter is absolutely, totally, unremittingly disgusted with both political parties. More than anything, the American voter is desperate for political leadership.

Daniel Henninger is exactly right. The number of independents continues to grow while out-of-touch career politicians think of their next too-clever-by-half gambit. NO MORE!!!

We The People demand that politicians actually solve problems. We The People demand that politicians stop attempting to paper one bad policy with a different bad policy. We The People demand that legislation is thoroughly thought threw, that legislation is a solution, not just the creation of the next problem.

By default, that eliminates the Democratic Party as a viable force in the future. Their legislation this session doens't solve the problems that Main Street America is facing. Their legislation is totally ideological.

For example, ARRA was nothing more than the Democrats paying off their political allies. It didn't fix the economy because that wasn't its intent or focus. Pelosi's and Obama's political allies got a payoff for their loyalty, We The People got the bill for that payoff.

Democrats better start flying straight because if they don't, they'll quickly become yesterday's news. The Democrats won't be in power long if they continue ignoring the DEMANDMENTS of We The People. But it's deeper than that:

The signal event of the 2008 presidential election was the day in September when Sen. John McCain "suspended" his campaign to deal with the financial crisis. Within 48 hours, his candidacy stood naked. Mr. McCain's instincts were right; The American people wanted leadership. But he didn't have a clue how to provide it. The restless herd ran toward Barack Obama.

Now they're ready to run toward someone else. They just did in New Jersey and Virginia.

In August, Democrats criticized people turning out at the townhalls. They tried selling to the media the notion that these were just angry people or pawns of the insurance industry's lobbyists. What got caught on tape, though, were citizens correcting their representative or senator on the contents of the health care bills.

Looking back, that was when independents solidified their anti-Democrat standpoint. That's when independents noticed that the emporor's wardrobe didn't exist. They noticed that Democrats had insults for citizens but that they didn't have solutions for our problems.

This past Tuesday, independent voters conducted a mass exodus the likes of which hasn't been seen since Moses' time.

There are still Republicans who don't get it, too, but the House GOP leadership is listening to their constituents. Their legislation actually provides solutions to today's biggest problems. Proof of that comes in the form of the House GOP's health care reform legislation:

The Congressional Budget Office Wednesday night released its cost analysis of the Republican health care plan and found that it would reduce health care premiums and cut the deficit by $68 billion over ten years.

The Republican plan does not call for a government insurance plan but rather attempts to reform the system by creating high-risk insurance pools, allowing people to purchase health insurance policies across state lines and instituting medical malpractice reforms.

"Not only does the GOP plan lower health care costs, but it also increases access to quality care, including for those with pre-existing conditions, at a price our country can afford," House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, said.

If the media gives the House GOP's plan serious consideration on its front pages, Pelosicare is finished. People will rally to the GOP's option in numbers as big as Tuesday's exodus. Here's why:

According to CBO, the GOP bill would indeed lower costs, particularly for small businesses that have trouble finding affordable health care policies for their employees. The report found rates would drop by seven to 10 percent for this group, and by five to eight percent for the individual market, where it can also be difficult to find affordable policies.

The GOP plan would have the smallest economic impact on the large group market that serves people working for large businesses that have access to the cheapest coverage. Those premiums would decline by zero to 3 percent, the CBO said.

There are critics who've started criticizing the plan:

The analysis shows the Republican plan would do little to expand coverage, which Democrats were quick to point out in a late night missive to reporters. "Here's the Bottom line: Americans lose and Insurance companies win under the Republican plan," Pelosi spokesman Nadeam Elshami said.

Mr. Elshami's statement shows Speaker Pelosi's contempt for capitalism, a sentiment that the American people don't share. The vast, vast majority of people don't have a problem with companies making profits, especially if they're selling a product that citizens put a high value on.

Let's conduct a little test. How many people would side with this statement:

Insurance companies make too much money.

How many people would agree with this statement:

I don't have a problem with insurance companies making a profit. They're providing a valuable, important product.

I'm betting that they'll agree with the second statement more than they'll agree with the first statement.

Unless Democrats start realizing that John Q. Public doesn't hate capitalism, they'll be in for trouble the next few election cycles. Similarly, if people notice that the House GOP has put together health care legislation that reduces costs and lowers premiums while reducing the debt, I'm betting that alot of today's independents turn into 2010's conservatives and 2012's Republican activists.

That's leadership that America craves. That's leadership Americans will flock to.

Comments welcome at LFR.