Let's assume that instead of electing Democrat Barrack Obama, we elected Republican Barrack Obama. And let's assume he was equally as transformative. For example, instead of passing health care, the Democratic holy grail, he passed massive tax payer relief, the Republican holy grail.
What would it look like?
How would the bills compare?
How would hard core republicans react?
How did hard core democrats react?
First, under Democrat Barrack Obama there will be a massive expansion of the single payer Medicaid system. Millions of people who could not otherwise afford insurance due to poverty will be fully insured.
Republican Obama was equally as successful. As part of his landmark legislation, there will be a zero percent tax rate for people above a certain wealth threshold. Basically, no tax for billionaires.
Second, what about the people who don't qualify for medicaid but who are, let's face it, still poor?
Well Obama was able to secure very strong subsidies for these millions of uninusured Americans to let them get insurance on the private market. No person in this income range will pay more than a certain percentage of income for health insurance.
What would the Republican Obama achievement look like?
Well, they would address the problem of people who were not billionaires but were still very wealthy and were thus still subject to taxation. They would subsidize their tax payments to make sure that in no event will a person with wealth in excess of say 10 million dollars ever actually pay more than say a 8% tax rate up to a billion dollars of income. At the billion dollar mark, there would be no tax rate.
Hmmm. Pretty good bill for the Republicans. It's also reasonably realistic, even though I'm trying to be absurd.
But wait it's not over. There is a tax payer bill of rights as well.
Obama closed the donut hole. Republican Obama eliminates the Estate Tax for estates over 2 million.
Obama eliminated the pre existing condition ban. Republican Obama eliminated the capital gains tax on gains over one million.
Obama eliminated the lifetime limit cap. Under Republican Obama, taxable deductions may be converted to tax credits and even refunds on losses which exceed one million dollars either as calculated in one fiscal year or carried over from previous years.
Democrat Obama set up pools for those groups of people, like small businesses, who have trouble negotiating affordable health care rates on the individual market. These people can now come together and negotiate rates and have access to affordable rates.
Republican Obama also set up pools, for moderately wealthy people to negotiate how much tax they owe. For instance all together, they may owe 20 million to the IRS, but as a group they got the IRS to accept 7.5 million. (I admit this is too much).
Now, one of Obama's most incredible achievements was not only passing health care but fully paying for it and reducing the deficit. Admittedly, while in my mind incredible, liberals seem to think it should have been better.
So for the Republican bill, they have increased the deficit, they have not paid for the tax cuts, but it is probably not enough to completely bankrupt medicare and social security and the government, although they are now, obviously, in serious trouble. The cost curve was bent on one by Democratic Obama. The stability curve was bent by Republican Obama.
Unfortunately, like our health care bill, not all was perfect. You see the unions and small businesses really put up a fight during the legislative process. Since Republicans were so close to this legislation though, they had a choice. Cut a deal that subsidized the small business industry by forcing larger monopolistic companies to purchase a certain amount of goods every year from small businesses. Maybe something like the Pharma deal. Also, cut a deal that requires large corporations to hire union workers for large amounts of domestic construction. Kind of like our insurance companies and the mandate. However, while this may look bad, the regulatory framework will also be changed and if in a few years the corporations feel they are paying to much, they may begin a process of outsourcing or eliminating the minimum wage requirements. Kind of like the single payer option some states have looked into and the health care law provides for. Also, when Republicans continue to moan about the union work, their dedicated public servants point out that it simply perpetuates a system already in place, since most work of this nature is already union. Finally, regulations of monopolistic practices will likewise be considerably changed.
The final offense that Republicans have to live with is the failure of the flat tax. Lots of die hard Republicans consider themselves flat taxers. But the political will just wasn't there. EVEN WITH SOME REPUBLICANS! But especially with those one or two democrats Republican Obama needed for some historic committee votes. So the flat tax was scrapped. Supporters again point out, like the public option in reverse, that with a flat tax the deficit can assuredly bankrupt the country in a few years. But in the end, Republican Obama signs the bill without the flat tax. It is the bill in front of him and he can't walk away from all the accomplishments.
Now while I call this bizarro world, this is actually closer to the Republican agenda than it is to farce. No estate tax, the elimination or significant reduction of income and capital gains taxes. The dedication to deficit spending. The attack on the minimum wage.
AND HERE IS THE POINT. WOULD REPUBLICANS HATE REPUBLICAN OBAMA FOR PASSING THIS BILL THE WAY SO MANY KOSSACKS NOW HATE OR HAVE LOST FAITH IN OBAMA PARTIALLY DUE TO HIS LANDMARK HEALTHCARE BILL?
Would they say, "you know when we have President Pelosi, she'll regulate large corporations so what's the point of now not regulating monopolistic practices?" Would they remind themselves everyday of just how much deficit they could have created with a flat tax? They thought corporations had bedrock constitutional rights. Now they have to use union labor for construction to ensure the existence of unions? No they wouldn't and we all know what they would say. We won! And where we didn't win, we'll win in the future. You know it and I know it. People who we constantly lambast and tease Republicans for acting unintelligently would have to admit they have more common sense than us. They would understand that it's hard work, that it's a journey and they would fight like hell to protect any and all gains made. They wouldn't give them back in a self pitying hissy fit. I've never seen them do that.
What I am saying is that we are the architects of our own demise. And if you think about what the demise will look like, it will look like, in small part, what I described above. We are creating straw men and false arguments at every turn, with almost every posting. And I don't know what we are doing or why. I just know we'll be very sorry. Nothing's perfect, everybody makes mistakes. But why anybody would want to give themselves cancer which is spreading out of control, I will never get.