The eloquence of Peggy Noonan is rarely matched in politics today, and her most recent column on Obamacare is no different. She thoroughly details what was promised by Obamacare—like your plan, keep it; will reduce the deficit; that the law that was passed has been changed substantively 30 times— and the ever-increasing downward trajectory the law has taken. Through this she dismantles the argument most vulnerable Democrats are making to defend Obamacare now:
Finally, the program’s supporters have gone on quite a rhetorical journey, from “This is an excellent bill, and opponents hate the needy” to “People will love it once they have it” to “We may need some changes” to “I’ve co-sponsored a bill to make needed alternations”
She wasn’t talking specifically about Colorado’s most liberal Senator, Mark Udall, or embattled CD6 liberal candidate Andrew Romanoff, but the narrative fits them to a ‘T’. Yet, the most devastating part of the article is when Noonan compares the Obamacare quagmire to the Iraq war quagmire. She makes one important distinction: at least those who voted for the Iraq war had the decency to admit their mistake and would not vote for it again, if they knew then what they knew later.
I will never forget a conversation in 2006 or thereabouts with a passionate and eloquent supporter of the decision to go into Iraq. We had been having this conversation for years, he a stalwart who would highlight every optimistic sign, every good glimmering. He argued always for the rightness of the administration’s decision. I would share my disquiet, my doubts, finally my skepticism. One night over dinner I asked him, in passing, “If we had it to do over again, should we have gone in? would you support it?” [sic]
And he said, “Of course not!”
If only Colorado had a Senator with such decency. Just last week Udall said, despite knowing everything he knows now, he’d still vote for Obamacare. And, earlier this year, Romanoff doubled down and said he’d still support it. Then again, we can’t get a straight answer on this one from him – he’s all over the map.
Colorado deserves better.