Jon Chait on conservatives not understanding health care:
Now Democrats are trying to recreate Romneycare plus a whole bunch of delivery system reforms designed to slow long term cost growth. And the Republicans are screaming socialism. How can Democrats deal with Republicans when even the moderate budget staffer/think tank scholar types have only the vaguest idea how the policy works?
Set aside all the stuff about responsible governance, alleviating suffering from lack of health care, and reducing the deficit in the long term. What political incentive do Republicans have to understand health care policy? From what I can tell, all they have to do is scream "socialism" at a proposal that preserves the private insurance system, shriek endlessly about a deficit that is mostly the result of the last decade of Republican dominance, hold a few protests and they start picking up Senate seats in blue states.
From a political perspective, there's no reason for Republicans to get the policy. That might muddle the uniform strategy of opposition they've deployed with zero political consequences whatsoever. What reason could they possibly have to get the "vaguest idea how the policy works"? It's proven to be completely incidental to their ability to win elections.
-- A. Serwer
