Sure, if the Goldberg Act succeeds, it will be a plume in the cap of Team Democrat and a black eye for Republicans. If the act fails, the opposite. But while the future of Act may or may not be a death knell for one of these teams, what's maddening is how the debate over the Act has been transformed into a metaphor for what constitutes "liberalism" and "conservatism" in this country. By "liberalism", we mean that if we place a few restrictions on insurance companies while promising them 40 million new customers, somehow the free-market fairies will work their competitive magic and drive down costs for everyone, even though---as someone more knowledgeable than our political leaders reminds us---it has never happened before: In other words, the kind of neoliberal corporatism that has led to the impoverishment of millions of American workers and massive wealth transfers to the rich.
Conversely, by "conservative", we mean outlawing medical malpractice suits, abolishing Medicaid, privatizing Medicare, and allowing insurance companies to peddle junk policies across state lines, which doesn't form a coherent policy outlook but which pisses off liberals: In other words, the kind of Randian cultism that has provided a moral basis for the existence of America's billionaire class---and which as an added bonus has turned a sizable percentage of the adult-age population into a gang of confused and paranoid zanies. While there is indeed a divide of sorts between these two warring factions, one thing they unwittingly agree upon, apparently, is on the justness of a destructive and predatory economic order that is gradually transforming the nation into a shinier version of Mexico with more cable channels. Yes, one side decries income inequality, but neither side will do a damn thing about it.
So what we really mean when we talk about "liberals" and "conservatives" now is, compassionate capitalism vs. cruel capitalism. But it hardly matters whether our leaders tell us "This is going to hurt me a lot more than it's gonna hurt you" or "Suck this, bitch" when they're punishing us. The problem is, they're punishing us for no reason, and that's what's got to change.
---Baron V
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