I’ve been concerned for awhile that there’s a strange political dynamic that might come into play re: the healthcare votes.
Conventional wisdom says that Dem reps from conservative states (think Lincoln in Arkansas) would bend over backwards to vote their constituents’ opposition to ObamaCare as a means of preserving their jobs.
My concern: if they aren’t in close races — i.e. probably going to lose in a landslide – what keeps them from voting against their constituents’ preferences?
Answer: nothing …
Not every Democrat’s top priority is to minimize his party’s electoral losses.
Some would sacrifice the majority in Congress (or their own seats) to achieve the ideological goal of revolutionizing private health care in America.
If Democrats can be persuaded that they’re going to lose anyway, a major political argument against ObamaCare is off the table, and they can vote their ideology.
Source article:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704188104575083601589992816.html?mod=djemEditorialPage_h
