Will conservatives one day look back on the passage of ObamaCare as a glorious day in American history? No, hear me out…
Or rather read Daniel Henninger’s provocative column headlined “Let ObamaCare Collapse.”
Henninger sees the unraveling of ObamaCare—which is beginning to look like a certainty—as the beginning of the unraveling of the entitlement state. He writes:
As its Oct. 1 implementation date arrives, ObamaCare is the biggest bet that American liberalism has made in 80 years on its foundational beliefs. This thing called "ObamaCare" carries on its back all the justifications, hopes and dreams of the entitlement state. The chance is at hand to let its political underpinnings collapse, perhaps permanently.
If ObamaCare fails, or seriously falters, the entitlement state will suffer a historic loss of credibility with the American people. It will finally be vulnerable to challenge and fundamental change. But no mere congressional vote can achieve that. Only the American people can kill ObamaCare. …
If Republicans feel they must "do something" now, they could get behind Sen. David Vitter's measure to force Congress to enter the burning ObamaCare castle along with the rest of the American people. Come 2017, they can repeal the ruins.
The discrediting of the entitlement state begins next Tuesday. Let it happen.
While this warms the cockles of the conservative, Constitution-loving heart, it does seem overly optimistic: an equally strong argument can be made that ObamaCare will not topple without a great deal of help precisely because it is so crucial to the future of the entitlement state. The Democrats will do everything in their power to save it, and adversaries of the federal seizure of our health care system must not give up the fight. Still, I bet that deep in their hearts, Obama administration officials fear for their signature achievement.