Were I a Republican strategist I would recommend to my delusional colleagues the following: Before the House and Senate take up their epic health measures, introduce a simple bill calling for the expansion of Medicare to include all Americans by the year 2020--cradle to grave coverage. This measure would seem to violate core Republican principles, but when it works, they can claim that the profit principle should never have applied to such a fundamental right and in any case, Medicare is simply the insurer. In any event, the success of this simple reform would make everyone forget the what we'll call the ideological diversion. In that sense, this bill would be the Congressional Republican equivalent of Nixon, the great Red Baiter, opening relations with China.
The Republicans benefit in all regards: If the plan works, they take credit. It it fails, they blame the Democrats. If the Democrats don't allow a vote on this measure or vote it down, the Republicans can trash them as unimaginative obstructionists to true reform.
More important, if the measure were to pass, we would all benefit. But I am not a Republican strategist.
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