The Calculated Risk Of The Anointed

David Brooks writes that passing health care “reform” would be “political suicide” for Democrats if Scott Brown wins today:

Many Democrats, as always, are caught in their insular liberal information loop. They think the polls are bad simply because the economy is bad. They tell each other health care is unpopular because the people aren’t sophisticated enough to understand it. Some believe they can still pass health care even if their candidate, Martha Coakley, loses the Senate race in Massachusetts on Tuesday.

That, of course, would be political suicide. It would be the act of a party so arrogant, elitist and contemptuous of popular wisdom that it would not deserve to govern. Marie Antoinette would applaud, but voters would rage.

So what? As Mark Steyn has noted, there’s a much more long-term strategy in play. The Dems could pass something, no matter who wins today, incurring whatever wrath the voters would generate, be out of power in Congress come November, but come back in an election or two. They can then tinker and rejigger whatever foothold they’ve established into an an even larger takeover of the healthcare industry and ultimately realize their 70-year old vision going back to the days of FDR, and pass socialized medicine. And they’re more than willing to bet that Republicans won’t rollback whatever passes in the interim.

Will they do it? As James Taranto has noted, Nancy Pelosi’s got nothing left to lose.

Update: “Top Senate Democrat Outlines ‘Nuclear Option’ Strategy for Health Care.” Dick Durbin is prepared to imitate Slim Pickens in Dr. Strangelove, and ride the bomb all the way into the target.

Do it for Pol Pot, Dick!