In the summer of 2010, I confidently told friends and family that Obamacare was dead. There was no precedent in American politics, I said, for passing such a huge, transformative bill without bipartisan support, popular support, or both. Obamacare had neither.
But the Democrats went ahead and passed it anyway.
Apart from making me look stupid, this helped fuel the Tea Party movement, probably cost the Democrats their House majority and working control of the Senate, suppressed the president's approval ratings, and poisoned relations between the White House and the GOP.
No surprise, really--that's what happens when you take an unpopular, purely partisan approach to an issue of immense importance.
Republicans in Congress ought to think about that as they seek to pass a debt ceiling bill this week.
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