While the health care bill was being considered by Congress, voters had serious concerns over the affordability of the legislation and its impact on Medicare and existing health care coverage. The President never honestly addressed those concerns. He insisted that the bill would not increase the deficit, though it will, that Medicare will not be adversely affected, though that will surely happen, and that people could keep their existing health insurance, when for millions of Americans that is plainly not true. I predicted at the time that if the President did not abandon the bill or address the concerns, the debate over health care would turn into a power struggle between the electorate and the White House.
In my experience, voters can respect political officials who disagree with them, if there is an honest dialogue and if the public at least understands and trusts the reason for whatever action it does not like. That dialogue has not occurred, and voters are now beginning to assert their authority. The public – and particularly independent voters — will tolerate disagreement, but will not tolerate arrogance thinly masked by deception. Whether the White House chooses to admit it or not, it is in the middle of a political and governance crisis that was not only foreseeable but inevitable – and was in every respect self inflicted.