Health care has become a debate about big government

Dan Balz:

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Whatever the rationale, Obama is asking the public to accept a significant expansion of the government's role in the private economy. One of the biggest factors in the ultimate success of his administration is whether he can persuade people to accept the amount of government he has proposed -- along with his argument that what he has done has been a product of necessity, not ideology.

Do a majority of Americans see his decisions as necessary -- and short term -- or do they conclude that Obama is, at heart, a big-government liberal in a country that is still skeptical toward too much centralized power in Washington? That debate continues, and Republicans believe it is one of the president's biggest vulnerabilities.

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This NY Times story about those who showed up for a Town Hall with Sen. Specter usggest the passion is on the side of the anti big government.

They got up before dawn in large numbers with angry signs and American flag T-shirts, and many were seething with frustration at issues that went far beyond overhauling health care.

More than 1,000 people showed up here Tuesday morning in this largely Republican town in central Pennsylvania for a town hall meeting with Senator Arlen Specter, though the auditorium could seat only 250. Like many of the dozens of such meetings held by members of Congress over the last few weeks, it was punctuated with rowdy moments, and interviews with many of those who showed up made it clear just how much underlying dissent motivated them.

Many said the Obama administration’s plans for a new health care system were just another example of a federal government that had again gone too far, just as it had, they said, with the economic stimulus, the auto industry bail-out and the cap-and-trade program.

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The good news is that the major media is finally trying to comprehend the anger expressed toward the Obama administration policies. It is too bad the Democrats have not tried the same thing. Instead they have insulted these people who are concerned about the expansion of the government and the deficit that liberals in the Democrat party are imposing on the rest of us.

There is a revolt against the deficit and big government and health care is just one symbol of that revolt. Obama still seems oblivious to his problem. His performance today was repeating old talking points that the majority of people no longer beleive. Even if Obama believes them, the people have lost confidence in him and the Democrats. Ignoring the people or becoming angry with them will only make the Democrats' political situation more dire.