President Obama, with Biden and some other dignitaries at his back, is now standing up and calling on Congress to pass immigration reform. Meanwhile, the ObamaCare train wreck remains unresolved, Kathleen Sebelius has been called to the Hill to testify, an “A-Team” is being brought in to fix the website, and there are noises from both parties about delaying the individual mandate. Wouldn’t we and shouldn’t we expect that the man whose signature achievement is having so many problems would figuratively roll up his sleeves and bury himself in leading the effort to fix things? Why is he instead moving on to another blockbuster issue?
We are witnessing a classic demonstration of modern progressivism and liberal politics, one that has been discussed by writers as notable as Thomas Sowell. In the progressive world, the Big Idea is the end unto itself. In this case, the perceived problem was the lack of health insurance for a portion of the American populace. The preordained solution was a big government program to address that problem. The success was passing a law that “enacts” that solution. Job done, mission accomplished for the big thinkers. Time for laurels and hearty handshakes, pats on the back all around and a victory lap. Then, on to the next Big Idea.
The implementation? The nuts and bolts of the solution? Since it’s obvious (to them) that the solution is the correct one, the nuts and bolts will sort themselves out over time, so they no longer need to be involved. Delegate the sausage making, so to speak. And if the sausages don’t get made – well – it can’t be a problem with the solution itself, since it’s obvious that it’s the correct one. Perhaps a bit more time is needed. Perhaps the delegate isn’t up to the job. Perhaps the naysayers and obstructionists haven’t been squashed hard enough. No matter what, it’s not for the big thinkers to worry about any more. They’re on to the next challenge.
In the real world, feedback is a fundamental and necessary component of any endeavor. In business, failure to assess the effectiveness of a new product or service and adjust things accordingly is the road to ruin. Builders and contractors are constantly adjusting matters to compensate for “conditions in the field.” It is only in government and politics, where the people in charge are insulated from failure, that one can implement a policy and not bother to see if it’s working as intended. It is only in politics that good intentions are enough, that wishful thinking can trump cold reality, and that one can hang blame on vague and nefarious bogeymen with relative impunity.
Obama has demonstrated little interest in getting his hands dirty, in going elbows-deep into balky machinery. In this, he is true to liberal form. It is the idea that matters, not its success.
There are many who believe ObamaCare doomed to failure. There are many who believe ObamaCare will sort itself out and be a great success. There is much to debate here, but the unassailable truth is that only time will prove who is correct. But, that doesn’t matter to the progressive elite. Their success, their self-congratulation, derives from having “done something” to address a perceived problem. The doing was, and always is, enough. If, a decade from now, it turns out their actions were ill-advised, someone else will “do something” and congratulate himself for acting on a problem, no matter the outcome.
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