On balance, the current grassroots backlash against House and Senate proposals for health reform is quite an energizing thing for American politics. In just the past few weeks, we have seen audiences across the country boo and heckle lawmakers as new government programs are presented at town hall gatherings. We have seen reports from Tea Parties in which the topic of healthcare is given nearly as much attention as taxation. Locally and nationally, talk radio stations are abuzz with callers who oppose more government meddling with healthcare.

Far from being "unproductive" or "polarizing," this is actually the closest we have come in to having a real debate on anything in a long time. Typically, legislators are so quick to compromise that the debate is declared over before it ever begins. Voters barely have a chance to get involved or expression their opposition.

This time it could be different. With Fannie Mae, GM, California, cash-for-clunkers, and dozens of other examples fresh in their minds, average citizens are starting to realize that their lofty officials in fact have no idea what they are doing, no clue where they are leading us, and no sense whatsoever of cause and effect. Nor, apparently, do officials even have a sense of proper accounting. For example, advocates of the Kennedy plan want budget estimates to include savings for medical innovations that would occur anyway. (Thank you, Mr. Orszag, of the Congressional Budget Office for pushing back on that nonsense.^1,2)

Many of the individuals who oppose Obamacare online, at town halls, and on the radio are not simply dissatisfied with certain details of the current proposal—they do not want this level of government involvement at all. And they are right: taking public insurance means giving up personal control.

Last week, conservative political commentator Charles Krauthammer of the Washington Post declared the effort to reform the healthcare system dead, but predicted that the war against health insurers will continue.³ Let us hope that Mr. Krauthammer is correct on the first account, and that, on the second, individual citizens can keep up the principled fight for free-market insurance reforms. Now that the "blue dogs" have lost their bite, it will be up to individuals to protect their own rights.

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¹ Marron, D. "Understanding CBO Health Cost Estimates" Heritage Foundation, Backgrounder No. 2298, July 15 2009

² Clark and Epstein, "CBO: Health bills to increase federal costs" CQ Politics, July 16 2009

³ Krauthammer, C. "Obamacare: The Coming Retreat" Washington Post, July 31 2009

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