Looking Ahead

By John Ballard

Ron's excellent snapshot of the post-election landscape prepares us for a grim outcome when members of the new Congress roll up their sleeves next Spring. I want to think a lot of Republican frowning and barking are theatrical attempts to work out a new pecking order for the raped  energized GOP, determining who will be the new alpha dogs. Even MIchelle Bachman, once openly regarded as the queen of craziness, is seriously being considered for a post of respectibility in the new Congress.

Unfortunately, similar behavior among Democrats indicates thatTea Party insurgency fears (half the Blue Dog population were replaced by Republicans), are dragging the party responsible for electing America's first black president so far back from traditional principles as to be indistinguishable from any "loyal opposition." In fact, the very concepts of loyalty and opposition are disappearing in the face of fear, corruption, and manipulation driven by record amounts of money now flooding the political process. 

This comment left at a Krugman post may be prescient.

As an octegenarian, New Deal, Franklin D. Rosevelt, Yellow Dog, Democrat, I am watching with anticipation the '21st centurys economics lesson. Todays headline says it all. "Republican State Legislators will reduce spending to balance budgets".
The States, combined with the new "do nothing" House will make a serious step toward economic sensibility. God help us. A whole bunch of people are going to learn that the antonym of stimulate is depress as in depression.
Before the two years until the General Election are over, depression will have favored us and the Country will be busy apportioning blame. The chaos of the severe depression will bring us either a leader or a police state. I expect a police state to keep the have nots under control. The police state will not require much change as we have the corporate control in place and a compliant Supreme Court.
Pray that I am not a prophet.

Lest we dismiss that part about a police state to keep the have nots under control as hyperbole, consider that voices in Texas are seriously contemplating sacrificing billions of Federal dollars by withdrawing from Medicaid, citing swelling costs brought on by the bad economy. The blame is being placed on "Obamacare" despite the fact that increased enrollment under the new law will cost the states nothing unti 2016 and even then will cover 90% of any increases. 

Many governors "have predicted fiscal calamity" will result, but "[u]nder the new law, the federal government will pick up 100 percent of the cost for all newly eligible people through 2016, a rate that will drop gradually to a 90 percent match in 2020 and beyond"

Thankfully not all the states are as nutty as those in the South.

Massachusetts voters have, for the second straight election, overwhelmingly affirmed their support for single payer health reform by turning in majority �Yes� votes in all fourteen districts where local single payer ballot questions appeared on November 2. The ballots spanned 80 different cities and towns in a state of 351 municipalities, winning in every city and town reporting results so far except two. Five of the districts backing single payer reform voted for Scott Brown in last year�s special senate election, which was largely seen as a referendum on national health reform, showing that the goal of improved and expanded Medicare for All is supported by a diverse range of communities across the state.
[...]
Mass-Care also wants to extend its congratulations to the Vermont single payer movement. Peter Shumlin was elected Governor of Vermont running on a single payer platform. This is incredibly exciting as the Vermont legislature recently commissioned Dr. William Hsiao, the designer of Taiwan�s single payer health care system, to draft an implementation and impact study for a potential single payer plan in Vermont.

But if a few states are irrational enough to allow the uninsured ranks to swell even further without the Medicaid safety net there will be enough desparate people, homeless, unemployed and getting sick, to push the edge of civil unrest, in which case we may witness the activation of that police state to keep the "have-nots" under control.