Winning The Battle Only To Lose The War , Or Be Careful What You Wish For

 

 

 

 

” In the 1920s, Republicans controlled all branches of the government and passed significant laws dramatically reducing immigration. However, that policy success had an unanticipated side effect. Millions of immigrants at the time were routinely going back and forth between the U.S. and their homeland. The new laws eliminated that option, and so they had to make a choice, and many opted for U.S. citizenship. In the 1930s, they became a key part of the New Deal coalition that gave political control to the Democrats for a generation. That certainly was not what the Republicans had in mind.

Today, the chattering class in D.C. is virtually unanimous in declaring that the Democrats have won the political battle over the so-called government shutdown. But it’s hard to see the overheated rhetoric of the past few weeks having a major impact on the midterm elections. Substantive issues like the economy and the president’s health-care law are far more likely to determine the outcome.

That could be a problem for Harry Reid’s team. The Democrats won the current news cycle by lashing themselves ever more tightly to the president’s health-care law.

The “morphine drip” view that the public will get hooked and vote against their own interests is wrong. In fact, implementation of the law may turn out to be the best thing politically for its opponents.”

 

 

Illustration by Eric Allie

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

—