Democrats destroy party

Democrats seem to think their health-insurance overhaul will be a crowning achievement; instead, it will be the death of the party -- insofar as has been the protector of the little guy.

For that is how it has always seen itself. The party's roots go back to Thomas Jefferson, who inveighed against both the federal government and the money men who always seem to swarm around the federal funds, as in the Bank of the United States (the Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac of its day).

His successors continued the tradition. The party took its modern form with Andrew Jackson. Whether it was letting the muddy-booted masses into the White House to celebrate his inauguration, or killing the second version of the Bank of the United States, he made his mark as a champion of the common man.

Our discussion is not about whether their policies were consistent, or in the long run actually helped average Americans. Also left out is the reality that the party became the defender of slavery. What we are talking about is the political and psychological image of the party in the public mind.

That continued after the Civil War, with William Jennings Bryan its emotional leader. But mere opposition must have begun to seem frustrating as the corporations only grew bigger and the rich seemed to grow richer. Under Woodrow Wilson and Franklin Roosevelt, the Democratic Party no longer sought merely to oppose the concentration of power in Washington and Wall Street, but to take over Washington and dominate Wall Street. Whatever their successes and failures, they at least seemed to be taking the side of the average person.

And that's what average people seek. This may come as a shock to Big Business, but a great host of people don't trust the big corporations. That's why people want an ally. They are under no misconception, in most cases, that the Democratic Party is a perfect ally. But for decades it seemed to be the only ally they had.

That's why the current battle for nationalized health care could mark a serious turning point for the party. WhenBarack Obama took office, most people thought that Democrats would take their side against the big insurance andpharmaceutical companies — and probably the hospitals and doctors, too.

But the battle over the 2,000-plus insurance bills has revealed that, far from being allies of the people, the Democrats have become allies of the big corporations and the elite.

In June, the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America cut an infamous backroom deal with the White House and Senate Democrats. The companies vowed to hand over $80 billion in lower drug costs over the next decade and also pony up for a multimillion-dollar TV ad campaign to back the Democratic plans. The payoff: The legislation would take it easy on Big Pharma. The longer-term picture: The drug companies get more customers and less competition as government control stifles innovation.

As for Big Insurance, they too sold out. The big firms have already agreed to stop denying coverage to the sick and charging people higher premiums because of their gender or health status. What's in it for them? The mandate: ObamaCare will force Americans to carry health insurance, i.e., be customers, while driving smaller companies out of that business.

Those are just the big guys. Other industries and special interests did all they could to buy off the Democrats.

As the Journal has pointed out, they are finding out that the Democrats may be stabbing them in the back. However, that just shows the truth of the old adage that an honest politician is one that stays bought, and there aren't many in Washington who meet even that low standard.

Nevertheless, ObamaCare changes the psychology of the Democratic Party. It will no longer be a partner of theAmerican people; it will be a partner of business and the professional elites. The Democratic party may be thesenior partner, but it will be a partner nevertheless of the ruling establishment of our day. Allied with the establishment, the Democrats will be invariably drawn every tighter with the corporations and special interests they once fought.

That's just the broad view of the health-insurance bills. In a host of ways, they take power from the people and give it to elites: bureaucrats, businesses, and Washington power players.

If Democrats pass ObamaCare, they will be abandoning the American people. The people will know. They will turn then to who best seems to play the role of Jefferson, Jackson, Bryan or FDR. When that happens, historians will look back and see 2009 as the time the Democratic party turned its back for good on its heritage — and the American people.