President Obama will soon release a new budget, and the commentary is
already flowing fast and furious. Progressives are angry (with good
reason) over proposed cuts to Social Security; conservatives are
denouncing the call for more revenues. But it’s all Kabuki. Since House
Republicans will block anything Mr. Obama proposes, his budget is best
seen not as policy but as positioning, an attempt to gain praise from
“centrist” pundits.
No, the real policy action at this point is in the states, where the
question is, How many Americans will be denied essential health care in
the name of freedom?
I’m referring, of course, to the question of how many Republican
governors will reject the Medicaid expansion that is a key part of
Obamacare. What does that have to do with freedom? In reality, nothing.
But when it comes to politics, it’s a different story.
