Welcome to More Politics of "No"

John Boehner's pledge to dismantle the health care "monstrosity" sounds like more of the same rhetoric, lacking any real substance. What exactly does he think is a "common-sense" reform?


As Jacob S. Hacker and Paul Pierson explain in their article "The Stalemate State," doing nothing is not really doing nothing; it's more strategic than that:

"Even if Congress can't pass new laws, things don't stay the same. Instead, the role of government will change profoundly as major shifts in the economy and society affect how policies work. We call this process "drift," and it is anything but benign.

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But more often than not, drift is a quiet, passive-aggressive form of politics. It is not marked by dramatic partisan fights or big signing ceremonies -- but by nothing happening. No Deal rather than the New Deal. And because it amounts to reform by stealth, drift can be used to achieve things that few elected officials would openly pursue.

Drift plays favorites. It gives advantages to the organized and vigilant and those who want the government to be less and less involved in shaping American society and responding to social and economic challenges. Drift empowers those who work in the shadows of politics: lobbyists and interest groups and activist networks."