Yes, surprisingly, the Republicans in the House and Senate would give Obama plenty of votes and cover for his health care plans if he would retreat on tort reform. The enormous costs of litigation involving medical malpractice could easily destroy the American health care system regardless of what that system is like. If Obama would simply agree to let America have the same limits on medical malpractice suits that are in place everywhere else in the civilized world, then Republicans would eagerly jump on board his health care bandwagon.
But, he won't do it. These trial lawyers, like John Edwards -- a paragon of virtue, that one -- are his mainstay supporters. Obama will not cross the wealthy trial lawyer crowd even to get his health care goals accomplished. He likes his rich people, he just doesn't like your rich people.
In the end, Obama won't get much and the voters will take away his huge majorities in the House and Senate next Fall. Voters don't like any of this and, once enacted, they will know fairly quickly who was telling the truth and who wasn't. Obama's Congressional allies are in deep, deep trouble in the Fall 2010 elections, no matter what finally passes, if anything.
