It is very interesting that some Republican senators are admitting that the party is gambling its future by being in total opposition to the Health Care Reform working its way through Congress.
The admission has been made that it is highly unlikely that the legislation, once passed, could or would be repealed in the future, as it would require a President willing to sign the repeal, and a 60 vote margin in the Senate for the GOP with total loyalty to overcome a Democratic filibuster. The odds of a 60 member Republican Senate are near zero!
This conclusion has been stated by Idaho Senator Mike Crapo and Wyoming Senator John Barrasso. It makes a lot of sense, and it means the Democrats will gain the credit for the passage of health care reform long term, even if short term they might suffer electorally, which is still very much up in the air.
Again, it will be the Democratic Party which will be seen historically as the party of reform–Social Security, Civil Rights, Medicare and Medicaid, Environmental laws, Consumer laws, Labor Reforms, and dealing actively with the effects of the Great Depression and now the Great Recession!