Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is desperately trying to get a health care bill passed. He certainly thinks it is the right thing to do, but right for what reason. He probably does think that increasing government involvement will make health care cheaper and therefore more accessible. That is a laudable goal, but one which is probably not going to be achieved by any bill that Democrats will pass. The second reason a  health care bill is the right thing to do is political, and that is not laudable. Government-run health care will increase people’s reliance on the state and therefore predispose them toward the party of government, the Democrats. This is clearly self-serving and it is doubtful that Democrats don’t think about this when pushing the health care issue. But Reid has his own selfish reasons for pushing the bill. Polls show he is in trouble in his re-election bid for 2010. A Mason-Dixon poll released December 4 shows his approval rating at 38%. In August it was 37%. Reid needs a game-changer to force Nevada voters to give him a second look. Health care reform, good or bad, is the game-changer that Reid went all-in on. He is willing to abandon his nominally pro-life past to get this passed.

Kathryn Jean Lopez writes in The Corner how difficult it will be for the Majority Leader to fashion a compromise bill that will satisfy the various dis-satisfied Democrats:

There’s much talk today about how Harry Reid will “fix” all his problems with Democrats and Joe Lieberman in his manager’s amendment. But can he really? Something that will make Ben Nelson happy and not leave Barbara Boxer screaming for Reid’s head as he sets back women’s rights (in her yelling of it)? Will Jim Webb and Blanche Lincoln be satisfied on Medicare cuts? How many Dem senators are just looking for any excuse they can latch onto not to vote for the mess? (Probably all the aforementioned.)

Somehow, I think he will convince — bribe, guilt, arm-twist — skeptical Democrats and independent Senator Joe Lieberman to vote for the Senate version of Obamacare. But such deal-making won’t work in the House. Any hope to defeat Obamacare is in the House of Representatives. G. Tracy Mehan at The American Spectator says:

There is a large contingent of pro-life, Blue Dog and simply scared Democrats in the House of Representatives, which actually passed the Stupak amendment, its version of Nelson-Hatch, who are beginning to think hard about their re-election chances if all the hard work on the life issue comes to naught. With more people telling Gallup that they are pro-life than pro-choice these days, they may wonder why their congressman or woman is still hanging around with the likes of Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid. Indeed, Harry Reid is not looking to0 strong at home either.

The genius of the American system will save the Republic from a bad health care bill. Members of the House of Representatives must face voters every two years. Obamacare is now broadly unpopular across the United States and opposed for specific reasons from various constituencies. Members of the House and some senators face the same pressure at home, but Reid, in his desperation, is not listening to those who are worried about the ambitious government takeover of health care and expansion of abortion it will entail. The three dozen or so blue dog Democrats have their own selfish reasons for voting against a health bill that expands abortion, but at least they are on the side of the angels

Oswald Clark is the economics reporter of The Interim and an Ottawa and Boston based economist.