TEAPARTY'ERS SCAPEGOATS FOR UPSCALE DEMS ON HEALTH REFORM

Pasadena Sub Rosa ^ | October 4, 2009 | Wayne Lusvardi

[WayneLusvardi]

John Fund - WSJ "Obama's Two America's"

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704471504574445134229948894.html

Excerpt: Why is Barack Obama having trouble getting a health care plan through a Congress dominated by his own party? Partly because the coalition that elected him is an unwieldy blend of the rich and the poor. The two groups view the need for radical surgery on the nation's health delivery system quite differently.

But he also calls the Obama coalition a fragile one when it comes to economic issues. The Gallup Poll reports that voters earning under $30,000 a year wanted health care reform by a 13-point margin. But those earning over $75,000 a year opposed reform by 16 points.

The splits in the Democratic majorities in Congress reflect this tension. Health-care reform often pits members whose districts and states contain many uninsured people against fellow Democrats from wealthy districts who fear reform will squeeze research hospitals and generous health insurance plans.