Winning Elections or Solving Problems?

Last week, the Senate seat held by Ted Kennedy for close to half a century became occupied by a Republican, in what is arguably one of the most ‘blue’ states in the country.  And while Democrats are quick to argue that this isn’t necessarily a referendum on the national health care debate, there is a great concern at just how quickly the winds of change are blowing in a different direction among a forgetful electorate.  For Conservatives, this, along with victories in several other gubernatorial races, is a sure sign that independents have turned on the president, making it clear that health care reform is dead, and the hopes for the presidency in 2012 are very much alive.

In my particular context, most of the people I know lean (or are have chosen to reside permanently) to the right of things politically, so there is a great deal of excitement about Scott Brown.  However, I have been curious to know of the motivation behind all of this enthusiasm; is this an opportunity for Republicans to apply free market principles to the problem of health care, or are they simply content to take back the executive and legislative branches from the Democrats? I posed this question on facebook, and though I was given very little response on my page, a good friend posted the same question on his page, leading to a very interesting discussion.

I had a sneaking suspicion when asking the question that I already knew the answer. Therefore, I wasn’t surprised that any questioning of Republicans immediately lead to my being written off as a liberal (the beauty of the two-party system mindset), though I am staunchly independent.  Nor was I surprised that the way to argue against health care reform is frame the discussion as bankrupting the nation to provide for the poor and lazy.  Too often, the argument  against reform consists of something to the effect of, “this isn’t my problem, don’t raise my taxes.”   However, what continues to surprise me is the a number of people who argue this way are conservative Christians who have either ignored, forgotten, or overlooked the constant theme of concern for the poor in the scriptures.  One of the more overt passages is found in I John 3.17, which states, “If anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him?’

On the subject of health care, the question for believers is not “should our nation concern itself with the millions of people who cannot get/afford coverage?” The answer to this question for the Christian must be in the affirmative.  The question is, “What is the best way to reach that end?”  It is here where Democrats and Republicans will differ, for the primary difference between the two parties is that one seeks to solve problems through the means of government intervention, while the other seeks solutions through the free market … both of which, by the way, are acceptable political philosophies for the believer.  So, while the Democrats seek to pass a bill that will cost trillions of dollars to solve health care, Republicans should counter, not with an indifference to the problem at hand, but with solutions consistent with their political philosophy that will provide coverage for more people … solutions such as, but not limited to, tort reform and breaking down state lines of insurance companies … and not only should they counter, but if they are fortunate enough to bounce back from 2006 and 2008, they should be leading the charge on this discussion in the future.  Why take up such a toxic issue, you might ask?  Because if they don’t provide solutions, they shouldn’t be surprised when remedies are suggested, or even passed, by the other party of which they will not agree.  If Republicans believe that increased spending and big government will bankrupt the country, then provide small government solutions when given the opportunity.  Not only will you be helping people get health insurance, but it would give your political philosophy a tremendous amount of credibility.

My concern however is that when entering into the voting booth, too many are simply content to win elections and stop the other party, rather than looking at this as an opportunity to solve problems using their political philosophy … And if winning elections is the only concern, what happens to our broken health care system?  Ultimately, everyone loses if health care is not solved … the Republican party will lose again in future elections, the nation will lose as it seeks solutions through increased spending and greater debt, and the uninsured will lose as they wait for politicians to accomplish the purpose behind their being elected.