Conservatives across the board have begun criticizing the expansion of SCHIP as being socialism in disguise. By expanding entitlements to middle class families, a point disputed by some of the program's supporters, more people are going to be made dependent upon government and less able to provide for themselves. Here are a couple sources for this idea:
- The Heritage Foundation
- Human Events
I'm rarely moved by the merits of accusations of socialism, but I think the effort is focused more on rallying public opinion. Conservatives admit that it is difficult to effectively counter arguments for expanding health care for children without seeming like a heartless ogre. Unless of course you can persuade people that doing so places those kids under the thumb of big brother.
I'll file this under "framing," the attempt to influence how people process information about a specific issue.
The show down over SCHIP's re authorization will be interesting. It comfortably passed both the House and Senate, but only in the Senate was the vote veto-proof. It may prove to be the first overrride of a veto in the Bush Presidency.
Here's my question: Are Democrats secretly hoping Republicans vote against this? It's a great issue for them, especially if the economy slips into recession as some economists predict.
