Cohesion

An editorial in the Houston Chronicle remarks on the fact the health care reform bill was passed without a single Republican vote. I've often written that the greatest distinction between Republicans and Democrats is the ability of the GOP to unify and march in absolute lockstep. I've watched them do it for years now, and a while back compared the GOP congressional majority to a Panzer division plowing through a field of daisies. Their ability to cohere allows Republicans to take the narrowest majority and use it to ram through any measure their leaders want. It's both awesome and nerve-wracking to behold.

Because Democrats tend to fragment rather than cohere, they need more substantial majorities to get anything done, and usually don't have them. This weekend, their majority was barely enough.

Whether the health care reform laws will survive court challenges or benefit most Americans remains to be seen. Will the Republicans pay a penalty or gain an advantage by having cohered in their opposition to anything Obama wants ? That also is up in the air for the moment.