Reid’s background music: ‘Turn out the lights … the party’s over’

With Sen. Harry Reid's popularity in Nevada stuck in the mid-30% range, it seems like an almost suicidal mission for him to continue along the track he is on in the divisive health care debate. He seems bound to support the liberal wing of the Democratic Party on another treasury draining government program. He as late as last week said he absolutely wants a "government option" in health care. And it certainly didn't help his cause when he stupidly did a Nancy Pelosi imitation by calling town hall protesters (most of whom were scared senior citizens) "evil mongers".

Yet, Reid remains drawn to this issue like a mouse to cheese. Some will argue that no matter what Reid does between now and 2010, he's going to face career-ending voter backlash. Maybe. I'd say this: He needs to disassociate himself from the unpopular parts of his party's health care legislation. Now. Otherwise, the background music you hear for the re-elect Reid campaign will be: "Turn out the lights ... the party's over."

For a sensible discussion of this concept, Harry should read this editorial from the Financial Times entitled "Obama should shift on health care".

  If Reid and Democrats would drop the liberal fantasy that private insurance companies are evil on their face, they could come to the place most Americans are at -- that is that you can still make good and worthwhile changes to America's health care system without demolishing the private competitive elements of the system.