Many media analysts say that today’s summit is all about the President gaming the healthcare debate. In fact, there is a much more interesting story at hand:  The impact on the American conservative class—and its impact on legislators.

This “Healthcare Summit” is the first and most visible litmus test of conservative leadership in Washington.  Simply:  After the elections in New Jersey, Virginia and Massachusetts, conservatives are watching to see what kind of people they have sitting opposite the President.

For half a century, conservative voters sent their representatives to Washington, only to watch many of them bow and retreat before their liberal counterparts.  This was due, in part, to a monopoly of the press by the left, which allowed every debate to be defined by their terms.

intimidation

Still, the result was that conservatives felt betrayed and insulted.  Either they had voted for a person who thought that the people who elected them couldn’t understood (or learn) the issues at hand, or they had elected a person who was so weak they couldn’t or wouldn’t formulate an argument to defend their principles.

Those days are gone.  Conservative voters are turning the tables.  What remains to be seen today is how “conservative” legislators respond to their conservative voter base. (more…)