Obama’s Own Orthodoxies

In his latest column , Bill McGurn looks at the Obama administration’s unwillingness to entertain debate on healthcare reform:

“President Obama says that both sides agree we need to lower costs, promote choice and provide coverage for every American,” says Grace-Marie Turner, president of the Galen Institute, a free-market health-care think tank. “But he never confronts the simple fact that the measures he’s supporting achieve none of those goals. Instead of debating, the White House attacks anyone who raises a question.”

Of course, when fundamental human rights are at stake, it seems churlish to worry about little things such as the price tag. Or higher taxes. When it comes to the Holy Grail of universality, liberal intentions are far more important than actual outcomes . . . .

In his inaugural address, Mr. Obama dinged his predecessor when he asserted that his administration would “restore science to its rightful place.” The implication was unmistakable: In place of rigid religious orthodoxies, Team Obama would be clear, cool and pragmatic.

It turns out that the president has his own orthodoxies. These may owe more to his liberalism than to his faith. But they help explain the tenor of the attacks on those who dare question them—and the growing prospects for a major defeat in Congress on the president’s signature issue.