My pal Adrienne Royer ponders the responsibility of pro-life forces in passing Obamacare, concluding:

It was the fault of the Republican party and Republican House members for not doing a better job in presenting their arguments. Pro-lifers should not be blamed for the failure of the party.

I generally agree. Right to Life exists to reduce and/or eliminate abortion; nothing more, nothing less. It’s their job to focus solely on abortion. Republicans and conservatives, on the other hand, took the easy way out by arguing the bill would fund abortions and health care for illegal immigrants instead of making broader arguments against government health care. Abortion and illegal immigration, of course, are emotional issues and are much easier to boil down to pure populism than are the constitutional ramifications and long-term impact of socialized medicine.

So instead of trusting people to grapple with the bigger issues, opinion leaders were lazy and latched onto abortion as a reason for opposition. The result was predictable enough: Democrats passed an amendment banning federal funds for abortion, giving the Blue Dogs enough cover to support Obamacare. If it is to be defeated in the Senate, a more comprehensive case against Obamacare will have to be made. Here’s hoping it is.