I was with some friends last night and as much as they liked the ruling yesterday, they just couldn't help looking for the cloud in the silver lining.
I asked one of them why it was that Democrats can never seem to be happy when they succeed. All he could say was that it's hard to be happy about something that isn't what it should have been. (This guy, btw, is an aide to a prominent Democratic Senator).
I nearly blew up at him. Good God people! Millions of people who couldn't otherwise get insurance can now do so. This victory will have a measurably significant positive impact on the lives of millions of Americans. And yet, because it wasn't the golden chalice of single-payer, it isn't something worth celebrating?
It's almost as if (some) Democrats think that celebrating a victory for a partial solution will somehow make the even better solution more difficult to achieve. My thinking is the exact opposite: celebrating this decision will cement it into the American psyche. It will create the foundation upon which the even better solution can be built. By not celebrating it, by responding to the decision with a "yes, but", you add to the American public's perception that the program is bad ("If even Democrats criticize it, it must be bad!")
I understand the wonk arguments about the details of both the plan and the court's decision and I'd love to have a discussion about them some day. But for today and the next few days, can't we just celebrate?