"Democratic attempts to cover the uninsured stretch back almost a century. But opposition to universal government-provided insurance was always too strong. Slowly they moved their proposals to the right, relying more on private insurance than on government programs. As they shifted, the GOPs shifted farther right ultimately deciding that opposing any bill was in their political interest. Frank Luntz wrote an influential memo advising the GOP to talk positively about “reform” while also opposing actual solutions. McConnel persuaded his colleagues that they could make Obama look bad by denying him bipartisan cover. Today’s GOP has moved so far to the right that it no longer supports any plan that covers the uninsured, an approach which worked for them, until now. Lying can be an effective political tactic. Believing your own alternative facts, however, is usually not so smart."