THE AMERICAN STYLE – AT 8:53 A.M. ET:  Michael Barone has a superb piece explaining the psychology of the public's rejection, in every poll, of Obamacare.  Barone is one of our most astute political observers, and his comments are incisive:

You are victims. You are helpless against the wiles of big corporations and insurance companies and you need protection. You need the government to take over and do things you cannot do for yourself.

That is the thinking of what David Brooks calls "the educated class" that favors the Democrats' health care bills...

...it's an argument that has often been appealing to Europeans but that has always been unappealing to Americans.

Why the difference?

Why do Americans reject such policies while Europeans seem content with them? One reason is history. Twentieth-century history -- and 19th- and 18th-century history too -- showed Europeans that they were often the helpless victims of tyrants and total war. That made them content to rely on government for security.

Americans have had a different experience. As scholars like Seymour Martin Lipset have documented, Americans are more likely than Europeans to believe that there is a connection between effort and reward. And to believe that they can improve their situation by their own hard work and ingenuity.

As a result, Americans cherish their independence.

And...

Americans tend to see themselves as independent doers, not dependent victims. They don't like to be told, especially by those with fancy academic pedigrees, that they are helpless and in need of government aid. That's why the politically popular American big-government programs -- Social Security, Medicare, veterans' benefits, student loans -- all make a connection between effort and reward. You get a benefit because you've worked for it.

And other popular programs, like safety standards in cars, or the Centers for Disease Control, often involve life and death issues that have not been addressed adequately in the private sector.

Obama, who has chosen to live his adult life in university precincts, sees...Americans generally as victims who need his help, people who would be better off dependent on government than on their own. Most American voters don't want to see themselves that way and resent this condescension.

Obama hopes to embarrass Republicans at his Thursday summit and persuade Democrats to change the legislative rules and jam through a health care bill. Tactically he's not likely to succeed. But his greater problem, on health care and other issues, is strategic. Most Americans don't share his view that they are victims, in need of protection and supervision by "the educated class."

COMMENT:  By "educated class" Barone means a certain kind of "educated" person – the kind who'd put his College Board scores on his gravestone.  Obviously, there are plenty of thoughtful, highly educated people who think differently.  And, yes, some serve in the government.  There are two highly educated Republican physicians, now United States senators, who will be at the health summit in the White House tomorrow. 

But I think Barone captures a certain attitude that many see among the American elites – elites who increasingly resemble the failed European elites.  Americans are catching on.

February 24, 2010