Karl Rove spoke last night in Las Vegas at a fundraiser for the Nevada Policy Research Institute, the state’s excellent free-market think tank. Rove predicted that the Democrats in Congress will pass a health-care bill fairly soon, though it won’t look much like the plan they originally sought. He also said that Republicans, having regained their political footing in part by opposing Obamacare, must now step forward with their own reform initiatives:
Conservatives should push for tax deductions and credits, computerized health records and reforms to keep doctors from having to worry about large malpractice lawsuits, he said.
“We’ll be defined this year by what we oppose, and we’re opposed to Obamacare,” said Rove, the deputy chief of staff for former President George W. Bush. “But by next year, we need to be able to articulate what it is we’re for, because there is a problem — some people are not getting health insurance and can’t afford it.”
Rove also weighed in on the internal debate about the future of the conservative movement:
Rove said that conservatives who believe the movement must decide between sticking to its roots or finding a new direction are looking at the argument too simplistically.
“We can draw on our timeless principles and apply them to the new circumstances we face as a country,” Rove said.