They Just Don't Understand

You might be old enough to remember Will Smith when he was a singer and had that hit "Parents Just Don't Understand," which helped propel him to where he is today.

Well, after Tuesday's election of Scott Brown, it's clear the Democrats don't understand. Though they've been all over the news channels saying "Okay, we get it now," you can tell from their actions already that they truly don't.

Voters in Massachusetts -- and New Jersey and Virginia last year -- weren't just repudiating health care. Yes, that was a large component of their anger because it was the most prominent issue. They don't want the government getting rid of United Healthcare (UNH), by replacing it with government insurance. They didn't want Tenet Healthcare (THC) to collapse because the government was telling them how to run their hospitals.

That was part of it, but it wasn't the only thing they were protesting. In reality, it was a rejection of government. Not just big government, with its attendant backroom deals, crushing debt, and sky-high taxes, but government interference at all levels. The so-called "tea party" rallies weren't just sniping at one item, it was channelling the ire of people at all levels of government intrusion. And that's what Democrats don't get.

How else can we explain their decision to still press forward on some form of government health care? What can we make of their now focusing on attacking Bank of America (BAC), Goldman Sachs (GS), and Citigroup (C)? We weren't asking them to wage war on Wall Street.

The people are fed up with the government having given their money to GM and Chrysler. They're upset with money given to the banks. They're pissed about American International Group (AIG) going back into their pockets time an time again for more money. Obama and the Democrats are going about exactly the wrong remedy for what the people have said.

But this just isn't a screed against the Democrats. The Republicans have shown themselves fairly tone deaf when it comes to responding to the will of the people. They squandered enormous amounts of goodwill when they held the reins of power because they embarked on a spending program that tried to out do Democrats. And they paid the price.

I mean, just listen to Scott Brown ruminating on his election win. He specifically said he favors health insurance for all. He favors the government getting involved. It proves he was just the beneficiary of an irate populace that was directing its anger at those in power. Even he doesn't get it! What makes anyone think there's anyone in Congress right now -- maybe Ron Paul -- who understands that it wasn't a Republican/Democrat thing in Massachsetts; it wasn't a huge government-run healthcare plan versus a much smaller government-involved healthcare plan. It was a repudiation of government as the solution to every bit of adversity in our lives.

The Democrats don't get it, that's for sure. But neither do the Republicans.