What we ended up with was better than what we had. There is always the thought that you can get a better deal if you just hold out for longer, but sometimes, you can't. Sometimes the moment passes, and you end up getting nothing. The left has gotten to this point because they have incrementalized us to death. ObamaCare wasn't everything the left wanted because it lacked a public option, and wasn't a single payer system, but the smart folks on that side knew that it was a wedge that advanced the ball.
I'm kind of tired of always saying "next election". I want someone who can get the legislation that advances the ball -- even if it isn't perfect -- actually enacted.
I agree with you. My point really was more about the fact that welfare reform, whatever its merits, really wasn’t some big legislative victory to Gingrich’s credit.