Two reasons, really. The first – Obama was for it. The GOP made a strategic decision to 100% oppose anything that President Obama favors, good American patriots that they collectively are.

But the main reason is this:

A big chunk of the money to pay for the bill comes from lifting payroll taxes on households making more than $250,000. On average, the annual tax bill for households making more than $1 million a year will rise by $46,000 in 2013, according to the Tax Policy Center, a Washington research group. Another major piece of financing would cut Medicare subsidies for private insurers, ultimately affecting their executives and shareholders.

This is why our Congressman Pete Olson and the rest of the Republicans whipped up the emotion-charged but intellectually challenged tea-baggers, and continue to squeal like stuck pigs over a health-care bill that really didn’t go nearly far enough.

The Republicans don’t care what percentage of Americans are unable to afford health care. That’s because (duh) the Republicans really only represent the rich corporate elite. Among their core constituency is the insurance industry executive management. And multimillionaire Rush Limbaugh. And multibillionaire Fox News owner Rupert Murdoch.

Which also helps explain why Texas Gov. Rick Perry and his sidekick AG are willing to play to their extremist base and flush at least a few hundred thousand dollars (of our tax money, not theirs) down the toilet in a futile legal challenge suggesting the federal government can’t force such a bill on the states.

Which I guess means they’ll be suing to dismantle the IRS and national income tax next. Good luck with that.

Personally, I can’t wait to hear the logic the GOP comes up with when they try to convince the Glenn Beck tin-foilers that stricter financial regulation is as evil as providing poor children with the ability to see a doctor.