On the pharma subsidies, if the right-wing hadn’t been so opposed to anything connected to Obama, unwilling to negotiate for middle-ground, then the administration wouldn’t have had to go hat in hand to big pharma asking them what would it take to support the bill. Hence the giveaways, so Pharma would support health care reform.
Ironic, isn’t it? David Frum made this point. By taking a hard line, the GOP just isolated themselves further, and the outcome is worse for their supporters than if they had engaged in the outcome. Pretty foolish.