Republicans are Only Opposed to Redistribution that Goes Downward

Matt O'Brien's Wonkblog piece might have misled readers on Republicans views on the role of government. O'Brien argued that the reason that the Republicans have such a hard time designing a workable health care plan is:

"Republicans are philosophically opposed to redistribution, but health care is all about redistribution."

This is completely untrue. Republicans push policies all the time that redistribute income upward. They are strong supporters of longer and stronger patent and copyright p...