One measure of heroism is found in how victors prevail. A more telling measure is found in how the vanquished bounce back.

All 178 House Republicans stood in unanimous opposition to the most odious single example of government invasiveness in generations. ObamaCare’s wafer-thin margin of success stands in contrast to the larger majorities in every current poll showing public distaste for a measure Democrats hail as historic and transformative. It is indeed historic. Never in history has there been such an attack on the Constitution by those sworn to uphold it. And it is surely transformational, in the manner in which a healthy cell transforms into a cancerous one.

The forces that seek to jam this down the throat of an unwilling nation are very pleased with themselves, filling the air with self-congratulatory analysis. But it is always combined with the reminder that, hey, we did this for you.

Relieved of the pressure of passing the bill, President Barack Obama now faces the pressure of making people like it. His PR tour will surely hit the same fraudulent notes as his countless pre-vote PR tours.

He will tell us America’s level of care will improve, that our coverage choices will widen and it will save money. And as it was throughout his year of pitching this snake oil, none of those things will have a basis in truth. He may have been able to entice 50.8 percent of the House of Representatives, but the far higher percentage of unconvinced Americans present a more daunting obstacle.

That opposition did not prevent his signature from hitting the paper on this monstrosity, but if a scorned public can maintain its focus until Nov. 2, further erosion of our national values can be averted.

Values? But wait, haven’t we been told that our nation’s values include making health care coverage a right? We have, but like the arguments used to underpin that assertion, it is untrue. No one should conflate health care with health care coverage. Of course a civilized society cares for those who are ill and impoverished, and no nation on earth does a better job of that than we do.

But insurance is not a right. It is a responsibility, something we should secure for ourselves at a time of our choosing. Making it a right comes at a cost that would bankrupt us if we were not already bankrupt. ObamaCare costs money we do not have while snatching liberties we do not want to lose.

Ultimately, the only way to fight back is to drive from office those who have done this to us. That will require long memories and deep resolve lasting to this November and November 2012.

Until then, many states are mobilizing to say no to this usurpation of their rights. Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott will lock arms with counterparts across America to show that the health care emperor has no constitutional clothes.

Article 1, Section 8’s commerce clause? Please. That gives Congress the power to regulate commerce, not create it by force of government will.

My favorite stunt is the embrace of Article 6, which asserts the supremacy of federal law over state law. This prevents states from passing laws in direct conflict with proper federal statutes – but applies only if the federal law in question is constitutional. A phalanx of warriors is gathering to assert that it is not.

Elections have consequences. Elected leaders may thwart the public will, but they may not disobey the Constitution. In a nation where fictions like a federal right to abortion can survive for decades, there is no guarantee that this challenge will succeed. But those mounting it will earn the admiration of all who believe in liberty and the rule of law.

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