Even though the government and its friends in the United Auto Workers now own General Motors, the class warrior in Obama just can’t stop thinking of “Cadillac people” as The Enemy. In a PBS interview last week, President Obama talked of "penalizing insurance companies who are offering super, gold-plated, Cadillac plans." Ditto the Democrats in Congress. Kent Conrad (D-ND) is among those on the Senate Budget Committee who "would tax companies that offer Cadillac plans." On Face the Nation Sunday, Rep. Jim Cooper (D-TN) said that a surtax on so-called "Cadillac" insurance plans might be something that the Blue Dogs could support.

OK, so what’s the message here? The first is that there is something that, as the Texans say, “needs penalizing” about buying or selling Cadillacs. The second is that people who buy or sell Cadillacs will be penalized. And the third is that Democrats from the White House on down really don’t want anyone actually having a Cadillac, or being in the business of selling them. One wonders whether any of this rhetoric has been cleared with the Car Czar.

So far the Democrats are not threatening to tax the Lexus plans. And a good thing, too. If our politicians are going to refer to super, gold-plated stuff — even to demonize it and penalize people for having any of it — they should at least promote our own.

Yesterday, Senator John Kerry said his plan to tax "Cadillac" health benefits is gaining support. Makes you want to run right out and buy a Cadillac, doesn’t it?