Getting caught up in the intense, day-to-day political and policy battles over the health care reform debate, it can be helpful from time to time to step back and take a look at the big picture. Not that I have time myself, but I can point you to two excellent pieces that do just that.

First, National Review’s Ivan Kenneally identifies evidence of a disturbing trend emerging in the current political showdown. Key quote to whet your appetite:

Unfortunately, the contempt for public debate is one of the hallmarks of Obama’s technocratic approach to politics — in place of a healthy and democratic deference to public opinion, we get the assurance of expertise that comes with a bevy of special-issue czars.

Meanwhile, the always insightful Michael Barone writes in the Washington Examiner that the national political fault-line is shifting right before our eyes — economic issues and debates over the size and scope of government are trumping old cultural divides.

Check them out. Of course, if you still want to be engaged in the day-to-day debates in an entertaining way, check out the Independence Institute’s popular new health reform video.