Editor 's Note : Republican strategist Alex Castellanos was a campaign consultant for Mitt Romney 's presidential campaign and has worked on more than half a dozen presidential campaigns . Castellanos is a partner in National Media Inc. , a political and public affairs consulting firm that specializes in advertising . Alex Castellanos says stimulus bill is a cover for a bold plan for government to rule key parts of private sector . ( CNN ) -- Two Congressmen walk into a bar to watch President Obama 's first prime-time press conference . The Democrat says to the Republican ... . D : Just watch the president tonight and you 'll see how to get this economy back on track . Monopolies . R : Monopolies ? D : Monopolies so big they will shame Parker Brothers and make them put the board game in a bigger box . Monopolies so huge , they 'll make railroad tycoon Cornelius Vanderbilt look like a push-cart operator . R : Why monopolies ? D : In these desperate times , we ca n't afford to let Americans choose inefficient cars or wasteful health care . We ca n't let innovation run wild on Wall Street or Main Street . We have to make sure Americans are secure in their health care and jobs , their incomes and energy . To serve the greater good , we have to organize America 's economy so it achieves the best possible ends for all Americans . We ca n't leave that to chance . Who knows what might happen if individual Americans make those choices in a free market and organize themselves ? R : A little less freedom , a lot more organization , all for the collective good ? D : My friend , we need a directed economy , where we limit people 's choices to those that serve the best social ends . Our nation 's development is best controlled by monopolies , not some atomistic economy where Americans are free to make almost any choice and organize bottom-up , according to their own whims . That means , big , honking , all-powerful monopolies . R : But during the campaign , Obama talked about change , fueling `` bottom-up prosperity . '' This sounds like the same old , top-down , industrial-age stuff Democrats have been pitching for years . D : You betcha ! Bottom-up campaign rhetoric just ran into the top-down Democratic establishment from Washington . Guess who won . We 're going to create monopolies in the biggest sectors of the economy , starting with banking and financial services . Even after the meltdown , that 's still the largest stock market sector , 16 percent of the S & P . R : Follow the money . D : Exactly . With massive regulation , caps on pay and restrictions on risk and competition , we can turn the entire financial sector into a cross between a public utility and the DMV . R : And then ? D : We 'll create an energy monopoly that would make J. D. Rockefeller look like a gas station attendant . If it has anything to do with energy , we will control it , plan it and direct it . You are going to love your windmill . R : I 'm not feeling so good . D : That 's next . A health care monopoly alone will organize another 16 percent of the economy . Choice and diversity are great , but not so much in health care . We 'll throw in $ 20 billion at the start for paperless health records . Data , my friend , is power . You know where we will go : Cost controls . Restricted formularies . Nancy Pelosi can be your doctor . You do n't need a lot of choice . Just a good choice . Or a good-enough choice . Cough for me . R : Watch that . I 'm leaving . D : Now that you mention it , we ca n't forget the good old American auto industry . To borrow from Henry Ford , consumers can pick any color car they want , as long as it is green . R : Who are you going to get to run these monopolies ? You are dealing with increasingly complex economic networks . How are you going to coordinate the sophisticated relationships , the subtle interests and ever-changing needs of millions of American consumers ? Americans have traditionally done that themselves , in a natural and organic way , one to another , through the market . Who is smart enough to replace all that ? D : Congress . R : You are making this stuff up . The president is n't talking about huge government-run monopolies . All he 's talking about is the stimulus bill . iReport.com : Share your thoughts on the stimulus package . D : Of course . That 's the beauty of the thing . As long as we call it `` stimulus , '' we can pass almost anything that expands the power of government to command people 's lives . Why do you think Newsweek 's cover says , `` We Are All Socialists Now ? '' R : I need a drink . Do n't they serve Congressmen in this bar ? D : No . But you can buy one from a lobbyist . The opinions in this commentary are solely those of Alex Castellanos .
Alex Castellanos : Democrats think we ca n't let the free market rule economy . Republicans say that's a bad idea, and they're right. Castellanos says they also want to make key decisions for health care . He says stimulus bill is being used as cover for introducing bigger government .