Cato Echoes Kristol's Point on Health Care

by: David Sirota

Sat Nov 22, 2008 at 18:06


This week, my newspaper column noted that in 1993 Republican strategist Bill Kristol predicted the permanent minority status of the GOP if it allowed universal health care to pass. Interestingly, the Cato Institute is now echoing Kristol's argument for 2008 (h/t Jed L).

As you can see, Democrats really do have not just the moral or electoral mandate motive to enact universal health care, but also the raw political motive. As I said in a post earlier this week, I'm cautiously optimistic that the Obama folks are perparing a major push on health care.

David Sirota :: Cato Echoes Kristol's Point on Health Care

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Cato Echoes Kristol's Point on Health Care | 27 comments
Obama (0.00 / 0)
You have written several posts criticizing Obama for what you perceive as his tilt toward the right.

Why, then, do you here on healthcare in this post not mention where it's clear he's moving leftward. Here's just one link:

http://www.prospect.org/csnc/b...

This is not including the other major indicators that he plans to overall the U.S. healthcare system in a leftward direction.

Or maybe your argument even here is that he's not "left enough"?

Why also have you not discussed the stimulus package that is currently mentioned in the Quick Hits? This proposes New Economic Stimulus Plan 2.5 million jobs in energy and infrastructure. Is that not progressive enough. Here's that link:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11...

I am not advocating you not criticize. I do wish you would take a more balanced approach. I will continue to push you to do so as I believe this site, and sites like it, can serve a vital function if you are a little more balanced.


Ahem (4.00 / 1)
[ Parent ]
Haven't You Already Been Told You Don't Do Subtle? (4.00 / 1)
Why do you keep on trying?

No one can see you when you do!

Oh, now I get it!  The old "cloak of invisibility" routine.

Sweet!

"You know what they say -- those of us who fail history... doomed to repeat it in summer school." -- Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Season 6, Episode 3

[ Parent ]
Because to be quite frank (0.00 / 0)
I don't check every post he writes. I follow as much as I can, but I am human. So why try?
[ Parent ]
I am glad to see it (4.00 / 1)
And apologize. My main focus is on getting stuff done rather than personality differences. When you discuss policy rather than personalities, we can both agree that's a good thing since I often agree with it. Although we do differ on trade.
[ Parent ]
what do you think of stimulus package? (4.00 / 1)

[ Parent ]
Hey (4.00 / 1)
an uplifting diary about progressive politics! I like this out of you. And, you have to be happy about Daschle, no? Since that was a VERY pragmatic move to shove health care through the Congress.
Yes, and I made that quite clear (4.00 / 3)
[ Parent ]
Are you saying true (0.00 / 0)
universaly healthcare or what Obama proposed.  I'm not advocating one or the other here, just wondering if your saying Dems are going to push single payer, what Obama proposed, or something else.  
Hmm (4.00 / 1)
Obama wont do single payer.. just so no one is disappointed or wasn't clear enough on his GE campaign promises (or his fight with Hillary for that matter). However, I love his push to have a choice between private AND public health care, it makes it more quality driven and gives people more options (go to private if you are rich or want exotic coverage or get the same as congressional people if you want more stability)
I see it as a trojan horse too (0.00 / 0)
namely that having a public healthcare option eventually may naturally lead to single payer as people get used to the idea and companies int he private sector are not able to compete with the resources and cost reduction in premium that the public options provides.  
[ Parent ]
thats why (0.00 / 0)
it won't be in the final law. It is a threat to the insurance companies. It'll get dropped in exchange for insurance cos not opposing community rating or something like that.
[ Parent ]
How do I argue against what you are afraid will happen? (0.00 / 0)
For the record, the major legislative battle I was expecting would have been by someone like Baucus, but he has signed on to a public option. The devil is in the details, but none of the people running the show seem against it. I think we need to start saying to some of you that 2009 isn't 1993. The American public and the Congress wants this. the President wants this. I don't thik the insurance companies matters as much as they did in 1993. SUre they can throw money at this, but its hard to obscure existential economic threats that the American public now feels that they did not in 1993.
[ Parent ]
i hope you are right (0.00 / 0)
but I have a hard time believing that congresspeople will be willing to stand up to the insurance companies fighting for their lives. Americans may feel the economic threat, but congress is composed of rich people insulated from that. And i don't think most of the public has a strong opinion on the existance of a public option, as important as it is.
[ Parent ]
The public supports a public option by a high margin (60 percent or above) (0.00 / 0)
It goes higher depending on the nature ofthe public plan. Ie, some prefer a state based block grant approach.

Othrs a federal, but the overall number hasn't been below 60 for almost 5 years now in every survey done. Probably longer, but I haven't checked since following the polling in 2003. You should really look at he polling data.

The  only part of Congress that may have resisted it was the Senate- that's why Baucus's plan getting on board was such a big deal. The House will almost certainly be more liberal than the Senate it seems. So if the Senate is not against it there are no Congressional impediments.

The WH under Obama's team have come out heavily iin favor of it. They don't want to go small from the choices they are making- not just Dascle , but from teh guy running the OMB- check out Ezra Klein's site about him. This particular issue goes across the idealogical divide. There are a lot of moderate Republicans now for public health. Some conservative ones too.

This is why the true partisan conservative purists are writing articles like the one that David mentions above. They know there is a public fervor for this. They know its not 1993.

The key thing you need to realize is that on many key economic issues the pendulum has swung. That's why McCain's Obama is a socialist didn't work. Most people were thinking "good." I am jokign a bit. It wasn't so much good as they didn['t care. He spoke to them on the issues of which were importance to them. Healthcare was a big one.

We are no longer arguing about whether there is real public support. Its a matter of doing it smartly. That's bout it.  

[ Parent ]
The "my newspaper column" locution is weird. (0.00 / 0)
I like your writing, but the awkward way you refer to your own work is increasingly difficult to ignore. Is there some search engine reason to label it that way?
This Is to Be Expected (0.00 / 0)
The Rs will fight universal health care tooth and nail.  Having Daschle as the lead health care person is good b/c he was deeply involved in the Clinton Health Reform battle and can use the lessons learned to the Obama Admin's advantage.
personally (0.00 / 0)
i'm much more worried about the lobbyists and the blue dogs than I am about the GOP
[ Parent ]
the house is not a concern (4.00 / 1)
the blue dogs willb e side lined. I should point out there is another big difference between 2009 and 1993. There are a lot of other stars aligned in our favor including big business (believe it or not), liberal organizations founded for the purpose of driving this issue, etc. I just think we are too caught up in what stopped us before not realizing that the dynamics are very different.  
[ Parent ]
Cato Echoes Kristol's Point on Health Care | 27 comments
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