(Community Matters)
We have tried to reform healthcare for 70 years. NO ONE has been successful.
Medicare will go bankrupt soon if it isn’t fixed.
Lots of folks have ideas about what the President is doing wrong, how he’s mishandled the whole debate. Hmm, has he?
Sure reminds me of all the backseat quarterbacking during the primary, during the general election. And, how’d that turn out? A progressive Black man, a national newbie beat Hillary Clinton in the primary and won the general election by a margin unseen by Democrats in 20+ years.
The President hasn’t handled healthcare reform like everyone thinks he should have either. He articulated broad principles – universal access, competitiveness and a system that pays for itself, with a quantified investment. He let Congress, the industries and the public debate, brainstorm and propose how to reach these objectives. Now he’ll propose specifics with the benefit of all the debate, research and negotiating. (Reminds me of the story Valerie Jareett told of his economic debate – Buffett, Volcker, Bernanke and Sumners debating for 1.5 days, then the president integrating their best ideas).
Lots of friends and politicians bemoaning the political risks of the President’s approach and emerging proposals. This reminds me of something else – of President Johnson securing the passage of the Civil Rights Act and acknowledging that he’d lost the south for the Democrats. Thank God LBJ had the courage to act in the best interest of the American people over the election prospects of his party and politicians.
Posted from my blackberry.
Community Matters 