Healthcare: what might have been (if only Obama had lied about it more!)

New York Cage Liner ^ | 4/28/12 | Lapidos

[pabianice]

Long before the sexting scandal that ended his career, Rep. Anthony Weiner advised the president on how to pass healthcare reform. Robert Draper reports in his new book, “Do Not Ask What Good We Do,” that in September of 2009 Mr. Weiner told the president, “I think you’re looking at this entirely the wrong way. You need to simplify it. Just say that what we’re doing is gradually expanding Medicare.”

That was code for a single-payer system, which the president insisted could never pass. But Mr. Weiner was undeterred: “You only have votes for something when you go out and fight for them.”

It’s impossible to say what might have happened if Mr. Obama had listened to Mr. Weiner, but with hindsight it’s obvious that his strategy had certain advantages. By framing the Affordable Care Act as an expansion of an already popular program—instead of as a bold new experiment—the Democrats could have better defended themselves against right-wing attacks. The ludicrous “keep government out of my Medicare” meme might never have taken off. Maybe we’d have ended up with the single-payer system liberals wanted instead of the Heritage Foundation-inspired individual mandate, which might not even survive Supreme Court review.

[pabianice]

Right. Should have called it "a small expansion of Medicaid." Incrementalism. Right out of the Alinsky Handbook.

[libstripper]

Weiner was probably the most virulent of the DemonRat vipers. Although not yet confirmed toothier leadership, he was well on his way to a place from which he would have done no end of damage to the country. Kudos to Breitbardt for stopping him in time.

[USFRIENDINVICTORIA]

The steady drip, drip, drip of incrementalism.

Give them a medicare inch, they'll take an Obamacare mile. Let that camel get its Medicare nose in the health-care tent, and his whole Obamacare body will soon follow. Slip the thin medicare edge of the health-care wedge in, and then drive in the Obamacare part — even if it splits the country. Heat up the water the medicare frog is in, and before it knows it, it's boiling in Obamacare. When they open the door to hear about medicare, put your foot in, until you sell them Obamacare.

[Mike Darancette]

If it’s good enough for grandma....

[hinckley buzzard]

Probably this analysis is on the mark. "Medicare for all" sounds fine and benign--as long as you don't ask who is going to pay for it all...