There are those who support passing to create "afforable health care". This is an impractical concept on the face of it because it's impossible to pass a law to set a price on any good. Healthcare costs what it costs, no matter what price control the government may pass. It's like the "cheap groceries" under the Soviet system. IT doesn't matter how cheap the bread is, if there is no bread on the shelf.
In the end, healthcare reform isn't about the price of healthcare. It's about pays for healthcare. Just because you make other Americans pay for your healthcare, that doesn't make healthcare cheaper.
Thre are those who claim that healthcare reform has not failed. They claim that progress has been halted by 3 or 4 "Corporate Democrats (and the GOP, we know their strategy already) who pledge allegiance and serve these companies and not the people".
This belief is based on a fundamental misunderstanding of how representative government works in a non-dictatorial state. In a free country, no matter how popular you are, you're only going to get so many people to cooperate with your proposals. You'll get the benefit of people who are in your party, but most of the time you won't get everyone in your party.
Simplify this concept by imagining 10 representatives sitting in chairs like so:
1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 0
Now imagine that that the people who sit in the chairs numbered from 5 to zero are all Democrats and the people who sit in chairs 1 through 4 are all Republicans.
Democrats and Republicans are not like the B'ath party. Unlike the old Soviets, Democrats and Republicans actually get to make their own minds up. Each one of those representatives has a free mind and a different interpretation of what they think is best. If you have a very popular proposal, you'll pick up a couple of people to each side of you.
In other words if you appeal to Representative number 5 and you are a Democrat, you will get votes from Republican number 4 and almost all the Democrats. The most socialist and leftward Democrats will be angry and won't be satisfied, but the legistlation will pass.
1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - (5) - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 0
But if you appeal to Democrat number 9 you have will have a very hard time of it. That's because there is no one left of 0. You will get zero Republicans and moderate Democrats will not support your proposal because they want to get reelected. Democrats like number 6 will go along with you out of loyalty to the party, but Democrat number 5 has a very tenuous hold on his seat. Each representative has to consider his particular district and his own political future when he votes.
1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - (9) - 0 - x - x
That in a nutshell is why the President can't pass a big socialist healthcare system. Not only does the country not want it, but the representatives in his own party won't vote for it.
Clinton was a successful President because he appealed to the middle. Many Democrats weren't satisfied with Clinton, but he understood the strength of the middle. Reagan appealed to the middle. Obama appeals to the left---that appears to be a dead end at the Presidential level.
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