This is promising . . . Most Support U.S. Guarantee of Health Care . . . what is particularly promising is that Republicans have begun coopting the issue for themselves by pushing through generous universal-ish healthcare programs at the state level. While this makes the Democrats look slow . . . it also means that a universal program – either for every state or, more likely, at the federal level – seems more possible.

The apparent lack of support for Hillary Clinton does not mean her initiative was a failure because of her, or the impression that it is because of her as the article implies . . .

But Mrs. Clinton retained the confidence of nearly 6 in 10 Democrats on the issue, despite the politically devastating collapse 13 years ago of the national health initiative she helped develop early in her husband’s presidency.

The devastating collapse of her program was not due to her mismanagement, it was a very very effective blockade on the Republican side AND personal issues around her husband, presidential issues despite their private nature.

I find it fascinating that the Republicans, tradiational foes of positive social programs, are the ones who are coopting the issue most effectively. Of course, some are finally seeing the writing on the wall . . . the underclass in the United States is growing by leaps and bounds . . . under-coverage or no-coverage for health care is becoming the norm . . . this means lower productivity and it makes a very mean recipe for social chaos down the road. If you don’t want the masses mobilizing and tearing down the structure you need to feed them, care for them, and give them something else to focus on (Roman “bread and circuses” come to mind).

If the healthcare system in the United States is NOT radically overhauled and the lack of care of the underclass (which has increasingly been growing to include even the middle class) do not have adequate health care, then bad things happen, really really bad things.

In my opinion, in the longterm, it is not only political but societal suicide for the United States not to step up the plate on health care, education, and some of the other pressing issues of the day. I know I would, like most Americans not trapped into “box” thinking, would consider these to be far more important issues than “ranked far more important than immigration, cutting taxes or promoting traditional values” . . . immigration, for it but let’s make certain folks have opportunities and support to acclimate into the society in a positive and welcomed way . . . tradition values, whose values? The values card is a loaded one as you have to look beneath the surface on such things and see the deep structure function of the value and determine whether or not it is truly universal in the sense of providing positive current value to the society. It also has to become divorced from a Eruocentric primacy as well as from the implied religiousity the debate often takes up. You CAN NOT SOLVE the values question . . . too many variables in a multiplistic society and you have to allow that society to EVOLVE in positive directions. You CAN SOLVE the health care and education issues. These are clear cut problems which can have effective and workable clear cut solutions.