Hillary's been touting her healthcare plan as superior to Senator Barack Obama's, and even went so far as to call Obama's plan a "betrayal" of Democratic values. But let's get real-- Hillarycare can't cover any American if her plan doesn't get through Congress. When universal healthcare is signed into law, it will be the largest expansion of government power since social security passed in 1935. So let's be honest-- does anyone believe Hillary can build the bipartisan majority in Congress necessary to pass her insurance plan?
My firm belief, as a Democrat, is that Hillary Clinton cannot pass universal healthcare.
But let's get to this "mandate" nonsense. Senator Clinton is arguing that the only way to get every American covered is if you force every American to buy healthcare. Unfortunately, she hasn't told anybody how she would enforce this mandate. So until she clarifies what exactly she intends to do to enforce this mandate -- for example, whether she is going to fine people -- her attacks on Obama are more about scoring political points than making a real point.
The truth is, Barack Obama's universal health care plan makes coverage affordable for every single American, he just doesn't agree with Hillary's plan to start by forcing everyone to buy insurance they can't afford.
I think the real question is who can stand up to the special interests, bring Republicans and Democrats together, and actually make their plan a reality? Barack Obama is in the best position to do that because unlike Senator Clinton, he's been standing up to the special interests and bringing people together throughout his career.