Hillary or Obama? The deciding issue for me
Fri Feb 01, 2008 at 08:41:23 AM PDT
I have been supporting Hillary throughout this campaign, and at times I have sharply criticized Obama out of partisanship. But the reality is that I find many things attractive about Obama too. I like his ability to bring out large numbers of new voters and to appeal to independents and moderate Republicans. I think he could represent a new face of the U.S. in international diplomacy and I like many of his ideas about transparency in government. There are times when I wonder if I have made the right choice in this election.
Of course I also admire many strengths about Hillary--her long-time commitment to children's and women's issues, her experience and knowledge in international affairs, her willingness to fight for what's right, her policy ideas about education and other issues. And Hillary is also bringing out huge numbers of new voters, especially working class women. How to decide?
Well, though I am attracted to Hillary for a wide range of reasons, there is one definitive issue that confirms my support for her. More beneath the fold.
The issue for me is health care. I recognize that many people support Obama due to his 2002 position on Iraq, but I don't see much difference between the two on how they will respond to Iraq now. However, I do see big differences on the issue of health care.
I see this election as a almost a unique chance to achieve universal health care in the U.S. And I'm afaid that if we don't do it now, it could be decades before we achieve it. And I want to express my appreciation to John Edwards and his campaign for helping to move us forward on that issue.
For me, the problem with Obama is not only that his plan does not call for universal health care, but that his campaign is actually based on fighting against universal health care.
Here you can see a screenshot of a mailer that he is still sending out. It includes a picture of a stressed working couple, worrying about their health care future (sitting in virtually same position as the infamous Harry and Louise ad; click on the link and you can compare the two ads for yourself. The text of Obama's mailer is as follows:
Hillary's health care plan forces everyone to buy insurance, even if you can't afford it. -- Obama campaign mailer, January/February 2008
Let's ignore for a moment the fact that the affordability subsidies in Hillary's plan are just as aggressive or more aggressive than Obama's. Let's also ignore the fact that Obama "forces" people to buy health care for their children. And Obama also talks about requiring people who don't buy health care, but who later need it, to pay back premiums. What makes more sense: for people to pay premiums all along or to be required to pay extensive back premiums after they suffer a catastrophic disease or accident and possibly can't even work?
Put these points aside, though. The key point for me is that the sine qua non of universal health care is mandating everybody to be part of it, whether through a tax-funded or employer-funded or user-funded (with subsidies) system. If people opt out, then it is no longer universal. To try to create an opt-in universal health care system would be like trying to create an opt-in universal social security system -- it would destroy it before it ever got started.
Some people on this site have suggested that Barack's strategy is two-step, that he is trying to build a non-universal health care plan as a first step toward a universal plan later. However, even if true (and there is no evidence of that), I think it will be impossible to achieve since he is actively trying to seek election on the basis of his opposition to "forced" inclusion in a plan.
So, in the occasional moments when I wonder if I have made the right choice for president, I ponder the two candidate's health care plans and the answer for me is clear. In 2008, I will definitely give my support to the candidate campaigning for, not against, universal health care: Hillary Clinton.
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