Ah, the good old days. Max Baucus was whittling away at our healthcare plan. Remember good ol’ Max? Anthony Weiner (who I despise) and Bernie Sanders (who I love) were refusing to vote for healthcare bills coming out of committees and proposing legislation that would replace it all with single payer. Some liberals were demanding the plan be scrapped entirely. Rolling Stone was calling Obamacare a “piece of shit” that would sour Americans on healthcare reform for a generation.
All the while, Obama kept asserting that passing a bill that improved access to healthcare, getting our foot in the door, it would change the equation. Many didn’t believe him.
And yes, in 2010 we paid a price. And in 2012 and 2016 we paid again. Meanwhile, bankruptcies were cut in half and millions of people gained healthcare access.
And now here we are in 2017.
And Republicans can’t pass an Obamacare killer that won’t also end up TAKING HEALTHCARE AWAY FROM about one in 13 Americans in our country. Imagine that. If Republicans pass their bill, 23 million or roughly one in 13 people you see walking down the street, sitting in your office, or eating dinner at your favorite restaurant would lose their healthcare and probably not be able to get it back.
Obama knew that would be the math.
Obama knew that once you give people a fairer deal it’s politically devastating to try to take it away.
Remember this lesson the next time we’re in power in Congress.
Letting the perfect be the enemy of the good is just bad strategy (not to mention it being pretty inhumane).
Really really bad strategy in the long run.
Fight hard. Bluff. Demand more. Castigate moderate Democrats.
But in the end… pass the damn bills. Because they’re “a big fucking deal” and it makes life for Republicans in Congress much much more difficult when their turn at bat finally comes.