The untapped resource of single-payer activists
Image by Steve Rhodes via Flickr
In an email this morning, the Democratic National Committee helpfully informed me that health care reform was being with met with opposition by orchestrated “mobs,” funded and coordinated by “Washington special interests,” a la the insurance companies. It’s true, but it’s beside the point. Granted, some of the right’s behavior of late has been troubling. They shouted down Congressman Lloyd Doggett at a town hall meeting, and held up an effigy of Rep. Frank Kratovil outside his office. Clearly, to strangle Obamacare in the cradle, right-wing activists have settled on a strategy of obstructionism. To do so, they’ve mobilized their activists in a way Obama and his allies simply haven’t done.
One Obama ally in particular has been noticeably absent: the army of single payer activists. Oh, sure, they’ve been out there. They host rallies, and, as Ezra Klein noted the other day, they’re a ubiquitous presence at health care events around Washington. But they’re plainly not integrated into the political dialogue right now. Because their goal is viewed as politically untenable–that is, single-payer has nowhere near the votes needed to pass–they’re seen as at best a distraction and, at worst, an impediment to real reform. And that’s among Democrats!
The first point is true. Single payer won’t pass. (Of course, its dim prospects are in part explained by the chorus of naysayers who insist it won’t pass, thereby zapping the movement of potential energy.) But that doesn’t mean the activists can’t play a helpful role. They can help push the boundaries of debate further to the left. They can be that loud, vocal counterweight to the loud and vocal right-wingers now having a field day. They can mobilize large numbers of people on behalf of health care reform. They have a message whose directness is its advantage–the same, unfortunately, cannot be said for the Obama plan.
I am not making an argument for or against single payer. I’m not a health care expert, and I am more than willing to be convinced of the wisdom of other solutions (Harold Luft’s book from last year was pretty persuasive on that front). I am only arguing that, insofar as it’s usually best to begin negotiations from your most strident–and yes, radicial–position, Obama and the Dems may have dropped the ball, politically, by excluding the single-payer community.
Post Your Comment
You must be logged in to post a comment
T/S Members
Log in with your True/Slant account.
Mr. Porter, no offense, but you have no idea what you’re talking about. Do you know how much a single payer health system would cost over ten years? No? That’s interesting; no one else can seem to answer that question either. We can’t even get a public option on the table without being called socialist and you think the advocates of this health plan would somehow be able to turn the tide? That’s ridiculous and more over if anyone that is for single payer even once looked over the stimulus package, they’d see the this Administration is building the infrastructure to bridge the gap between private to public.
If we don’t get healthcare reform it’s because people are stupid and believe the lies of the right…not because Obama didn’t allow Single Payer a voice. It’s not time yet, and to say differently is only showing lack of understanding of the healthcare industry as a whole. It’s bigger than just waving a magic wand, and every single payer plan I’ve read (nationally and state proposed) never include how to get from point A to point B…only what to do on day one. That’s a huge problem…and if we had proposed that policy, you can be clear…we wouldn’t have gotten this far yet.
If the Single Payer advocates were really interested in reforming healthcare, they wouldn’t be dividing the strength of this movement…they can blame themselves.
I think I said pretty clearly in the post that I’m not making an argument for or against single payer. I’m making a political argument. Right now, the activist energy is coming from the right. The most organized activists on the left, meanwhile, are basically shut out of the debate. Whatever you think of single-payer, I’m not sure why you think that less left-wing health care activism is a good thing. I suppose you could call for a more informed left-wing health-care activism, but that’s part of my point: it’s incredibly hard to mobilize people in support of a program as complicated as the Obama proposal.
In response to another comment. See in context »I’m not sure you’re right Ethan. I’m not sure sending a bunch of angry liberals out to confront an angry bunch of right wing wackos is such a good idea. The last thing we need to do is encourage a “pox on both their houses” attitude among the general public.
Brian–it’s a good worry to have, but I think is kind of a worst case scenario. And even in that worst case scenario, the kind of compromise that Obama would put forward–mandates, anyone?–would probably be more aggressively progressive than what Baucus and Co. are cooking up.
In response to another comment. See in context »I agree that the single-payer advocates are just the “activist ground troops” Obama needs. The problem is that Obama isn’t even trying to offer anything remotely close to single payer. The left isn’t some monolithic lemming pack like their opposition on the right. You can’t just yell ‘fascist” into a crowded movie theater and come out with a supportive political mob. Single-payer advocates want better healthcare and universal access to it. What is now going on behind the great ivory pillars is a sham. It has no support on the left because it is a corporate giveaway. It has no support on the right because it is another “big government” giveaway. Obamacare is doomed to fail.. and rightly so.
In response to another comment. See in context »Ethan I think people really need to stop speculating as to what the president is willing to “give away” and what’s he’s not. Maybe I’m a tad overly optimistic on this score but I think we’re going to come out of this with a very strong public option. Phone banks and letter writing campaigns will do far more good than sending in our own angry mob. Also don’t forget that in this battle the ultimate weapon is in our hands, passing health care by reconciliation.
Dissent is patriotic!