Following the Public on Health Care

There is a point to all of my harping about the lack of health care proposals from most of the presidential contenders. Significant health care reform and universal health care is a winning issue. The public was ready for it during the Clinton Administration and nothing has changed since them, if anything support has gone up. Krugman pulls it all together in a fantastic column today.

But a funny thing has happened on the Democratic side: the party’s base seems to be more in touch with the mood of the country than many of the party’s leaders. And the result is peculiar: on key issues, reluctant Democratic politicians are being dragged by their base into taking highly popular positions. [snip]

Health care is another example of the base being more in touch with what the country wants than the politicians. Except for John Edwards, who has explicitly called for a universal health insurance system financed with a rollback of high-income tax cuts, most leading Democratic politicians, still intimidated by the failure of the Clinton health care plan, have been cautious and cagey about presenting plans to cover the uninsured.

But the Democratic presidential candidates — Mr. Obama in particular — have been facing a lot of pressure from the base to get specific about what they’re proposing. And the base is doing them a favor.... There’s no conflict between catering to the Democratic base and staking out positions that can win in the 2008 election, because the things the base wants — an end to the Iraq war, a guarantee of health insurance for all — are also things that the country as a whole supports. The only risk the party now faces is excessive caution on the part of its politicians. Or, to coin a phrase, the only thing Democrats have to fear is fear itself..

For Clinton, this is particularly disappointing, given her history in grappling with the issue. She is demonstrating unnecessary caution and passing it off as voter engagement.

The reason she hasn't "set out a plan and said here's exactly what I will do," Clinton said, is that she wants to hear from voters what kind of plan they would favor.

"I want the ideas that people have," said Clinton. She said any health care plan must deal with the reality that there's a unique climate in the country.

"We are bigger and more diverse and people like their choice," said Clinton.

Obama is also soliciting ideas from the public on his website. Really now guys, this simply will not cut it.

Hillary in one of her "HiillCasts" videos says (also posted below):

Look, health care is something I have fought for my entire life. And I think you all know I have the scars to prove it.

She wants to expand SCHIP, to cover all children. This would be her first step towards universal health care, but she fails to lay out any other details. Sen. Clinton does not actually have a policy section to her website, choosing to use video instead.

All of the candidates have a wealth of policy staffers holed up in headquarters formulating positions, statements and actual proposals. While I appreciate the attempt to draw the public into the discussion, it is not fair to say that you are unable to put forward your own plan until you hear from the voters. You know where the voters are at. It is high time you join them with substance.