Ambivalence vs. Persistence

As many already know, the Senate-proposed health care bill is weak but not defected. As Paul Krugman acknowledged in Friday’s Op-Ed, the Senate health bill would be the biggest expansion of the social safety net since Medicare. It eliminates discrimination based on pre-existing conditions, provides aid to individuals not offered insurance by their employers, and avoids taxable benefits, a feature hallmarked by the Swedish system. The proposed bill should greatly improve the lives of millions of Americans, and after all, is that not what we want?

I nonetheless condone the lamentations of all those Democrats outraged at Obama’s accommodations. The lack of a single-payer system is something I may not get over until…well, whenever it’s implemented. I’m willing to overlook the obstructionism of the right for now, for the simple reason that Democrats have retained control over the Senate; the Democratic Party’s failure to deliver is simply inexcusable, and something I still cannot fathom. I may hope the future of this administration is more persistent on its goals; my patience over such accommodations is sure to run out.

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