Health Care Health Care
Mar. 24th, 2010 05:21 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
4thofelevenSo, general consensus is that Rudd won yesterday’s health care debate, owing almost entirely to the fact that Abbott didn’t actually have a policy to debate. One really has to wonder why he agreed to the debate in the first place when he’s openly admitting the Opposition doesn’t have a health policy at the moment. As it is, the ‘debate’ ended up largely a question and answer session on Rudd’s policy with Abbott left with nothing to contribute than the occasional rather childish insult.
Meanwhile, the US has actually made its first tenuous steps towards something that could possibly be considered an adequate health system. A lot of comentators seem to be treating the failure of any Republican representative to support the bill as the death-knell of the Republican party. (Of course, a few weeks ago, the failure to pass the bill was being treated by many of the same observers as the death-knell of the Obama administration.) I’m not convinced – it might cost them some votes in the short term, but the level of party unity the Republicans have can only be an asset in the long term, and from a policy point of view, their refusal to compromise gives ultimate power to the conservative wing of the Democratic party, moving the moderate position further right.
Meanwhile, the US has actually made its first tenuous steps towards something that could possibly be considered an adequate health system. A lot of comentators seem to be treating the failure of any Republican representative to support the bill as the death-knell of the Republican party. (Of course, a few weeks ago, the failure to pass the bill was being treated by many of the same observers as the death-knell of the Obama administration.) I’m not convinced – it might cost them some votes in the short term, but the level of party unity the Republicans have can only be an asset in the long term, and from a policy point of view, their refusal to compromise gives ultimate power to the conservative wing of the Democratic party, moving the moderate position further right.
no subject
on 2010-03-24 06:44 am (UTC)I was watching the (local) news on this - apparently 3 states are already putting together lawsuits over this. :(
no subject
on 2010-03-24 06:46 am (UTC)