[Peace-discuss] Medicare and Bush Re-Election

[C. G. Estabrook]

[Given that one of the things AWARE probably should be concerned with in
the coming year is the electoral defeat of the Bush administration -- with
no illusions about the quality of the administration that will replace it
-- here's what seems to me a good account of the recently-passed Medicare
bill, from Nathan Newman <http://www.nathannewman.org/log/>. --CGE]

---------- Forwarded message ----------

I've been taking the somewhat unpopular position among leftists that
passage of the bill is good, both on policy and politics.

On policy, we now have the principle that drugs should be covered just
like every other kind of health care under Medicare.  Now, the question is
how generous the benefit should be, which is a winning terrain for
progressives. It's a lot easier to expand coverage in an existing program
than create a whole new entitlement -- a fact that conservatives generally
recognize and which is making most of the rightwing apoplectic as they see
Bush and the GOP push through this plan for short-term political gain.  
As for the "privatization" aspects, I just don't think a few pilot
projects and such are as threatening as most critics make out.  And the
very cost of the drugs will put pressure on Congress to actually pass drug
cost controls as a deficit fighting measure.

Emphasize the last point -- without the drug bill, cost controls on drug
manufacturers was just "anti-business regulation." With $400 billion in
government spending at stake, suddenly drug price controls is a way to cut
government spending, another good terrain for progressives to advocate
against drug company profits.

As for the politics, passing a shitty bill is worse for the GOP than if
the Dems had defeated it.  If the Dems had defeated it, Bush could have
said, "Well, I tried to fulfill my promise to give seniors a drug benefit,
but the obstructions Dems stopped me."  Now, Bush has full responsibility
for the details of the bill and seniors won't be happy. They'll recognize
that the trillions of dollars in tax cuts meant they only had this
pathetic benefit available.

So much for the juggernaut.

Nathan Newman