Edwards health care pander

11/13/07 10:54AM EST

I think it's time to rehash this debate. The Edwards deadline--six months to enact a universal health care bill--though not the same as promising that everyone will have health care in six months, is pretty eyebrow raising. He plans to do this, you'll recall by proposing legislation "to end the health coverage currently provided to the president, cabinet, Congress, and all senior appointees in the legislative and executive branches unless they have met his deadline."

There's, of course, the Constitutional objection to this--"No law varying the compensation for the services of the Senators and Representatives shall take effect until an election of Representatives shall have intervened"--but I don't actually think that'd be a huge obstacle for him. I can imagine a compelling legal argument that insurance and compensation are distinct. I also see a bit of ambiguity in the word "varying". If, as part of the FEHBP pool, a congressman's health care costs the government $300 a month, then is it varying his compensation to pay him $300 extra per month and wish him luck on the individual market? I wonder how well crusty old Mitch McConnell would like that?

No, the real obstacle here is that the Congress would never pass the Edwards legislation. He'd introduce it, it would either languish or be filibustered, but it would never make it back to his desk. What Edwards could legitimately threaten, I suppose, is to veto the following year's appropriations unless they're stripped of health care provisions for congressmen and relevant executive branch employees. But then he runs the risk of being over-ridden, or possibly even shutting down the government. That's some seriously risky hardball, but at least it's within the realm of possibility. Six months, by contrast, seems impossible.

Comments

You're completely right, Brian, there's zero zero point zero chance that Edward's 'force their hand' proposal would be enacted by Congress, and any Presidential act he would undertake wouldn't have any effect in six months. It is stupid to bring this to the national breakfast table (or even the DC croissant/latte AM starter-snack line). What are his advisor's thinking? It just makes Edwards look ill-informed.

But, when a candidate (can I say Hillary?) bows to the dictates of political realism they get bashed as well.

Sometimes I pine for a UK-style parliamentary government, because then when the Prime Minister says something will be enacted, he has the high probability chance to make it happen since the Party is on the line (as well as the Government).

But, we don't have that. What Bush has had (a supine congress) is a close approximation, but it was done in the name of Bush, not in the name of the Republican Party.

My weak kneed solution: Edwards should say: As the leader of the Democratic Party as President, our party will commit to enacting health care legislation as our highest domestic priority and within six months of a new Congress in 2009. This makes this a party committment, shared with a Presidential committment. The vinegar in the milk is that Pelosi and Reid would not support this committment before a candidate of the party is formally chosen, and maybe not even then.

Churchill was right. Democracy is the worst form of government, except all the rest. The reality is that no promises can ever be expected to be real promises that lead to real actions. Isn't that a formula for cynicism?

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Edwards health care pander

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