McCain's Plan for Health Insurance

Few would argue that the U.S. has a healthy health care system. Today Arizona Sen. John McCain is giving an address that argues against one thing that is good in the system, employer-provided insurance.

60 percent of Americans are covered by health insurance that is provided by their employer.

"Currently, the U.S. health care system is outrageously expensive, yet inadequate. Despite spending more than twice as much as the rest of the industrialized nations ($7,129 per capita), the United States performs poorly in comparison on major health indicators such as life expectancy, infant mortality and immunization rates. Moreover, the other advanced nations provide comprehensive coverage to their entire populations, while the U.S. leaves 46 million completely uninsured and millions more inadequately covered." -Physicians for a National Health Program

In this light McCain has suggested a change to the current system.

"[McCain's plan is] premised on the idea that the big problem in health care is that Americans have too much insurance – in their words, we don’t have enough “skin in the game” – and that only when we have to buy health care with money that comes directly out of our own pockets will consumers force doctors, hospitals and insurance companies to become more efficient." -Roger Hickey

According to his plan taxpayers would be given tax credit to buy their own insurance. If they can't afford real insurance, then low-cost insurance with high deductibles and many holes in coverage will become standard.

"...those who like their company health care plans could choose to stay in them. The credit would be available as a rebate to people at lower income levels who have no tax liability." -AP

To raise the money for this new system McCain would lift the tax exemption on employer-provided health insurance. This will cause most companies to drop their insurance coverage, forcing employees to use the new system.

Their seems to be many holes in McCain's health care plan that benefit the insurance companies. Is this progress?

McCain's Record Mostly Conservative

AP

Presidential candidate John McCain has fought hard to gain his label as an independent, by chastising fellow Republicans and seemingly working across party lines. This tactic may have alienated him from parts of the Republican party, but he hopes it will gain him the crucial independent vote in November.

Apart from his label as an idependent, McCain's Senate voting record is purely conservative.

The AP released a story outlining his records and positions on key topics.

The likely Republican presidential nominee is much more conservative than voters appear to realize. McCain leans to the right on issue after issue, not just on the Iraq war but also on abortion, gay rights, gun control and other issues that matter to his party's social conservatives.

He is also a supporter of a long term continuing presence of American forces in Iraq.

Project Vote Smart provides a full listing of McCain's Senate voting record grouped into specific topics.

McCain does support stem cell research, which has gained him the ire of social conservatives nationwide. Similar dissaproval comes from the monetary conservatives because of his support of campaign finance reform, the attempt to make money less influential in politics.

On most issues McCain remains strictly conservative. But, the few issues that make him eye candy for independents may sour his chances for full conservative support this November.

Al Gore to remedy dem. infighting?

The UK Telegraph ran an article concerning the possible late presidential candidacy of Al Gore. Senior figures within the Democratic party are said to be considering nominating Nobel prize winning Al Gore if Clinton and Obama continue infighting. Many fear that neither will beat McCain in November. 

Aids to the former vice-president have been discussing possibilities with the senior leaders, who are also those known as super-delegates. 

Polls have lately shown McCain stretching his lead over the other two candidates. Also, as many as a third of Clinton and Obama supporters say they would not vote for the other in November.

Gore is seen as a compromise candidate that could unite the embattled Democratic party.

Tim Mahoney, a Democrat congressman from Florida, said last week: "If it goes into the convention, don't be surprised if someone different is at the top of the ticket." This suggests the party would accept a Gore-Clinton or Gore-Obama pairing.

Hillary's Winning Scenario

AP

The New York Times' Adam Nagourney recently wrote a column analyzing Clinton's remaining chances.

There is only one obvious way for Hillary Clinton to clinch the Democratic nominee seat.

First, she must trounce Obama in Pennsylvania's and Indiana's primaries in April. This would backup worries that blue-collar workers are weary of Obama. It is believed he lost Ohio because of this.

She would also have to win Puerto Rico, which might make up for Latino votes lost with Gov. Bill Richardson's support of Obama.

These two events would need to be followed by enough of an Obama crash in the polls to convince Democratic super delegates that Clinton is the only one who can defeat McCain.

Obama is argues that the will of the democratic populace should not be overturned by the elite super delegates. This argument is so strong that it will probably take a steep decline in the polls to counter it.

Obama Gives Major Speech on Race

Obama gave a historic speech on race relations in the United States and the future of the country yesterday.

The intention was to dampen the uproar over remarks by Obama's preacher, Jeremiah Wright. The speech has gained an uproar of praise all its own.

The speech was written by Obama and only shown to a handful of his advisers before it was given.

The following portion of the speech offers a good summary.

I can no more disown [Jeremiah Wright] than I can disown the black community. I can no more disown him than I can my white grandmother - a woman who helped raise me, a woman who sacrificed again and again for me, a woman who loves me as much as she loves anything in this world, but a woman who once confessed her fear of black men who passed by her on the street, and who on more than one occasion has uttered racial or ethnic stereotypes that made me cringe. These people are a part of me. And they are a part of America, this country that I love.

Obama gave an enlightening interview to ABC News after the speech.

An MSNBC review and analysis of the speech show the overwhelming reactions of media outlets and the public.

Michigan Re-vote

This election cycle Michigan and Florida changed their primary votes to an earlier date so that their states would hold more power in choosing candidates.

They did this though the DNC told them it would violate policy and invalidate their state's delegates.

That it did, and the DNC has held that stance since.

Now, the two states have been scrambling to put together a re-vote, so that their delegates are not meaningless. This requires the state legislatures approval.

Florida's legislature is Republican controlled, and therefore a re-vote will not occur. But, Michigan has a Democratic controlled legislature that is has proposed re-vote legislation already.

According to MSNBC the Obama campaign just released a memo from top lawyer Bob Bauer, which contains concerns about the re-vote plan in Michigan -- the chief one being that Republicans, independents, and even Democrats who voted in the January 15 GOP primary would be disqualified from participating in the do-over.

Bauer writes, "Since any Republican or independent who did not vote in January in the Republican primary is fully free to participate in the June primary, the effect of the proposal is to enfranchise a class of Republicans while disenfranchising a class of Democrats—the ones who chose to vote in the Republican primary when they correctly understood that the Democratic contest was meaningless."

The Clinton camp has since rebutted his argument, and has stepped up pressure for Obama to accept the Michigan re-vote.

The rebuttal started:

"On February 8, 2008, Barack Obama stood in the aisle of his airplane and told reporters that he would be “fine” with a new primary in Michigan if it could be done in a way that gave him and Senator Clinton time to make their respective cases and the DNC signed off."

The DNC has given Michigan re-vote legislation a thumbs up, for the time being.

Today DNC Rules and Bylaws Committee co-chairs Alexis Herman and James Roosevelt issued a memo to the committee confirming that proposed legislation for a primary re-vote would fit within the framework of the National Party's Delegate Selection Rules. If it is passed by the state legislature and a formal Delegate Selection Plan is sent to the DNC, a meeting will be convened to consider the plan.

Yesterday's headline in the Detroit Free Press sums it up: “Michigan do-over depends on Obama's backing, Senate leaders say.”

Superdelegate Mambo

Clinton picked up two new superdelegates today. Iraq war critic Rep. Jack Murtha and DNC Committeeman Pat Maroney officially put their support behind Clinton.

This changes MSNBC's superdelegate count to Clinton 255, Obama 217; and the overall count to Obama 1,625, Clinton 1,506.

Prior to this, the Clinton campaign hadn’t publicly announced the support of a new superdelegate since February 7. And, since Super Tuesday, Clinton had lost seven super delegates while Obama had gained 47.

Clinton seems to be holding on just enough to get to the convention.