Moseley Braun: Why stop now? (outlines health plan)

[papau]

http://www.cmonitor.com/stories/news/local2003/0c0c2692_2003.shtml

Moseley Braun: Why stop now?

ConcordPresidential candidate outlines health plan, changes she'd make

By ERIC MOSKOWITZMonitor staff

Given a chance, Democratic presidential candidate Carol Moseley Braun believes her proposal for a single-payer health-care system would not just lower the cost for the average person and cover all Americans but also boost the economy.<snip>

Nearly 15 percent of America's gross domestic product goes to health care, while the other industrialized nations are all below 10 percent.<snip>

Her plan would separate health benefits from employment - an anachronistic holdover from the post-World War II economy, she said - and instead charge Americans for health care as part of their income tax payments. Because the 43 million people without health insurance are not actually going without medical care, their emergency-room visits and other expenses are being borne by the insured. Bringing everyone into the fold would reduce the cost to the average person, she said, "because everybody pays income taxes.

"She called the tax cuts a false savings that only trigger higher local property taxes and derided the No Child Left Behind Act as an "unfunded mandate."

[e-mail] Monday, November 10, 2003

[helleborient]

1. No reason for her to stop now...

She's a valuable voice.

[redqueen]

2. I'd like her more

if she weren't so darn vague.

Her idea to pay for single payer insurance through general funds is just peachy, if you don't consider that you have to pay for it.

She wants to spend billions in Iraq, billions here -- I guess she's for repealing all of Bush's tax cuts to fund it?

What about the baby boomer hit that SS is about to take?

Has she gone into detail about any of this?

[helleborient]

3. This is the serious critiquing she will need to respond to...

If her candidacy starts to catch fire.

All very very good questions.

[redqueen]

4. Don't get me wrong...

I like her... and I value the voice she's given to one of the biggest issues hurting women -- unequal pay.

It's just that her ideas on healthcare, while they seem better than others', just leave me with more questions.

[burr]

7. you're missing the point, it was vague but vogue!!!

I agree...the article said nothing about her invisible plan that I didn't already know, and seemed more like just another sales pitch for Braun and her RECORD SHATTERING ACCOMPLISHMENTs.. :eyes:

AGAIN, if you outline something "new"..try showing us something we haven't seen yet!

[gottaB]

8. I can't figure it out either

Why isn't the Concord Monitor ignoring her? Don't they realize that if they talk about her ideas people might be persuaded to vote for her? Or at least check out her website and learn more. It's no different than an endorsement. They should be ashamed. Godless liberal media nogoodniks, the lot of them. Whose side are they on, anyway?

I have a sneaking suspicion this story originated with the Braun dirty-tricks team. Plant bogus praise, wait for the obvious rejoinders, then drone on and on about her many accomplishments and qualifications. Ugh.

What's next on the list. Oh, let me guess. The appropriate use of smilies, ironic and friendly at once. Isn't that sweet? I bet she was actually smiling when she typed that. Ugh.

[burr]

10. my...you sure hate, well what do you hate?

dirty-tricks...boring maybe but nothing dirty or tricky, her persuasive ideas..would be nice she could put the details on her website which I've been to countless times, godless liberal media nogoods...aren't they extinct?

[gottaB]

11. You know the scene with the funhouse mirror

from Strangers on a Train? I'm going to step away from my bad satirical self for a minute to answer you plainly.

I don't think I'm especially hateful. I do think your initial post in this thread was hostile. Here's why: You used all-caps; you used exclamation marks; you used that puke-green smiley ("eyes") to show disgust; you used sarcasm to attack a candidate I support, evident in your choice of words and use of quotemarks, and of course the other uses of punctuation which I took as marks of aggression.

I also criticized some of your substantive points. You called the article a "sales pitch." That would imply that the Braun campaign had complete control over the message, and that the editors of the Monitor were acting as mere publicists rather than journalists. I do not believe that is a fair and accurate assessment of the situation or this particular story. Braun was making a pitch, of course, but what the Monitor readers see is mediated by professional journalists. I just think it's ridiculous to criticize that for being a sales pitch, so I ridiculed it. If you picked up on any malice in my ridicule, condsider that it was in response to your argument, and not your person.

Your use of exaggeration and capitalization of the words "record shattering accomplishments" also struck me as not only hostile, but ill-informed. Braun has quite an impressive list of accomplishments, some of which are indeed historically notable. Again, I replied with ridicule, but any malice you detected was directed at the substance of your point, and the way you made it. It was not aimed at your person.

One further substantive point that I disagreed with was your use of the word "invisible" to describe Braun's health care plan. Well, if you're disappointed that Braun hasn't published her full plan on her website yet, actually I agree with you somewhat, even though at the same time I understand the difficulties her campaign faces with getting material reviewed and presented to the public. Even so, I would not characterize her plan as "invisible." As Sen. Edwards has said, there's only one candidate without a health care plan, and that's George Bush.

Furthermore, it doesn't seem appropriate to expect this little newspaper story to contain a full outline of her proposal or an analysis of its relative shortcomings and strengths. New Hampshire voters who are concerned about health care I'm sure will be looking at all the candidates websites, and sites like New Hampshire for Health Care and the like.

Again, I replied with ridicule, intending to suggest that people who wanted to know more need not rely upon the Monitor as their only source of information, but rather could use this article to remind themselves to check out candidate Braun's position on health care and other issues.

If you came away with the impression that I was being hateful towards you, for that I am sorry. I strongly disagree with two of your main arguments, mildly disagree with yet another point, and completely disagree with your use of punctuation. But I sure as heck don't hate you, burr.

See ya.

[burr]

12. I know you don't hate me...I was just asking what the deal was.

And you answered my question.

About using the rolling eyes icon, I used it next to my point about her shattering accomplishments. I do think they were shattering, but at some point people want to know what you're onto next. I hear about these accomplishments in all her speeches again and again, and to be honest they seem less potent the more they are repeated. They would be very potent when put side-by-side with an impressive detailed agenda. This is why I called it not just vague but vogue. Mostly spin with some very vague ideas.

I read this topic hoping learn about some newly released details to her plan...but just got the same-old same-ole, nothing I haven't read probably 20 times before! Was I frustrated?...yes, but not at you.

Finally, Braun had a unique opportunity. With a detailed agenda, her record of public service, and as the only women in the race she could of inspired many young women and men to vote for her. She may still inspire some. She had a unique opportunity to grab the media attention away from other candidates and to generate a powerful Jesse-like movement. But she needed passion, ground shaking ideas to draw attention, and yes...to take some chances. After all..she had nothing to lose, but everything to gain!

[a_lil_wall_fly]

9. Vague yes

I bet she has the answers but she might not want to stated any thing too serious since other candidates have been known to re-word other canidates statements and get great praise on "thier" new statement.

[sam sarrha]

5. I want to see her and Hillery Clinton on a ticket for president... that

would really piss them off, I was team driving in a truck and the other guy, a total Nazi Freeper said he someone should kill Hillery if she ran for president. I told him that was advocating Terrorism, and Murder...and asked who the hell was brainwashing that crap into him. I suggested maybe not listening to savage/rush so much...cause that was F'd UP thinking... he got a little defensive..but not enough. that is a pretty typical attitude, I was really terrified being among the barbarians for an entire month. They are all so Brainwashed.. they all say the same thing, all propaganda, all violent, all hate speech, all the time. Anything will set them off for hours of ranting and threatening. It is "mindless" systematic conditioning...conditioned response, Knee Jerk politics. you have to be really careful even in small talk, or you will conger up a ..."What are you a F'n Liberal" from any disconnected association.

[tsipple]

6. Carol Doing Surprisingly Well

She's got something like 1/100th the campaign budget of, say, John Kerry, and she's tied with him nationally in the last major poll. Wow.

She's a class act in this campaign. Doesn't hurt that she seems awfully chummy with my top choice. Does anyone doubt for an instant that, if she doesn't win the nomination, she's a shoo-in for a Cabinet post? I bet HHS or Education, but we'll see.