@Robert Gentel,
Quote:The counter-argument to my position would be that there was not enough political capital for anything else. That may well be true, but I think that he not only squandered any political capital for healthcare reform but by rushing to push his signature change for his first term through he squandered political capital for other causes as well.
Possibly, but I'm not certain that's so. As his opposition was concentrated on denying him any political capital at all, in any sphere, it isn't clear how he might have been more productive elsewhere if he hadn't pushed healthcare reform. But at the same time, I have to acknowledge that, for the right, this was a uniquely threatening political thrust.
Quote:He underestimated the intransigence of his political opponents
Yes, he did. That he finally arrived at this revelation doesn't help much. Ironically, a fundamental reason I initially supported Hillary 8 years ago was
because I thought she had, as a consequence of the eight years her husband was President and all that came with that, a much clearer understanding of what the right had become. But there's a tricky factor in there as well. Obama has, I think, remained a civil and civilizing influence on present American politics through rejection of polarization. Not just because he was african american and therefore necessarily constrained (so as to minimize the potential for a more severe racial confrontation) but because of his personality. This may be a delusional or romantic notion, but it is one I hold.
Quote:He should have gone for single-payer and stuck with it, it might have taken a few years longer to win that argument and might have even failed, I admit
If just some years longer to achieve, yes (though that seems likely to have had consequences for other initiatives). But if he'd failed, how long before any attempt would again be made? And god knows what the political climate will look like up the road.
As regards the economics involved here, I simply do not know enough to bother opening my mouth.