Republicans are making the exact same mistake that Hillary made

I don't know about you, but nothing turns me off more than someone telling me that I can't have something that I obviously need, and that I know for a fact is possible.
That's what Hillary did in 2016, and it's what Republicans are doing today.

The embrace of “Medicare for all” shows that the Democratic party has “gone off the rails,” Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) said Monday.

Off the rails? 70 percent of Americans support Medicare for all, including 52 percent of Republicans.
The Trump Administration also chimed in.

The Trump administration’s top health official on Thursday dismissed “Medicare for all” as a promise that’s too good to be true.

That'll surely inspire the twenty-four percent of hard-core Trump supporters who said they would be more likely to vote for a candidate who proposes “Medicare for All”.
Trump at least promised (and lied) to fix the health care system in 2016.

This is a reverse of 2016. (Some) Democrats are giving you something to vote for, while Republicans are only offering you something to vote against...with a twist of dialing up the fear to 11.

“They want to raid Medicare to pay for socialism,” the president bellowed at an event in Indiana last month. "They're going to ruin your Medicare. Watch. They want to turn America into Venezuela. I don't think so," Trump told a crowd of supporters Friday in Montana.

The GOP implication -- although the messaging is convoluted and not directly stated -- is designed, as many highly effective health-care attacks have been in campaigns past, to scare seniors: if more people are allowed to partake of Medicare benefits, current ones will suffer.
...
Health-policy experts say there's a problem with the Republican argument: Medicare as it exists today -- a government-run service for all elderly Americans -- is the closest thing America has to socialized medicine. And there's nothing in Democratic proposals that indicate that expanding it would make the program less available for current recipients.

Scaring people is all they've got.
And it doesn't even make any sense.
So they lie. They lie about Canada's health care system in particular.

The situation is no better in my native Canada, where all private insurance is banned under its single-payer system — akin to the Democrats’ Medicare for All proposals.

About 27.6% of Canadians' healthcare is paid for through the private sector. Some 75% of Canadians have some form of supplementary private health insurance; many of them receive it through their employers.

Many patients are so frustrated they leave the country to seek timely medical treatment elsewhere. In 2016, 63,000 Canadians traveled abroad to seek treatment.

The reality is entirely different.

Results from these sources do not support the widespread perception that Canadian residents seek care extensively in the United States. Indeed, the numbers found are so small as to be barely detectible relative to the use of care by Canadians at home.

63,000 is supposed to sound like a lot. Yet 1.4 million Americans fled to Mexico for medical treatment last year.
Medical tourism is a $23 Billion industry in North America, with Americans fleeing to Mexico and Canada being the exclusive destinations.
Mexico achieved universal health care 6 years ago, with a sort-of Medicaid-for-all system.

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Raggedy Ann's picture

they can in order to funnel the money up to the 1%. They are killing it in the MIC - they are getting all the money. They want us to buy this line - we cannot afford it. This is why we need revolution. Period.

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"The “jumpers” reminded us that one day we will all face only one choice and that is how we will die, not how we will live." Chris Hedges on 9/11

@Raggedy Ann
instead of a sympathy vote - "I'm voting for you because those damn Republicans were so mean to you" rather than "You let that damn Hillary try to do WHAT! GET OUT!" We wouldn't be in this mess. Don't think of 8 years of Bob Dole, think of no W, no Iraq, no Afghanistan, no Syria, and most of all no Hillary - no corruptocrats - and no Trump. How would President Dole have responded to 9/11? He would have done what President Gore would have. (or even President Reagan ffs) He would have let the FBI stop it from happening rather than letting it happen and then using it to instill a police state.
Someone should look it up, but I remember that the wild inflation in health care costs began with the defeat of Hillarycare. Her sabotage of the movement toward single payer crippled any possibility of an effective response to the ballistic price gouging that it encouraged.
Hillary's sabotage left Bill with no leverage to do anything about the ensuing price gouging. (not that he would have wanted to, but it gave him the excuse) With Bill losing in 1996 it probably would not have been Gore in 2000, but therefore whoever (the Democrat was who would have defeated W) was would not have allowed 9/11 and the early 2000s would have been a fight about health care and middle class jobs. 2006 would have given us a Speaker more like Bernie. (well, it would have been a Democrat rather than Bernie, but still, it would not have been Pelosi, because the Democrats would have been pressured to care about working Americans rather than about nothing but money - because remember, in my alternate history Bill was voted out because Hillary sold us out to the health industries) No Obama in 2008, but like no Pelosi, a Democrat would have been dedicated (at least socially pressured) to caring about people rather than an in your face betrayer. Even a Republican would have had to be more moderate - Romney without the slime.
Yes, gays would probably still not be allowed to marry, but I would trade an $18 an hour minimum wage and a U6 of 5% for gay marriage - and so would you - and the #metoo movement would be a lot less divisive - though it would succeed a little slower there would be no Justice Kavanaugh - and without Obama thousands of black men would not be shot by rabid police officers, in fact, millions of black men would be respected (at least more than they are) members of (a still racist admittedly) society rather than convicts or former convicts or dead. The trades are all positive.
I sound like I've gone a little off the rails into utopia land, but tell me where I'm wrong.

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On to Biden since 1973

Raggedy Ann's picture

@doh1304
It will never be enough!

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"The “jumpers” reminded us that one day we will all face only one choice and that is how we will die, not how we will live." Chris Hedges on 9/11

k9disc's picture

Republicans, not so much, and Democrats not at all.

The problem with the correlation is that Hillary would have beaten a Romney, the flip side of the corporate coin, but had no hope against a corporo-politically unacceptable Drumpf.

For 2016 to inversely repeat, the Democrats have to run candidates that are corporo-politically unacceptable. What would be the odds of that?

2018, they moved to the Deep State candidate, which I don't think is going to go well, even if drumpfenfear triumphs in 2018, for the future, 2020 and beyond, it's a HORRIBLE look; talk about corporo-politically acceptable.

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“Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat.” ~ Sun Tzu

Hillary at her best telling the voters NO you can't have health care. Will gop voters get beyond the propaganda? Well, on the democratic party side, dems keeping voting for candidates who are against medicare for all.

But then, maybe with the reduced life expectancy, illness, poverty, all due to lack of medical care, gopers will realize their health is more important than sticking it to "liberals".

Trump would win 2020 if he said he changed his mind and would work toward medicare for all as his singular issue. The gopoers already go what they wanted in most areas.

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@MrWebster

But then, maybe with the reduced life expectancy, illness, poverty, all due to lack of medical care, gopers will realize their health is more important than sticking it to "liberals".

But then you never know.
The hard-right tends to define themselves by the imaginary things that they hate these days.

Trump would win 2020 if he said he changed his mind and would work toward medicare for all as his singular issue.

To quote Hillary, that will never come to pass.

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divineorder's picture

We spend 6-8 weeks in Costa Rica every year, and though we did not go to Costa Rica originally for dental tourism , our US dentist retired soon after we did and we found one in CR. We see that dentist now every trip and have saved loads of money with excellent care.

Anecdotal but a friend of ours from TX has retired in CR, has a relationship with a Costa Rican National, and was quite disturbed by the terrible conditions and care received in a small coastal city hospital.

OTOH we also met a guy who had had emergency open heart surgery in San Jose and was quite satisfied.

FWIW I found this interesting:

http://oxstones.com/10-countries-where-americans-can-save-big-on-medical...

TREATMENT AND TRAVEL

As medical care becomes more expensive in the United States, many Americans are traveling abroad for non-emergency procedures such as hip replacement, cosmetic surgery, or even heart surgery. Each year, some 750,000 U.S. citizens travel to foreign destinations seeking medical treatment, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Nearly two-thirds (65 percent) of respondents to a Medical Tourism Association survey who traveled abroad for health reasons did so because they were uninsured. Americans also travel for elective procedures insurance doesn’t cover. Cosmetic surgery and dentistry are particularly popular tourism choices, because they are rarely covered by health insurance.

Cost is a big factor in deciding whether to seek care abroad. According to “Patients Beyond Borders,” a guide to medical tourism, procedures that cost more than $6,000 generally are cheaper if performed outside the U.S.

Medical tourism is a rapidly growing business, with new facilities, travel agencies, and accreditation emerging all the time. Medical travel agencies help make appointments and arrange follow-up care, in addition to planning flights and accommodations. Some travel agents even specialize in particular treatments and destinations where the procedure is offered. It’s a good idea to look at hospitals that have been accredited by Joint Commission International, which evaluates hospitals and medical centers based on proven standards, and the ability to ensure patient safety and quality of care.

Here’s a look at 10 popular health destinations and medical treatments commonly performed in each country.

Have we ever had a President who campaigned for re-election so frequently during his first term?
###
I have a brother who has no money for dental or medical care. Thankfully, he is not a Trump supporter but he doesn't vote often either.

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A truth of the nuclear age/climate change: we can no longer have endless war and survive on this planet. Oh sh*t.

vtcc73's picture

@divineorder has an American husband who is a dentist. A major part of his practice is dental tourism. I haven’t scheduled an appointment with him yet but I hear good things about him from other expats.

A small country like Ecuador has a national healthcare system available to everyone, citizen and resident alike. We spend $425/month in insurance for the three of us. That’s less tha half of what my former employer charged for my wife’s health insurance. My son, 30, couldn’t afford insurance on his $15/hour Apple tech support job.

The system is under expanding cost pressure but I think it’s sustainable as the system exists. Yet, the most gloriously exceptional nation in the history of man can’t imagine let alone build its equal.

I don’t think exceptional means what Americans think it means. “We’re #37! We’re #37!” just doesn’t roll off the tongue right. Maybe it’s just me.

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"Ah, but I was so much older then, I'm younger than that now..."

snoopydawg's picture

@divineorder

medical, dental and mental. It's all one body and should be covered as one. But of course it has been setup like this so insurance companies can make more profits. I had over $20,000 in dental work done and I never had insurance for it. And of course I didn't have the money to pay each time so it went on a credit card. What do people do that have neither money or credit cards and live in rural areas that have no low cost dental places or dental schools? Suffer I imagine.

Always plenty of money for the new military toys. Always money for death and destruction, but none for saving lives.

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Which AIPAC/MIC/pharma/bank bought politician are you going to vote for? Don’t be surprised when nothing changes.

boriscleto's picture

The Syracuse viewing area includes 3 congressional districts. 24 (Katko), 22 (Tenney), & 21 (Stefanik). All controlled by Republicans.

The attack ads in 24 & 22 are relentless. Dana Balter is running on Medicare For All in NY 24. The attack ads all say she will destroy Medicare and double your income tax! Plus she's a Visiting Assistant Teaching Professor from Connecticut...

It's much easier to attack Anthony Brindisi in NY22. He's a "New Democrat" and a corrupt NY assemblyman...So he isn't even running on Medicare for All...His own ads claim he's "independent" and won't support Nancy Pelosi...But the attack ads hit him for supporting Sheldon Silver after it was revealed Silver was paying off sexual harassment victims with a slush fund. Just like Congress does...

John Katko's ads are really funny. He claims he's trying to protect clean air and water despite the fact that he's supported all of Trump's deregulation...Balter's attack ads hit him on voting for the tax scam and to cut Medicare $500 billion to pay for it. He voted with Trump 90% of the time...Tenney seems to have spent most of her first term getting photo ops with Trump.

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" In the beginning, the universe was created. This has made a lot of people very angry, and is generally considered to have been a bad move. -- Douglas Adams, The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy "

divineorder's picture

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A truth of the nuclear age/climate change: we can no longer have endless war and survive on this planet. Oh sh*t.

Cassiodorus's picture

whereas the Democratic Party exists to bolster the fortunes of the Republican Party.

People argue from time to time that there is no significant difference between the Democratic and Republican Parties. It simply isn't true. The Republicans are the vanguard of the ruling class whereas the Democrats are mere collaborators.

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"The war on Gaza, backed by the West, is a demonstration that the West is willing to cross all lines. That it will discard any nuance of humanity. That it is willing to commit genocide" -- Moon of Alabama

enhydra lutris's picture

@Cassiodorus

People argue from time to time that there is no significant difference between the Democratic and Republican Parties. It simply isn't true. The Republicans are the vanguard of the ruling class whereas the Democrats are mere collaborators.

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That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --

WindDancer13's picture

in their own campaigns against Medicare For All?

I can just see the T saying that this was the only thing that HRC/Dems got right: "Even the Dems know it cannot be done."

Okay, I am not laughing, but the irony is worth a chuckle. Remember when the Dems complained that anything Sanders said against HRC could be used against her in the election?

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We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.--Aristotle
If there is no struggle there is no progress.--Frederick Douglass

Unabashed Liberal's picture

aren't a monolithic group of people. She seems not to know (or care) that there's a great variance in the type and/or degree of coverage enjoyed by this cohort. And, while many, if not most, would gladly consider changes to the Medicare program, they'd obviously measure any future proposed offerings against what they currently have--in regards to both benefits and cost.

Because 'Michael's' rapidly approaching, and I've got a couple more tasks to take care of, I'll further comment on this at EB later this afternoon.

Glad you posted her piece, though. It's a good starting place for discussion.

Pleasantry

Postscript: I'll soon be using a new Grijalva quote/image in my signature line. In it he declares that the 'single-payer option' will live on as a political (talking) point. But, due to the constitutionality of the ACA, progressive lawmakers will no longer push for it.

Blue Onyx

"Everyone thinks they have the best dog, and none of them are wrong."
~~W. R. Purche

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Everyone thinks they have the best dog, and none of them are wrong.

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Fionnsboy's picture

....like Her Heinous showing her true colors. And I LOVE the tools behind her!!! Let's all clap for no health care! Of course, all of US up here on the stage with Hils have health care- as does the entire DNC apparatus, all the media ho's who supported her, all the corporate ho's who supported her, all the NPR sycophants who ignored Bernie until they couldn't, and then they peddled his inelectibility 24/7-- but you deplorables? Forget about it!!!! Every last rotten thing Trumper does is on the Dems and their shoving this pre-selected-in-2008 (actually sooner) power hungry egomaniac down our throats. Enjoy!

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Semper ubi sub ubi