"This was a strong point in HRC's performance in Texas tonight, about what Obama admitted was a "substantive difference" in their health care plans. HRC sounded stronger on this, at this point--"
Don't see this, docile body; she did not deny that 20% of adults are given exemptions in mandate plans and some (probably the disadvantaged) still fined. So her hold on universality collapsed, no? She also implicitly conceded that she does nothing to control costs so Obama had a plausible argument that he will make health care more accessible in fact. Bottom line: her claim to universality collapsed. You seem to have been dazzled by her unyielding smile.
Michael Pollak wrote a very important post in which he showed that there was no real substantive difference between the plans in terms of range of actual coverage and that neither plan was any closer to the single payer solution. You did not respond to that post. Nor did anyone, I think. We shouldn't assume that Krugman is right.
As for a substantive difference: I missed the first third of the debate as it was not broadcast at the kiddie park, but it seems that Obama clearly said that he would meet with the new Cuban leadership without preconditions once he had prepared an agenda while Clinton refused to meet without preconditions which included economic reform. That is, she would continue the economic punishment of Cuba. Obama does not seem to have made economic reform a precondition for negotiations. Rather he emphasized the release of dissidents and the need for a free press as conditions for normalization of travel and trade. Leftists have come to recognize the importance of liberal individual rights, no? Obama seems reasonable to me, and we can be sure that we won't hear the LBO-talk nonsense from the Cuban leadership that Obama is the most dangerous of the candidates.
At any rate, for this very reason--Obama's sane and humble acceptance of diplomacy with world leaders whom we have no right or interest to put beyond the diplomatic pale--he alone makes likely the aversion of war with Iran and the US exit from Iraq.
"Perhaps" this is important?
Or are leftists unwilling to defend Obama against what will become ever more virulent and stupid charges of coddling Ahmadinejad and Castro? That is what this election is about as McCain recognizes. It's not about the unimportant diffrences in health care between Obama and Clinton.
Abu Hartal
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