[lbo-talk] Getting some business that Magic Barry ain't got

Julio Huato juliohuato at gmail.com
Tue May 13 09:21:18 PDT 2008


I thought these threads had been shut off, but I found a long series of subsequent postings in the archives. So, unless Doug says otherwise, I'll assume that replying is okay.

Jenny Brown quoted me and wrote:


>> But the people who demand specific solutions, like single-payer health
>> care, don't seem to think so. People for single-payer health care may
>> *not* want to forget the presidency. They may want both and. If so,
>> then they are likely to be part of the coalition around Obama or
>> Clinton or both...
>
> Well, that's not exactly the approach we're taking, nor is in the approach CNA is taking
> (see their ads at Sickocure.org). Here's a signature ad we're getting signatures on right
> now, to place in our paper before the Dem. convention:

I understand that the mandate of groups created to lobby for certain specific reforms is narrower than that of political formations created to dispute central state power. So, those groups are likely to have people with heterogeneous political views. Depending on how they conduct their affairs, they may or may not support or endorse or join specific political parties or electoral campaigns, etc.

But that's groups or organizations. I wrote and I mean *people* as *people*. I mean regular people, including those constituting those groups, but not only them. One may think that people who support the Democrats with their votes or proselytizing during an electoral campaign partly or entirely because they promise "universal health care" (whatever parties or candidates may mean with that phrase and whether or not they intend to deliver on the promise) don't count, because during non-electoral times they are not organized to fight for universal health care. I don't think so. I think those people are effectively struggling for universal health care, although perhaps without the focus and intensity of those organized outside of the electoral process.

I'm sure that people who demand single-payer universal health care in the U.S. are, overwhelmingly, on the side of the Democrats. And, if Obama is the nominee, they will support him. And that includes most people permanently organized to fight for single-payer universal health care. The face on the web site you linked (Michael Moore) just endorsed Obama.



More information about the lbo-talk mailing list