ObamaCare Is the Ugly Child of Lame Centrism

Democrats wound up with this mess because they lacked conviction
By Kevin Spak,  Newser Staff
Posted Nov 11, 2013 1:51 PM CST
ObamaCare Is the Ugly Child of Lame Centrism
Protesters are seen along the motorcade route for President Barack Obama's visit at the Temple Emanu-El in Dallas, Nov. 6, 2013.   (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

There are many reasons the Affordable Care Act's rollout has been such a disaster, and sure, some of them have (R)s next to their names. "But a large part of the problem was the underlying ideological outlook that shaped the original proposal," Princeton professor Julian Zelizer argues in a CNN op-ed. "The ACA was a product of … half-baked liberalism." Since the 1990s, Democrats have been peddling "jerry-built proposals" that rely on nudging market-based actors in the right direction without spending much money.

That's politically wise, but "it has come at a huge long-term cost to the strength of the programs." Unlike, say, Social Security—simple, government-run, and highly popular—these public-private Frankensteins tend to be hard to implement, hard to understand, and easy to demonize. They often fail to address the central issue, while "giving private industry a chance to reap profits off the policy." That's all true of the ACA, and it should "be a wake-up call for liberals that it might be worth fighting for something." Click for his full column. (More Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X