A year ago, if any conservative analyst had read the proposed healthcare fix released by former Vice President Joe Biden yesterday, they would have said it was a radical departure from what Democrats have been saying for a while. They would have noted that it took many of the original provisions ejected from Obamacare at its inception and reinserted them on steroids. But that would have been the reaction a year ago. Today, his proposed plan seems moderate when compared to the extreme socialistic principles promoted by many Democrats as their leftward lurch has yielded Medicare-for-All and different variations of single-payer healthcare.
Biden’s plan, as radical as it is, will not be acceptable to the progressives in his party today. It’s not a departure from the failed Obamacare concept. It’s doubling down on them. But even doubling down on Obamacare is a far cry from single-payer. Some will say it’s a step in that direction, and they would be partially correct, but only because Biden’s plan will fail even harder than its predecessor.
It took Biden to bring the far-left and the conservative base together in agreement on one thing: Bidencare will not work. The reasons the two sides believe this are different, but the end result is the same. Biden’s populist plan may appeal to those left-of-center, but unfortunately for the Democratic frontrunner the ranks of people who qualify as left-of-center are dwindling. Many are actively becoming hyper-leftists. Some are seeing the errors of their ways and joining the #WalkAway movement. Biden is relying on a resurgence of moderation in his party and the issue being forced by the Democratic Establishment. Will it be enough?
As I’ve said since before he announced his candidacy, the answer to that question is, “No.” The party is leaving him. Anything short of single-payer, which few Americans actually understand properly, will not be enough to inspire the Democratic base. A couple of years ago it may have, but the angst of Bernie Sanders having the nomination stolen from him in 2016 yielded the rise of the Justice Democrats and the scourge of radical progressive ideologies prominent in the party today. They blame Hillary Clinton and the DNC for Trump being in office, so they’ve turned to radicalism as their weapon of choice to slay that dragon, better known in their circles as the occupant of the White House.
What Biden has proposed with his Affordable Care Act 2.0 is going to be portrayed as a sensible stepping stone to single-payer. Instead of eliminating the health insurance companies outright, he plans on having a public option that will allow the government to compete with private carriers. This would make sense to the radical progressives if they took a moment to acknowledge Medicare-for-All is such a drastic departure from the current and former healthcare systems that it’s bound to fail miserably. But they won’t. They’ll continue to say we don’t need to ease in. We need to blow up the system and rebuild it quickly by putting the United States government in complete control over how, when, and why we receive healthcare.
For a group that claims to oppose fascism, they’re ready to embrace the most fascist policy proposal ever to hit the collective consciousness of the United States.
Biden’s play for the middle while appeasing the left won’t work well for him. His plan will be attacked from both sides, forcing him to say things to appease one side that will upset the other. ACA 2.0, or Bidencare if you prefer, is DOA.
We are currently forming the American Conservative Movement. If you are interested in learning more, we will be sending out information in a few weeks.
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